Return to Piri

Those nice people in customs were kind enough to invite us back south to check into Brasil again, so a quick r/t (90km each way) to Imbituba was in order yesterday. Alain and Fabi joined us and the trip south was glorious ... although fairly moot as the officials didn't have a launcha for viewing the boat, just wanted some 'fees' and then we were back on our way.

But the stiff wind that sped our journey south was now on our nose: 25k, big green seas, plenty of white caps and spray. When we returned we anchored in another small bay around the corner and protected from the massive surge and wind of the Baia de Magellanes* where we were before. (* the irony of this being that three months ago I was on the Strait of Magellan ... ah what a difference a name makes!)

The walk to Alain and Fabi's casa is about a mile, zig zagging through a confusion of small brightly colored square houses roaming with roosters. Here I am today, using the internet, napping on their hammock to the sounds of the surf, pondering (with a bit of an upset tummy) what's next ... and have decided to travel south on a sailboat I've never seen with people I don't know, back to Piriapolis, despite the fact that this sounds somewhat insane (but what HASN'T been insane in the last four months???)

The deciding factors were:

• Abi and Andrew are friends of a friend and could use an extra hand for the passage
• I came to So. America to sail
• It seemed destined: I was drawn to finish my So American journey in the same small town - Piriapolis, Uruguay - where I began
• Abi has been friendly and welcoming with a good sense of humor
• And finally (but not lastly) I have several days before I head to the San Blas Islands to see the Salleys and -- having never intended on a road trip nor 'vacation' and having very little funds -- I could not afford a hotel for a week; so I am keen to continue prostituting myself as crew ("P'tit Mousse") in exchange for a dry (fingers crossed) bed and food (which I'm glad to prepare).

So ... as of Feb 1 (ish) I expect to be offline again and sailing south, around the corner at Punta del Este, and back to Piri, before flying to Panama.










PHOTOS: early morning departure for Imbituba; NAUTI CHICA sighting!; fishing boats anchored there; JP and Fabi at the casa; the new man in my life - "Cake"