Pius, my Ocean partner Preparation for South Atlantic passage to Patagonia onboard of an Hallberg-Rassy 53

Pius is coming back to Europe!

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Change of plan due to an important choice for my future and that of my family Pius returns to Europe, to Portugal!

A new crew will care to Pius: Rafael, Ermene(Gildo) and Betto (Roberto Carlos), all brazilians.

Two days facing the braziliaan burocracy, another two to prepare Pius. New impeller, new alternators belts, new diesel filters. Complete check of the electronics, energy production with 400W solar panels and 300W hydrogenerator.

A sail test in the Salvador bahia. Then October 22nd Pius Set sail with conditions not exactly favorable compared to the seasonal forecasts that offer a beautiful south-east coming from South Africa.
But after only 48 hours the first catch. A 6kg Whaoo.

Usually the most comfortable passage from SouthAmerica to Europe would be passing through Caribbean then up to Bermuda in order to catch the westerly winds to reach the Açores and then Portugal. It's a long route lasting 2 months or more considering some stop.

Our choice has been a more direct one, the shortest route but the hardest one! Passing trough CaboVerde then to Açores to facilitate the upwind sailing of the NE trade winds which are already strong and stable.

Finally some SE wind is pushing Pius easily! The brasilian pole head in inox is working fine ;)

WindPredict routing is helping us a lot. Of the % models available We use the ECMWF (the european one).

The first task is where to cross the ITCZ intertropical convergence zone, where the doldrums are...no wind, hot temperatures and strong tropical squalls.

The best would be to cross the ITCZ more west but then we would face the trade winds from NE, that's would mean to sail upwind for 2000 nm. So after a week of sailing upwind we face the doldrums Tue the 29th at night.

Keep sailing ENE towards Senegal allow us to have a better AWA (apparent wind angle) to face the NE trade winds.

The 3rd of november we are still sailing to NE but now doldrums are ending and NE wind and waves offer us a uncomfort living aboard...after 24 hrs tack to NW with an AWA of 70° and 14kts TWS. Not bad!

Wednsday November the 6th at 15h00 UTC Mindelo is welcoming Pius and crew!

The best music bar is here...a floating Bar!

Brazil, Uruguay sailing plan July/August 2024

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A long week for food shopping, cleaning mold outside as well inside, testing the engine and generator, electronics devices, water tank, batteries status, hull cleaning, substitution of the propeller zinc and finally a new handcraft (made in Brazil) pole attachment is ready the night before the fixed departure date: wednsday 10th July.

In Brazil the supermarkets are gigantic, outside there is a mega bar where husbands sit drinking Cervejiña while waiting for their wives to go shopping

The condition of the propeller anode after 5000 miles and 8 months in the water

Nelson cleaning the hull from Mussels and marine vegetation

This is the workshop that rebuilt my pole attachment from scratch...consider that every day it rains every 2 or 3 hours and everything is open-air

The stop on the Rio Paraìba allows an in-depth search for landing places for the exploration of the Brazilian coast from the North East to Punta del Este in Uruguay.

From Jacaré marina following the Rio Paraìba buoys till the Atlantic Ocean, next possible anchorages:

Estado PERNAMBUCO

Atapuz, Pontal de Ilha Itamaracà, 60nm from Jacaré . Access only with high tide for having 3 meters depth.

Vila Velha, 15nm from Atapuz, 1st spot : Ilha Coroa do Aviao. 2nd spot (100% protection): Praia dos Marcos.

Recife Marina, Novotel , 25nm from V.Velha, +55 81 99634.8130 (Manolo) 150R$

->Praia De Suape, 26nm, 4hrs, sand 4/6m depth, 100% wind protection, authorization to the port. Access SW south of Ilha do Franceses with high tide (+/-1m) and great care!

<->Porta da Guadalupe 8° 41.32' S, 35° 5.65' W, 45nm da Recife (6h30), prot N+NE and S/SW, high tide only. Strong currents.

-> Tamandaré anchorage, 49nm, not protected with easerly wind! Easy approach.

Estado ALAGOAS

->Maragogi, 24nm, entrance @ 9°05'.40S 35°12'.30W and then follow the Radio antenna on the hil

Maceió, 51nm, the entrance is possible both at low tide and high tide. The reefs develop their potential best at low tide.

The Navionics chart is relatively accurate. If you follow the course on the picture, you will see a row of red balls marking the edge of the reef. Keep to your left as you enter. The bottom is white sand and holds well

Barra de Sao Miguel, 17nm from Maceiò, prot. N to S to SW, river entrance extremely challenging and should not be attempted without local knowledge and ideally the guidance of a local Pilot:

-> André WhatsApp number +55 82 996068081-996068080

e-mail: josemedeirosnicolau@gmail.com

Stella Marina: water, power supply, fuel, and other amenities such as a restaurant and bar.

VHF 9

@: josemedeirosnicolau@gmail.com

Pontal de Coruripe, 10° 9,4824S - 36° 8,65W, 23nm from Barra Sao Miguel.

Just a natural protection from N/NE/E swell. No previous comments about ground and depth.

Estado SERGIPE

Barra de São Francisco (River Entrance), 65nm from Maceiò.

This is an extremely challenging river entrance due to the shifting sandbanks and the accumulated silt and should not be attempted without local knowledge and ideally the guidance of a local Pilot!

Price in early 2023 was 200R$ (between 35-40€) for each bar crossing, there’s a night time surcharge. As reference André advised that our 50ft monohull with 2.3 meters draft would be able to cross the bar with assistance.

