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JAGUANUM ISLAND

The island of Jaguanum in the Bay of Sepetiba, lies 4 nautical miles off the coast of Rio de Janeiro State some 80 kilometres from the city centre of Rio de Janeiro. The fishing village of Itacuruca on the Rio/Santos highway is the access point for transport out to the islands of the region. The names of Jaguanum and Itacuruca come from the Tupi Indian dialect and mean “Little black dog” and “Little stones” respectively.

Jaguanum Island is located at Latitude 23.00 south and Longitude 43.56 west ( Kingfisher Cottage) and lies in a north-east/south-west direction, two nautical miles long and three-quarters of a nautical mile at its widest point. Most of the island is mountainous and covered in dense Atlantic rain forest with the two principle peaks measuring 232 and 230 metres high. Several small fishing villages nestle on the beaches and sheltered bays; an attractive coastal path that links the various communities of an estimated 2,500 inhabitants.

To view some of the birds that can be seen around the houses and gardens, and along the rocks and beaches.

Travelling in an anti-clockwise direction and starting with the beach of Araxa, here is a short description of each area.

Araxa: A lovely beach with many shade trees and a jetty on either side. This was once the site of the Jaguanum Hotel which no longer operates. Besides the path that runs around the coastline of the island there is another which crosses over the maintains and comes out in Praia da Toca. To find the entrance to the path needs local knowledge. (See photos under Kingfisher Cottage )

Calhaus: A fishing community on an attractive beach with large boulders. There is a small bar serving cold beers and the local cane spirit; a Catholic priest comes from the mainland now and then to say Mass in the chapel on the rocks in the corner.

Praia do Sul: A family runs a fishing cooperative and it is possible to buy fresh fish when the boats come in. They also have frozen fish and prawns in their freezer room. Dona Conceicao runs a small bar and simple restaurant under a shady tree and will cook up something delicious when asked. There is a large jetty and a nice sandy beach.

Catita: The island school is situated here and takes children to the 8^th grade in the Brazilian education system. Teachers come every day from the mainland and most children will walk to school though the more distant villages have water transport for the students. Catita also has the only clinic on the island with a resident nurse in attendance. A doctor visits once a week from the mainland. There is another Catholic chapel on this small but pleasant beach.

Lucas: Vagem: Cabacera: Praia da Toca: Guarda

All these small villages lie on the east coast of Jaguanum island and do not have very good beaches but are on the path around the island. There is a small bar on Vagem if one needs to quench one’s thirst

Pitangueiras:

A large restaurant run by a tour company is very obvious on this pretty beach and a substantial jetty makes docking easy. Meals are served most days but on weekends it may be busy.

Calabosa: A private house occupies this tiny public beach.

Estopa: One of the most popular beaches on the island, many day cruisers and tour operators stop here for their passengers to have a swim and enjoy the beauty of the island. Several well-kept private homes are tucked in amongst the trees and gardens. There is a private dock belonging to Lee’s Pousada in the corner. (See photos under Lee's Guest House )

The name Estopa comes from the slave trader times when the ships would call in to wash down their filthy holds and the exhausted slaves after the terrible Atlantic crossing when so many slaves died. Estopa is the Brazilian name for the rough jute sack cloth that was used in the general clean-up. There were very good water sources on this beach with at least three small rivers flowing down from the mountain.

Many of the slaves were kept on Estopa to recuperate before being transported on to the mainland and the slave markets of Santa Cruz and Rio de Janeiro. Even today a faint ring of stones carved in animal and mythological shapes still exists in a garden behind the beach where the slaves once prayed and worshipped distant gods left behind in Africa. It was only in 1850 that the slave trade was abolished.

General information:

It takes between two and three hours to walk around the island, not allowing for pleasant stops to drink something cool or enjoy a meal. Bird watching is good with kingfishers, herons, parrots, macaws and parakeets, hawks, antbirds, flycatchers, tanagers, and humming birds to name a few of the species. The shy marmosets can be heard whistling to each other in the tree tops and squirrels scamper along branches. At night the “gamba” or possum is out and about looking for something to eat.

Flora is exuberant with ferns, orchids, bromeliads and a great variety of creepers, bushes, and trees.

The cool winter months of May/June/July and August have a predominant south-west wind and temperatures can fall quite low (14/18 degrees Celsius) at night with the days being warm and sunny. In the summer months from September onwards the wind switches to a north-east direction with night temperatures reaching 24/28 degrees Celsius and most of the rain falls between November and January.

History:

The bay of Sepetiba forms part of the larger bay of Ilha Grande and the 365 islands of the region. The point of Marambaia and Ilha Grande form the entrance to Sepetiba Bay where the big cargo vessels have access to the Port of Sepetiba. Between the 17^th and 19^th century many nations visited this area, from France, Holland, Spain, and England, amongst them whaling boats from Portugal.

Some of the families living on Jaguanum today can trace their ancestors back to these early Portuguese adventurers who settled here and started planting cassava (mandioca) in the hills behind the beaches. The cassava was ground and toasted in large ovens before being rowed to the mainland in huge dugout canoes that were made on Ilha Grande. These canoes were made out of a single trunk and could measure up to 12 metres long and took six strong men to row them. One of these fine canoes lies on the beach at Calhaus. The traces of the original house and oven are still there on top of the hill.

Whales have been seen now and then in the Bay of Sepetiba; a whale was beached in a corner of the island near Araxa and is now named “Saco de Baleia” in honour of the marine visitor. Dolphins are resident in the bay and local folklore says that dolphins chase away sharks. Fishing is good with many varieties, such as kingfish, mackerel, tuna rock cod, sole, wahoo, moonfish and dourado to mention a few.

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