Betwixt

 Not knowing, is the difficult bit.  The unresponsive Gastro doc, the isolation, the foreign land, adds to it.  This was not an ordinary inflammation of the oesophagus.  I needed to get back to Salvador to get help.  My sister-in-law inadvertently sent the Brazilian navy to check on us.  They found us anchored in the river just outside of Itacare.  If I knew we would be getting visitors I would have gotten out of my pyjamas and fixed my hair!  The navy visit, as well as a few other boats who had heard the "emergency" call out on the VHF radio, set our resolve to head back to Salvador. It is 200nm Itacare to Salvador.  We would do it over two days, stopping to rest for the night at Garapua.  The first leg was relatively easy but John was very weak;  I had my first day seasickness.  The second day was harder, with rain showers and beating into wind.  John was now running on empty.  I had contacted a Brazil yachting grou...

It started with a hiccup.  In Namibia.    In St Helena it became a physical chest pain when swallowing, occasionally.  In Salvador it developed into a real problem, enough to be sent to emergency clinic.  Some meds prescribed and told to get an endoscopy if no improvement.  We were about to head slowly to Rio de Janeiro so big city,  good place to get medical treatment if needed.  The difficulty in swallowing became a cannot swallow, from a constricted esophagus.  Apparently it is quite rare.  First Gastroenterologist, first endoscopy (please fast for 12 hours before the endoscopy, um,  what part of cannot swallow...? ).  Need a dilation at another Gastroenterologist, but hospital immediately to get rehydrated.  We were so unprepared for what happened next.  Hooked up with a drip and told to wait for a tomography.  Naively we planned to check into a hotel for the night if we got out of the hospital late as it is ...

 Sailing slowly south of Salvador;  short day hops visiting islands and going up rivers, we went aground, twice in one day.   Shortly after pulling anchor in a narrow creek between the mangrove covered islands one morning, we hit a sandbank and went aground.  The tide fell quickly and we resigned ourselves to the six hours of keeling over.  Deja vu.  We were on our way up the river to see a waterfall.  Cachoeira de Tremembe.  Since Salvador there has been very little change in the low landscape of the coast, so what can this waterfall be?  Early afternoon we were afloat again and set off upriver.  At sunset we got to the small tributary of Tremembe River.  The waterfall was just 800m up the river.  We will take the kayak there in the morning.  Motoring to set the anchor, the engine exhaust pipe broke.  A job for the next day. During the night, John jumped up and looked out - I think we have a problem.  ...

 Itaparica was the first stop from Salvador, 20km 3 hours sail to the island across the bay of Todos dos Santos.  The gear lever broke as we arrived at the pontoon;  marina staff leapt onto the boat to help us.   Our plan was to use a sandbank near the marina to clean the boat hull.  Get into position and go aground at high tide and wait for the water to subside and the boat keels over.  We knew the theory.  In reality, it was nail biting. Going aground is not normal;  keeling over to 45 deg not normal. When will we stop falling over?!  Then get into waist deep water and scrub.  After six hours the tide rises.  Next day repeat for the other side.  The part above the anti fouling water line was encrusted with algae and barnacles.  Tied bow to at Itaparica marina, rope ladder to get off and on.     Mineral water fountain on Itaparica Washing the port hull on a sandbank at Itaparica

Salvador bustles with culture, colour and music.  We berthed at the marina near the city centre with ferries on one side, fishing boats on the other, and party boats all around. Enjoyed the daily entertainment and the vibe.  A month went by easily.  Recovering from the ocean crossing.   Getting equipment for the boat and supplies is complicated.  English is just not spoken.  A tax ID number is needed for all online transactions.  Finally got a few things needed including to fix the water maker, again. Betwixt in the Salvador city lights The iconic Elevador which takes you to the Upper City  was unfortunately closed for repairs. The Inclinado to go up city Pelourinho in Upper City One of the 365 churches in Salvador View of sunset from Betwixt, everyday Sunset beach scene in Barra View of the city from Betwixt, Brazil Naval Base in foreground.

