South of Brazil to Fort Lauderdale

[homerobarros]

Has anyone in this forum sailed from the south of Brazil up to the USA?
Now that the us Dolar is strong against the Real, I am thinking to build an aluminum 38 foot boat in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, and sailed it to Fort Lauderdale where I reside.
Thank you in advance for your help
Homero

[fernandosmooth]

So.. hmm


I dont want to be that guy that says you should not do something and I believe if you want to do it then go for it.


I am just going to say a couple of things..


1. Considering the elections in Brasil, people expect the dollar to go down in the next months. It already went from something like 4.20 to 3.78 now.


2. I dont know how well Porto Alegre is stocked up on aluminum, I know that in my part of Brasil, we produce it but it probably goes exported somewhere else. Second is that things in Brasil happens slower, due to parts not being readily available or our culture. If people say something is going to be ready next week and it takes 2 weeks o more, it is considered normal. I am ok with that sometimes but for a foreigner it could get you stressed out.


3. You would have to register that boat.


I would say build it in wood in Brasil. We have good marine plywood in the south.


edit: Better yet, buy it or do it in America!

[homerobarros]

Originally Posted by fernandosmooth

So.. hmm


I dont want to be that guy that says you should not do something and I believe if you want to do it then go for it.


I am just going to say a couple of things..


1. Considering the elections in Brasil, people expect the dollar to go down in the next months. It already went from something like 4.20 to 3.78 now.


2. I dont know how well Porto Alegre is stocked up on aluminum, I know that in my part of Brasil, we produce it but it probably goes exported somewhere else. Second is that things in Brasil happens slower, due to parts not being readily available or our culture. If people say something is going to be ready next week and it takes 2 weeks o more, it is considered normal. I am ok with that sometimes but for a foreigner it could get you stressed out.


3. You would have to register that boat.


I would say build it in wood in Brasil. We have good marine plywood in the south.


edit: Better yet, buy it or do it in America!

Obrigado Fernando.
The shipyard is specialized in aluminium construction http://www.ilhasulnauticas.com.br/.
There are 6 big manufactures of high quality marine aluminum and the equipments can be imported under the drawback regimen which are exempted of any import duty if the boat is to be exported.

The reason for my post was to learn from sailors that have done this trip before.
It is a 5500 nautical mile trip. Yes, I could buy an Allubat or an Allures in the USA, but they are much more expensive and built in France.

But the main reason for this project is to navigate a route that is seldom done, and that is what it attracts me. I used to race regatas in Rio de Janeiro when I was young. Thank you very much for responding. Abraço.
Homero

[Tricolor]

So hmmm again. My advice build her everywhere but NOT in Brazil. Just speaking as a retired engineiro naval.

[Copacabana]

Bom dia Homero!
Just a few thoughts...
Building a boat anywhere is quite an undertaking, often frustrating and more expensive than anticipated, but I'm sure also very rewarding.

Building in Brazil may be a good option. Labour is cheap and of quite good quality, especially for the brunt of the boat building work (the welding, stainless work, cabinetry etc.). As most of the cost of building is labour, it could be cheaper to build in Brazil.

What isn't cheap in Brazil is the final fitting out with electronics and boat gear like winches and hardware (due to the small market and high import taxes). If you do decide to build here, I would suggest finishing the boat as simply as possible in terms of gear and even trying to bring what you can when you fly in (especially electronics). If you fly in on a regular basis, you might be able to get most of your stuff in the US. Leave all the expensive gadget installing until you get the boat to the US.

The exchange rate is a bit of a wild card. We'll have to see what happens after the runoff election at the end of the month. However, I don't see the Brazilian Real gaining all that much in the near future.

I've built a lot of houses in Brazil and I can say that it can be frustrating at times. You can't always find what you need and often have to resort to having things custom made. This is pretty much the case for boat building anyway, so probably not such a big problem.

If you build in Brazil you will be able to flag the boat here after the inspection by the marinha. This is a big plus as you can enjoy the coast for an unlimited time, unlike foreign flagged boats who are given 6 months.

The sail from the south to the US is easy enough. Usually people leave the south in the winter, riding the cold fronts north. Once you get to Bahia and the trade winds it's pretty easy to keep moving north. After the hump of Brazil, you pretty much have to move north as the wind and current push you toward the Caribbean.

Which boat are you thinking of building? The Kiribati 36 is a nice boat. There is a Brazilian couple who built one after their circumnavigation on a steel Van de Stadt. It might be worth contacting them to ask about where they built theirs and how the boat is performing (if you go with that model). I forget their names, but just google "Green Nomad" and you'll find them.

[homerobarros]

Obrigado Copacabana.

The couple you mentioned separated and sold their Green Nomad Kiribati...
I understood that the Ilhasul shipyard Ilha Sul Nautica - Home have build the first Amyr Klink "Parati" sailboat. They have been in the business of building aluminum sailboats for a long time and they offer both projects from Cabinho ( Roberto de Mesquita Barros) to Van der Stadt.

Regarding the equipment, the shipyard operates under the draw back regimen, so I could buy all the equipment here in Fort Lauderdale, ship to Brazil and pay no import duties, as long as the boat is officially exported.