Mario +5582991225400

Aracaju Yacht Clube - CAJU (Rio Sergipe)

010° 55.566' S / 037° 02.570' W, 70nm, Coruripe There is a dock and mooring available for visiting boats.

ph.+557932119623, W'App: +5579988770450, e-mail: icaju@infonet.com.br

Entrance Rio Sergipe WhatsApp number +5579988030015

Email address fredsilva@gmail.com

Estado BAHIA

Mangue Seco, 40nm from Aracaju (120nm). 11° 27,176'S - 37°21.932'W

Protection from SW to S to E. Entrance in Rio Real difficult for sand banks. Only with HW.

Praia do Forte, 78nm from Mangue Seco, Protection from W to N to NE, sand+rocks

Farol de Itapua, 30nm from Paia do Forte, sand, prot from W to N to E

Salvador

Marinas:

SOCICAM marina, Dominique +557199154903

Bahia Marina, good marina with travel lift up to 75tons; Moorings and hauling expensive (European prices).

Anchorages:

Tira-Pomba in 4-5 metres of sand/mud before the fishing mooring balls. Prot. NE to E to S. Between the 2 Marina brakewaters.

In the Bay, Ilha Frades, 15nm from Salvador , north of Todos Santos bay, private island, free buoys, protected from NW to S to E.

Gamboa Anchorage (Morro Sao Paulo) , 34nm from Salvador.

Anchor around 5 metres of mud/sand at low tide where the marker is on NOFOREIGNLAND. Good holding. Care should be given to tide strength.

Barra Grande & Campinho, 56nm from Salvador, sand 4m depth, protected from E to S to W. Strong tide currents. More inside also Campinho anchorage and Htl Rest Chez Petit anchorage on 8m mud

Ilheus

54nm from Barra Grande, Anchorage sheltered from E to S and W winds. sand on 4-5 m close to the Iate clube

Santo André/Santa Cruz Cabralia, 93nm from Ilheus, sand, protection from NE to N to W; Very beautiful and peaceful anchorage. On good holding sand, 2-3 m of depth.

Take care of the entrance, should wait for high tide and follow buoyage. Sandro: +55 15 99611-1526

Porto Seguro, 12nm from Santo André, shallow waters.

Cumuruxatiba, 41nm from Porto Seguro, Sand, reef protection from S to W to N ONLY with Low tide.

Caravelas - Marina Sanuk, 80nm from Santo André. Sand Small family owned marina with moorings , W'app ph. +55 73 88046-634 - VHF 16

Abrolhos Marine National Park, 31nm from Caravelas. On arrival, call the Ilha of Santa Barbara on channel 16 to get permission to anchor. Buoys for excursion boats. Anchoring on 8m depth

WhatsApp number -

Nova Viçosa, 22nm da Rio Caravelas, mud, strong current on tides. Protection all round. Check ground depth with locals.

Estado ESPIRITO SANTO

Barra do Riachio, 140nm from Abrolhos islands, well protected by a breakwater from NW to S to E, on charts anchor and fishing not allowed but someone dropped with no problem.

Vitoria, 35nm from Barra do Riachio. modern town, not so nice , 3 options:

1) Iate Club Espirito Santo, call VHF68 before anchoring, 3m depth, mud. protected, protection from N to W to S. Not East.

2) Ilha Andorinhas Anchorage, sand on 5m. depth, Dinghy at Centro Nautico on the beach.

3) Marina at Vitoria Iata clube , (27) 3225-0422, ices@ices.com.br

Santa Monica bay, 24nm from Vitoria. sand, on 5m depth, protected from E to N to SW. Sometimes strong winds from NE. Watch out rocks entering but on visible on charts . Bay with different anchorages protected:

- Praia da Cerca, 1,5nm da Santa Monica. sand on 6m; prot. from NW to W to S.

- Praia do Morro, 1nm da Santa Monica. sand on 8m. depth, prot. from W to N to E.

- Guarapari, 2nm from Praia da Cerca, no depth problem. mooring along side. No services.
Itaipava - Porto Perscadores, 25nm from Santa Monica bay,mud and sand, prot.all winds, possible to get a buoy but after permission of fishermen.

Estado RIO DE JANEIRO

Porto AÇU, 60nm from Itaipava, mud, breakwater protection exept from E. Not sure anchoring is allowed. Or alongside the south quay.

Macaé, 60nm from Açu, mud/sand, prot.SE to N to NW

Ilha De Santana. 120nm, from Itaipava. Anchoring in 5 m. on sand , prot. from SW to S to E. Quiet and protected. The island is visited just by soldiers.

Buzios, 25nm from I. de Santana

- Enseada Manguinhos, sand, protection E to S to SW

- Enseada Buzios, NE to E to S

- Praia Ferradura, sand on 4m, prot all winds.

Ilha do Papagaio, 10nm from Buzios Ferradura,

- side N, on >7m. protected S to SE to E

- side N, on >7m. protected N to E to S

Cabo Frio, 5nm from Ilha Papagaio e 17 from Buzios

- Enseada do forno, sand, prot W to N to NE, tourist boat until 16h00.

- Enseada dos Anjos, sand, prot N to W to S, tourist boats.

- Ilha do Cabo Frio, Praia da Ilha do Farol, sand on 5m. prot E to S to SW, sand banks, white dunse, turtles

Praia De Itaipu, 60nm from Ilha Cabo Frio. sand on 5/7m, prot. N to E to S. Restaurant PLI on VHF71, food on board as well as in restaurant.

Botafogo Beach, 8nm from Itapiu on 6m depth. Within Guanabara Bay, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Urca peninsula and Sugarloaf Mountain.

Praia da Urca, buoys field is watched by Giovanni, who lives on a powerboat in the anchorage as well. You can reach him at +55(21)99493-5416. He runs a taxi service to go to shore and brings water if needed. Dinghy can be left at dinghy island. Good transport to the city.

