Cabo Frio

New-to-us port #15.

Cabo Frio translates as Cold Cape. Cold … sounded great to us after the three hot days we’d experienced in Santos and Rio de Janeiro.

Of course, cold is relative here … but 83F is a heck of a lot better than 92F. And there was a lovely breeze to keep us comfortable most of the time. (OK, technically, the cold here refers to the waters which are colder here than in other beach cities nearby. Mui later confirmed the water temperature … once he waded out to the deeper end at the beach.)

We were first onto the tender this morning. Not by design, really. We were sitting in the Insignia Lounge a little after 7:30a, purple tender tickets in hand, when we were told to proceed down to the gangway … six of us in all … plus that many crew members. The announcement that the ship was cleared had not yet been made. Works for us. What was funny was that the tender pilot had no idea where the entrance was to the protected waters and the pier, but with directions from the Insignia bridge we found the right place.

Ashore, a young woman welcomed us and gave us information and a map. She advised that since it was Sunday, she did not recommend going to the town center. No worries, our plan was to go to Praia do Forte (Fort Beach), the beach closest to the tender pier … a half-hour walk away with a slight detour.

With the breeze mitigating the heat and humidity, it was actually comfortable walk. Along the way, we even squeezed in a bit of sightseeing by going to see Igreja São Benedito in Passagem, the first settlement area of Cabo Frio … dating back to 1616-1660. The church itself dates back to 1761. A little rundown, but we enjoyed checking it out anyway.

Praia do Forte was crowded when we arrived just after 9:00a. But we found a table, chairs, and umbrella for free … in return for the purchase of beverages. Our three hours on the beach thus cost us a mere $4. Mui settled down in the shade and I went for a walk along the sugar-white beach. The sand was cool underfoot … because there is no mica in it.

My destination was the Forte São Matheus. The white building, constructed by the Portuguese in 1618 at the entrance to Boca da Barra, gleamed under the sun. No steps to get up to it … just a scramble up the rocks. Frankly, it wasn’t worth the effort. There wasn’t much to see because the building itself was closed … some canons, a sentry box, and lots of “posers” trying to outdo each other’s selfies.

Once I returned to the table, we ordered our drinks and then Mui went in the water for a dip. He had to walk in not-quite-knee-deep water for about a 100 yards before he could actually immerse himself for a swim. He found the water refreshing after sitting on the beach for an hour.

After Mui drip-dried for a bit, we decided to head back to the tender pier. The beach was now packed as far as the eye could see, but not too bad at our end. When we stopped to check out the birds at the fishermen’s cove, we picked up an escort … a dog. It followed us at first, and then started leading us. We’d stop … it would stop and look back. We’d switch sides … and so would it. Funny. It eventually went its own way when we arrived at a small pier from which boats depart for Ilho do Japones (Japanese Island).

It was interesting to note, as the tender headed back to Insignia, that Ilho do Japones, where the beach had been deserted when we came ashore around 8:00a, was now packed with beachgoers ready to party.

We were back on Insignia a little after noon … just in time for lunch.

It’s now 3:00p, and in another hour or so, we will weigh anchor and continue north along the coast of Brazil to our next port. But first … tomorrow will be a day at sea.Read more