We arrived at Fernando de Noronha after heading for open sea 11 days earlier, the sea has been kind giving us a speed of 7 knots, give or take. The waves came from many directions, making the crossing bumpy and what sometimes felt like the flying circus of Monty Python down in the cabin. When we arrived to Noronha it was like coming to the most beautiful place, the dolphins chasing tuna jumping up from the water, what a sight, Boats anchoring outside the harbor, mostly local, a sandy beach just next to the pier. On the beach the locals were repairing their boats, along with the guests taking a swim and the local eating place, Recanto da Graca, with good cheap food and the coldest beers on the whole island. The chef of the harbour welcomed us with open arms and a smile, helping out the best he could, luckily Igor could speak Portuguese (Brazilian), for the chef didn’t speak English, but I’m sure that together we would have understood each other.
The people on Noronha are kind and helpful and you have no problems being out doing the night. The buses are going around the island and go direct to the supermarket and a cashier. The town is beautiful and even though it’s touristy, mostly Brazilian, it’s small and not overdone, with small haciendas.
Igor being a Brazilian and with a guitar on his back opened a lot of doors, within a few minutes of arrival he was invited to play at a reggae beach party the same evening. Igor and I went to the town that evening on our way to the Reggae concert. On our way we passed some young musicians playing on big drums and dancing the maracatu. We went along with the musicians down to the reggae concert, what an experience, they played so well.
We spent 3 days on Noronha, it’s quite expensive staying there with a boat, a lot of taxes, one day to settle in, and one day to clean the boat and one day to explore the island, we all did our one exploration, Adrian stayed on the boat, John took the bus around the island and walked in the marine park, taking photos, Igor explored the waves on one of the many beautiful beaches, I went for a hike, hiking the mountain, Pica to find a rock to sit on. If you love a good hike and a good view its highly recommended, but its not easy to find the path and its not a tour so you need to ask around.
We left the Fernando de Noronha sailing along the coast with dolphins playing following us on our way, while Igor was playing a “I will be back” serenade on his Saxophone.
Sailing with Svalen 