Ilha Grande, 52nm from Botafogo RIO.

from SE to SW:

Praia de Lopes Mendes, prot. from N to SE Anchorage on one of the most beautiful beaches in Brazil. Good holding at about 6 metres.

Absolutely calm with north-easterly winds, with south-westerly winds the bay is of course not recommended.

Rios dois Sacos, Anchored in 5m next to the small fish farm (3 buoys).

Parnaioca, Anchor on 9m in sand, prot. from W to N to SE, next to the few buoys for the locals.

Praia dos Meros, Sand, anchor on 9m, prot. from N to S, Generally considered one of the nicest anchorage on the island, . The beach is steep so you can anchor quite close. Very busy in weekends (>20 boats) but at night just a few sailing boats.

From NW to NE:

Praia Vermelha - Ilha Grande, sand beach on 10m depth. Old California shipwreck .

Lagoa Verde, Our preferred anchorage on the island but it is small and deeper than indicated on the chart. We anchored on 9m. A floating restaurant and day trippers during day

Tapera, sand on 8m depth. Prot. from W to S to NE. Sailors' hangout on Ilha Grande. If you want to meet sailors, this is the place to be.Go for lunch/drink at Lele's floating restaurant and chances are you end up visiting each others boats. Lele also has fresh water and you can moor stern to and even put (your own) carbon filter in the hose. There are walking trails around the island passing by here.

Lagoa Azul (S and N), 4nm from Tapera, sand on 7m depth. prot from N to W to SE, is a small lagoon with sandy ground with crystal clear blue water, Is it located between two islets.

Saco de Céu, 5nm from Lagoa Azul, 6m sandy. All round protection. Restaurants.

Praia da Feiticeira, Good stop at 9m. prot. from SW to S to E. Small beach, good starting point for a hike to the waterfall.

Abraão, mud 9m, prot. from NW to S to E, is the largest village on the island of Ilha Grande. There are no cars around in this small town. Good holding ground in the large bay, . Lots of restaurants and pousadas and several small supermarkets. On the west side of town there is a garbage collection.

Praia do Pouso,mud at about 10 metres Very nice anchorage. Good hold, During the day there are many tourist boats, in the evening it is fantastically quiet. There is a beach bar/restaurant where you can leave your dinghy and they have tied a shower hear to a tree. There is a small restaurant in the floating bar, but it is rather expensive. From the beach there is a 15-minute walk to one of the most famous beaches in Brazil on the other side of the island: Lopes Mendes.

Monsuaba, prot. from NW to N to NE, anchor in 5m good holding sand and mud. No touristboats Hardly any wash, no swell. Good supermarke

Angra dos Reis, 6nm from Ilha Grande. prot. from N to W to SW

Porto Frade, 10nm from Ilha Grande. Buoys, prot. from W to N to E

Paraty, 21 nm from Porto Frade, mud 4m, prot. NW to S to E

Paraty-Marina do Engenho, Simple yet functional marina with all a boat needs for a longer stay: good floating pontoons, water, electricity, good showers and even a dive center inside. Call Marina do Engenho on VHF 68 to see if they have places available.

Ponta Negra, 15nm from Paraty, prot. NW to N to SE; tiny fisherman village; to avoid fish-nets anchor outside.

Praia do Sono, 2nm from Ponta Negra; sand on 5/7m. prot. N to E to SE.

Estado SAO PAULO

Ilha da Couves, 15nm from Ponta Negra, prot from W to N to SE. Anchor in 7m Golden sand beaches and crystal clear water, Can be subject to swell

Prumirim Island, 6nm from Ilha Couves, prot from E to S is a nice day anchorage and may even allow for an overnight stay if weather conditions are calm.

Anchor in sand 3~5m, in whatever side of the beach is more sheltered for the current condition.

Ubatuba city, 7nm from Prumirim isl. Anchor at 4 metres in the mud. prot. from W to S to SE. Watch out for the many buoys! At night, a harbour boat passes through the buoy field from time to time to ensure safety. Many restaurants on the promenade. Supermarket about 10 minutes away.

Pereque-Mirim, 10nm from Ubatuba, prot. from W to N to SE; Beautiful Bay, lots of room to anchor in 4/5 m sand just off Praia de Santa Rita. Good wind protection, open to swell from the south. Supermarker close by. Easy flat walk, 5 mins from beach.

Saco da Ribera, Ubatuba Private yacht club, having nonetheless a long history of receiving well and supporting sailors on long trips. You can call Ubatuba Iate Clube on channel 68 or try to contact them by phone/e-mail beforehand to see if they have moorings or a slip at their dock available for visiting sailors.

+55 (12) 3842 - 8080- secretaria@ubatubaiateclube.com.br - VHF 68

Sete Fontes, 2,5nm from Saco da Ribera, sand, between 5 and 7m depth., prot. from N to E to SE, Beautiful beach with 7 water sources - thus the name Sete Fontes. Anchorage here is not recommended in SW or S winds. Strong swell from the South may make disembarking difficult.

Tourist boats stop on the beach on weekends and holidays and may be noisy; a couple of boats from the bars may approach you offering a mooring buoy and transport ashore if you eat at their bar.

Praia Fortaleza, 3,2nm from Sete Fontes, prot. from NW to N to SE. good holding

Ilha Tamanduà, 10nm from praia Fortaleza, prot from N to E to S. Calm and always empty for the night. Nice beach to walk in the morning. Close to the Tabatinga beach with supermarket, various boat services and a Volvo penta authorized service.

Ilha de Sao Sebastao (south of Ilha Grande)

Yacht club Ilhabela offers floating docks and moorings. The yachtclub hosts several sailing competitions. Call 'Delta 24' on VHF 68 before arriving and they will try their best to find you a buoy. The first four days at a buoy are free for guests and there is a taxi service if you don't want to take your dinghy. Suggested stop.

