PARATY

PARATY 

June 25 – July 5

We are on the move again to the best sailing grounds in Brazil with many islands.  This is the first time in 2 months of marinas, boat yards, etc. that we have felt like we are in the Bahamas –we are now in Tropical Brazil. Think diving, snorkeling, beach walking, hiking, less clothing. AND we have left the state of Sao Paulo and are now in the state of RIO DE JANEIRO.  My new challenge is keeping food fresh, fruits free of flying creatures.  Even being diligent about cleaning vegies and fruits I still managed to get the “revenge”, first time for me.

 

We pull into a rolling anchorage, blah, and drop the hook.  We just make it into a depth that works for us before approaching the fishing nets that are on either side of the cove.  Marc wants to re-set the anchor and the windlass is inoperable.  Another boat problem to deal with.  Marc is manually pulling up the anchor the next morning and a “local” from the island motors by and comes aboard to help.

We head to Baia Paraty where there are 5 marinas, arriving mid-day.  Our friend, Ghia from Santos, calls the Marina do Engenho, built by one of Brazil’s best known sailors, Amyr Klink an Antarctic explorer, photographer and writer, and we now have a mechanic onboard.  Why is it always the weekend?  Marc and Flavio survey the issues and then head into town for parts and I go ashore to work on blogs and emails.  We had needed a mechanic for the windlass, (back protection) and wouldn’t you know ?, Flavio came aboard and all of a sudden it was working; but  it’s a flag that will have to be dealt with.  He gets the bow thruster working; we hope it lasts ($$$$$). We walk out to the main road to the bus stop, but stick our thumbs out instead and hitch a ride to the “multi-market” to replenish our perishables and take a taxi back.  (Marc falls back on his hitchhiking experience from the sixties and puts Pati out on the road with her hip slightly extended and voila we get a ride!)

 We are supposed to have 4 days of sunny weather followed by rain so we head out to explore the islands, ahh relaxation at last. The numerous islands and fjords make for great cruising and thus there are many, many tourist boats of all sizes (at least it is off-season).  We anchor off a “resort” of sorts because there are yellow floats surrounding a beach with lots of signage that says “RESTRINGADO”.  Next morn we launch the “probe” (our name for the dinghy christened by my star trek fan) to explore the Saco de Mamanagua.  There is a mountain above the village that looks like a “KING Penguin” so that is what we name it.  The snorkeling location we were given was too turbulent and cloudy so we forfeited that event and head up the fjord and find a local fishing boat and score 4 fish (corvinas) for $20 Reis, thats about $6. Pati filets 2 and preps 2 for later steaming with garlic and vegies.  YUM YUM YUM.

We continue to head up the Saco de Mamanagua in the dinghy to the end @ high tide and head up RIO Cairucu thru mangrove swamps that lead to tropical forests.  We leave the dinghy and hike up a marked trail, thru a few farming plots of the Tamoios Indians (bananas, papayas, grapes, coconuts), that leads to the waterfall (agua de foz). Marc is elated to jump into the pool and have a head pounding experience under the falls.  Must be something about this experience as I remember the end of a massage in India where they pounded on your head- kind of like shock therapy perhaps-go figure- he enjoyed it thoroughly.  (Marc explains it as loosening up the grey matter in a male brain where over time it sticks together due to linear thinking of a male’s hard wiring…the on-off switch.  It therefore must be unstuck by the effects of a waterfall-sort of like a Jacuzzi for the brain. )

       

After 4 days, and expected rain, we return to Marina Engenho to finalize the work on the bow thruster that was still having problems- final analysis, it is a solenoid problem that we will have to deal with later (on again/off again). We have a new anchorage buddy, a 47’ Catana catarmaran with a family of 4 from Russia, children ages 6 and 4 and of course they have boat issues too…go figure…once again the spiritual incantation of a sailor.. Cruising is the art of repairing your boat in beautiful places around the world. 

 While I cannot speak Portugese , it is similar to Spanish  and I can understand a little.  Ie: sin means  without (sp)  sem means without (Port).  Marc however thinks it’s a derivative of Yiddish since everyone is always saying “Oi” (hello) just like “Oiy” without the “Vey”.

 

THE COLONIAL TOWN OF PARATY
Originally inhabited by the Goianas and Tamoios Indians, the Portuguese arrived in the 16^th century.  It was a vital port of call, as slaves were disembarked here to work the plantations, and it was the end of the gold and gemstone route (Camino do  Ouro) a track across the mountains from the inner regions of the country (state of Minas Gerais). The abolition of slavery in the 18^th century and creation of new routes for transporting gold resulted in the decline of the town.  Today, the town’s colonial architecture remains intact and it is a Brazilian Heritage site and Unesco World Heritage Site. The old city was built at sea level; it is partly flooded during high tides and completely flooded in spring tides.  The receding waters on the falling tide were originally used to clean the streets and acted as a sanitation system, with the slope of the ground carefully calculated so that there isn’t even the slightest puddle at low tide.  The houses were built raised up by two steps so that water didn’t run inside.  This is the great curiosity of Paraty , and as Marc says , will be it’s great challenge as the seas rise worldwide.  In less than fifty years they will have a system that will be cleaning the first floor of their houses.  With a little imagination it could remind you of Venice.

 

 We finally head to town to visit the OLD CITY.    We have been told not to bring our dinghy to town due to theft.  Now this infuriates Marc who has decided that the best theft prevention for an out board motor was to paint it Pink!  So we had it painted in Central America and repainted  glowing pink in Uruguay.  Marc’s reasoning seems sound: No Latin man in his right mind would want to be caught with a pink motor.   The problem is this is Brazil and not a Latin country.  The men wear pink shirts.  They even paint their fishing boats pink!  This may have something to do with their open sexual mindedness but Marc’s pink outboard could now be a prize rather than a curse. 

So rather than risk our outboard, we once again put out our thumb and a couple from the Marina, who just bought a boat and has only been sailing a year, pick us up.  Great conversation ensues.  They are from Sao Paulo and she is a set designer and he a make-up designer.  She is doing a PhD on the making of the film “The City of God”, about life in the Flavelas of Brazil.  She said it was the first Brazilian film to include black actors, as opposed to the whiter European descendants that are predominate in films and TV in Brazil.  It inspired us to watch it last evening- a great film.  They drop us off and we head out to explore.  It is the weekend of a Literary Festival where authors, teachers etc. come for workshops and readings throughout the town for 3 days.  We head to a cultural center that reminds us of 3SArtSpace, but of a smaller version, check out the art shops and galleries and Marc has located, via Trip Advisor, a wonderful creperie, Le Casselet, for lunch with a wonderful French singing guitar player—truly wonderful- Edith Piaf and Chas. Aznavour move over----Marc recorded and we will send the music to the artist.  It is an on again, off again, rainy day and  we happen to be there at high tide - so we are dodging water above and below- luckily no twisted ankles from the cobblestone streets but it was a challenge.  We return to Paraty the next day, taking the dinghy, and find a local artist to watch over her. He is a paper mache puppet maker and we purchase a unique display of Caporeira figures.  We enjoy visiting local art studios, buy some locally made art objects and Pati finds some wonderful Brazilian made shoes, she buys 2 pair.   Marc has been studying this for many years and still has no clue why a woman has a fascination for shoes.  He beckons any readers to enlighten him.  Pati says, and as the picture will show, they are very unique, leather and comfortable.