[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HV-Hi-TOTQs/VGSjPNf-HsI/AAAAAAAAins/ifUAZWhQBaY/s144-c-o/IMG_0530.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage20Brazil3SaoLuisToRecife#6081164878574132930″ caption=”One of the many lighthouses, this one comes in black and white” type=”image” alt=”IMG_0530.JPG” ]

Highlights: I got some really needed good rest
Lowlights: Boring…
Pos: here
Loc: River beach across Tibeau do Sul
Acc: tent

It was a good decision to call this day a rest day. Te wind was howling as usual around the tent at night with 18-20 knots, and I even dared to put my earplugs in here on this beach, feeling relatively safe. What a nice feeling to turn around again at 4 am, hearing some heavy rain pouring down around 6 am, still sleeping…

My body felt as sore as it can be after the unusual efforts of the last days including the capsizes, rolls and dragging the kayak along the surf zone. When the forecast comes to 20 knots or over, the sea state is uncomfortable and I really don’t like to be out there any more – not even with the wind in the back. This is my limit. We’ll see how it is developing after Fortaleza where it is supposed to be the strongest wind.

Fortunately, I am not sweating that much any more in my tent during a rest day on the beach. Despite the sun is out, the wind mostly is giving enough breeze to cool down that far the water is not running down the body any more that much. But the continuous exposure to the breeze is not what I like or am used to either, similar to air condition, I have to cover ears, neck and even my eyes at night not to get sore.

The river entrance shelter is almost gone on high tide, as the reef is covered with higher water and the breakers are crashing on my steep beach with some force I couldn’t launch any more. On low tide it is ok, fortunately tomorrow morning low tide is around 4 am. The wind is supposed to be a tad down again, so I am hoping to reach Natal tomorrow. It is always a walk on the boarder line here, too much wind though from behind makes the reef shelters useless, the open beaches inaccessible, the places for me to land and to camp fewer.

My skin has developed already a few smaller sores here and there, hope they won’t get as bad as on the last section. No real itching bug bites yet, but chafings. All in all, I am looking really forward to be paddling soon in colder conditions! But still going north feels like doing some extra work at school…

I had some entertainment today by watching the kite surfers here, they obviously liked the strong wind and even the reef waves somehow. Interesting sport, if I’d be younger, I may like to do that…

I didn’t feel like even trying to find the leakage in my day hatch, even carrying water from the 100m away shore to give it a try felt like a horrible work. And if I’d find it, glueing the boat in this wind, flying sand and sea spray wouldn’t be great either. I may give it a try in the yacht club in Natal tomorrow, if conditions are inviting.

I checked the sat images, and was happy to see despite still strong wind the surf seems to be down once I am really turning west around thew easternmost corner. Let’s hope this will be really the case, as far as you can see it on the sat images. It would be logical. About 100 km before Fortaleza, the coast turnes slightly north again and the surf is back…