Gerente Ilhabela: Bruna Marques Lopes – bruna.lopes@yci.com.br

Marina Porto Ilhabela: https://www.marinaportoilhabela.com.br/

As Ilhas , 23nm from Ilhabela , sand, between 3 and 5m deep.prot from E to SE to S is one of the very few anchorages that are both worth the visit and protected enough to spend the night in the area between Santos and Ilhabela. It is not recommended for waiting out a front or in any rough weather, though.

Indaià, 20nm from As Ilhas, sand in 5m. prot from E to S to E to S.

Iporanga, on 5m depth, prot. from W to S. For more protection from E another anchorage on the other side of the Iporanga peninsula.

Praia Perequê, 26nm from As Ilhas, in 5m depth, prot. W to S to SE.

Praia do Mar Casado, 4nm from Perequé, sand in 5m. prot. W to S to SE.

Praia Enseada - Guarujà, 4nm from Mar Casado, prot. NW to NE to SE. Sand 5m.

Rio Itanhaem, 35nm from Guarujà. prot from SW to S to SE. Currents and shallow waters.

Ilha bom Abrigo, 100nm from Guarujà; sand 5m. prot NE to S to SW. Island property of Marinha do Brasil.

Estado PARANA'

Paranaguà:

-Ilha da Peças, 35nm from ilha bom Abrigo. Ancorage in a very nice village and well protected river. 2-5 metes deep, mud seabed. Be aware of strong corrent and shallow waters, go into the river on SW, NW or N strong winds.

-llha do Mel, 5m mud; Prot. SW to S to SE, Quiet anchorage at about five metres in the mud, only strong currents! Apart from nature, there is not much to see here.

-Ilha dos Papagaios, 5m mud. All wind prot. Good hold in the mud, but watch out for the strong currents!

Guaratuba:

Rio Fundo, The entrance to the bay is a bit tricky, so be sure to follow the nautical charts to get through between the two sandbanks! The shallowest part of the entrance is relatively near the beginning at about 2.50 metres. The anchorage is very quiet and super sheltered, just behind a small marina. The nautical charts are not correct here, only 60 centimetres were marked, but we anchored at 5 metres. Very good hold in the sandy, muddy bottom.

Marina Porto Sol, 23nm from Ilha do Mel, prot. from SW to S to E mud on 8 to 12m. Inside south side bay Guarartuba.

Estado SANTA CATARINA

Ilha da Paz (Arch das Gracas), 20nm from Guartuba bay on 6-10 meters , Safe anchorage from NE to E to SE, good holding on sand bottom (approximately depth ). Perfect place to spend a weekend or so, rest a little between legs, or wait for the tide to enter at São Francisco do Sul, Not allowed to go to land. One island is private and the other one belongs to the Brazilian navy.

Sao Francisco do Sul (west), Very soft sand, so drop the anchor well. Also watch out for the currents! A few boats on buoys, but there is enough space for everyone. Nice town with some good restaurants! Close to Marinha do Brasil for Estado Santa Catarina boat entrance.

Ilhas Tamboretes, 11nm from Ilha da Paz prot. Ne to E to SE. Good holding on sand bottom, 5-7 meters depth. incredible snorkeling or diving. Can be a little rolling with big swell from south or southeast. It's not allowed to go to land cause the place is a state park.

Penha, 25nm from Tamboretes. sand 4/5m. prot from E to S to W. Take care to mussels farm from center bay to west.

Itajaì, 10nm from Penha, prot. from all winds. Anchore outside the green marina buoys in 2,5-3 m depth, good holding in sand. Closer to shore gets shallow rapidly. Land the dinghy at the little beach with the canoes, very friendly and helpfull people.

- Marina Itajaì, 4m depth. travel lift up to 75tons. https://www.marinaitajai.com/a-marina/

Camboriu, 5nm from Itaijaì, prot. W to S to SE. Anchorage with swell. Anchoring at 5- 6m with good holding.

Porto Belo - Iate Clube , 15nm from Itajaì, is a private club. But they offer guests the opportunity to get a berth for free for two nights, and electricity and water are also free for these two days. The berths for guests are the outer ones. Ph. +554733694333.

Ilha Santa Catarina:

Marina Santo Antonio, with only mooring boys. Shallow area, outer mooring 2,8. Outside mooringfield less than 2 m. Very friendly people, taxiboat included from 9-18.00. Harboutmaster e-mails papers to Policia Federal. We did not have to visit. Is strong south wind there is some swell. Mooring first day for free. 160R$ per day. Well maintained, yearly checked moorings. Nice little town with good restaurants.

contato@marinasantoantonio.com.br - VHF 16.

Pinhera North, 50nm from Santo Antonio Marina, prot from W to N to EAnchoring in 5-6m depth, good holding. Even at 25 knots from the north it is still calm. A bay without high-rise buildings, simply beautiful here. The south side as well protected from W to S to E.

Garopaba, 10nm from Pinhera south. Sand on 5m. Prot from W to S to SE.

Imbituba, 14nm from Garopaba, sand on 5m. prot from W to S to E. Fishermen village.

Estado RIO GRANDE DO SUL

Entrance Rio Grande, 300nm from Imbituba, just a stop to wait for light or the tide to go in (only one a day!). Protected in S to NW wind. 4-7 m water. With north wind the other side of the channel might be favourable.

Rio Grande anchorages (check depths with slow tide):

- Pontoon of the Oceanografic Museum. 10nm from the entrance, Sailors are welcome. Good stable pontoon with electricity (110 and 220V, 60Hz) and (not too clean) water. No fee when we were there. Left a donation to the museum. Lauro, the director can help.

