This was a very exciting stop for the Happy Days crew, for several reasons. One being that it was our first time in Brazil… and it also signified the completion of our Atlantic crossing!
Let me set the scene briefly.
We’d been at sea for ten days after leaving St Helena. The passage had been a good one, if long, and this was the day we’d finally see land again. We were putting our spinnaker, Miss Violet, up when Mum suddenly called out, “LAND HO!”
We could see the hilly island, hazy in the distance, and watched as it slowly but surely moved closer.
Related:
Surfing South Africa by Sailboat
Sailing Seychelles: Cruising Highlights from Mahe to La Digue
Entering Fernando de Noronha
We flew the spinnaker for as long as we could before turning around the point and coming in under the genoa.
As we came around and were downwind of the island, we could smell the beautiful mix of green and dirt — a sensation every sailor knows only happens after a long stretch at sea.
Embracing all the new sights, we made our way to the anchorage. There wasn’t much to it: just head to the lee side and find a shallow enough spot amongst the mooring balls and local vessels.
Anchor down in 15 metres of water… and we realised one thing pretty fast — there was nothing stopping the Atlantic Ocean swell from coming straight in. Well, thank goodness we’re on a catamaran! We headed straight into shore and managed to get most of the check-in done that afternoon, organising to meet the navy in the morning.
With the formalities complete, it was time to explore.
Town & Supermarkets
The main part of town was up the hill from the harbour and had a few supermarkets, a bank, and some restaurants. Every person we passed had a smile for us, and even with the language barrier, we felt really welcome.
One thing to mention is that everything in the supermarkets has to come by ship or plane — and mostly by ship. This meant that sometimes the shelves were stocked… and sometimes they weren’t.
During the three days we were there, we were right at the end of the week since the last shipment, and stocks were very low.
Thankfully, we still had enough food and a few fresh things left from St Helena, but we got what we could.
Exploring the Island
The morning after arriving, we were keen to check out the beaches and see what else the island had to offer. So, we grabbed our shoes and headed in.
Four of us ran from the harbour to Cacimba do Padre — the furthest beach without entering the national park. Speaking of national parks…
A lot of Fernando de Noronha is designated national park area, and to enter, by boat or on land, you have to pay an extra fee. Considering we were already paying a lot per day for all six of us, we weren’t too keen on paying more, especially since there was already plenty to see.
Anyways, enough about fees.
We headed off running, our bodies definitely not adjusted to the heat yet, dripping from the first few metres to the last. We stopped at most beaches, checking the surf and seeing what we could learn.
We found an old church, cobblestone streets, new beach bars, and way too many uphills for our liking.
The funniest thing was that there weren’t any other tourists running around. No — they were all cruising past in cool beach buggies, looking at us like we were crazy. Which… we probably were. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t allow more than five people per buggy (bummer!), so we ran while Mum and Pip took the bus.
Eventually, we all ended up sitting on the sand at Cacimba do Padre, watching the surfers getting properly pitted. Man, it looked fun. That got us moving again, and we walked to the bus stop. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long and were soon heading home much faster — and easier.
Surfing
Welcome to my favourite and least favourite part of our stop. Yep, confusing, I know.
The afternoon of our first full day, we loaded the boards and headed to one of the closest beaches. We jumped in and paddled for the peaks breaking along the shore. Let me just say: after surfing the freezing waters of South Africa, being back in warm equatorial water was amazing. We were frothing so hard.
The waves were the perfect size, and at the start, they were even barreling. Honestly, what better way to get back in the water?
That night, we came home absolutely wrecked after surfing till dark, but so excited for the swell coming. By morning, the swell had definitely increased. We could see the waves closing out along the beach — not ideal. Still, we hoped high tide would help.
We spent the morning on shore and came back just before high tide… only to find it was still maxing out. No shoulders, no peaks. Thankfully, we found a break near the harbour where most of the locals were surfing. We jumped in, tried to figure it out, and did our best.
It was pretty random though — mostly closeouts and backwash. Not a complete fail, but definitely not those perfect beach barrels we’d imagined. Back on board, the anchorage had gotten a little more rolly.
The Anchorage
As I mentioned earlier, the swell comes straight into the anchorage.
When we first arrived, it was about 1.6m at a 10-second period — not great, but manageable. Then it built to 2m at 18 seconds. Much bigger. Much more uncomfortable.
After a rolly night, the couple of other cruisers that had been here were leaving — they were mainly monohulls. For them, it would’ve been pretty miserable. After breakfast, we checked the weather and realised we had two options:
Leave now and avoid thunderstorms…
Or wait another week.
Take a guess what we chose.
Leaving
We decided to go.
We were sad to leave, but it was the best option. The surf was going to stay too big, and we weren’t keen on paying another full week, so it was time to clear out.
That morning, the swell was peaking, we stood on the bow and watched waves breaking across the entire harbour entrance.
Right. This was going to be interesting. In the dinghy, we waited for the right moment, let one wave pass, then sent it around into the sheltered bay inside the rock wall.
Phew. We were in.
One team went to find eggs, while the other filled diesel jerries and cleared out. At one point, three of us just sat and watched the swell lines roll in. It was gnarly. We watched as sets picked Happy Days up and pushed her forward.
Yep. Definitely time to go.
Interestingly, there were still a few surf spots working, and they were packed. So when the swell is big, there are options. Once cleared, we spent our last cash on the most expensive ice creams of our lives. $80 AUD for five Cornettos.
Yes. Really.
Then we were off — safely over the waves and back to the boat.
Summary
Soon enough, we were lifting anchor and heading out. Looking back, it had been a short but really fun stop. It’s definitely not the same experience most tourists have here, but doing Fernando de Noronha by boat was something special for us.
We were stoked to experience Brazil, even if it was just a small piece of it. Have you been to these magical islands? Or seen mainland Brazil? If you have, I’d love to hear about it — leave a comment and share your story
I think it’s always interesting when you have a ‘different’ type of experience – it’s not always about perfection but you all still get amazing experiences.
Yes, sailing to Fernando de Noronha is definitely a unique experience! 😊