Pangea: Travel Registry

Experience an adventure holiday like never before and join the crew of the Sean Paquiti IV for the Cape to Bahia Yacht Race

Salvador - The Capital Of Happiness, Bahia

The Sean Paquiti IV - Cruising Yacht

Cruising Yacht on the Cape to Bahia Yacht Race

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Experience the Sizzle of Salvador

Race Information and Viewing points courtesy of www.southatlanticrace.co.za

RACE INFORMATION

Diary of events

Unless otherwise stated, all times are local

TIME	EVENT	Cruiser Fleet Sat 3rd Jan 2009	IRC Fleet Sat 10th Jan 2009
17.00	Entries Close (NOR 10.1)	Friday 31st October 2008
17.00	Determination of Start Dates for Participants	Saturday 29th Nov 2008
10.00	Tavern of the Seas - in Regatta Centre every day til 20.00 - music evenings to 24.00	1st Dec to 30th Dec, 2008
17.00	Late Entries Close (NOR 10.1)	Saturday 6th Dec, 2008
17.00	Crew Competence Approval (NOR 9.1)	Saturday 13th Dec, 2008
17.00	Submission of IRC Certificates (NOR 8.4 & SI 2.3)	Saturday 20th Dec, 2008
15.00	Post Preliminary Fleet Ratings (SI 10)	Mon 22nd Dec 2008
16.00	Whisky Tasting	Tuesday 30th December 2008
15.00	Advertising Rules Apply (SI 7)	Wednesday 31st December 2008
15.00	Time limit for Ratings Protests (SI 26.1)	Thurs 1st Jan, 2009
15.00	Boats to Display Sponsor’s Decals (SI	Sat 27th Dec 2008	Sat 3rd Jan 2009
17.00	Time Limit to Change rating Certificates (NOR 8.5 & SI 2.4) Boats to submit Completed Inspection Check Lists (SI 9.1) Boat Eligibility (500 miles) (NOR 9.4) Submission of Crew List (NOR 9.9) Submission of Communication Information (SI 28.2)	Mon 29th Dec 2008	Mon 5th Jan 2009
15.00	Time Limit for Boat Scrutiny (NOR 9.6)	Fri 2nd Jan 2009	Fri 9th Jan, 2009
15.00	Blue Peter Party	2nd January, 2009 - Regatta Centre
10.00	Time Limit for Sailing Instructions Amendments (SI 5.1)	Sat 3rd Jan 2009
11.00	Time Limit for Contingency Crew Changes (NOR 9.9) Final Clearance to Sail (SI 12) Special Arrangements to be made by Late Starters (SI 18)	Sat 3rd Jan 2009	Sat 10th Jan 2009
14.00	START OF RACE (NOR 4.2)	Sat 3rd Jan 2009	Sat 10th Jan 2009
17.00	RRS Part 2 replaced by Colregs (IRPCAS) (SI 1.3.4)	Sat 3rd Jan 2009
15.00 UT	RACE TIME LIMIT EXPIRES (NOR 5.1)	Saturday 31st January 2009
20.00	GRAND PRIZE GIVING	Sunday 1st February 2009 - Bahia Yacht Club
Daily	All Boats to Report Daily Positions at 07.00 UT (See Radio Procedure)
Finish	All boats to submit Declaration Forms & Protests (other than for ratings) within 6 hours of Finishing (SI 22.2)

A street in downtown Salvador, Brazil.