- Rio Grande anchorage in front or Yacht clubs, not prot from E or W winds.

Good stop form formalities to exit frm Brazil!

URUGUAI

Puerto La Paloma, 180nm from Rio Grande, prot NE to S to W. A good first port of call in Uruguay. Before arrival, call La Paloma Control on channel 16 for vessel information, position and expected time of arrival. The port may not be accessible by radio, but they will see you coming and help you moor. The price for 42 feet is (in March '23) 332 pesos per night, electricity and water are charged according to consumption. Internet does not reach the dock, but is available in front of the security office. After arrival, you go directly to the Prefectura Naval, which is open 24/7. The town is about a 20-minute walk away and offers plenty of restaurants and some supermarkets. The best place to get a SIM card is at Antel in town, who have several good deals for a fair price.

Position 034° 39.212' S / 054° 08.579' W

Customs, at the groundfloor is customs and not immigrations where you should clear in. There is no immigration office in La Paloma. The boat can be allowed into the country at the Prefectura. For immigration go to Punta del Este or Piriapolis (or say you do it later when you sail there.

José Ignacio, 28nm from La Paloma. prot just from NW to N to NE.

Punta del Este, 20nm from José ignacio.

Puerto P.d. Este, Large buoy field in front of the marina, price in the low season for a 42 foot boat 494 pesos (12€) in 2023. Before arrival, call Marine Hydrografia (they organize the port and moorings) on channel 09 and Punta del Este Control on channel 16. The port shuttle service is for club members only, you must use your own dinghy.

Punta del Este When checking in, Migracion is the first station, then you go to customs (Aduana) and finally to the Prefectura Naval, all very close together! At Migracion you are required to pay a cash fee in Uruguayan pesos. November 2023 the fee was 773 pesos for vessels with 1 - 25 people on board.

Office open 0900 to 1500.

North Punta del Este, Good holding, sand 5m prot. from NE to E to SE only.

Punta Ballena, on 5m good holding. prot. from N to E to SE. Better scenery than PdE.

Piriapolis, 18nm from PdE. fees PUERTO PIRIAPOLIS.pdf

https://rfa.mtop.gub.uy/rfagiaweb/servlet/consultatarifariocliente

Rio Paraìba (Brasil), our Leg 3 final stop

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

And as if by magic the bow of Pius sees the South America continent...it is April 2nd 2024.

But before talking about our arrival I want to tell you about this last leg passing through the island of Fernando da Noronha (Brazil) that we reached at midday of the 30th march.

We had a lot of hope in exploring this remote paradise in the Equatorial area of South Atlantic. Unfortunately, as there is no real port or even a protective breakwater, the anchoring is particularly wavy... the Atlantic wave torments Pius for 4 days and 3 nights. It's risky to leave the boat and set off to explore....I let Marco and Olivier go and stay on watch enjoying at least a nice swim in the ocean waters which are a nice 30° while outside it's 38° with 90% humidity !

Marcus, the Harbor Master, announces the peligro de Suelo for the next day and Sunday...what will it be, a tropical monster, a disturbance or an animist adversity that Brazilians believe in a lot?
Suelo derives from swell in English... therefore a long and powerful wave (we know it well) that turns from the NW and the closer you are to the coast protected by the islands the more it swells as it finds the shallow rocky seabed.

We would have to leave on Sunday morning but the 250nm that divide us from Brazil would make us arrive at night, something to always avoid and here even more so having to respect the shallow waters and low tides.
So the departure is scheduled for 5pm... we are shaken by the Suelo from Saturday afternoon until Sunday evening. And exactly on time, at 5pm a strong squall arrives with heavy rains and gusts of 30 knots. Marco and I take advantage of the opportunity for a healthy rain shower while Pius is jumping!

Very eventful departure as usual... but we take advantage of this unexpected wind to take a good pace and head to Brazil.
We are too fast, we need to reduce the sails to avoid arriving in the darkness of the very early morning... fortunately on the second day of sailing the wind drops and as expected we encounter the famous SE wind which from South Africa slams into the South American continent and blows from the NE .

The best gift, the arrival in Brazil, the finale of this calm upwind navigation at 6 knots speed in a gentle 8 knots breeze...not bad Pius after just 5000 nm of navigation.

Finally at dawn we were greeted by the scent of Brazil, for those who have already been there like me the smell of it is unmistakable; taste of forest, of warm sea, of hot air full of humidity.

I had been missing from Brazil since 1996. 30 years later, an avalanche of memories overwhelms me and everything seems so close, so familiar. 7 years of great adventures planning M'bike and 4X4 tours in Brasil, Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay through the cooperation of my ancient Tour Operator Exploring Adventure and the brasilian Terra.

Our first choice for landing in Brazil was Recife. But the fear of being traumatized by the skyscrapers of the metropolis of the Brazilian North-East that we can see so far made us change our choice: let's tack west of 50 degrees and go up the Paraìba river!

This big river gives its name to this state of Brazil, located on the easternmost tip of Brazil. Here too the capital Joao Pessoa is a swarm of skyscrapers but the vastness of the river and the several hundred hectares of mangroves are a true eco-environmental filter.

The Brazilian coast is famous for its shallow waters which descend from the enormous mouth of the Amazon River to Argentina.
3 miles from the entrance to the Paraìba river, the dredged channel is marked by buoys.

A peculiarity for navigation is that throughout the American continent, whether North or South, the green and red signals are reversed: Red on the right and green on the left and the cone and cylinder are also inverted and here they are green and red respectively.

