03:02.167S 036:17.3W - Fernando de Noronha
Irene IV - World Adventure
Louis Goor
Fri 24 Feb 2023 21:18
At 06:30 on the morning of Friday, 17th February we dropped anchor in Baio
de Santo Antonio on the northwest coast of the main island of the
Archipelago Fernando de Noronha. We watched land emerge from of the cloak of
darkness as the light of the sun shone a spotlight on this welcome sight. A
dramatic outline, with gentle rolling slopes punctuated by sharp rock
outcrops with a backdrop of bluing skies and clear turquoise water. We were
welcomed by a spinner dolphin show, which was to become a regular early
morning event each morning of the 6 days we spent in this Brazilian
paradise.
Noronha, as it is known locally, is at the opposite end of the spectrum to
Salvador – safe, laid back, spacious, well to do, beach culture, with a
vacation/holiday vibe. We breathed a sigh of relief. We had not fully
realized how much on guard and vigilant we had constantly been in the
dangerous city of Salvador. Personally, I am glad we visited Salvador, for
its history, faded glamour and hustle bustle. On Irene IV, I am alone with
this perspective, all others were glad to be gone and vow never to visit
again!
In the bay our anchorage tossed us constantly from side to side. We had been
warned. Luckily, the roll was consistent so did not hinder our sleep, or is
it that we have been onboard long enough to be able to sleep in any
conditions? Our ears grew accustomed to the roaring machine-like sound of
the swell crashing against the shore. We frequently saw turtle heads pop up
to take a gulp of air, as well, we fancied, to bid us good day. We arrived
in tandem with our good friends Seabird, who have become our sailing family
on this Oyster World Rally.
After a quick breakfast and a deck clean, we headed ashore with Seabird
right alongside. The harbour master, Marco, a charming local, without a word
of English, but Goggle translate at the ready, greeted us warmly and walked
us patiently through the checking in protocol. Checking in here is a 3-step
process, Harbor master paperwork, Immigration paperwork and Naval paperwork.
The boys, Rob and Jonny, enjoyed the Immigration portion best, as the
Immigration officer, Paula, was a gorgeous young woman with a fit, toned,
and rippling muscled body! When it came time to check out, yesterday, Rob
coiffed his hair to perfection, put on layers of deodorant, wore his
whitest, most gleaming shirt, brushed his teeth so they shone blindingly,
wore his best flipflops and more besides! He elbowed all those around him in
the office ashore so as to be the first to shake Paula’s hand with a winning
smile and a cheery “Bom Dia!” in his most masculine deep and sexy voice!
Our stay on Noronha was filled with days of swimming on unspoiled beaches,
snorkelling in the waves, spotting sharks, sting rays and turtles, watching
gannets dive bomb fishing right beside us without any fear or care for our
presence. Leisurely perambulations along the shore at Soncho beach revealed
red footed Boobies building nests tirelessly, with mama in the nest
patiently weaving the twigs which papa brought to her after creatively
tearing them off shoreline brush. Tide pooling on Leao beach amongst the
black volcanic rocks exposed jumping crab leaping out of our way as far as ½
meter distance from rock to rock. There too we witnessed dramatic blow holes
gushing and spurting in rhythm with the waves thrashing against the shore.
Some of us dived, some snorkelled right in the port area, where a 170-meter
wreck lies perished under water, we encountered a turtle family of 4, one
very large, father, one a little smaller, mother, and two little ones,
children. We signed up for a couple of dives on a small well-maintained
boat with dive masters Rodrigo and Berto. To dive in warm water again, with
good visibility and a perfusion of reef fish was a delicious delight!
Upon arrival we walked the few kilometres to the local village, Vila Dos
Remédios, in search of a buggy and a bite to eat. The buggy transaction was
a cultural experience! On our walk an array of bright green, blue, yellow,
and purple transformed Volkswagen beetles/bugs passed us, hurtling at
deafening speeds along the one paved road that traverses the island. The
road is number 363, strangely, we never did find any of the other 362 roads!
Our buggy man struck a hard deal and was immovable on price. We picked a
bright green 4-seater buggy and Seabird a shiny white 5-seater. After
instructions and a test drive, we were on our independent way, with a final
cautionary word from our buggy man, absolutely no alcohol when you drive.
Ed, on Black Lion, had told us that he was issued a $R600 (Reais) fine by
the local camo dressed policeman for having had one bottle of beer! Lunch at
Maré restaurant was delicious and copious. We experienced nothing but great
food throughout our stay in Brazil. The local Moqueco coconut curry became a
favourite.
One of our first questions when we landed, as it was the 17th February, our
late father’s birthday, and the first day of Carnaval, was where is the
party or parade? We were advised to go to BR Beer at 19:00 for the “best
party of the year”. We obeyed the order and showed up early in our finest
party gear, Lucy sporting a high flowery headdress fit for a goddess, which
she generously passed around the group, Louis keeping it for the longest.
The venue was certainly appropriate for a big dance party, with a large
dance floor and well stocked bar, the only problem was for the first hour
only Seabird and Irene IV crews were in attendance. Eventually, over the
next few hours, the crowd slowly swelled and by 22:00 the place was heaving
and us along with it. It was like a Halloween party, locals were decked out
in costumes of all sorts, we danced with Fred Flintstone, Spiderman, Cats,
Hammerhead sharks, Amazon delivery personnel, many folks in drag, as well as
colourful Carnaval clad men and women. Filled with Caipirinhas, the local
rum and lime juice specialty, we gyrated across the dance floor like the
best of them! The surprise of the evening was the arrival of a jazz
violinist, André Carreiro, who sped expertly up and down the fingerboard to
spectacular effect, accompanying the music chosen by the DJ. We were
enthralled. The night ended late. We navigated our bumpy way back to the
boat and fell onto our bunks, delighted to have experienced Carnaval in a
secluded and safe place. Later in the week, we enjoyed a drunken parade, and
a few town centre food and dance fests, where costumes, drag and scanty
party clothing were the order of the day. All good clean-ish Carnaval fun!
Along the board walk from the busy dock, which served ferries, dinghies,
dive boats, fishing boats and supply boats alike, the local authorities had
posted multiple billboards proclaiming that Noronha was “Plastico Zero” and
Carbon neutral. It is fair to say that the island was totally clean,
everywhere. Even the busy port area had none of the usual rubbish floating
near the shore and heavy traffic areas. Everywhere we went there were color
coded recycle, compost and rubbish bins. It reminded us a lot of the
Galapagos islands. The authorities obviously put money and resources where
their mouths are in an effort to keep their island clean and beautiful. It
appears that nature and natural beauty matter more to them than keeping
buildings in good repair. The old church in Vila dos Remédios is crumbling.
There appears to be some work being done to save it, but I would hazard a
guess that they have left it too late, and the church’s days are numbered.
Jonny and I went to a portion of the church service on Sunday, and judging
by the numbers in attendance, the weekly tithes are not adequate to keep the
church going.
We weighed anchor at 15:55 on Thursday, 23rd February, after a final swim in
the warm waters of the bay, bound for Granada and the final long passage of
this circumnavigation. We are in the company of Seabird, with Black Lion not
far behind. Since we arrived, Temerity, Latobe and Yolo have arrived in
Noronha, with most of the rest of the fleet not far behind. Only Liberty is
ahead of us and should arrive a few days before us in Port Louis, Granada.
We look forward to seeing Bonga again and finding out about his travels
before he flies to Antigua to find work. We are finally delighted to welcome
our sister, Monique, onboard, who will join us for almost 2 weeks.