Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 24 degrees, warm, sunny and slightly overcast.
Today has been a delightful day spent at the Rio Yacht Club with my daughter, Yasmin, and friends.
Early in the morning, both Yasmin and I got up and went out to exercise. Before going to the park, we stopped by the Portuguese bakers for breakfast. We both had hot bread, a kind of Brazilian toast. Yasmin drank fresh orange juice, and I had a regular, medium-sized black coffee.
At the park, we skipped and used the TRX straps and the elastic. If you include the walk, which was more than 3 kilometres, we completed 4 exercise models. When we got back, it was a quick shower and a change of clothes because we had to go out again for the day’s highlight, lunch at the Yacht Club.
Rio Yacht Club, one of the oldest and most traditional clubs in Rio, is located at the beginning of Urca and boasts an enormous area and a clubhouse facing the Bay. It is truly an exceptional place with various leisure zones for its members.
The Club, at the water’s edge in front of the bay, has the principal clubhouse with restaurants, a veranda, a party room, etc., the various berths for boats or yachts, a garage and shops for boat supplies, a swimming pool and recreational area for children and families, and, at the far side of the club, both left and right, garages and workshops for repairs and yacht maintenance. It really is a hub and haven for anyone who likes boats.
As I love boats and have worked in the industry in the past, the Rio Yacht Club is a kind of children’s playground for me. In the past, because of my work, I would regularly go to the club at least three or four times a month, depending on the client and the project.
At that time, the club was not as sophisticated as it is today. I see this today. It had a name and prestige but was relatively simple in its facilities, which were not as extensive as they are today.
So when Dona Regina and her husband Roberto invited Yasmin and me to lunch, I jumped at the chance, wanting to see the boats, see how the club is, and have a nice lunch in good company with such a lovely couple.
Dona Regina is 84, and Roberto is 90. They are both very active and don’t seem their age. Roberto is very tall for a Brazilian man and exceptionally stylish, usually wearing a Panama hat to protect himself from the harsh sun of the carioca summer.
Dona Regina is extremely short, the opposite of her husband. A long time ago, she was the top ballet dancer at the Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro for many years. At that time, she was married to Paulo Ferraz, a famous businessman in Brazil.
He was once the owner of the Maua shipyard, one of the largest and most important shipyards in Brazil, who later committed suicide due to chronic depression, which caused Regina’s life to change completely and eventually led her to meet Roberto.
The couple are very nice, always with excellent conversation and positivity. Yasmin and I had lunch with them about four or five years ago, before the pandemic. Then Yasmin was much younger.
This time, I was concerned about the age difference and the quality of the conversation among everybody. Still, it was the opposite of what I had expected, and it was really very pleasant.
They were very kind to Yasmin, notably as she showed them pictures and drawings from her Instagram account on her phone. I was proud of my daughter. She led the conversation very well, and we all had an enjoyable time.
What more could anyone ask for? Good food and drink with charming people, good conversation, in one of the most privileged places in Rio, with one of the best views of Rio of the Bay.
It was truly sublime!!!
Roberto was extremely interested in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, so I explained what little I know from my small crypto investments and experience, and he asked me to provide more details over coffee at a later date.
After desserts and coffees, and the bill paid, we said our goodbyes, but not before taking a walk around the club before going home. The club itself seems very well administered and well preserved. There were some interesting boats, and the club’s ecosystem seems to be working very well, like a fine Swiss watch.
We walked home, only about two kilometres around the front of the Bay, we bought mineral water and Yasmin, and I talked, which I thought was important for both of us.
In the evening, we relaxed, cracked open a bottle of wine, and I was in bed by 11:00 p.m.
Thank you.
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Richard
