The City of Saints and Nearly All Sinners!

Church and Convent of Saint Francis

Welcome to Salvador de Bahia! Yes, that is the translation of the city’s unofficial logo: “Baia de Todos os Santos e de Quase Todos os Pecados.” The translation is "The City of Saints and Nearly All Sinners!" Salvador has a history of crime, which can be true in many big cities throughout the world. However, when the officials give strict instructions as to what you can and can’t do there, you must pay attention. Just look at a few of these suggested measure for personal safety:

1)      Don’t wear jewelry or watches

2)      Don’t walk on empty or dark streets or on the beach at night

3)      Don’t use public toilets

4)      Don’t carry original documents, instead have a photocopy of your passport

5)      Do carry only as much cash as you need, only one credit/debit card

Since we were in Brazil for Carnaval, we were given a two-page document on how to stay safe! It put a few people off and they chose not to go to Brazil at all. While we were very careful and tried to be street-smart, it was a little unsettling at times. However, I am glad we did not avoid this country.

Salvador was once the capital of Portugal’s New World Colony and is a very busy port city. The city is a blend of many cultures and people coming together. Today it is the capital of the State of Bahia and the second most popular leisure destination in Brazil. For over five centuries, it has been a multiplicity of cultural elements rising from the fusion of races and customs resulting in one of the most fascinating cities in the world.

Salvador is considered the “cultural capital of Brazil” hosting many cultural and religious events. The largest street Carnaval in the world lasting six days takes place there. Unfortunately, it is also a bit dangerous and the criminals have their holiday, too. Theft, mugging and pick-pocketing top the list.

Salvador also has the most attractive elements of South American and African cultures. You can see the influence of religious mysticism and music everywhere. And the cuisine is outstanding. They use coconut milk in many dishes and combine it in ways I never would have thought do to so. I learned a few new recipes here. 

One neighborhood of Salvador is home to the largest population of African descent in Brazil. African food, music and religion are promoted. Salvador hosts a number of internationally famous festivals. Even though the Carnaval (yes, that is the way they spell it) in Rio de Janeiro is more famous, there are huge celebrations in Salvador and nearby cities of Olinda and Recife, all in Bahia.

You could see the “tanning” of the world occurring here.  There did not seem to be racial tension as there is much inter-racial marriage. The bigger issue is economic. Brazil has extreme contrasts of rich and poor. Most of the houses and businesses have metal bars on the windows and gates on the doors or garden entries.

A view of the harbor from the upper city

This is the main harbor where the fleet has been in the past

years. It was much nicer in the newer Bahia Marina.

Originally, the city was the trade center with most of the shipments coming to Brazil though Salvador. There was great wealth at that time, but the money was used for buildings and churches instead of developing communities and jobs. The result is amazing historical architecture and examples of Latin Art throughout the city with huge pockets of slums. Today there is a huge art movement showcasing the blending of the many cultures.

Like many European cities, the buildings were built around large squares. Today, these squares are still gathering places and spaces for events. There was a lot of nightlife in the old city of Pelourinho, where we went with great caution for dinner on two nights. The cobblestone side streets are hilly and are somewhat challenging for pedestrians, but so narrow only a single vehicle can pass though at any time.

Street music was everywhere!

The World ARC fleet was based at the Bahia Marina after our Yellow Shirt, Victor, made the arrangements moving us from the older Terminal Nautico da Bahia where previous fleets had berth.  It was a safer environment, newer facilities, a number of restaurants and services available within the marina.
When the other boats finally arrived, we started the clearance process. It was supposed to be easy, but the authorities decided to make all of us come in to the police station. After numerous taxis, time waiting, the general hassle, etc., we learned that they had changed the procedure because other countries give their citizens hassles so they would do it, too! It would have been so much more efficient for the authority to come to the marina and clear us in as a group!

Beautiful old buildings with interesting architecture.

The tile work was beautiful everywhere.

Since Trillium was the only boat in, the four of us wanted to walk out the marina gate, turn left and cross over the bridge above the beach. Everyone discouraged us from walking, but it was still daylight and we could see the restaurant on the other side. We walked anyway. And we did meet a kook on the bridge, but he caused us no harm. Following a wonderful meal of Brazilian filet mignon hosted by Colt, the restaurant would not let us walk back. We showed the manager that our boat was right below. He called a cab!

