3:49.97S 32:24.48W

 

We got into the main port at just after 1000. The anchorage is on the north western side of the island so susceptible to a bit of a swell, but having had such a disturbed nigh none of us cared. Bob and Margit went to find a pousada to stay in as Bob had pulled a muscle in his back and the last 48 hrs of the trip had been very uncomfortable for him. The boat was leant over at quite an angle so it was very difficult to find anywhere to wedge himself for any time to take the pressure off.

 

Ashore it is a dry island with many beautiful beaches. It seems to be a place where the good and the great of Brazil come to holiday and we are reliably informed that a lot of people come to escape carnival!

 

We found the necessary offices to clear in eventually, on the way out we hired a beach buggy. They are everywhere, ranging from very beaten up to really rather smart. We had something in the middle that started every time and we got away without having to change a wheel for the duration of our stay. Quite a feat when the roads are just huge boulders laid down by prisoners over the time that the island was a penal colony.

 

The islands have been a national park sine 1988, consequently they are full of wildlife. In the anchorage are dolphins that swim round the boat in the morning and if you slip in quietly you can get very close to them. There are frigate birds soaring above us, the first since Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, and the anchorage has lots of turtles coming up for air amongst the many local boats and foreign yachts. It’s a real pleasure to see all the animals again after Salvador and being able to walk about without the constant worry of being mugged!!

 

The next and final leg of our circumnavigation is to Grenada, some 2000 miles away. We will cross our path there when we spent Christmas 2013 with friends. There will be much to celebrate.