Introducing the Atins crew

Introducing the crew of Atins.

This is the Atins crew: Carlos (AKA: Vovo or grandpa), Mario (AKA: the poet) and Philippe (AKA: the chick magnet)

Day 4 iles de Bic

We woke up to beautiful surroundings, the same surroundings displayed on the chart plotter which we needed to avoid the night before in total darkness and fog, we now stare and admire with our own eyes in the light of a new bright sunny day. The disturbances are now gone and the sky is blue with strong winds from the south west as we lay at anchor preparing to depart. Our goal is ambitious to reach Matane before sunrise the next morning. In preparation for the long haul the engine oil and spark plugs are changed and we review the navigation strategy. The plan is to run with the wind using the G2 foresail and shortly we prepare to retrieve the anchor against heavy seas. Working together we found the strength to raise the 40 lb anchor heaving on the rode and chain until the anchor was safely on deck and secured. We motor out under power to overcome the stiff winds and seas as though they do not want us to leave. Finally as we clear the islets surrounding us we raise the sail and cut the enging heading a few miles off the south shore running north east with the wind on our backs filling the fore sail. It didn't take long to realize the combination of tall 2 meter seas and stiff 15 knot winds was a little too much for the sail area and the decision was made to reduce sail to our loyal working jib which is now showing minor signs of battle fatigue along with the crew. Sailing towards Rimouski a few hours away we work to master the helm concentrating heavily to keep both sea and wind directly behind us. With better control under reduced sail, heavy Pitching and rolling was our indicator that concentration was lost and helm adjustment was warranted. Now passing the large river edge town of Rimouski our feeling for the helm became one with the seas and wind, as we look forward to the long leg ahead to Matane, which we anticipate will be reached after sun raise the next morning. Dressed for the cool breeze we manage to enjoy the clear view (whatt a difference a day makes) of the rivers edge, appreciating the warmth of the sun on our faces right up until the sun set on our port side which illuminates the western horizon With bright shades of orange. As the night grew darker the stars progressively filled the sky, and we look back only to admire the large bright orange half moon low in the horizon overlooking our progress before resting below the horizon. The constellations are apparent here, even though we do not recognize any, we see images of animals outlined by the brighter stars in the sky. Alternating at the helm we use a bright green flashing navigation light far into the distant marking our destination, which we use to assist us in keeping the wind behind us as we enjoy the coastal lights to our starboard side. I awake from a few hours rest to a beautiful sun now bursting out of the horizon in front of our bow as we near Matane And take the helm to complete the last few hours of the leg before tieing to a well maintained dock in the large commercial port of Matane at 7.30 am of day 5.

Follow our trip: http://philbrazil.blogspot.com

Take Care, Mario
Sent from my mobile device

Day 3 port de gros cacauna

> Waking up to a stiff breeze at anchor after catching up on some sleep we left port around 1pm with overcast skies and favorable marine forecast of 10 to 15 knot NW winds with 40% chance of showers, we agreed that it was best to make use of the winds we have been anxiously waiting for to make up some ground. The tide current is weakening as the mouth of the st Lawrence widens there is a noticeable drop in air and water temperature. As we set out several weather disturbances are surrounding us and the seas resemble a stucco ceiling, with short tall wavelets. It did not take long to spot 10 to 15 belugas swimming in very close proximity to the boat which we failed to recognize as a warning, before soldiering on to our next planned destination the iles de Bic. The winds and mild current working against us we battled strong east winds and waves in a light mist and fog. Keeping a close watch on the electronics for other vessels we heeded the squall warning and prepared for hard foul weather, which did not take long to arrive. Thankfully we were lucky to avoid the squall and sailed forward close hauled with double reef in the main sail to our distant destination. As the hours grew longer we alternated turns at the helm to allow the other to rest for the long journey ahead. As evening turned to darkness with little progress under sail, the decision was made to motor sail navigating only by chart plotter as the navigation lights reflected confidently into the black surroundings and dense fog leading us for over 8 hours into the darkness with heavy rain falling on us for most of the journey. Finally as we near ile du Bic we start to plan and discuss the anchorage navigating by electronics around islets to our overnight resting destination at 3am where we shared a modest dinner of caned tuna sardines and fruit before going to bed.
>
Written by Mario

