Mais um

One more time, back in Brazil was just as good but different than my first trip to Jeri in October. Relieved that the election and navigation class were behind me, it was nice to be home for two weeks, but in a way I felt I needed a vacation I had packed so much in during the two weeks I was home. This trip, I was already in shape, knew the town and had a group of friends I would be able to hang out with. And I even knew some Portuguese.

Icaraizinho
I started my trip in an even tinier town called Icaraizinho-this means little Icarai-the town is so small it doesn’t really have it’s own name, and it shares the neighboring towns name. Three pousadas, 2 restaurants (that I could find) and flat water sailing to my heart’s content. I think one of the reasons I like sailing, windsurfing and sailing boats, is that it makes me very aware of the power of nature. I’m sure that sounds “new agey” and a little nutty; maybe I’ve been spending too much time thinking and being by myself. It’s true though-if there is no wind, I can’t sail. I know when low tide, high tide, full moon or a new moon will start and how it will affect my sailing. For example, with a new moon, the tides have much bigger swings, which means my walk to the water with my gear in the morning will be longer and hot.

Since Icaraizinho is much less developed, I shared the water with at the most seven sailors. I shared my hotel room with frogs, geckos and other crawly things that made me aware of nature too. The hot water consisted of an electric powered shower head that did not inspire me to adjust it while I was showering-even though I really wanted more than just tepid. I spent four, short days in little Icarai, which were very nice but enough since there are so few fellow travelers. The last night I was there, Icarai had a “For All” party-this is the word that I had written and spelled Foro on my last blog post. But it’s just me mis-hearing the pronunciation of two English words. For All, is popular music with Brazilian youth. The best I can tell, it’s Brazilian pop. The party was part of annual party that precedes the Icarai regatta. The fishermen spent the day painting their boats and repairing their sails in preparation for the race the next day. I could tell it was going to be a big party when I saw the 25-feet high speakers on a stage. To me it seemed very out of place for what I perceived as a placid little town. The music started around 10pm and went all night. Hundreds of people, young and old, came from neighboring towns in Ceara state. I checked out the party but not for long since I (not knowing about this party) had arranged for a buggy to pick me up at 8am to drive me up the coast line and through the mangroves back to Jeri.

The morning beach scene confirmed that it was a great party. The abandoned boat in front of my hotel had been converted into a mini-hotel. Hammocks hung from its cabin and the sleepy partiers dozed while the morning sun was still cool enough. Booths selling food and regatta mementos were quickly being filled by the local marketers.


“Fala Português?” “Pequeno.”

I met my buggy driver at my pousada. “Deus te ama” graced the dashboard. My driver was a charming, blonde, 6 foot 2, lanky local who spoke no English. I can make due at this point for the essentials like “banheiro” or “oi, como vai?” The locals seem very patient and not to be bothered by my not speaking Portuguese well at all. Luckily, we shared a love for music and his buggy was souped-up with a cd changer. We zoomed up the coastline on the beach, listening to Bob Marley and Peter Tosh during the 5 hour drive. We stopped at a turtle sanctuary. It was a bit sad. There were 5 tanks with different kinds of turtles-leatherback, olive are the ones I remember. One was missing a leg, which had gotten tangled in a fishing net. The Brazilian government is trying to use this as means to educate the locals, but with such a poor area with little else but fishing, I felt that the locals might not feel like they had the luxury to take care of the turtles. I couldn’t help but think my using the beach, as a road does not help the sea turtles either. And it’s true-local officials have now put yellow bollards to signal the area on the Jeri beach that should not be used as a road. Because no one regulates it though, it is still a thoroughfare.

I arrived in Jeri with enough time to have a café con leite, say hello to a few friends and get out on the water. I had made the right decision to go to Icarai and try something new. I also made huge progress on my jibe with the easier conditions. But being back on a high-wind day confirmed that not only am I a nature lover, but I’m an adrenaline-junky. Jeri is like windsurfing black diamonds, and Icarai was like a groomed run.

Here are some pictures to share the fun: