Exody - Das 396-403: Birthday arrival at Fernando de Noronha

Anchored here this morning at 09.00 February 20th, my birthday, after just under five days mostly upwind passage from Salvador. Although the swell is impressive, and the crashing waves ashore dramatic and sometimes noisy, it is great to be at anchor with the hatches open allowing the first moving air inside Exody for what seems like an age and the pleasure of a full night's uninterrupted sleep ahead! This time last year we were enjoying as my birthday treat the drift snorkelling at Kicker Rock, Galapagos.

We had a superb long lunch ashore at the Mergulhao bistro overlooking the anchorage. Kind of tapas: deep fried cheese in cane sugar, filet mignon with cheese and pineapple, shrimp balls. I dipped out to clear in with the Port Captain officials then we shared a heavenly chocolate sweet and the most carefully prepared coffee I have seen- individual fabric filters suspended on an elegant small 'gallows' over each cup carefully filtered at the table. And the waiters even spoke English- a first so far for Brazil.

This is a special place nearly 200 miles offshore the 'shoulder' of Brazil: part nature/marine reserve, part niche tourist draw - for example a 'wedding of people' as Sara of Makena said! The geography is reminiscent of the Marquesas- phallic volcanic forms, green lush landscapes, superb beaches; the weather (at least today) more reminiscent of Scotland - frequent showers and cloudy skies. We are just two of the World ARC group here, ourselves and Makena - most strikingly the little and the large of the fleet when viewed from ashore! Though when approaching by dinghy both boat's hulls disappear dramatically from view in the deep swells as if in mid ocean.

We spent the weekend of 13th/14th in Salvador: provisioning at the B&Q-like Mercantil Rodriguez, dining out on Hugur and then at the posh DAS restaurant at the 'other' marina, a visit by Marian and David to the Salvador Shopping Mall (where David spent much time and not a little frustration over the Brazilian complexities surrounding simply buying internet data in chunks of any more than 150mb), and a handful of final boat jobs including refreshing some of the corroded SSB radio connections that David and I had first installed in Scotland nearly two years ago.

Monday 15th we settled our marina bill, secured a further fresh water delivery and awaited sailmaker Eduardo delivering our 'stitch in time' repaired genoa. Treated ourselves to a third lunch at the 'weigh your plate' place and set off at 15.00 for the 700 mile passage north.

The currents are adverse for half the way and the winds can also be on the nose for the east, then northeast routing. We were very lucky to avoid tacking though were uncomfortably close hauled for the first three days. We used the engine for about 15 hours in total to keep 'pointing' and to counter the current. After so much downwind tradewind sailing we really are not used to the discomforts of upwind work- the heel of the boat, the motion, the sea spray in the cockpit, the inability to open hatches and the water regularly coming over the deck, inevitably finding its way in! It took us all longer than usual to reacclimatise and get to 'normal' appetites by which time the wind had veered a little south of east giving us two days of fine beam reaching mostly at well over 7 knots with positive current. Our four full day's runs were 117, 149,136 and 172. Some squalls, lightning, torrential bursts of rain and gusty winds but overall a good passage. And for our crew, departing from here, quite a contrast to the relative ease of the long tradewind South Atlantic crossing legs.

Peter (Skipper)