Day 2

After only a few hours of sleep we woke up excited to make the next 9am high tide departure from our anchorage across the les pillars de Pierre rock shallows. As the hours passed we endured light winds, short segment of rapids, and sunny skies as the current drove us slowly eastward to our next planned afternoon destination just inside the south channel marine park sanctuary where we where greeted by many white backs (beluga whales) upon entry which surrounded the boat in the distance.  Finally arriving at the bank de ille aux lieves towards the end of the late afternoon low tide cycle, where rather then anchor as planned,  we decided to contine to drift slowly as we waited for the early evening high tide to carry us forward. After several hours of drifting and enjoying the picturesque north shore hill scapes as the setting sun turned the dusk skies shades of purple behind them before setting and illuminating the orange crescent moon just above the horizon. As the high tide cycle approached the currents drove us towards our next overnight anchorage a mile past the brightly lit city of Rivière du loop, where we motored inside the protection of port de gros  cacauna  break walls to drop anchor at 12.30 am.

Written by Mario

Night 1 / Day 2 update

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>> After a peaceful rest and modest canned soup dinner shared between us we departed our afternoon low tide anchorage at Berthier sur Mer under sail as the sun set at 9 pm to take the high tide current on route to our next anchorage just south of saint jean port jolie in the shallows across les pillars de Pierre rocks. After braving the rough seas and strong winds, enjoying the star lit sky, and sky streaks which we believe were earths magnetic field interacting with cosmic rays, we arrived safely under motor and set the anchor at 3.30 am for some welcomed rest waiting for the next high tide cycle at 9 am

Written by:
Mario

Where am I?

Follow my location via google maps (see the link on the right) or click here:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=210670865851188222864.0004a7340810c8aff0d95&msa=0&ll=47.960502,-68.302002&spn=3.023557,7.064209

Sailing to Brazil: Timeline

For those who may not know, I'm embarking on a sailing trip to Brazil. I hope to document this experience via this blog. First thing I wanted to send out was a clear timeline of events. Some people thought I was already leaving for good. Not quite. So, here is a rough timeline:

PRE-TRIP to Brazil:

June 30th: head up to Quebec City

July 4th: begin sailing up the St Lawrence River to Nova Scotia.

July 15th-20th: Arrive in Chester, Nova Scotia.

July 20th-August 10th: Hang out in Nova Scotia with Marian and her family.

August 10th: Fly back to Toronto

August 13th-August 25th: Head down to South Carolina for 2 weeks in the sun.

August 25th-October 15th: Hang out in Mississauga, get together any last preparations before heading back to Nova Scotia

 

Trip to Brazil:

October 15th: Head back to Nova Scotia, meet with Carlos, begin preparing the boat for our big journey.

November 1st(ish): Begin our approx. 5-7 week trek down to Natal, Brazil. Planning to stop at Fernando De Noronha before hitting Natal.

 

Arrival in Brazil:

Spend the holidays with my family in Brazil.

Look for a job/project to get invovled with: hoping to do something in the fields of Education/Development (if anyone has any ideas, please I'd love to hear about them).

Video Summary of the Trip

Got back home on Wednesday. Put together a little 2.5 min summary clip
of the trip on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eon5mb1I0qE

Made it to Rio

Ended up having an amazing time in Belo Horizonte! Will write an
update on it when I have more internet access. Right now, im in Rio
where I´ll be enjoying my last week in Brazil!

A sad day for Brazil

The Holland v. Brazil match of course left the country silent....you
can see the sadness in everyone...including this man passed out on the
sidewalk...