best crew I ever had

“Weak heart never won a single thing, Let them be brave, to dance and sing”
- African saying

Goodbye my friends. Mane and Rafaela were the best crew Ive ever had. Not only did they clean and cook and fix and stand excellent watch (Rafa can smell a boat before it even comes over the horizon), but they also changed the way I feel about Brazilians, love, and life itself…

Early in the trip, mane told us about their previous sailing experiences- how the boat smelled of gasoline, was wet, dirty, and nearly sank, and how the captain was crazy, and stole all their money… “but”, he said “It was really nice”…

This example shows the character of this unique individual. No matter how hard, un-comfortable, or dirty he is, he can always see the bright side. Overworked, underpaid, un-appreciated, bruised and bleeding, Mane will always find reason to be happy…

The eternal optimist… to a fault.

As worst traits go, this is about as good as they get. And it truly is Mane’s biggest fault: over-optimism. Sure, you might have to take some of the things he says with a grain of salt- if he says the surf is going to be 6 foot, you better check the forecast for yourself.
I learned to temper Mane’s enthusiasm through my own realistic (pessimistic?) lenses.

But this is just a speed bump on the road to positive manifestation. Look at their life- they have made amazing things happen, and they are only just beginning. As Mane himself admits, if it wasn’t for his extreme optimism, he wouldn’t be married to such a special girl as Rafaela. If he didn’t believe his own rose colored movies, he would be average, just like everyone else, working in some shopping mall somewhere…

Good on you Mane. Don’t let anyone tell you that you should be more realistic!

As for Rafaela, if she has a fault, I don’t know what it is. Easy to please, good humored, charming, and brave enough to support and keep up with Mane in his crazy adventures…
I only wish she had a sister.

The evolution of our trip was really interesting, “was really nice” as Mane would say. We had our tough times, especially hauled out in Panama, but we had our magic moments too, and that is what sailing is REALLY all about. You cannot have the good without the bad, they are connected. Sailing is the most dramatic example of that: One day we would be in dirty Panama, dirty, cranky, and spending money like it was going out of style. The next day we would be on some paradise island beach, alone, swimming in the clear water, and eating mangoes from the trees…

Thank you for holding on through the bad times until the good, and for making the bad times all the more easy to handle…

Also, thank you for changing my perceptions about Brazilians. Coming from Hawaii we are pre-disposed to think of Brazilians as loud, overly aggressive people, who come in packs like dogs to take over the waves… Well, I have to admit that Hawaiians are probably just as bad in the surf, but when you come from somewhere, you don’t really look too closely at yourself, do you? Mane and Rafa helped me evolve to a new understanding of Brazilian culture, and I think I like it…

First, Rafaela, quiet, soft-spoken, and non dramatic (at least in public), doesn’t step on anybody’s toes, doesn’t force her opinion, not looking to be the center of attention. Very nice, and very refreshing in such a beautiful girl. From any culture… They are few and far between, believe me.

Next, Mane. Possibly the best diplomat in Latin America one could ask for… The first time we crossed a border- in Mexico- I was a hesitant to have him talk to the officials. As Captain, I have found it best to say very little, and keep the crew as quiet as possible. However, after starting up a conversation about futbol, a few laughs followed, and pretty soon the immigration officer was giving us his personal email, and inviting us over for dinner… From then on, I made Mane my front man in as many situations as possible. He is a people person, and knows how to ‘grease the wheels’ in just the right way.

A perfect example came in the surf… One rainy day we arrived by dingy at a heavily guarded local spot in Panama. The only sufers out were the locals, and we knew that they were not very happy to see 2 tourists… But… the waves were going off. The only place to keep our boat was to tie it off to their boat… What were we to do…?
“Mane” I said, “go paddle out, and see if we can tie off to their boat”… Sending him to the Lions… So he did.

Now, in most parts of the world, this would be a bad idea. Not only were we crashing their surf spot, needing their help, but also, we were Brazilian… God help us.
However, Mane easily secured their good graces, and waved me the OK to tie off… Next, he achieved the coolest thing anyone can do at a new, heavily localized surf spot: He caught the best wave of the day, and proceeded to get barreled, all the way down the line, with all the locals looking and cheering… We were in! Mane single-handedly brought us from second class citizens, to surfing royalty. Big smiles and laughs all around…

From them, I realized that Brazilians are not so much aggressive, as they are alive, bursting with life, wanting to live fully, connect with people, and prepared to give everything they have now, because tomorrow may never come…

Now that is an attitude I can believe in.

I only hope some of their optimism, patience, and blind luck has rubbed off on me. This cynical, manic, American. I too have done a unique job of living my life for the moment, more than most others, and in this Mane and I are truly brothers. But I realize, there is another level.

Mane needs nothing, so he has everything. Rafaela has everything, so she needs nothing.

May we all get there eventually.

Mane and Rafaela, you will be my dear friends for life. Happy travels!

-Captain Cam