Tuesday, June 9, motoring out of the harbour against some large swells and light headwind we did not encounter any shipping. After motoring for just over 4 hours, we were able to sail slowly until the winds picked up later in the afternoon. By midnight and for all the next day, the wind came around from behind and then off the land so we were using various combinations of poled out genoa and/or mainsail, doing between 5.5 and 6.2 knots having a really pleasant sail, especially when the swell died down. Passed a lot of oil rig supply vessels, helicopters, fishing boats and nets, at various times along the way, as well as a group of 20+ fisher boats, 3-4 wide and a mile long, all towing nets – the fish just don't have a chance.
A few hours before Cape Frio ,waiting for the expected northerlies as predicted by the grib files, we were back motoring again into a 15kn southerly headwind and in the very early hours of Thursday morning, overcast and wet, with a cold wind curling around the Cape to meet us, we doubled the cape in a pincer maneuver dodging 3 other boats much bigger than us. The further away from the Cape we went, the better the weather – wind and waves died down and even tho we motored the 60+ Nm to Rio, the wind was light, flat sea, sunshine and well away from the shipping lanes. Could see Rio in the smog as we passed thru the bay entrance altho by then, clouds were pretty low and by 17.00 we anchored off the Clube Naval Charitas in Niteroi, on the east side of the Bay.
At the Clube we met an english speaking live-a-board who helped and advised us a lot enabling us, on Friday morning, to go directly to the correct office of the authorities, in Niteroi, and within a half hour (office opened at 10 am), our boat papers had been extended. What a relief, and in record time our lady friend said. That meant we were then free to go exploring.
Walked to the terminal and took the fast Cat ferry over the Bay to downtown Rio de Janeiro and wandered around in the rain. Some of the older buildings are beautiful, standing side by side with the new architecture it makes for a really fascinating mix. At some point there must have been a height restriction as on one of the main roads for a couple of blocks, the buildings are all the same, then the modern construction design develops and higher up they go. With the reputation of Rio, we had not taken the camera, but as we did not perceive any threat at all, we went back on Saturday, a better day for photos as it had stopped raining. Weekends the fast ferry does not run so took the bus around to Niteroi and caught the slower one, and just outside the terminal we came across an extensive and intriguing antique market. By the time we got uptown, stopping along the way to take photos, all the shops were shut and the center was being rapidly vacated on such a lovely afternoon. A lot of the glass windows and building shapes made for some really unusual pictures. Sunday, a really clear day to look across the bay at downtown Rio and surrounding hills, was spent in Niteroi shopping as we had planned on sailing down to Isla Grande bay. Bought some limao (lime) flavoured biscuits to nibble on but to our horror, the biscuits themselves are a bilious green - such are the joys of shopping in unfamiliar territory.
It is now Tuesday 16 June and we have crossed the bay and anchored at the foot of Pao Acucar (Sugarloaf) hill, going to visit Rio again with the excuse of waiting for favourable winds (which should be in a day or three). It is possible to walk to downtown Rio from here, along another lovely clean, green foreshore with paths, but it is a long way alternatively it is easy to get a bus around the bay which we did on Thursday and walked back.
We have really enjoyed Rio and have not had any problems though we get around with no wallets or hand bags or jewellery and have money in pouches under cloths and a small backpack. No inkling of any pickpockets or worse but have also not visited the major tourist sites as generally we are not that interested in these places.
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