[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zI1KffO2mdA/VGSjh9qqEdI/AAAAAAAAins/wgZavHFhUlY/s144-c-o/IMG_0553.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage20Brazil3SaoLuisToNatal#6081165200741503442″ caption=”There´s nothing but shade on a long too windy day´s rest” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0553.JPG” ]

Highlights: A nice shady campsite under trees
Lowlights: Such a short distance…
Launch: Wide low surf
Landing: Sheltered beach behind reef
Pos: here
Loc: Reef hook behind Redonda
Acc: tent
Dist: 14,4 km
Start: 5:00 End: 7:30

Originally, I was planning to have a full rest day on Thursday. As it is full moon, the wind and the tide at the max. My camp site in the village was ok, but not undisturbed. It is just natural that the kids are coming again and again in batches to have a curious look and to be as noisy as they can, especially when they hadn’t had the chance yet to have a look. They enjoyed to play noisy “see saw” on the fishing boats next to me, running on top of them from one end to the other, making the boat fall from one end to the other on the beach as they are “parked” either on logs or on low single axle trailers. Also, after dusk, a very well showered guy smelling like soap from the distance tried to look me up for some private “conversation”, which was unfortunately for him a bit brief and one sided with him saying “oi” once and waiting besides my tent for a few minutes, as I surely didn’t answer.

To have a bit of privacy after the largest batch of locals and school kids were”entertained”, I had to pull up the inner screen almost completely, which was preventing any breeze and made me sit once more in my own sweat. Still the kids dared to pull on the tent walls to have a peak. I’m feeling usually like an animal in the zoo cage on such occasions…

So I decided to rather push on today, aiming for the river mouth at Areia Branca. But even this goal was not to be reached today, as the strong wind set in today already at 7 am. I was not in the mood at all for a high wind ride again, turned in after a long jutting out reef point, fought my way to the beach against the wind, and made landfall quite early. If this is already like that at 7am, the afternoon will be even worse.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iywrTjfdmMg/VGSjcR2yc-I/AAAAAAAAins/n0KwIjNI_bs/s144-c-o/IMG_0548.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage20Brazil3SaoLuisToNatal#6081165103081878498″ caption=”A shady campsite, thank goodness!” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0548.JPG” ]

Fortunately, I found a lovely camp spot under dense trees, obviously also used by donkeys, as it was smelling like hey and horses here. A lot of trash showed the occasional beach party spot, but for now, no one was here bar a lonely fisherman on the reef. Later, there were four men fishing on low tide on the exposed reef, and I was watching them for a while.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DYxdcZe8nkM/VGSjfnwAC2I/AAAAAAAAins/0RNfqP0mJAk/s144-c-o/IMG_0550.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage20Brazil3SaoLuisToNatal#6081165160498596706″ caption=”The reef protecting my landing at low tide” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0550.JPG” ]

The camp spot was shady, but also so sheltered that no real breeze came into my tent, and I was still suffering in the heat despite the strong wind on the open beach. Still better than to camp on the open beach exposed to the sun and flying sand, but with a continuous breeze inside the tent. Not a single cloud on the sky for most of the time, so my walks outside were short and I was mostly dozing and reading inside my tent. Not really exciting, I already feel like losing my brain again on this low challenge level. Heat, wind and sand takes it’s toll on my mental state, and I really, really looking forward to be done with this section of the coast!!! Fortaleza is the next goal to reach in maybe six days to have one or two real days off, and Tutoia will be likely the final village/ city of this stretch. At the end, I will kind of have skipped 50 km of coast, if I count the leg back into Humberto do Campo from my last beach spot in April . I will afford that…no way I paddle rather extra and double than less here…