[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-pQTO5jsAMTM/VP9btZcRjWI/AAAAAAAAmxU/gZT_mOij4uU/s144-c-o/IMG_1567.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage23Brazil6RioDeJaneiroToFlorianapolis02#6124714853728882018″ caption=”For once more I had to stick m head deep into the cockpit to exchange the rudderlines” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1567.JPG” ]

trip days left: 59
distance left: 1253 km
Highlights: Good speed on following wind
Lowlights: My rudder line broke 5 km offshore…
Launch: Low surf
Landing: Low surf
Pos: here
Loc: Bombinhas
Acc: tent
Dist: 51,4 km
Start: 6:00 End: 16:20

The few beach tourist went home, but more fishermen came around dusk.It must be a special fun to fish with a small light on the hook – or especially successful. The guys were looking like glow worms standing lined up on the rocks. Cute passion…at least they were all quiet when leaving and eventually I woke once again and the parking lot was empty and no more glowworms on the rocks. Good.

Therefore my just fixed holes in my sleeping pad made problems again as the glue patch obviously peeled off on moving around. If I’d have known it were only the old holes and not new ones…so i simply blew the pad up again a few times and had a reasonable rest. Tonight I’d fix them properly.

Some strong gusts were shaking my tent tonight, as the north wind was just blowing into my cove. The surf was still lowish, but the sea was big and rough bumping back from my headland, calming not much down for the first three hours when I left the whole headland area and started my paddle as basically one long big crossing.

Later the sea got acceptable and I could paddle hard and quick. I had to shorten my rudder line on the right pedal once, but felt already the line was thin and was close to break. Shit! Why didn’t I replace it in time before it breaks? I used to do that,as I know the issue needs to be done about every 6 weeks…my last exchange was way too long ago. Now I had to pay the bill, as despite treating the right rudder pedal with utmost care, it eventually broke fully while I was about 5 km offshore. Very funny. This rudder is the best expedition rudder and the one and only I would ever take on a trip, but it needs maintenance which I knew about but failed to do in time. I tried to stay on course by paddling with large sweep strokes on the left side only, but no chance to keep this boat straight when the 15 knots wind is coming from the back left side in relatively big seas. Edging is not working efficiently on the long straight hull. Occasional stern rudders with the paddle were not enough. I had to do something else, if I would not like to call for help which may not come.

The solution was to tie the broken cable with the broken string on my deck line as tight as possible, that I would basically paddle to the right only. I had to use the left still working pedal with feeling, and if I pressed too much, I had to hook my right foot behind the left pedal to pull it back and to go to the right again by also pulling on the attached cable on my deck. But I could control the boat only by getting out of the side wind and heading into a wide city bay with straight following wind. Not that I wanted to land there at all…but now I needed the shortest way to shore. At least this technique was working. There was not a single fishing boat out here, and 5 km are quite a distance even with this working technique. I was glad to eventually spot a small but crowded sandy beach with a kayak rental in one corner where I landed and was able to fix my rudder lines.

Within 45 min, I was ready to leave again, as by now way I would want to stay here on this absolutely crowded tiny tourist place beach, despite a calm landing. It was windy and big and bumpy out there when I rounded two more headlands before I was reaching the bay I wanted to reach. The outer corner was relative natural and not very crowded despite some surf on landing. But I think I will have a quiet night here on this end.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-M4_ycI2ZJ6s/VP9can3pOsI/AAAAAAAAmxU/i1TFa6QkTDA/s144-c-o/IMG_1571.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage23Brazil6RioDeJaneiroToFlorianapolis02#6124715630695889602″ caption=”Some cactus” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1571.JPG” ]

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pJGRdqKwaq0/VP9cMzttTSI/AAAAAAAAmxU/tu4T5-Q6vKQ/s144-c-o/IMG_1569.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage23Brazil6RioDeJaneiroToFlorianapolis02#6124715393357270306″ caption=”Camp at the small river mouth of Bombinhas” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1569.JPG” ]

30 km left to cross over to the Yacht Club of Jurere on the northern side of the island of Florianapolis where I am getting hosted by some friends.