Stolen Time,a novel by Al Noteman

Soon to be released as an On Line book,Stolen Time is an action packed story that starts in Cape Town and takes you across the Atlantic Ocean to Brasil and beyond.

Al Noteman,author aboard his own yacht.

An extract from the book.

It took three days to get Chameleon ready for the trip up the Amazon. Stevens ordered all the food and equipment that would be needed for a two and a half thousand mile trip. Some of the equipment had to come all the way from Sao Paulo by special air delivery.

It was late evening on the third day that they left the river at Jacare and headed out to sea on a course of 020 degrees that would take them off the coast and onto a direct heading for the Brazilian owned Atoll of  ‘Rocas’. Here it would be possible to find some shelter in the lee of this tiny Island, should the weather turn nasty. From Rocas, they would turn to the Northwest on a heading of 289 Degrees and that would take them clear of the North Eastern coast of Brazil and into the mouth of the mighty Rio Amazons, a distance of some 1350 miles of open sea.

‘It’s going to take us the best part of a week just to enter the Amazon then we’ll have to use the tides or the jet drives to get up to Sao Jose which is as far again,’ Sam said.

‘No one said we should kill ourselves on this trip,’ Lex interrupted. ‘Why don’t we just take it as it comes and have some fun?’

‘I agree! Pete said, ‘ this wasn’t in our contract and no one has said we’ll get paid any extra for it so I’m all for stopping at Rocas for the day to do some snorkelling.’

‘I know some of the guys on the Atoll, they are all scientist working for the Brazilian Government,’ Stevens explained. ‘They come out for three months at a time and live like hermits, they’ll be glad to see someone like us with luxury provisions on board.

‘That settles it then, we’ll head directly for Rocas,’ Pete voiced their wishes.

four hours and by late afternoon the following day Sam sighted the few palm trees that was Rocas.

‘There it is,’ she shouted excitedly, ‘bang on course just where it should be.’

‘I can see trees but where’s the bloody Island?’ Lex asked incredulously.

‘It’s less than three Metres above sea level,’ Pete explained. ‘You don’t see the land until you are almost on top of it.’

‘Shit, it’s a bloody good job it’s daylight, we would never have seen it at all in the dark,’ Lex replied, ‘where are the buildings?’

Sam handed him the binoculars and he scanned the sea around the trees then made out only the rooftops of what looked like garden sheds.

‘Is that it?’ he asked.

‘That’s it mate,’ Sam confirmed, ‘I’m going to try to raise them on VHF. I’m sure they will have seen our approach. Pete head her up to the North East of the Atoll out of this current will you, we should be able to anchor there for the night.’

Sam got through to the scientist on the Atoll and found there were four of them, two men and two girls, very convenient and very Brazilian, she thought.

They granted permission for Chameleon to anchor for the night and said they would come out to the yacht at first light in their rubber duck.

‘OK we’re cleared to anchor, Pete lets get her into the lee here,’ Sam instructed when she finished speaking on the VHF.

They motored into the wind and found a spot where the big swells had been calmed by the affect of the rocky Atoll sticking up in the middle of nowhere.

‘Drop it there,’ Sam shouted as she saw the depth sounder indicate nine Metres.