After yesterday's in-port race in Itajai, the Volvo Ocean yachts head off for Miami today. The race was a disaster for Telefonica. After serenely dropping the fleet soon after the start and building an unassailable lead, Telefonica rounded the wrong mark and before anyone realised they were way at the back of the field. This allowed both Grouparama and Camper to narrow Telefonica's overall lead. While the yachting world has its eyes on Itajai, most don't realise that there are two great sufing beaches there: Atalaia and Brava. Atalaia interests me because it uses reflectors for night surfing. How many times have I wondered about the great waves going to waste after dark at Muizenberg Corner? You hang in there till last light but eventually you have to give in. Bondi beach in Australia have neon night surfing where the the boards and wetsuits are illuminated by lights from the shore. As the Volvo Ocean race presses on I still have a big question mark over the marginality of the boats. It's all very well to have leading-edge design technology but too many boats in this small fleet have broken. The QSL is from Radio Clube Paranaense, Curitiba, Brazil. I don't have any from Santa Catarina State where Itajai is located but Curitiba is not far, about 100 miles to the north. I heard them on AM 1430 in 1987 on a DXpedition to remote Copperton in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa.
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