You gave me some important information about the time and routes. What I am surprised is that very few people actually use this route.



My idea is or would be, to combine the nice trip northbound and enjoy the long coast of Brazil, with the possible possibility of constructing a solid boat, by a reputable shipyard. Even the book of Jimmy Cornell does not present a lot of information for this trip. I still have hopes that someone who actually did the trip would respond to my post.

Cheers and obrigado.

[SVTatia]

Olá Romero

I sailed from Canada to Brazil and back, I did not go all the way south but met many who did.

The sail from RS is like Copa mentioned above - ride the Argentinian cold fronts.

The sail from Salvador to Recife or points north is a bit trickier and it depends on the time of the year. I tried 3 times to leave Salvador to go north and had to give up - I was actually pointing north but being pushed south. It was September/October and the fronts were few and far in between. I was finally able to ride the tail of a front and leave straight to Natal and then to Trinidad. From Trinidad to Florida is a piece of cake and there are tons of info available for planning.

However, it is still a long way before you can actually do it, so carefully plan the building of your ship first, then the trip North - which again, is very doable and you'll be able to enjoy that beautiful coast (don't miss Camamu).

Keep in mind the vessel registration as well - which home port, ability to import and register in the US (are you a citizen?), etc.

I wish you the best of luck and let us know if we can help further. Keep in touch.

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by homerobarros

Obrigado Copacabana.

The couple you mentioned separated and sold their Green Nomad Kiribati...
I understood that the Ilhasul shipyard Ilha Sul Nautica - Home have build the first Amyr Klink "Parati" sailboat. They have been in the business of building aluminum sailboats for a long time and they offer both projects from Cabinho ( Roberto de Mesquita Barros) to Van der Stadt.

Regarding the equipment, the shipyard operates under the draw back regimen, so I could buy all the equipment here in Fort Lauderdale, ship to Brazil and pay no import duties, as long as the boat is officially exported.



You gave me some important information about the time and routes. What I am surprised is that very few people actually use this route.



My idea is or would be, to combine the nice trip northbound and enjoy the long coast of Brazil, with the possible possibility of constructing a solid boat, by a reputable shipyard. Even the book of Jimmy Cornell does not present a lot of information for this trip. I still have hopes that someone who actually did the trip would respond to my post.

Cheers and obrigado.

I didn't know they sold Green Nomad (the Kiribati one).

Quite a few people do this trip up the coast every year. Not many foreign boats come to Brazil, so perhaps that's why you don't see much about the route on forums or Youtube. There used to be a cruising rally called "Cruzeiro Costa Leste" that went as far north as Recife (and then joined the Refeno to Fernando de Noronha). You could join the Rally in Buenos Aires and go north with it. I often see Argentine boats in the Paraty/Angra/Ilha Grande region who are making their way up the coast. It's not such a difficult sail really (in season).

Check out the Delos videos on Brazil. They crossed from Africa and landed at Ilhabela (SP) and then made their way up north and on to the Caribbean.

Grande abraço!

[homerobarros]

Originally Posted by SVTatia

Olá Romero

Keep in mind the vessel registration as well - which home port, ability to import and register in the US (are you a citizen?), etc.

Ah, it is getting interesting. Thank you for your reply and yes, I have double citizenship (Brazilian and American).
This will be my last long project. As I mentioned earlier, I used to race monohulls in my youth in Rio, then moved to Germany and now in the USA for the past 20 years. I rode motorcycles from Florida to Patagonia and Rio, and as well as from Florida to Alaska.

Did a couple of round the Bahamas on a Beneteau 38 Oceanis, but the allure of building an aluminum in Rio grande do Sul and sail all the way to Fort Lauderdale is very tempting. I will be 65 next year and do not have much time left before being unfit for such long legs (I know, Jeanne Socrates is 73, but she is being doing this for the past 10 years or more...
Thank you very much for all these valued information.

Cheers
Homero

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by homerobarros

... I will be 65 next year and do not have much time left before being unfit for such long legs (I know, Jeanne Socrates is 73, but she is being doing this for the past 10 years or more...
Thank you very much for all these valued information.

Cheers
Homero

65? Well, you only have another 25 to go, so get cracking!

Don't overlook the used boat market, particularly French aluminum boats, perhaps the country with the most aluminum boats and builders.
Here I come with my opinionated self - there are two facets to a custom built boat - the cost of the hull (5%) and the cost of everything else (95%). Being there done that - buy a used boat that has everything on it, then update whats needed. Much cheaper, acredite.

[homerobarros]

On which boat did you sailed to Brazil ? Your present boat, a 33ft?
From the French side, the options would be the Allubat or the Allures 39. Both excellent and the Allures my preferred.

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by homerobarros

On which boat did you sailed to Brazil ? Your present boat, a 33ft?....

I solo sailed on a Ted Brewer design Bull Dog 30' - steel.

[homerobarros]

Dear SVTatia, I am impressed. Alone in a 30' Steel. I read in many places that a small boat in Steel would be too slow. Is it true? Thank you again for all your input.