It took a little while longer than our original plan which had us landing in the Caribean in November of 2002, but well, here we are now just three years late. After leaving mainland Brazil on the 25th September we headed for the National Park of Fernando do Noronha famed for it`s beaches and diving, also for it`s high tourist tax/environment tax. Well, not ones for paying to get in we tagged onto the back of a rally from Recife to Fernando do Noronha and anchored amongst the paying boats. We successfully hid out for 4 days here and yes the beaches and diving are both excellent. We left on the 1st October with a 2000 mile journey ahead of us, fair winds and a boost from the Guyana current to help with the daily tally of miles. Just to make it a bit more interesting Christina decided to give up smoking on this leg as with no shops for at least the next 2 weeks temptation could not be given in to. Things of note: 04/10 3 days into the trip and already we had to contend with a broken self steering gear, unable to use the spinnaker as the fitting fell off the mast when we set it and had repaired rips in the jib (sail) twice. 06/10 Our fourth crossing of the equator celebrated with a tot of cachaca and fresh muffins as the wind and sea increased. 07/10 Our best noon-to-noon run of 185 miles averaging 7.7 knots. A real rollercoaster ride through the night as Oceana surfed down waves and we 'battened down the hatches'. 08/10 wind decreased and we started to head towards les Iles du Salut - a French colonial penal colony off the coast of French Guyana made famous in the film 'Papillon'. 11/10 Arrival at Iles du Salut.
We anchored off the islands until we were moved on by the Gendarmes Maritime (Sea Police) as the European Space Project were launching their rocket Ariane and we were in the flight path. We went to the mainland at Kourou to watch the launch, planning to get a Chinese take away and sit on the beach when someone ran in the bar and shouted that it was launching now - so we ran out and saw the rocket blasting upwards very quickly......we had got the time wrong.
Ubatuba loved the freedom of running around the islands, in the ruins of the prison and on the beach, but the shock of suddenly paying in Euros at European prices cut the stay short. By the 21st October we were on our way again to Tobago landing at Scarborough on the 27th. When sailing around the Island to Charlotteville, a rattle in the engine developed into a fullscale clank and bang. So we limped into the anchorage with a now defunct engine and no prospect of a repair on this island. As it stands now , we will sail to Grenada to find work and a mechanic (in that order) and somewhere to hang out for Christmas.
