BELEM and the RIO GUAMA
Sometimes, the most interesting cruising destinations are not even in the plan. In late August we were slogging our way south down the northeast coast of Brazil when we decided to take a break and stop at the little town of Soure in the Amazon Delta for some R and R. (That would be rest and relaxation, Lilly.) Soure is on the north bank of the winding Rio Paracauari, about 50 miles up the broad and open Rio Para from the sea; it is on the northeast corner of the large island of Ilha de Marajo at the southern extent of the Amazon Delta. With a limit of only 6 months stay on our Brazilian visas, we could not spend much time at Soure and still make our goal of Uruguay by Christmas; but we wanted to see something of the Amazon Delta. As we came in the Rio Para and furled the sails, we discovered that our Strong Track had broken apart. The Strong Track runs up the aft side of the mast and connects the full-battened mainsail to the mast; and we needed to replace that track before we went back out to sea. At Soure we were able to get on the Internet and initiate the negotiations with Tides Marine to replace the failed track, but we needed a shipping address in Brazil. We could not get the track delivered to the little town of Soure out in the Delta - we would have to continue another 50 miles up the Rio Para to the big city of Belem. It became obvious that our Brazilian cruising plan was not going to look at all as we had envisioned it. We needed a new plan, and we needed to make lemonade out of the lemons at hand. We decided to slow down and not let the visa restrictions drive our enjoyment of Brazil. We would spend a few months exploring the Amazon Delta; that would be fun, exciting, and adventurous. One of Tom's heroes, Sir Peter Blake, a New Zealand yachting legend, was shot and killed by bandits who boarded his boat S/V Seamaster off Macapa at the mouth of the Amazon Delta in December 2001. As a result of this tragedy, there have been very few yachts cruising the Amazon Delta in the past 12 years. Through fear, intimidation, and lack of information this world-class cruising destination has been self-denied to cruisers. Is the Amazon Delta really still as dangerous as all the folks who have never been here say it is? We simply did not know. We came with the idea of taking it one step at a time, and venturing forth as we gathered first-hand information regarding security in the Delta today. As we move forward, our cruising in the Amazon Delta is dedicated to the memory of master seaman Peter Blake.

Lilly sez: God forbid, that Tom Service would spend any portion of his life without a detailed plan of action, dedicated to this or that. But in the beginning, even Mister Master Organizer was not quite sure how we were going to make this Amazon cruising plan work safely.

Located about 100 miles from the sea, very few cruising boats call at Belem, the capital of the Brazilian state of Para, and home for over 1.5 million Brazilians. We had very little advance information about Belem, and what we did have was out of date. We would just have to come and figure it out. Belem is the commercial heart of Amazonia, and large ocean-going ships call at the deep water port; so we had no problems navigating the well marked channel up the Rio Para, into the Rio Guajara-Acu, and around the southern side of Belem to the Rio Guama. Both the C-MAP NT+ and the Navionics electronic chart portfolios were quite accurate all the way to the mouth of the Rio Guama where the charts quit. The northern cities of Brazil have a well-earned reputation for being dangerous, and we were apprehensive about our physical security as we motored Spaceship Tiger Lilly along the north bank of the Rio Guama looking for a safe place to put our anchor down. The tidal range is between 8 to 12 feet, with up to 3 knots of current, and we had to anchor in a narrow channel, constrained between the north shore of the river and a shallow mud bank. Most everything that needs to be transported to the interior of the Amazon Delta goes by river boat, and the vessel traffic is hectic and nearly continuous. As a result of the security issues, strange looking craft approaching Tiger Lilly in close quarters, and a challenging anchoring situation, our time in Belem started out a bit nerve wracking. Almost no one speaks English here, and we do not understand Portuguese; and of course communication is a big part of security. The waterfront on the south side of Belem is a pretty rough place, with ramshackle docks and warehouses lining the river banks, boats everywhere in various states of disrepair, and a vast shanty town providing plenty of labor to keep it all operating. We found a spot to anchor off the water-taxi dock, just downstream from a busy power boat marina . The Marina B and B has a floating dock - a major plus considering the Rio Guama's soft mud banks and 11 foot tides. To visualize an 11 foot tide, go stand on the roof of your house and look at your driveway. The tide at Belem is greater than the average single story house, and it rises and falls twice a day. A HUGE amount of water flows by Tiger Lilly in torrents in excess of 3 knots at max ebb.