Colorful art all around the city.

A few days later, three  local young adults leaving the marina on foot were mugged and robbed in the middle of the day right at the top of the entrance to the marina. Then everyone believed the safety warnings. It is a real problem throughout Brazil and you see police officers or military officers everywhere.

Traveling in groups, we had a couple of fun nights on the town. One night we went to the Bale’ Folclorico da Bahia. We thought we were going to a ballet. It was a Brazilian ballet with the dancers in costumes representing the ancient gods and spirits. Like most ballets, there was a story being told and we figured out most of it. It told of the history of the people of Salvador.
Unfortunately, few people speak English and none of us spoke Brazilian Portuguese! The costumes were beautiful and the dance and acrobatics was amazing. The folklore and the popular culture of Brail were formed by the combination of three different influences: European, by the Portuguese colonization; African, by the slaves; and by indigenous native people of Brazil.

The Bale’ showed some of the most important expressions of the Bahian folklore, and some dances of the Candomble, African religion, in which music and dance are one of the main factors. There was a dance for each of the gods: God of Iron and War, Goddess of Rivers and Lakes, God of Diseases and Death, Goddess of the Winds and Storms, God of Hunting and Forests, God of Fire and Thunder, and the Goddess of the Sea. The final dance was the Samba de Roda, which is the most popular dance in Brazil and was performed by slaves in their leisure time. It was a very interesting cultural evening.

Our group of 12 found a restaurant nearby, Zulu, run by an Italian so we figured it had to be good! And it was. In fact, we ask if he would take a reservation for 30 the next night so we could all have a Salvador dinner together! Since the place was so small and they cooked everything on five hot plates, he would let us know what his head chef thought and confirm with us the following day if the chef was willing.

We received a call the next day telling us he would close to the public and give us a fixed menu dinner. Great! We were all in and had another wonderful meal there. If you go to Salvador, dine at Zulu and tell them the crazy fleet of sailors sent you!

Unfortunately, John and Colt missed a lot of this fun, but we did spend a day with them visiting the village of Itaparica on the Isla e Itaparica. This is a regular weekend hotspot for the locals and a quiet village during the week. It has a large beach and is only a 40-minute ferry ride across from the mainland. We were there on a Monday afternoon. More about that in my next posting.

Westward to Brazil

It took all three guys on deck and me at the helm to make

a sail change. As you can see, we were heeling a bit!

We would soon be back in the Americas! Throughout the world, we have been asked “where are you from” and we have replied: America. As we were approaching Brazil, it occurred to us that we need to say: The USA! Why? Because there are a lot of Americas. North American, Central America and South America. All the people of Brazil are Americans, too.

Since the crossing from St. Helena to Salvador, Brazil was 1900 nm, we had plenty of time to discuss this issue. We also discussed the various reactions to our Presidential election campaign and results. We have seen numerous political cartoons depicting other countries’ view of the USA. Frequently, we were asked whether Trump will survive four years or if the USA is going to collapse. It has been very apparent that the rest of the world has been caught up in the media – real or false news! We have been out of the fray out here.

John was our tactician and kept us in the lead the whole way.

Dennis had decided we were going to sail all the way so the guys spent a lot of time making changes to the sail plan. The options were: 1) main and genoa, 2) main and light air gennaker, 3) any of those alone, 4) medium duty gennaker alone, 5) main and medium duty gennaker, or 6) main, genoa AND the medium duty gennaker!

Medium duty asymmetrical

The last one was the winning combination. Trust me; they tried them all – and more than once each as the wind demanded diligence to keep Trillium moving toward the finish line in Salvador, Brazil. For two days, the wind was quite light as in 6-10 knots. S/V Trillium is a solidly built blue-water boat intended to give a safe comfortable ride in the big waves. The downside is that she is heavy and needs strong winds to make her fly.

Poling out the genoa to fly with the main.

