[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vR9YhYRSsYo/VPL1YXeaJjI/AAAAAAAAmig/JktuSEYS-r4/s144-c-o/IMG_1522.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage23Brazil6RioDeJaneiroToFlorianapolis02#6121224642517149234″ caption=”We pay a lot of money at home for those plants in a pot!” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1522.JPG” ]

Highlights: A nice 3-hrs escort from Marcio
Lowlights: Hundreds of motorboats around me
Launch: Sheltered beach
Landing: Sheltered beach
Pos: here
Loc: Ilha dos Gatos
Acc: tent
Dist: 42,2 km
Start: 6:35 End: 16:50

It was a nice stay on Ilha Bela, just way too short! Thanks very much to Marcio and Fernandato host me in their house and to organize the barbecue party yesterday in my honor. I’ll be back!

Marcio was escorting me for three hours out of the channel of the Ilha Bela, and took a bunch of pictures and some video. Asa professional photographer he would be very much welcome to come along and take some more footage! It was a lovely easy paddle along the cliffs, very relaxing after we all got to bed quite late.When he left me and I paddled out into the swell of the unprotected coast, I had a hard time to stay awake until I reached my destination on the small Ilha dos Gatos. But hundreds of motor boats and jet skis on a Saturday buzzing around me helped me to stay alert.

Unfortunately it seemed like they all had the same destination on Ilha dos Gatos! And it was like that…about 50 yachts of different sizes were anchoring around the sand spit,all having a barbecue either on deck or on the beach. Where the heck should I put up my tent here? I paddled around the spit to the other beach,the same situation, even worse. The last corner of the spit, a bit sheltered between rocks, was the temporary home of a group of very drunk young men, but when I turned around from having a look to the second beach they fortunately got picked up by a boat. The one and only a bit remote and off the buzz corner was free for me! Just in time! Yahoo!

The sand between the rocks was smelling a bit of beer and digested beer, but I shoveled fresh sand over all and it looked like never used. Fortunately quite trash free also.I hurried to put up camp,as thunder was already grumbling over the coast, few rain and the sky was dark.

I was just safe and dry and organized, when a *real* thunderstorm came down, with storm and heavy rain and noisy thunder and many lightnings. I was thinking of all the fancy yachts with their barbecues on the back deck…maybe my situation was not really worse? At least the one yacht anchoring just in front of my tent was hurrying to drive into one of the protected corners. I actually rather prefer fishing boats in front of my camp site than looking at all those floating money graves or -banks…the north of Brazil was not worse. I didn’t see a single fishing boat…who is still going fishing if they can earn easier money being a clerk on one of those yachts or even the captain-driver? :-)At least with this still going on thunder storm it is unlikely I am getting bothered here-about no camping allowed or such…