Monday the 3rd September 2012. Leaving Florianopolis tomorrow and goodbye to Brazil.

Providence
Matt Stafford and Rohan Buckley
Tue 4 Sep 2012 00:00

 

G'day all.  It's been a while since our last input, a little over three weeks to be exact.  In that time we have been in Florianopolis enjoying the fruits of the island.  We anchored off a local beach on the NW of the island and made it our base much to the amusement of the locals as we ferried back and forth with the tender at all hours of the day and night.  So far this has been our longest stay in one spot, which has been a good rest for both the yacht and ourselves.  Florianopolis is the holiday capital of the region.  In summer the population almost triples which can only be a nightmare for traffic etc, but crazy for the associated parties! Even in winter here we have had some fantastic days on the beach, kiting, surfing, watching whales with their calves just beyond the breakers.. it's a tough life.

 

We actually already knew a few people on the island.  Rohan had some friends he knew from Scotland living here so who showed us around the island and kindly let us use their washing machine….. cheers Fatima.  Tina was here for a week doing some kitesurfing so it was good to catch up with her again.  Claire and Bron, friends of Matt's from London, also stopped by for a week whilst on their holidays in the area.  We also met some locals who showed us once again how friendly and hospitable Brazilians can be. 

 

Besides catching up with friends one of the main reasons we came here was to get some quality kitesurfing in but the wind has proved inconsistent so as a whole it has been a let down, though we have been able to get a few days in.  With the lack of wind we have been trying our hand at surfing.  Why we have not done this before I do not know.  Florianopolis is a meca for surfing and has some great beaches to learn on.  We took a few lessons, with Claire and Bron, and loved it.  For the last week we have pretty much done a bit each day and I have to say we are getting damn good at it.  Even considering entering the local surf competition......... ‘In the 8 foot foamie board / 3 foot wave class’... ;)

 

Unfortunately our three month visa for Brazil runs out tomorrow.  It has been such a great time in this country that it was tempting to get the visa extended, but Uruguay, Argentina and the weather in Antarctica waits for no man.  We will sail tomorrow, refuel at the local marina and then it should take us 8 days to get south to Uruguay and so far the weather looks good… but we have seen that change all too easy in the past.  So, it’s time to put the sea-legs back on and our game faces for the next leg.  Before we log off we would like to say a special thank you and great to meet you to Tatiana and Volnay, Hans, Fatima and Daniel, Jeff (www.floripakitesurfing.com), Marcel, Pablo, Aline and all the crew at Backpackers Sharehouse, and to the lads at the local café who served us coffee and beers whilst using their wifi.

 

Take care all and watch this space……. Matt and Rohan.

 

PS…. Photos to follow….