The best days were when the wind was in the 12-25 range. Now we are sailing!                                                                          

Fortunately, the rest of the passage was made in those conditions. With clear skies and sunshine, strong steady winds and a great crew, we had the best sail of the whole circumnavigation! The South Atlantic crossing was the longest leg and topped them all! No seasickness; no medication. WOO HOO!

We sailed for six days and six nights with the main and genoa fully deployed plus the medium duty gennaker! Talk about a beautiful sail plan. And probably not one suggested in the Hallberg-Rassy Owner’s Manual either. We got what we were after: First Across the Line Honors AND First Place Overall for the Monohull Division! Hurrah! What a way to finish the last of the five oceans.

Our light air asymmetrical

We had a lot of support from the shore all around the world. Friends were reporting our YB Tracker position and positions of other boats coming behind us. We were getting all kinds of encouraging emails, including screen shots of positions. Thanks, everyone! It was fun to have your enthusiasm cheering for us. I normally am not into the racing thing, but this time I was actually clenching my teeth causing my jaw to ache. It looked like we stood a chance of winning this leg of the rally, but we knew there were two really fast racing boats coming up behind us.

Of course, having two experienced racers on our boat kept the energy level high. Dennis had turned the navigation and weather duties over to John, who was really into it. He brought his “equipment” to get up to date information and GRIB files. And his family sent midnight updates from the tracker. John and Colt race in the Port Huron to Mackinaw and Chicago to Mackinaw races on the Great Lakes annually on Colt’s boat, Weather Edge. They have been on the winners podium nine out of eleven of the races! Did we pick a great crew or what!

Oh, I forgot to mention that just before we left St. Helena, the freezer decided to quit working. We had just recharged the coolant in Cape Town. There was no one in St. Helena to look at it so we were looking at a 12-16 day passage without it. That meant I was throwing meat and other frozen food overboard after the first few days at sea. I lost about $300 worth of meat, but the worst part was all the time I had spent preparing it so it would make it easier in the galley. Delta. Alpha. Mike. November!

John caught this one. They are giving it a shot of rum to kill it.

Fortunately, my Captain is a good fisherman, too! He caught two huge Mahi-mahi with two more getting away as there was one on each line both times. Something really big took a lure again. We probably didn’t want to see that one up close anyway! Then he caught what we think was a young either blue fin or yellow fin tuna that weighed 20 pounds. By the end of the passage, I just wanted some good Brazilian beef. I could hardly wait for those famous Brazilian restaurant meals.

Here we are flying all our sails across the South Atlantic Ocean

 

And as the first boat across the Finish Line in Salvador, Brazil.

St. Helena Island: Secret of the South Atlantic

Two of the scruffy crew. I don't think they minded not

shaving every day, but going without showers was asking

a lot of all of us. Things break and your deal with it!

This was one stop of the World ARC where there were no “Yellow Shirts” (WCC staff) to assist in checking in and planning activities. The reason being there is no way to get them on and off the island in a timely manner to take care of their other duties! Not to worry. This is a very enterprising fleet and along with the activities planned by the St. Helena Tourist organization, we had many things to do.

Dennis was constantly trying to repair the Watt & Sea water

generator as the high seas seemed to challenge it.

The St. Helena Yacht Club was the gathering place on the wharf. Of course, like most yacht clubs, it had a bar! And that is about all. Jackie, the St. Helena Yacht Club Commodore and a volunteer, manned the building day and night and helped us all get what we needed, arranged for laundry pick up and drop off and even organized a couple of barbeque dinners. Their showers were a welcome site since we were still without a functioning water maker!
The shower situation was very interesting. It was unisex; there were two shower stalls on one side of the aisle and two dressing rooms on the other side of the aisle. That meant you streaked across the aisle in the company of whomever was present! It should be noted that this wharf is the ONLY way on and off this whole island!

But we caught lots of fish!

Actually, the water maker is just fine! The problem was the CAT pump that makes the water maker work. It had a small oil leak, nothing major. Dennis thought there would be skilled people in Cape Town who could look at it and stop the leak. The pump was removed right after we arrived. It was sent to a special engineering operation that could check it out.

