Olinda

The second leg of our road trip took us to Olinda, a short bus ride north from Recife. This town is also along the coast but its draw card is not its praias (beaches) but instead its architecture. The historic downtown area is a World Heritage Site and well worth a visit.

Rufus and I spent our time mainly in the histotic area, just wondering through the streets admiring the beautiful buildings. Coming from South Africa, and having the crime rate we do, we are all too familiar with burglar bars and security fences. Olinda’s historic buildings have the same only, theirs is so ornate and exquisite, you can spend hours admiring the design and workmanship.

Unfortunately I did not pack in the charger for our camera and so I was not able to get any good shots of the architecture (I probably wouldn’t have done it justice anyway). Luckily during my online wonderings I came across Ricardo Bevilaqua’s flickr stream and his colourful shots of the town. He kindly allowed me to use some of his pictures to give you an idea of the areas beauty.

Kate   

                                                                                                                                                      This First published on offtheline.co.za                 

Porto de Galinhas

Just after we arrived in Joao Pessoa, Rufus and I left the boat to do a mini road trip along the coast. Our first stop was Porto de Galinhas, or “Port of Chickens”. We stayed for about 4 nights, which happened to be over a holiday weekend so, the place was packed with visitors from all over Brazil and, the atmosphere was incredible.

Porto de Galinhas is located in the Pernambuco state, about 60km south of Recife and has been voted “Best Brazilian Beach” for the 8th time in a row by the readers of Voyage & Tourism Brazilian magazine.

The beaches really are A.MA.ZING. and the holiday vibe is so infectious. Everything comes alive at night – the shops, restaurants, markets and of course the people. You never need to wear more than your bikini, day or night (and a lot of people don’t), and "stupidly" cold beer is never far away, no matter where you are.

There are endless activities for visitors. Ruf and I snorkelled on the reef, spent a lot of time in the sun exploring the beaches, did some window shopping and of course ate a lot of good food. The area is safe so you can relax and enjoy your holiday without having to worry about your belongings.

This was the best way to start our mini holiday and I would definitely go back for another visit.

Kate

First published on offtheline.co.za

Joâo Pessoa

After leaving Fernando de Noronha we made our way to mainland Brazil and arrived at the mouth of the Paraiba River after a two day sail. Realising that we had finally crossed the Atlantic, as we motored up the river to Jacare Village, just below João Pessoa, was an unbelievable feeling and after being here for over a week it still feels surreal.

After catching up on sleep and ensuring that our boat was going to stay put, Ruf and Kate took a week to do a little road tripping along the coast. Wil and I spent the week on the boat taking it easy and exploring the nearby sites and beaches. During our stay we were fortunate enough to meet another cruising couple, Peter  & Louise, who had just spent 7 months in the Amazon River! It was fascinating to hear the stories about their adventures as well as catching up with a fellow South African, Louise and learning about Trinidad, where Peter has lived for the last 30 years after immigrating from the UK.  We were spoilt rotten by their hospitality, Louise's incredible food and endless helpful tips. We hope to meet them again along the way for some more laughter filled evenings. Check out their website to see what they have been up to.

Kate and Rufus arrived 'home' on Sunday afternoon after a great trip and are staying on Melody for the next week. Wil and I arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Monday afternoon to meet my parents, who are travelling, as well as seeing family.

Viv

First published on offtheline.co.za

Fernando de Noronha

Ever since my first visit in 2002, the island of Fernando de Noronha has occupied a special place in my memory.  Having been declared a National Park, the archipelago with its many smaller islands, inlets and isolated rocks boasts a large number of marine and bird species.

With three of the islands amazing beaches featuring in the top five rated beaches in Brazil, the island is truly a magical place. I could not have asked for a more perfect backdrop when I asked Vivian to marry me on "Cacimba do Padre" beach...she said YES!!

Being a World Heritage site, cruising boats are charged heavily for anchoring off, and visiting the island. Arriving at the tail end of a decent swell, lots of activities had to be packed into the two days we planned to spend on Fernando!

The rental of a beach buggy made exploring the island with our limited time a bit easier! With surfboards strapped to the roof of  our island mobile we spent our days cruising from one insane beach to the next and enjoying all that the island had to offer. 

During one of our island excursions, we met up with fellow traveller, Manish Agrawal, who treated us to a feast at an amazing restaurant overlooking the beach. Manish was so taken by our story that he generously helped us to extend our stay on the island by one more day! Thank you Manish for your great company and kindness!

After three jam packed days it was time to lift anchor and head for Cabedelo,  mainland Brazil.

Wil

First published on offtheline.co.za

Second Leg

Leaving St Helena after a good break and numerous  anchor hassles, which we ended up losing in 30m deep water,  we were ready for the rest of the Atlantic. While in St Helena we had met up with a South African cruising family, aboard yacht Pasha, who were kind enough to lend us an anchor and suggested that we sailed the second leg together.  It was comforting having Pasha in the distance for the first 10days, after which we lost each other in the changing winds and as they headed for Fortaleza. We carried on to Fernando de Noronha, a Brazilian island 250nm off the mainland coast where we landed safely after 14 days at sea.

The second leg went incredibly well with the temperatures heating up as each day passed and the sea water reaching 26°C as we landed. The amazing weather allowed us to get our tans on, a necessity before being able to grace any Brazilian beach. While the warm water made for some efficientbathing which entailed us jumping off deck,  while still moving,  and swimming for dear life to grab the ladder at the back (there was a safety line before anyone has a heart attack). I must say there is nothing quite like swimming in the middle of the Atlantic - try it if you ever have the opportunity.

With our appetites back in order with ate like kings during the entire journey. The boys caught two Dourado simultaneously and a metre long Spanish Mackerel during the trip, from which we ate a couple of amazing meals. Wil was on it with his bread making and even surprised us with some fresh scones for breakfast one morning. Ruf made us all very happy when he produced a malva pudding and Kate made us some awesome traditional "boere kos" with lamb curry, caramelised carrots and bean and potato mash...mmm,  definitely one of the best meals we had. I attempted a swiss roll which resulted in a disastrous caramel sandwich cake thing - for which I will be blaming the oven.

 Viv

First published on offtheline.co.za