We left Itacare on Monday, December 26 in the afternoon at high tide, heading
toward Abrolhos. Although we truly enjoyed
this stopover, on the last day, a Frenchman who has lived here for
several years warned us about the increasing insecurity of the
anchorage in Itacare lately. In the last 6
months, many sailboats have been robbed and
crews assaulted... We were likely lucky due to the Christmas truce
and our two little girls! This cooled our enthusiasm a bit, especially
since we absolutely felt like we were in a safe place... Indeed, the atmosphere
was relaxed and Brazilians, as everywhere, were really kind. So we're
quite happy to reach the Abrolhos archipelago, where only
a few military personnel and scientists live.
On deck
Coco for snack time
Wild game of Batawaf! Thanks to the PTNI IDEs ;-)
After a peaceful crossing
we anchor south of Santa Barbara Island, the main island of this national
park. This is a small island where 7 military personnel live, mainly taking care
of the lighthouse, weather readings, and the DGPS beacon. They are accompanied by 4
ICMBIO volunteers, the organization managing the park. These volunteers participate
in research work on bird populations inhabiting the
islands (mainly boobies and frigatebirds) and the surrounding coral reefs.
They stay on the archipelago from 10 days to 2 months and are mostly
biology or oceanography students.
Access to Santa Barbara is theoretically forbidden to the public (military
grounds), but our two little sailors open many doors for us and we
are invited for a grand tour of the island, culminating in the
lighthouse lighting ceremony. The next morning we visit Siriba Island
with Daniel, a Biology Master's student, who explains the habits and
customs of the boobies, magnificent seabirds nesting on the island and
currently tending to their newly hatched chicks. Afternoons are mainly dedicated to snorkeling as the crystal-clear waters are
incredibly rich in fish and turtles. On December 31, we celebrate New Year's Eve in Abrolhos,
sharing champagne with our new friends from Santa Barbara.
We weigh anchor the next day to head to Rio de Janeiro.
During the girls' nap time...
Our favorite fish, not shy at all!
Turtle
The Abrolhos archipelago seen from Siriba
Guided tour of the booby colony
On the southern coast of Siriba
The Santa Barbara lighthouse
Sunset
Feliz Ano Novo! (Happy New Year!)
A bit tough for the girls to stay awake until 2017...
The nearly 500-mile
crossing is pleasant with following winds, though many Brazilian fishermen don't have
AIS, requiring extra vigilance. We also need to check
our fishing lines regularly as sometimes a nice mackerel joins us for
dinner! Passing Cabo Frio, the scenery changes and
becomes more mountainous, though beautiful white sand beaches remain
visible in the distance.
We arrive in Rio on Wednesday, January 4 in the evening, welcomed by the
open arms of the illuminated Corcovado. We should spend a few
days in this legendary city before returning to the beaches and
waterfalls of Ilha Grande.
Happy New Year, friends!
A nice mackerel for dinner!
Nina raises the nets
The Corcovado!