Well, after four attempts to install it and get it to run the water maker, they finally admitted that they had destroyed a piston inside the pump. That really means they did not know what they were doing and they used up about $800 of our spare parts trying to make it work before they ruined it. Generously, they took the labor charges off the bill! We should have charged them for parts and replacement. Our Chicago crew would be bringing a new $1500 CAT pump to Brazil! So no fresh water until then!

Dennis is excellent at filleting them. He just takes the meat

off both sides, leaving the head and guts intact. This reduces

the mess on the deck and we always have enough flesh.

What is that saying? Cruising is boat repairs in exotic places! That is right! I guess it is like your furnace dying in the midst of winter or your hot water heater needing to be replaced the day before Christmas. After all, Trillium is our home! Home, Sweet Home.

To have enough water for the crossing, the crew (guys only) grew beards, went without showers (all of us – YUCK) and were very manly about it all! Me? Not so much. We were very good at conserving water and only used a half of the tank. See! I could have washed my hair!

That turned out to be a blessing because the only way to bring water on board in St. Helena was to taxi it back and forth  from the wharf in jerry cans. There is no way to bring a yacht or even a dinghy to the side of the wharf safely. Shuttling water reminded us of Christmas Island without the rain! It is hard work, too. Fortunately, one of the local businessmen loaned us eight jerry cans and the water taxi was willing to make multiple trips. It was an exhausting exercise for the men.

The  St. Helena Yacht Club is right on the wharf.

Once that was done, it was time for fun and exploration of St. Helena. The yachties gathering places were the yacht club and Anne’s Place, which has been a yachtie-friendly place for years. There was regular food service day and evening. One night they held a pig roast that was delicious. And it was topped off with a cobbler and ice cream. We were like a bunch of kids attacking the ice cream. A rare treat for sailors at sea! A dream come true!

Provisioning was rather challenging in St. Helena. First of all, most of their supplies come in by the supply ship that also brings passengers to and from Cape Town once a month. The ship was due the following week so the market store shelves were somewhat empty. There was local bread and eggs and some produce. You had to go shopping multiple times to get the fresh stuff as it was gone as soon as it was put out.

The Town Gates were originally built in 1708 as they

were to protect Jamestown from invaders.

While the guys went to the bank to change US dollars into St. Helena dollars, which, by the way, cannot be used in any other place in the world, I went to the grocery store. At least things were in English – that’s a good start. I checked out with a couple of bags of groceries only to find out using a credit card is a challenging situation.

It was challenging enough that I was told I could leave my bags there and go to the bank for cash. Apparently, as experienced by another boat, there is a lot of paperwork to complete at the store, then you take the paperwork to the bank where they process it. Next you return to the store with the bank’s paperwork and collect your goods! Fortunately, Dennis showed up with cash just as I was leaving the store!

Once we had St. Helena dollars we headed to Anne’s Place restaurant! In fact, we ate a lot of meals there. It was also the Internet hot spot so many of us hung out there to catch up with family, friends and world news. Chocolate milkshakes were the first items ordered!

Dennis walking through Castle Gardens toward Anne's Place

Anne's Place is very much a yachties hang out. The ceiling is covered with flags from various countries and rallies including several World ARCs. There is no pressure to give up your table as there seems to be enough room for all to linger. And it is cool and breezy, which is always welcomed.

After catching up on emails, blogs and FaceBook, we decided to explore Jamestown. I was interested in the quaint shops and pubs. It looks like time has stood still here. Life is lived at a very relaxed pace. After all, there is no rush to meet a boat or catch a plane. It will be days and even months before that can occur! So what's rush?

This is the ceiling of Anne's Place.

What a delicious pig roast dinner!

We had some many wonder and fun meals with the

2016-17 World ARC fleet!

The WARC had set up an all-day tour through the Tourist organization. Since they don’t have many large groups stopping, there were no tour buses. We went in private vehicles with knowledgeable local guides (i.e. citizens with cars who knew the places to visit). The four of us were in one car with a driver who was willing to take us to see the airport as it wasn’t part of the tour.

We stopped to see Napoleon’s grave as he had been held prisoner there for years. We saw where he lived at Longwood – not exactly a punishing situation. In fact, it was rather posh. And there were a number of his military people retained there as well.

