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!
