Robbed and getting ready

One fine evening our tenure in paradise took a sharp turn. As usual I was the last guest in the bar. Not unusual since it was only 20:30 when I left, people here like to start drinking early and finish early. Not too surprising in a climate where the best time of the day is between 04:30 and 09:00a.m.. So when I left I took the path to the beach where I usually left my dinghy since it was the best spot to go on land, nice and sandy, free of rocks or mud. But also, the place is not lit and down a slight slope, so it is pitch dark there. When I started to pull my boat into the water someone approached me making hushing noises, indicating I should not make any noise. I was in a jolly mood and certainly not expecting anything out of the ordinary, so I just carried on, replying that I was not making any noise anyway. Maybe the fact that the guy was walking stooped and two other men followed him coming out of the dark should have rung my alarm bells, but I was feeling so save in this small fishing village, it just didn´t occur to me that there might be someone with dubious intentions. Only when I was jerked around and pushed down on my dinghy I saw the gun and it finally dawned on me that this was actually an armed attack. By that time I was allready surrounded by all three of them with one more knife for arms, so I opted for cooperation. The money I carried on me was too little for them to warrant all this effort, so they decided to come with me to my boat. There Albert and I were sitting with our hands up watching the robbers helping themselves with our electronics. There went our only lap top suitable for navigation, and both our handheld GPS units. And of course both our mobile phones and the digital camera.
Oddly, when leaving they thanked us very much, demonstarting that they had a lot many mouths to feed at home, disappearing with my dinghy in absolutely no rush.
Albert then swam to our boat neighbours with the outgoing tide washing him in the right direction. Luckily he did not miss the boat! When we got to a phone on land we phoned the police of course, but since no blood was spilled they refused to come and told us we were invited to come to the station, no matter whether immediately or the next day.
A real shame as actually the thiefes were seen returning to the village two hours later, but nobody was prepared to testify in front of the police. Well, social relationships in a small village can be difficult. So everyone ended up knowing who it was, except the police of course. It became double clear since the suspects left the place before the next morning and never came back. I guess they would not be wellcome either since Catu really is a lovely and actually very peaceful place.
So we came out of the whole thing poorer but otherwise unhurt. But after a short while I noticed that the whole event did change something. It was not a huge shock nor did we feel the urge to leave the place immediately. However, after a couple of days I realized that despite the absence of a drauma my whole perception of the place, of southern countries and sailing in general had changed and got somehow dented. The innocence of the paradise, and I insist that Catu is one this isolated incident apart, had vanished.
On top of that we both got sick and had to stuff ourselves with antibiotics, just as if to proof that it was not our destiny to enjoy this lovely place.
A couple of days later we went to Salvador to do the immigration paperwork. We checked into a Hotel there – and then it dawned on me!
An air conditioned room where I could walk upright from my bed to the bathroom, in which I could shave standing upright! You do get greatful for small pleasures when you just live long enough on a 36ft boat.
This was the moment where it became clear that I just had enough of Bahia. As lovely as it is, but it just isn´t for me when even braething at three o clock in the morning makes you sweat.
There would be a lot more to see here, but I am longing to go further south to Uruguay and Argentinia, getting some cool air round the tip of my nose. Not that Argentinia will get me over the issue of headroom in my boat, but it will give me cool nights where I do not have to get up at 4a.m. to change a soaking wet T-shirt. Being ill with a fever doesn´t help greatly either, of course.
So the armed robbery left us with bearable financial damage and physically unhurt, but it did cast a shadow over the place and the trip. On the upside, next time someone approaches me in the dark I will run for the next light and shout as loud as I can immediately. Clearly a conditioning in favour of savety.
So now we are getting ready to leave for Uruguay and Argentinia, and the prospect of a bloody steak accompanied by a bottle of good red wine is allready watering my mouth.

So Long – and keep save!