One of my favorite things to do in Salvador, Brazil, is to walk down the street. I know, it doesn’t sound rip roaring or even mildly exciting, but you just have to trust me when I say it’s a worthwhile experience. Salvador is a city of about 4 million (large in my grand scheme of things since I’m from a tiny town in Vermont, U.S.A.); so it’s not as though there is a shortage of places to go: beachfront restaurants with tables legs nestled in the sand and green coconuts on the menu; neighborhood restaurants spilling out into the street; city squares and centers decorated with capoeira performers or slow wandering tourists; museums, galleries and clubs. For me, however, it’s enough to take the local buses and get off when I choose to wander the streets. There’s a street called Avenida Sete de Setembro that runs the length of waterfront Salvador. When you walk from Praça da Sé, abutting the historic centre of Pelourinho, you can walk for what seems several kilometers, I’m sure. I’m not one to count steps or mark distances (I’ve always been bad with directions) but I do know that you can spend hours just looking at and feeling the atmosphere. And there’s so much to touch! Leather, for one; at one junction where Avenida Sete de Setembro meets another street, there’s a huge leather market. The thousands of shoes are strapped onto the stall fronts, dangling in pairs of men’s, women’s and children’s. As far as I understand, they are made by hand in outlying areas of Bahia. There are also black fur hats, white leather bags, and garments that have been dipped, carved and pierced. I bought a pair of leather thongs – probably one of the more “low fi” pairs available, but lovely, nonetheless. I waited in the sun, barefoot, while the stall vendor adjusted then readjusted the shoe strap to fit perfectly. He would slide the shoe onto my foot; look up at me, and in my broken Portuguese, I’d tell him sim or não for how the shoe was fitting. He would nod, take the shoe, and disappear behind one  of the stalls; I never saw which was his. But he’d reappear with the shoe, stretched or tightened, and we’d go through the routine again. The sandals fit perfectly now (as leather shoes do if given enough time on your feet.) When I wear them now, I remember the sound of the hard soles tap tap tapping along the cobbled streets of Salvador. The shoes make a different noise here, on more level pavement. After I bought those shoes that day, we carried on up the street, passing people wearing sandwich boards advertising political campaigns; shop owners leaning on the doorjambs of their shops; and men gathered in little groups around one of the cafezinho carts – little 4-wheeled contraptions pushed by the owner who sells little espresso shots of sweetened coffee from the row of tall, narrow bottles lining the cart. These carts are yet another of my favorite things to look for on the streets – red, yellow, green but all with black wheels, and each with a distinct style. There are indeed like roving cafés, providing momentary caffeine satisfaction and a pause in people’s journeys up and down the streets. I could suggest several restaurants, bars, museums, and galleries to visit in Salvador; but I would suggest your first activity is to find the nearest street curb along Avenida Sete de Setembro, and park yourself there long enough to watch the activity.

Salvador da Bahia (generally known as ‘Salvador’) is the African soul of Brazil. It was the nation’s capital until 1973 when Rio took over as the political head. Sugar and tobacco comprised this small city’s economy in the 16th and 17th centuries, causing the influx of slaves shipped in from Africa. The descendents of these slaves preserved their cultural roots, resulting in a city infused with hypnotic drum beats, graceful dancing, fragrantly spiced delicacies, and an irresistible energy.

Once famous for its gold-filled churches and beautiful mansions, now it’s host to many an outrageous festival. One of the biggest and most impressive Carnival celebrations takes place in Salvador, with live music pulsing from enormous trucks. The Pelourinho (the now renovated city centre) offers the biggest collection of colonial baroque architecture in Latin America. There are loads of terraced restaurants, bars, and, of course, sublime beaches. Be sure to visit the Museu Afro-Brasileiro for the Candomblé Culture exhibition. The museum exhibits wood carvings, baskets, pottery and other artwork and crafts, tying together Brazilian and African artistic traditions. There is an extremely fascinating exhibit of photography, sacred objects and ceremonial apparel demonstrating the African roots of Brazilian Candomblé religion. Salvador is an ideal location for daytrips to nearby sites. It is the gateway to Chapada Diamantina National Park, Brazil’s “Lost World”, situated in the northeast of the Bahia state. The park, created in 1985, is a mixed landscape of wild rock formations, caves, crystal clear lakes, underground rivers, and the semi-arid Sertão. Spend time in another enormously popular nearby destination, Diamantina. If you’re there at the right time, you’ll catch the bimonthly vesperata in which musicians play old favorites whilst posted in windows and balconies around the charming square, Beco do Mota. Be sure to visit Ilha de Itaparica (Island of Itaparica) or the beaches further north.