Jeri Testimonial, October 2008
by Casey Hauser
Photos by Anna Persson
Thirty-four hours after leaving my house in Los Angeles, CA, the 4x4 open-air truck with benches bolted onto the bed passes one more donkey on the side of the road as it hits the beach and makes a left; welcome to Brazil I think to myself. A sign that says “Jericoacoara Nacional Parque: 6km” tells me I am almost there. After four take-off and landings, a six hour layover, and a seven hour bus-ride, I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to stop moving.
Jeri is not the easiest place to get to, but worth every mile it takes to get here. I was lucky enough to be offered a job teaching at the Vela center in Jeri for three months, and no part of me could pass it up.
The town:
Jeri is a small town with only 3 main streets. They are intertwined by various alleyways, some lined with restaurants and shops, others with apartments and houses, and others with stray dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, and sometimes the occasional cow. The last ‘paved’ road one sees is in a town more than two hours away by buggy or bus-ride. The locals all speak Portuguese, but due to the influx of tourists, on any given day you can hear English, French, Dutch, German, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Italian, you get the idea; the town feels more like an international melting pot than anything else, with people from all over the world coming here to windsurf or kitesurf.
One of the main benefits of Jeri is that depending on your preference, you can either live like a king or within a very affordable budget. A couple luxurious hotels line the beach, and the town is littered with Posada (condos), some with every amenity you can think of, and others with just the basics, depending again on how much you want to spend. To give you an idea, I live in a two-bedroom apartment 5 minutes from the beach, off one of the alleyways. The rooftop offers an awesome view of the town and the water, and our apartment itself is cleaned every 3 days (including dishes!). For this the total rent is 900 reals (the Brazilian currency) a month, split 4 ways (2 couples), comes out to 225/person, and with the current exchange rate of 2.4:1, it means the rent is $94 a month per person. Jeri also offers some great options for eating. You can spend 6 reals and get a full meal of chicken, rice and beans, pasta, and salad or you can also spend 40 reals and get prime Argentinean beef or one of the biggest lobsters you’ve ever seen. The local grocery store is reasonably priced, and you can buy almost anything you can think of and cook at home. For example, the other night I bought six good-sized pork-chops for 8 reals total. Though by American standards many of the buildings might not pass certain structural zoning laws, the town of Jeri offers anything any windsurfer on vacation could ask for.
The sailing:
First and foremost, let me say this. There is no need for forecasts in Jeri. It is always windy. I have been here for 30 days and I haven’t needed anything bigger than a 4.2. Enough said.
All 3 streets end at the beach. If you haven’t seen pictures, imagine a 15-mile long bay with Jeri located on the upwind tip. The wind blows dead offshore, and the endless miles of sand dunes makes the bottom nice and smooth. The Vela center and a couple others are located right on the point, closest to the main peak of the wave, and also where the wind is the most steady. The sailing conditions themselves are heavily influenced by the tides. The beach has one of the shallowest drop-offs I’ve ever seen, and as a result the difference in distance to the water from the clubs between high tide and low tide could be up to a couple hundred feet. At high tide, the water comes right up to the edge of the Vela center, and a huge wind-shadow (caused by the town) forces you to sail by the point itself. The waves are also closer together at high tide. At low tide by the time you get to the water the wind has touched back down and it is unbelievably steady. The waves are spread out, offering butter smooth water in between. This is when Jeri shines. For most of the year, the small waves are perfect for people who have always wanted to dabble in waves, but have been intimidated by their local breaks. However, the waves being so harmless, you can also rip in and have some awesome speed runs, and on the way out use the small waves as ramps to practice jumping. At the end of the day, these conditions are epic for freestyle, which is why lately Jeri has attracted the top freestylers on the PWA tour to come and train.
3 runs upwind around the point is Maita (My-a-ta) beach. Here, the wind blows a little more side-shore, and being more exposed to the ocean, captures a lot more swell. On any given day you can head up for a little bigger surf and also some awesome jumping conditions. But beware, the shore is lined with many rocks and the current is strong, you can find yourself in over your head on a big day very quickly.
My favorite, FAVORITE spot, quite possibly in the world (for flat-water), is the lagoon located outside of town. A 35-minute buggy ride will take you out of town and to the nearest lagoon, Lago Azul. Rainwater fills up the lagoon, and a perfectly sandy bottom offers some of the flattest water I’ve ever seen. Besides that, the water temperature is perfect, and after sailing in the ocean for so long, it is unbelievably refreshing to fall into fresh-water. Usually the only people on the water are the friends that came with you, which is a nice relief, as the main beach here can get pretty crowded.
So that’s basically it. I’ve attached some shots from Lago Azul and Maita, and also check out this link for some awesome video footage from the main beach, and a little local lifestyle (I’m on the yellow Legend!!!)
If you have any more specific questions about the place, I’d be happy to answer any and all questions, feel free to email me at wndsrfr12345@earthlink.net or on skype at caseyhauser, all one word! If you’re looking to book a trip, call Vela up and they can take care of everything you need.
Cya on the water!
Casey Hauser
US-634
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Buggy Ride from Lago Azul
Rigging at Lago Azul
Chacho at Lago Azul
Grubby at Lago Azul
Grubby at Lago Azul
One Handed Spock at Lago Azul
Air at Maita
Air at Maita
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