Itaparica, Bahia, Brazil
I arrived back in Itaparica (near Salvador, Brazil) in time for the third and last evening of the annual Festival de Sao Joao. This is the second biggest festival in the area (Carnival is the biggest). There are small fires lit in the streets, much music, and many fireworks of various kinds.
Maceio, Alagoas, Brazil
Maceio is a very laid-back city in Northeast Brazil. It is the capital of the state of Alagoas. I was surprised to see this statue of liberty outside an old government building (the old city hall) near the port. Underneath the statue is the state symbol which says Estado de Alacoas, Brazil, Paz e Prosperidade (in English, State of Alacoas, Brazil, Peace & Prosperity). Another plaque indicates the statue was put here in 1918.
The small wooden fishing boat seeming to head towards the sunrise is in 40m of water, several miles offshore. This is a typical fishing boat for the Brazilian coast. Many have no lights other than a big white fluorescent light, which makes it very hard to figure out which direction they are heading in (lights on boats are standardized and different colors and placements of navigation lights indicate what type of boat and what direction it is pointing at night).Yesterday was the Winter Solstice for the Southern Hemisphere, so today is the second-shortest day of the year. Now the days start getting longer (though at 10 degrees South latitude, there is not much difference in hours of daylight between winter and summer).I left Maceio yesterday afternoon. The trip to Maceio was slow, due to winds and current being against me. An eyebot in the windvane (the self-steering system) broke during an accidental tack, but it wasn’t a problem because all the sailing was close-hauled (close to the wind), where it is easy enough to get the boat to steer itself without the use of any self-steering devices (by balancing the sails). I got the windvane mostly fixed at anchor in Maceio. The only eyebolts I had to replace the broken one with were shorter, and there is a bend in the eyebolt (an intentional bend I believe), which I was only able to come close to. After some adjustments, the windvane is doing fine steering the boat.So far the wind has been much nicer since leaving Maceio, and I am really hoping it stays that way :).
Porto do Suape, PE, Brazil
After taking about 24 hours to sail 20 miles (against the wind and current), we went into the tranquil harbor of Suape for a rest. This is a typical beachfront scene in this very relaxed village.
Recife, Brazil
A somewhat full ferry in Recife.
Recife, Brazil
Recife street scene on same street as previous entry (Rua Bom Jesus).
Recife, Brazil
Recife building and statue. This is in a somewhat touristy area (Marca Zero) of the city, where all the shops and buildings are pretty well preserved.
Rio Paraguacu, Bahia, Brazil
Pretty sailboat motoring into the mouth of Rio Paraguacu in a flat calm.