Having survived the hula-hula of Brazil 500, real life was to begin. We needed to change from a happy hammering bunch to a money-making company. Re-organization again: 4 families couldn´t be living onboard, apartments needed to be rented, find schools for the kids and all those “normal life” things. Mark went to Holland: after 6 years continuous in the jungle, family life needed the focus. One family less on the payroll but with it, we also “lost” a key figure: the glue of all. Financially the weight was high. Loans to be paid back, left-over building items, salaries- and taxes to paid, insurance and shareholders to be kept happy.
Still, the impact from Brazil 500 gave us a lot of work in the beginning and we worked hard, a full agenda and having fun: heaving away !! Cocktails- and team building sessions for companies. Sail holidays and parties, even weddings ! Social & educational trips onboard with kids and School without Borders (Canada) was a yearly returning happening, interacting with some favela communities & IBISS. We had wonderful shows onboard as “Por Mares Nunca Dantes”, “Ilha Nova”, “Entrepida Trupi and the Messias painting exhibited with live bands at night.
So many great things, incredible !
Some improvements could be made, 2 drydocks in 2001 & 2003: new topmasts installed and Mercedes couldn´t stand the Fred Flintstone engine. They sponsored a new one, the engine room was immediately 75% smaller ! (Thanks ……….) We managed to install a decent generator, got help from the navy with a free drydock to install the new design shaft (Thanks Don, John and Jeff !). Those improvements were some of the priorities, others had to be left for the future…
Calle went back to Holland with Iris and Canoa and me tried to keep it going. And we paid the daily bills, the crew and the normal things but really…. Loans became a big burden, necessary investment out of order and every time the agenda was harder to fill… We needed a strong course to follow to change winds and keep her shining. Despite all help and support, we couldn´t reach the fine-tuning and I stepped off in 2006. Canoa took the boat the idyllic surrounding of Paraty to find good winds over there. Costs were lower, more tourists and cultural activities gave a boost in the agenda. Having a free berth at Amyr Klink´s yacht club, life wasn´t too bad in the beginning. Lots of nice projects and smaller trips; lots of people enjoyed being sailing with her in those fantastic surrounding Paraty, Angra and Ilha Grande ! But again, not being the new hot item anymore, wind dropped and agenda´s emptied. Trying bigger projects and Holy Mo, almost succeed a few times; the best one was the Darwin project. A challenging project to reinactment the Darwin voyage and with connected universities around the world, NASA involved and important personalities, it had it all to become a blast !! 3 years of planning – 2 sponsors came in but final budget couldn´t be reached…. The bag was empty; spirit and energy were gone but the family needs to eat, pay rent and go to school… Focusing staying alive and a normal salary, the Tocorimé would survive but for the moment kept anchored on a buoy
