Fortaleza and on the move

After 24+ hours of travel I arrived in Fortaleza on May 8 and took a taxi to the Marina Park Hotel where Voyager was docked. It was great to see Rick & Suza and relax over a nice dinner. On the 9th Suza and I spent a little time in Fortaleza visiting St. Joseph's Cathedral, the Mercado Central and trying to see Dragão do Mar, a cultural art center,  which unfortunately was closed. Fortaleza is one of Brazil's largest cities and is popular for their beaches and nightlife (though we did not explore either of those). It was back to the boat to get ready to leave the next morning for the Amazon Basin, our next port is Belem on the Rio Para.

The 10th through the 15th was a downwind sail along the coast of Brazil. Rather rolly and not the most conducive to sleeping. I have the 2 am to 6 am watch. Very early on the 15th we entered the Amazon Basin on the Rio Para (Para River).  After 659nmi, we anchored on the 15th off Ilha de Colores (Colores Island) a little way from the city of Vigia. It was a beautiful calm night and we watched brilliant scarlet Ibis and parrots fly by while we had dinner on deck.

On the river we are motoring and our progress is influenced by detours around fishing nets and the currents. Due to the fishing nets and floating logs that we need to avoid, we will only travel during the daylight while in the Amazon Basin.  On the 16th we anchored off the Ilha do Mosqueiro, 38 nmi from our last anchorage. There was a light rain the last few miles, just enough to wash the salt off the boat. It is the rainy season here, but so far we have had very little rain.

St. Joseph's Cathdral

Interior of Cathedral

Need to buy a hammock?

Colorful buildings at Dragao do Mar

Marina Park Hotel

Voyager (see Rick's feet?) at Marina Park Hotel

Next stop is Belem, reported to be one of the rainiest cities in the world. We plan to be there about a week, hopefully having  some sail repairs completed, provisioning and sightseeing. Once we leave Belem the plan is to explore the Amazon Basin by motoring around the Ilha de Marajó, stopping at Macapá and exit via the Rio Amazonas.