FERNANDO DE NORONHA, BRAZIL
MARCH 5 – 9, 2017
FERNANDO de
Noronha is a volcanic island about 220 nm off the Brazilian coast in
position: 03-50’ S; 32-24’ W. It is another one of those logical stops coming from Cape Town to
the Caribbean. The island serves as a
playground for wealthy Brazilians and prices reflect this. The Brazilian government has designated the
island as a National Park and World Heritage Site. Tourists visiting the island are limited to
400 persons per day. There are few boats
that stop here because the anchorage and environmental fees are high: $US 123 per day for boat and two crew. The highlight here would be that the Harbor
Master (Sr. Marcos) serves coffee and sandwiches during the check-in
process. He is very hospitable and
willing to help in every way.
Given the
fact that everyone except yachties are flying in from somewhere, the island is
filled with guest houses and restaurants.
There is nothing cheap here because all have an excess amount of it or they wouldn’t be here. The restaurants are good. An average meal costs $US30+. The best way to get around the island is to rent a Dunebuggy but busses run between certain places and are cheap or cost nothing. According to Trip Advisor, Bahia do Sancho” has been rated as #1 beach in the world. We couldn’t verify this because one has to buy a ten day pass for the National Park costing $US65. We drove around the island in a Dunebuggy and found nothing remarkable about it: just another enchanted isle amongst the many more beautiful we have seen.
There is nothing cheap here because all have an excess amount of it or they wouldn’t be here. The restaurants are good. An average meal costs $US30+. The best way to get around the island is to rent a Dunebuggy but busses run between certain places and are cheap or cost nothing. According to Trip Advisor, Bahia do Sancho” has been rated as #1 beach in the world. We couldn’t verify this because one has to buy a ten day pass for the National Park costing $US65. We drove around the island in a Dunebuggy and found nothing remarkable about it: just another enchanted isle amongst the many more beautiful we have seen.
The one
outstanding feature of the island, when approaching by sea, is a huge
upstanding single rock formation that looks like a gigantic penis. As we anchored, it had changed to an American
Indian’s face or some other imaginative form.
It is seen from almost every place on the island. There is not a whole lot to say about the
island: the Brazilians are friendly, the
food and drinks good – but expensive.
The anchorage is rolly but the Brazilian women are beautiful and eye catching
in their skimpy bikinis – a blessing to men and that big rock formation: time to leave.
We set sail
for Ile de Salute (Devil’s Island fame) on March 9th at 1130 hrs
(UTC-2): 1320 nm. The other option was
to sail directly to Tobago without stopping: 1900 nm.
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