 Sad to leave St Helena Island but eager to continue the big ocean crossing and experience the trade winds, we headed west sailing into the sunset.  The trade wind latitudes have a gentle steady wind, usually 15 knots with occasional gusts of up to 25 knots.  The wind was mostly behind us so we sailed goosewing;  Genoa on one side and the Mizzen on the other.  This was surprisingly uncomfortable with the boat keeling from side to side every two seconds.  But I think the boat looked beautiful, white sails stretched out like wings! The days and nights were mostly cloudy.  All alone in our small boat in the big blue ocean with absolutely nothing else in sight nor on the AIS.  When the clouds finally broke towards the end of the journey the night sky was magnificent and sitting outside on my watch I could chase the stars. This trip took 19 days.  It was physically exhausting.  The broken sleep as we did four hour watches; the  continuou...

 Charming, quaint, old world, friendly Saints, beautiful unreal landscape.  St Helena is a great pit stop in the Atlantic ocean. Jamestown is the centre of activities with benches strewn around for locals to sit and watch the world go by.  The town is two streets wide, uphill.  Jacob's Ladder with its 699 steps is the visible backdrop. There are 21 hikes on the  island.  Lucky to have done two of them.  One to Stone Top to watch the weekly plane land;  flight was cancelled due to fog, but great views nevertheless.  Second hike to Lot's Wife's Pond and a swim and lunch at the ponds. Ready to leave again.  Time to pull up the anchor, all 100m of it,  by hand.  We had to repair the mizzen mast which developed a crack.  Made a few blocks.  This is why John has a bandsaw on the boat.   1900 nm to Salvador.   Sailing in the trade winds which should be gentle and constant.  See you soon Brazil. Lot's...

 How to prepare to cross an ocean on a 35 ft home built yacht.  We have done the work to the best of our knowledge.  Completely off the grid, producing energy with the sun, and harnessing the wind to move us along.  Time to trust our own good judgement, and John's weather reading skills!  Coming up was a week of fairly strong southerly wind and a week of gentle south easterly trade winds;  this will take us to St Helena in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. The first week turned out to be very strong wind, gusting often, and rough sea swells.  Gale force wind arrived on the second day with waves breaking over the cockpit pouring into the cabin.  One breaking wave carried my potted herb plants which were tucked safely in the dodger, into the cabin, slamming them against the side above the chart table.  Wet black organic potting soil everywhere, over everything.  We were moving at max speed of 6 knots with a reefed jib, rolling from side to...

 A new boat chore is to clean some of the algae growing just below the water line, and looking very edible, like frilly leaf lettuce.  I drew the short straw.  On a nice sunny day, quite rare this time of the year in Cape Town, in my new wetsuit, I dipped into the murky harbour water armed with a spatula and a scourer.  John floated fenders around the boat for me to hold on to as I worked scraping the green growth and barnacles off.  We paid professional divers to do this in Richards Bay;  they made it look easy Cape Town was the last stop which would have any supplies or spares needed for our the boat until we reach Brazil.  It was also the last place where we had to make sure that we had everything in order to leave South Africa and the safety of land and shops.   What have we forgotten to do! One can never have enough spares.  It took a couple of weeks to source a spare alternator.  The fitting of the reverse osmosis water maker ...

 The view from the porthole making coffee in the morning is of Table Mountain.  Pinch me. Life on a small boat moored at the Royal Cape Yacht Club, which is in the very busy Table Bay Harbour of Cape Town, continues.  Tested the solar panels and worked on how they will be mounted onto the stern pulpit.  This will have to be trial and error as we go.  Being a ketch, we can have a lot of sail up.  The watermaker is the big challenge, but other yachties have told me they survive on rainwater.  Wash and do washing only when it rains.  No. On our voyage down the SA coast we made notes on problems encountered;  we need to fix this, we need to waterproof that.  Sometimes a solution is still to reveal itself.  So daily life involves making something new, fixing something, maintaining something, and cleaning something.  The reward is landing in a beautiful place with a view. Table Mountain as a backdrop. Fixing something, again Scary se...