Location: 12° 53S, 38° 41W
Sunday, 03.16.08

The Maggie B is anchored in the well-protected bay at Ilha de Itaparica, at 12° 53S, 38° 41W. Thomas and I took Maggie B here yesterday from Salvador via a lap part way around the beautiful Baia de Todos Santos. Hannah and Curtis have gone inland to hike in the Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantia.

On our way to Ilha de Itaparica, we motored past the Ilha dos Frades, named for two monks who were killed and cannibalized by local indians. The island brought to mind the terrible joke when two cannibals are talking after a feast. Both have bad indigestion. One asks the other, the cook, how the missionaries were prepared. “Boiled,” he replies. “You idiot!” the other says, “They were fryers [friars]!” OK, not too great a joke, but we’ve been at sea for almost two years.

One marvelous thing about Salvador and Itaparica is that there are lots of traveling boats. Walking down the pier at Centro Nautico do Bahia is like a maritime United Nations: lots of French, Dutch, German, Argentinean, Belgian, Swiss(!). Even an American. Most days there is at least one boat with the yellow “Q” (request clearance from abroad) flag flying. And the boats are very salty and sea-tested. Here in Itaparica, we are anchored with Segue of Felixstowe, Speedwell of Hong Kong, Nanoq of Sweden, Helisara of Douglas, and a very hot trimaran called Menisco Roto whose stern is too small to list a home port.

A “traveling boat” stands out in any harbor. It isn’t, necessarily, beat up or loaded with gear. But it somehow has the air of being burnished by sun, salt, wind and long passages. Often there are a few dings. Solar panels and wind generators are generally present. Self-steering gear on smaller boats. Jerry cans of extra diesel or water lashed on deck are a pretty good clue. But the essence is more subtle: gear is stowed just right - handy but secure. It is perhaps like the vision of a mounted cavalryman of the 19th Century - lots of gear and buttons and some flash, but you know that everything would still be exactly in place and ready-to-hand after a 20 mile gallop.

Trying to be ready for things that hopefully will never happen, we regularly renew our emergency water, which is stored next to our life raft and “go bag.” Today the water was filled in the famous Fonte da Bica, a mineral water fountain first tapped in 1842. It supposed has all sorts of medicinal and restorative powers. Just what you would want in a life boat!

The weather seems to be changing. For the last week it has been clear, very humid and hot. Today there have been huge thunderstorms marching through every few hours, with some serious wind and rain in Biblical proportions. I hope that it will bring in a nice SW’erly to blow us up the coast!

All is well.