From our Pilot book we find a Marina about 7 miles from the mouth of the Rio Paraìba. Marina Jacaré, in Portuguese caiman. Will it be populated by caimans or are the managers caimans? ;)
The river navigation seems well signposted and respectful of the bathymetrics of the cartography...but as soon as we reach Ilha da Restinga at 3 miles the red and green buoys disappear...all that remains is to rely on the cartography which fortunately shows a constant bottom of 4 metres, thanks to the high tide expertly respected by our navigation.

The Rio Paraìba still offers huge wild areas of mangroves with small and authentic villages, far from the skyscrapers of Joao Pessoa.

At 10am on Tuesday 2 April 2024 we dock in Brazil on the South American continent, after 5086 miles and 2 and a half months of navigation from Ravenna, visits and technical stops.
It's time to celebrate and Brazil with its proverbial Caipirinhas is the ideal place!

Lanzarote, our Leg1 stop.

AL — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Normally when planning a stage departure from a port or anchorage we proceed very methodically.

1. The synoptic chart of the current day and the evolution for the following 3 days are studied, checking the position of the Low and High pressures and their movement on a large scale (100km resolution);

2. Two meteorological models are analyzed and compared. We compare the European ECMWF model with the European one modified by PredictWind called PWE.

3. We check that the boat is ready and in order, making clear all the manoeuvres, engine levels and status of the 24V service batteries and 12V engine starter and generator, fuel, water and galley.

At the end of all this, the stage is planned by calculating the distance to travel, the best route based on the trend of the direction and strength of the wind and checking what the routing programs recommend using 3 or 4 meteorological models. At which point you decide the time you will set sail and therefore the alarm clock.

Well in Arab countries this is NOT permissible or rather it is NOT possible to decide to leave the port at a time determined by the skipper.
The morning you decide to leave you must notify the Police and Customs. From that moment the wait begins which can last even some hours.
The wait ends when a staff of at least 2 customs officers and 2 or 3 policemen show up and start rummaging in all the lockers outside and inside, opening the floors, entering the engine room. All without respecting the sacred etiquette of those who come aboard on a sailing boat, that is, taking off your shoes before getting on... never!
This time, however, in Tangier I covered the deck and the interior with dozens of rags to clean the floors and it worked... everyone understood and at least cleaned their soles thoroughly on the first rags as soon as they got on board.
After the ritual questions about whether we have weapons and drones, everything finally ends and we can leave Tangier at 11h30 instead of 7h30 !

The north side of Morocco immediately appears to have little wind, especially along the coast, which forces us to start our Volvo Penta 145CV and move away from the coast for 10 hours of sailing.
At sunset the North West finally arrives that we were expecting but after a few hours with the darkness of the night arriving the wind force is well above the forecast with an average of 22 knots and gusts of up to 30 knots.

The dancing begins and will last about 48 hours!

Since We are only 2 of us, me and Olivier, we have to opt for 4 hour shifts, a little long in winter with low temperatures but necessary to be able to cover the night which is very long in winter...
So 1st shift after dinner from 20h00 to 24h00, the 2nd until 04h00, the 3rd until 08h00 when dawn returns and the 2nd skipper can opt to rest in the cockpit or go down to the cabin for the 4th shift of rest .
Night is the most delicate moment because maneuvering a jibe or a tack only with the benefit of a front light to illuminate the cockpit and adjusting the sails becomes a demanding operation. The other fundamental aspect is that whoever is on rest MUST rest, it is an obligation of whoever is on duty to think about the rest of the other. Sometimes, indeed often, this is not the case, because the sea conditions, the wind force and direction change and therefore you have to decide what to do and how to do it.

Another aspect that I immediately understood is that here in the ocean the direction of the wave must be carefully evaluated to allow the boat to suffer as little as possible as well as the crew, especially for those who have to rest. In the first 48 and always in the middle of the night the wind started to rotate towards the NE from around 35° which with our route means having it from 145 to 165°, therefore almost astern. While the sea continued to descend from the NNW with ever greater force and grandeur.
The result was that Pius struggled to maintain a good speed due to sailing too far downwind with a powerful and very fast wave (about 10 knots) which moved the stern up to 10 or 15 metres, thus taking pressure off the sails.
3 times in the first 60 hours and always at night it was necessary, not without difficulty, to jibe on port tack, bringing Pius more to the wind, therefore with the sails benefiting from more pressure and therefore speed on the water and with the wave of full stern which allows the boat to roll less, remaining flatter and faster thanks to the push of the waves themselves.

In the middle of the crossing a small bird landed on Pius, perhaps looking for a bit of rest considering that the first reachable land was over 200 km away!

After 82 hours and 580 miles, at 04h00 on February 21st we entered the Port of Arrecife on the island of Lanzarote, Canary Islands.

In the morning we hug the new arrival, Marco nicknamed the Perugino with the long tongue. ;) Young skipper willing to approach long ocean voyages.
The language on board becomes English to the detriment of French.
The desire to walk is strong after almost 4 days of navigation and not far from Pius I see the future... the largest sailboat ever built to sail on foils.

BALTIC 111 RAVEN

Having practically not slept for 2 days I thought I would wake up after 12 hours but at 10 we were already at the table to plan the necessary repair and maintenance work before leaving for the 2nd leg: Canary Islands/Mindelo in Cape Verde.

We thought we would stay for half a week but the maintenance and repair work took particularly long:
- replacement of the 3rd mainsheet block due to fracture of the original Lewmar block;

- Spinlock stopper cam replacement

dismantling of the old support and foothaul block for installation of a new Iroko support with 2.5mm stainless steel plate base and 2.5mm stainless steel plates between the deck and self-locking nuts. This took us a whole day as we didn't have a workshop with appropriate tools to drill the steel plates and drill the deckhouse perpendicularly to the (inclined) floor.

Forced to shelter from gusts >35kts!