On our first day in Belem we rowed into the Marina B and B, and before Tom could get the dinghy secured to the dock, Lilly waded into an unsuspecting group of Brazilian men and "did her thing." Those poor unsuspecting guys were just enjoying the cool of the late afternoon and relaxing on the dock, they did not have a chance. Lilly speaks no Portuguese, yet within 10 minutes she was on one of their cell phones talking to his business partner - in perfect English. She put Tom-Tom on this fellow's phone and he described our situation to the voice on the other end - who told us to hang on, he would drive to the marina and be there in 10 minutes. The voice on the cell phone was Marcio, a respected local businessman who as a teenager spent a year as an exchange student in the United States. As soon as he arrived at Marina B and B he stated matter-of-factly that if we did not move to the security of the marina immediately we would be boarded and robbed that very night. We listened to this man who seemed to genuinely care about these crazy gringos anchored off the water-taxi dock, and we moved Tiger Lilly to a mooring buoy just 50 meters off the Marina B and B restaurant dock. Josie, the manager, brought us into her office and we used Google Translator on her computer to communicate; and she, bless her heart, became our telephone voice in Brazil. We accomplished a lot on that first day in Belem; we had a shipping address to receive our Strong Track, Tiger Lilly was secure, and her crew was among new-found friends and felt quite safe. Some would say we just figured it out, others would say that we lucked out - but we know that there is a Higher Power looking after us, and helping us along our way.

(Lilly sez: As we have seen time and again, things do seem to settle down, and yesterday's stressful situation is just today's routine. To me, that is just part of moving forward, and out of the unknown. Each morning, and each evening, we call on the name of the Lord using Psalm 91. He allows us to gather under His wing for protection, and without Him there is no way we would be able to even attempt our lifestyle aboard Tiger Lilly. Check out Psalm 91 - it works! But you know, I think that probably the Lord expects us to do our part also. Once Tom-Tom and all his seamanship and navigation skills get us to where we are going - then I get to take the lead and make it work with the wonderful people we meet ashore. That is what I do best, and it is the joy and challenge of cruising for me.)

The folks at Tides Marine did the right thing and stood behind their failed product, which was 9 years-old and outside of the formal warrantee-guarantee period, and for that we are grateful. It took only 7 hours for our replacement Strong Track to go from the shipping dock of Tides Marine in Deerfield Beach, Florida to being airborne for Brazil - and then we spent NINE DAYS on the telephone with DHL as it was slowly moved within their Brazilian system towards the Marina B and B. Josie seemed to think, as obviously did the folks at DHL, that this amount of time was pretty much normal for express air delivery to Brazil! The new track is mounted and ready to sail, but we are enjoying Belem, and have delayed our departure. Between work days aboard Tiger Lilly we take walking tours of the city - which is quite safe during the day. We have kind-of figured out the bus system - but when it is time to head back we just show someone at the closest bus stop the Marina B and B business card (which we always carry, along with a city map), and they tell us which bus to board. We found a restaurant we like out in the Shanty Town - and are greeted like old friends when we come in. Although he speaks no English, the manager of the local grocery store helps us find what we need on the well-stocked shelves. Belem is a busy, buzzing, high-energy place - we like it here. We love the beautiful old-world buildings, numerous neighborhood squares and parks, and the stately boulevards of the city. Thus far, our new Amazon Delta cruising plan is working out very much to our satisfaction; and typically (for us) the time is flying by and we will have to move on soon.

To see Tiger Lilly's photos of BELEM, BRAZIL, click on the PHOTO GALLERY link at the top-right of this page and follow the logic tree as follows: Main / Ports of Call / South America / Brazil / BELEM - see you there!