Vagabond: A Maritime Journey Around the World

Chapter 03 - Last Arrangements

We are late! Orders do not arrive; suppliers do not deliver; the Post Office was on strike – the notaries too. So, to pass the time follows a bit of biographical information. The departure of the Vagabond expedition around the world is the fulfillment of a dream. A very old dream. Some say to be very careful with our desires, our requests. They come true and need their creators to manage them – and there is always the risk of us engrossing Frankensteins. When we were only 17 we imagined a small boat, destined to local crossings: to Itaparica, for example. We also took care to travel a lot in Bahia and Northeast, but by car, or sometimes by bus. We had no money. But we got to know all the beaches and mountains of this our region. increased. And we always took bigger leaps as the years went by.

We wanted more. We conquered increasingly distant borders: the south of Brazil, the Pantanal, the Andes, the Pacific and Patagonia. And it didn't stop there, we got to know the Western World more vehemently: we live to the north of the Continent, in America, and jumped to the Old World and in some parts of the Antiquity – we arrived in Giza. The boat was archived in a special folder, however, often remembered as the true amulet of adventure. Besides, we didn't have the money for that yet. The three friends followed different paths in their lives, however, there was a link that kept them united in their spirits. They were souls eager for adventure. Today I learned that this link – that of adventure – is unbreakable and quite rare in people.

Well, let's stop with the philosophies. Now there's very little left. The shipyard technician came from Porto Alegre and is already installing the last facilities acquired in Argentina and the United States. It will also give an overview of everything: maintenance in leaks and everywhere electrical. It should take a few more days here. The wind pilot delayed and modified all scheme of expedition: a spinning. The system is bureaucratic and does not work for time. The arrival of the shipyard employee was postponed to the limit. We will install the wind pilot in another location, perhaps in the Caribbean. Until then, we'll take Vagabond with the help of our good old autopilot.

We took the whole boat apart. We took everything from the inside: the suitcases, the tools, the mattresses, the floor and all the cladding wood. Everything! The boat was hoisted by the crane three times in five days. A high cost. Renato, the technician, worked on the coating of practically the entire floor. A final test revealed us the success of the corrective operations. After a good sailing with winds of 18 to 20 knots, leaving a little of the shelter of the Bay of All Saints, we find that to save a point in the helm, no drop of salt water had entered from the sea for the Vagabond. A relief. This small adjustment of the rudder owed us one more ascent: the third. Strangely, we commemorate the event.

Knowing that this is an easy problem to solve and that there is nothing else to worry about beyond that makes the possibility of departure much closer and more real. The goal to be unfulfilled, finally ( I speak of the exit).

The good news is that we will have the opportunity to assemble the boat from the beginning, from its skeleton, as the first time. We will fill the hollows and learn which are the most hidden and dry places. There we will keep something of value. Food, water and other food supplies can be stored in these caves"". The intelligent use of empty spaces will be of utmost importance. We still have a lot to bring (me and preu). Then we will replace the wood, the floor and the upholstery. Cleaning, disinfecting and detecting each piece and then the environment. We will arrange our personal belongings with more freedom and hygiene. An unprecedented gain in the recent history of Vagabond. Learning about the boat is an experience that requires time and constant conviviality on board.

Renato left today, 16 November, Preu's birthday. We celebrate two events. It was more than fifteen days of intense work, stress and mini-adventures. Now, we believe in an exit for a little while. And so be it!

Today, November 20, 2007, the day of Black Consciousness, I embark definitively in the Vagabond. I reached – miraculously – to group my belongings in a backpack, I gave a general in the house, grabbed one or other amulet or buginganga of emotional value and left. I locked the whole house; I turned off the gas; I took out the trash; I covered the Electros. Henceforth it is only balance... As of today I consider "open\8221; my logbook. The adventure has already begun, and now that I am embarked, I feel even more the incredible effects of this beginning of adventure. During the crossings, I will try to report the conditions of the sea and of the time; the behavior of the group and the main events of the day. A hug to all and continue to follow the Vagabond, port to port. Send news, support messages, messages, etc. It does very well.

We are in Recife. After 93 hours of sailing we arrived in the capital of Pernambuco. The wind and the sea during this time of year makes the use of the engine inevitable, and we came like this: driving and creating angular trajectories in order to make the most of these limited conditions – the mighty NE wind in the face. Everything else ran in perfect peace. Salvador's departure was more or less complicated. We ended up not doing our checklist and we packed the boat with our stuff and half a million other objects and junk of all kinds and models. We soon realized at the beginning of the journey the importance of a planned and calm exit. The gallons of water of 20 lts fell from one side to another. They didn't get tied up the way we thought, and soon as they got off the edge of the pattern, they looked like john-dums. We improvised and solved the problem. The bow (front) became too heavy – sang the stone our Leopito – due to the water we store – in bottles pet of 2 lts – for our baths.

The emotional of the crew was visibly shaken. In the first hours of the sea the three of us were silent and thoughtful. We laughed a lot and wept a lot in that goodbye. I could not contain the tears when I saw D. Nilcéia – mother of preu – humming an excerpt of a composition of its own, full of nostalgia and similar feelings. But in the background we expected something like this. The crowd appeared in weight. That was an extra force for the morale of the crew. I have been on board for 10 days. I still suffer the effects of adaptation. My body hurts – mainly the lumbar – and sleep does not seem to restore the energies. A start worthy of an adventure like this, from mundovagabond.com

Today is Friday. We arrived at 5 days and we still haven't solved all the loose ends. We had to rearrange the whole boat. We removed the woods and some water from the cellars (yes, the problem remains...). We washed and polished the boat. We installed velcros, hooks, hoses, hinges, etc. we fed the web site and we still have a huge list of things to do. And the Captain says that only leaves after everything is solved. But the routine on the boat is very good, we can not complain. We will, from Saturday, make some pictures of the city and the surroundings. Wait for new news. I want to thank the support of my parents and the strength I have been receiving from friends. I miss Henry...