- checking sails and patches for small tears at the base of the mainsail;

- checking sheets and halyards and sewing protections and inserting a protection disc on each genoa sheets to avoid wear of the pole;

- check backstay and vang hydraulic oil levels and furling mainsail and genoa;
- rigging control up to the top of the mast;
- disassembly of hydrogenerator propeller for checking and greasing;

- checking steering and cardans and greasing oil seals;

- change oil and engine oil filter, change diesel pre-filter and primary filter and sea pump impeller;
- check propeller and anode status;

At last we discovered some cracks on the toggle of the backstay. Once removed from the backstay we verified that they were scratches and not through cracks.

The time needed to finish everything (6 days) was the duration of a strong storm surge from NE F8 !

Luckily we had great musical accompaniment!

Now Pius and We are ready for the Canary/Cape Verde crossing (Mindelo)!

Tangier, the gateway to Africa...

AL — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

It wasn't part of my sailing plan to stop in Tangier, Marocco.
But the opportunity was too tempting... Africa, my "love" from the late '80s to the early 2000s, I really wanted to see it again even though I knew that it had made progress in terms of economic development.

35 miles of navigation from Gibraltar to Tangier finally downwind with easterly 20 knots wind dodging Orcas and Cargo traffic at an average of 8,5knots.

Mooring at Tanja Marina. Extremely well organized mooring, floating docks in excellent condition and everything very clean... I had not even gone ashore before I immediately understood where Morocco had arrived after 20 years of absence!

But 2 days of Tanger exploring in the Medina and at fishermen harbor made me feel that the real Morocco is still there...

A brief obligatory reminder of my past in honor of the many adventures I have experienced.

Some dates:
1980, just 18 years old with 3 friends and a very poorly prepared diesel Ranegade: Milan/Marrakech and back;
1984, Tunis/Dakar with the very first BMW R80 G/S;
1986, Tunis/Douala with one of the first Yamaha TT600s prepared by the legendary Bergamo mechanic Besenzoni
1987, Algiers/Tamanrasset/Djanet/Tunis;
From 1998 to 2006, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Libya.

And in 1997 I managed to take on my trip to Morocco, my brother Max as on a motorbike, my mother Polette and my father Jean driving a super fast Pajero!

This memory will last forever!

Orcas in GBZ strait

AL — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In planning the navigation towards the West of the Strait of Gibikterra there are not only counter currents to consider, respect for the cargo traffic corridors and the wind which does what it wants here but also the encounter with the Orcas.
For at least 5 or 6 years, multiple encounters have been taking place, a large part of which have disastrous consequences for the rudders of sailing boats.
I've already passed twice, in 2021 and 2022 and in both directions and no meeting.

My theory is to follow the route of the cargoes and oil tankers up to more than 20 miles from the strait and then take your own direction, be it towards Spain and Portugal or Morocco and the Canary Islands.

In case of an encounter my strategy is to remove the sails and at the same time turn on the engine and go in reverse.
In this way the orcas usually attracted by the rudder which is identified as a tuna fin and then followed from behind find the keel.
In fact, orcas only attack from behind.

The Cruising Association has published this reporting portal and safety guidance:

Orca Encounters - Reporting Portal and Safety Guidance

Even in this passage, both arriving in Gibraltar and leaving for Morocco we had no encounter.
The sea conditions were long and powerful waves (period of 12/15 seconds), height 2.5/3 meters with east wind of 20 to 30 knots.
Maybe they don't like to attack in rough seas?

Strait of GBZ

AL — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

After an in-depth study of the current tables of the French SHOM and the evolution of the weather forecast, we decide to leave early at 08:00 February the 10th with the current still unfavorable in order to arrive in 5 hours with the full tide towards the west and therefore favorable to us in the Strait of Gibraltar .
Bad and steep waves made navigation not easy but 30 miles from the strait we achieved unexpected speeds of up to 10 knots thanks to the favorable current.

At GBZ Anna and Emma are waiting for us to say hello for a few days before entering the Atlantic.

Our restart is with the arrival of the new east wind on Wednesday 14th.
So until Tuesday "my women" can stay with us and enjoy the English drizzle of the Rock.
But on Tuesday the bus booked for Seville is canceled and therefore it is difficult for Anna and Emma to return to Portugal. So a nice rent a car resolves the impasse and in the morning we leave for Seville convinced of peacefully extending our mini-vacation together.
Unfortunately, the strike fever of the French farmers, after having also influenced the Italian farmers, today also hit Spain with a huge motorway blockade. Result...missed the bus to Seville but took the second one arriving late in Faro.
My return to GBZ was again blocked with a late night arrival.

At GBZ Anna and Emma are waiting for us to say hello for a few days before entering the Atlantic.

The next day we set sail from the port of Alcaidesa to the refuel de-taxed station.

850 liters in the boat tank + 220 liters in jerrycans stocked in the aft lockers and some outside! With that we can have authonomy for 1200 nautical miles...just to survive the ITCZ Intertropical Convergence Zone where the total absence of wind could be very extensive.
Curiosity. At the time of the first Portuguese, Spanish, English and French nautical explorations, galleons carried not only food and water but also horses and mules for transport once on land.
Often, sailing in these very hot equatorial areas, they were forced to throw the heaviest animals (horses) overboard in order to be lighter and get out of these vast areas more quickly, which in many cases risked deaths due to dehydration. From that time this area is called "Horse latitudes".

Then we headed to Tanger, the gateway to Africa!

Passage over Alboran sea with West F7

AL — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Today 9 February, confident in our weather forecast, we set sail from Fuengirola at 6.30 am headed for Gibraltar.
Forecast of the European ECMWF model at 06h30: 16 knots, direction. 218°.
In reality out of the Fuengirola antiport we encountered a wave >3 meters from SW, period of 6 seconds, a 35kts wind and powerful countercurrents which at 1500rpm did not allow us to exceed 2.5kts!