Longwood House

The terrain is very mountainous with the roads cut into the side of the earth. Cars must pull over in designated spots to let the uphill traffic pass. It is much easier to go down the steep inclines than to try to stop and start on the uphill side. Uphill has the right-of-way.

The tour took us to the Governor’s home where we were invited in for a tour. They have a newly appointed lady Governor who is very open to having people see the official residence, including her personal spaces. On the grounds, we saw the huge tortoises that have been residents there for years.

Part of the time Napoleon was held in the buildings in this

location below the heart-shaped waterfall. It was dry when

we were there so we didn't see the waterfall in action.

There are several forts on the island making for an interesting climb among the ruins. St. Helena is a small British Overseas Territory in one of the most remote places on earth: the South Atlantic Ocean.

There is an incredible range of wild life, flora and fauna. This 47 square mile island holds about 30% of all endemic species found in the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories. The Saint Helena Trust is dedicated to the preservation of the natural, cultural and built heritage of the island. There is much to do there: hiking, diving, birding, wildlife, whalesharks, dolphin and whale tours, astronomy and photography. Too bad it is so difficult to get there. We are the lucky ones!

We also stopped at the top of Jacob’s Ladder which is a 699 step climb straight up to the top from the city. And it is the source of the lights we saw as we approached the harbor on our first night. It was built in 1829 and was originally used as a sort of tram to carry down what is produced in the valleys of the mountain and carry materials up the steep incline to the military fort high above the harbor. Since it was at the end of our tour, John decided to get out and walk down! Many of the sailors in the fleet actually climbed up from the bottom and back down again. I did not risk irritating the bursitis in my hip again and passed on the opportunity to say I had done it.

The Governor,s house

Joined by three other boat crews, we had a pleasant evening and dinner up on the mountain one evening. We booked a trip in a 1920’s open-air vehicle that carried 14 of us up the hill to the Sunshine Café for a homemade St. Helena dinner of wahoo, rice, vegetables salad and desserts served with ice cream! I think you are getting the picture that ice cream is a very special treat on the ocean!


On the way up while it was still daylight, we stopped at the St. Helena distillery. This is a relatively new business adventure one couple started when the news of an airport was announced.

Planning to hit the ground running when the first visitors arrived, he has a major investment in equipment and 20,000 glass bottles shaped like the Jacob’s Ladder stairway. Unfortunately for him, he has yet to see those promised visitors. But as they say: build it and they will come. He is ready with a selection of liquors distilled and flavored from local plants. I found most of it disgusting, but did buy the coffee liquor. Even though I am not a coffee lover, I did enjoy the taste and I really just wanted the bottle as a souvenir from St. Helena!

The mooring field for the locals.

The trip back down the mountain was beautiful under the starlit sky with the city lights below. It is the only city on the island, although people live throughout the hills and valleys. Since our 72 hours we coming to a close and we didn’t want to waste any of our precious water supply by living in the anchorage any longer, we went straight back to the boat and prepared for our departure.

Looking straight down Jacob's Ladder at Jamestown.

Looking up the valley

Jamestown from the top of fort.

John and Colt had flights which had been scheduled based on the WARC calendar. However, when we looked at it closely, it appears that the schedule wasn’t humanly possible to maintain. If we stayed longer in St. Helena with the predicted light winds, they would have missed their flights. Having given them the opportunity to stay or go, the decision was to head to Salvador and make the flights.

Sticking to our plan of not motoring, we prepare the boat for departure while still on the mooring buoy. Then we released the lines and sailed away from the buoy in the dark at 0100. There was no wind! It probably took us two hours to get far enough offshore to pick up some wind. But we stuck to the plan and did not start the engine! So long, St. Helena. We slipped in during darkness and we sailed out in darkness.

Corker's 1929 Chaeabanc

St. Helena is a most interesting place to visit and well worth the stop if you happen to find yourself in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. The lifestyle is laidback British - if there is such a thing. The small town atmosphere and welcoming residents made for a delightful visit. Thank you to all who welcomed us and made sure we had a wonderful time in their secret island.