Breaking up from Jacare!

Stein came home after more than two weeks in the U.S.. He came from frosty nights and autumn mood in Moses Lake. And in his baggage he had a lot of things from various chandlers in Seattle. There was a birthday gift for me, iPod! (I had already got a hammock..) and also a new and better stereo system for the boat. But most important, the thread inserts for the generator did unfortunately not reach the address in Moses Lake before he left.. The public mail system in the U.S. is probably not as reliable as the freighters who have sent packages from California to Norway in less than a week! Our new Argentine friend, Ezequiel, tried to help by following us around the mechanical shops in Joao Pessoa to see if they had helicoils (threaded inserts) in dimension M9. But of course we did not find it: They had both M8 and M10, M9 but was apparently unusual. Then he helped us with an emergency repair he has used with success on his old 2CV, epoxy mass on the threads. Unfortunately it did not hold up when tightening the bolts in the end. But we can do without the generator until we get to Trinidad ..
As mentioned, we have made new friends, it's the Sundblad family from Argentina on the steel boat SY Ypake! A teenager family like us! It was about time for both Thorstein and Ingeborg to spend some time with peers. They are Ezequiel and Florence with Santiago 18, Josefina 13 and Pilar 9.And everyone speaks English even! The days have therefore been about some city tours, many swimming trips to the pool here (which was not very exciting until you got someone to be with there ..), watching movies in one or the other boat (action in one boat, romantic movies the other) a few sessions with school activities up in the marina office area and otherwise chat, chat, chat ... There have been several BBQ's too, it is apparently an Argentine specialty. One day we were served a morning tea "mate". Pilar, Ezequiel and Florence knocked on the bow and came on board with a cup and a thermos flask filled with hot water. The cup was half full with mate herbs and was filled with water from the thermos. Then the cup went around from mouth to mouth. It was repeatedly filled with water as it was very good and we were seven persons in the cockpit. We drank through a metal straw that was stuck to the bottom, and if there were some diseases among us the condition should be favorable for some disease spreading. But that is how the mate is to be consumed and shared. If you are bid mate it is as much a social invitation as a bid for a drink. And it is a big insult to say no! It is not really tea, but brewed on some herbs that are found in Argentina and Uruguai. The whole thing is an ancient Indian practice that is alive and well among the present Argentines, although there is very little Indian blood left in the silver country.
To do something in return, I made waffles one day. And it seemed as if the Argentines liked them! At such occasions, I am glad we have brought the waffle iron! Then I can offer a little piece of Norway in return for the invitations. It has always been well received, although most people in Brazil think of bacalao in connection with Norway! "Bacalao de Noruega é muito caro!" It is so expensive that it is largely out of reach, I understand. Here they must do with bacalao from Portugal..
The Sundblad family took off last Saturday, and now we've got the speed up too. We want to catch up with them again, and they have already reached Fortleza! At the moment I can summarize that we have scrubbed the hull and added a new coat of antifouling. Blue this time, but that's OK. It was what they had. We have been alongside the pier on the river bank in two days, and we have all worked hard to get a faster boat without grass, shellfish colonies and other organisms as stowaways below the water line.
I must also mention that it was an unusual sight that met us at the pier two days ago. Another Norwegian ship! It was SY Freya, who had come over from Cape Verde via Fernando de Noronha. We'll talk more with them when we are back in our berth again. There are two gentlemen on board, one from my home town Trondheim even! It's always a pleasure to meet people who speak our language, not least!
But then we will also order fuel, wash some clothes and do the final preparations. And hopefully we're off this weekend.

Gjertrud