Tomorrow Saturday 10th we'll try again after having carefully studied the tide charts on Gibraltar (GBZ).

The tables predict favorable currents from approx. 5 hours before the highest tide which will be in GBZ at 3.36pm. An hour after the maximum the current returns against for those of us who sail from East to West.
Taking advantage of the fact that tomorrow the wind should be more West-North West, we therefore prefer to leave at 7.30am with an hour of contrary current in order to arrive at GBZ by 3.30pm where the intensity of the currents increases considerably.
That's 45nm in total and in 8 hours we should make it to an average of 5.6kts.

These the forecast for tomorrow Feb the 10th at 7h00

at 11h00

at 14h00 in GBZ....hopefully!

Thanks to the skills of the Romagna suppliers...

AL — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I would like to dedicate a big thanks to those who collaborated with me for the preparation of Pius:

DE CESARI shipyard, one of the last shipyards capable of designing and building offshore boats completely in wood.
In particular in the person of Paolo De Cesari, a person always available to give valuable advice and help and Alberto Zanuccoli, my right-hand man for the 3 months of work.

Celebrations for the end of the works and the launch of Pius

Davide Patuelli, Jack Bolina's rigger. Always extremely concentrated and precise in his work. Nothing is left to chance.

Lucio ZOFFOLI, the best nautical electromechanical he has ever had. The 24V power alternator cable bed was rewired and the Mastervolt Alpha PRO regulator reprogrammed, the bilge pump system was redesigned with dedicated alarms.

Roberto Zanzani, with his South Sail in which the great and friendly Australian Allen Hood works, has strengthened the mainsail and genoa and designed a jib/staysail that already after the first 10 days. navigation proved to be fundamental in giving a few more CVs to Pius, both at downwind speeds with Asymmetric and beam, wide-hauled and close-hauled coupled with the Genoa.

Sergio Mosconi with his Super company Sermar and his always kind and collaborative daughters.

Matteo Rusticali, a Mini-Transat 650coach with his RST Covers, was able to satisfy the request of an age-old opponent of biminis by creating what I had designed and defined as "Bimini Tropic".
A bimini that had the function of protecting at least the helmsman from the equatorial sun, the binnacle from tropical squalls without preventing the ability to control the opening and adjustment of the sails at any time during navigation.
Thanks to his 3D scanner equipment, in just one week he packaged everything together with a new Hallberg-Rassy style spray-hood but more protective and easier to disassemble and clean.

Long winter legs from Adriatic to the warm South Italy

AL — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

1st stage: 16 Jan 2024-Ravenna/Ancona. 73nm., average temp. 5°C.
Start with ice on deck and visibilkity <10meters only! 10hrs motoring due to lack of wind. Mooring at Marinadorica for 2 nights.
Time to make diesel (670l.) and a first galley thanks to the collaboration of my dear friend Robi.

2nd stage: 18/19 Jan 2024-Ancona/Vieste. 164nm in 23hrs, 6 motoring. Average temp. 9°C. Marcello, our doctor preferred to disembark due to differences of opinion. Mooring 3 nights at La Darsena di Vieste, warm welcome by Vincenzo. Peaceful stop despite an F7 storm that lasted 2 days.

3rd stage: 22 Jan 2024-Vieste/Brindisi. 114nm in 13hrs of motoring. Average temp. 11°C. Anchoring on 8 meters of muddy bottom within the large stretch of sea of the gigantic port of Brindisi. Quiet night.

4th stage: 23 Jan 2024-Brindisi/Leuca. 63nm in 9hrs, no motoring. Average temp.14°.
Wake up at dawn for a stage that will take us to the southernmost tip of the Adriatic. Superb navigation with our special asymmetric sail (called FFR) and staysail, without mainsail to have more pressure on the bow sails.
Excellent average at 7kts/hr.
The cold and gloomy Adriatic is behind us now.

5th stage: 24/25 Jan 2024-Leuca/Syracuse. 225nm in 31 hours of which 14 of engine time. Average temp. 12°. Wind min 4kts, max 35kts.
Long and demanding stage with fresh wind from NW F6, sometimes F7.
After passing through the Messina strait with a great view to the Etna vulcan We arrive in the bay of Syracuse at sunset on my birthday.
Anchoring in the large bay in front of the splendid Ortigia peninsula.

Moonlight at anchor infront of Ortigia Peninsula

6th stage: 27/28 Jan 2024 - Syracuse/P.to Empedocle (AG). 117nm in 16 hours of which 13 by motor. Mooring at the small pier. Visit to the Valley of the Temples of Agrigento. A true wonder of Ancient Greece.

7th stage: 28/29 Jan 2024 - P.to Empedocle/Trapani. 81nm of which 5 motorized. Average temp 14°C.
Final stage with calm and relaxing sailing with amazing performances: 7.6kts with only 8.1kts of wind upwind.
Appointment with friends Toti and Matteo Stabile to try to make new supports for the solar panels damaged by the storms of recent days in 24 hours.

8th stage: 30/31 Jan 2024 - Trapani/Carloforte (Sardinia). 215nm in 30 hours of which 25 by engine.
It was supposed to be the longest stage to reach Gibraltar: from Trapani to Almerimar (ESP) but the weather is very unstable and between 31 January and 2 February the Mistral is expected to enter, which will invade the Balearics and Sardinia from France.
Unfortunately we are not fast enough to pass in front of him and therefore the wisest solution is to cut to Sardinia, wait for the tail end of the Mistral .

Great performance with Pius: 7,6kts speed with 8,1kts of wind 75° TWA!

The perfect trim!