As always, the breeze died at 2 am and we were motoring again. Still it is the last day of this Henry Ford epic.
Approaching Salvador harbour we shook hands and quaffed. I said the opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings, and sure enough fate’s final fling was a blocked toilet. In sweltering heat I spent 3 or 4 hours dismantling the hoses to unblock it.
Salvador has 2 marinas. Bahia is private, very expensive and occupied by motor boats. Centro Nautico is state owned and full of life. The city is built into a series of high, steep hills and there are ascensors. Crumbling colonial buildings cry out for a camera. Yachts from Russia, Glasgow, Lyon, Cape Town and others. Samba noise, Carnival practice. Stories of rather frightening crime in the nighttime streets. Of 20 yachts here,7 reported personal assaults in the 2 blocks between the marina and the elevator to top town. Others say it is quite safe if you are careful, do not carry valuables, keep your money in your shoe and walk in groups of at least 3 people.
The carnival starts in a week.