It’s official, we are postponed.
After much consideration, endless debate, sleeping on it, and then more discussion and weighing of options, we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the 2nd half of this trip. The 3 key issues are the unavailabillity of the parts we need to make repairs, the time constraints of myself and the crew, and the weather.
We can get the parts we need to repair everything on the list, but we wouldn’t have things in hand until later this week, and we would be paying a premium for the quick delivery plus 100% customs tariffs.
While the costs were a deterrent, it was the loss of time that clinched it.
We are currently 3 weeks into this, and we had only committed 5 weeks, with a secret 6th week in reserve. After that, we all have other commitments we just can’t change. If everything went perfectly, we could theoretically still make it, but that’s where the 3rd key issue made the call. Mother Nature says no go.
We would have 2 or 3 days of beating into 20-25 knots to get to Natal, then the winds would go light and be towards the beam. After passing Rio, the winds and currents could be behind us. And “could” is the problem. The last 1000 miles would be into the Argentine winter, where it could be nice, or it could be southerly storms blowing 40 knots on our nose and reversing the previously favorable current. And looking ahead at the forecasts, there is a line of storms coming, so that there is 3 or 4 days of good weather, then 3 or 4 days of southerly misery. And that doesn’t give us enough time to sneak through, and the chances of getting hammered is just too high. One thing we have all learned through experience is to fight Mother nature as little as possible. Sometimes you make a go anyway, but sometimes the smart decision is to wait. And that is what we are going to do.
We will be going through all of Brazil’s entry formalities on Monday, and finalizing arrangements with the marina to leave the boat here.
Then we are getting on airplanes and returning to our previously scheduled lives. In early October, which is spring down here, when the weather is much more reliable and favorable, I (and maybe Steve and Marianne if their spouses can be drugged and convinced to let them go), will come back and finish delivering the boat to Buenos Aires. I will have all the necessary supplies and parts and spares, and plan to make it an enjoyble, mostly downwind trip in warm weather.
Certainly this decision is a monkey wrench into our plans for the boat, but better to wait and succeed another day than to lose it all being headstrong and trying to force a bad situation.
When things resume or there is anything of particular interest, I will resume these emails. But for now, this is it. If you have faced a similar situation, or wonder about the decision process and want to ask questions, feel free to email me directly at davidkory@gmail.com.
If you are interested in crewing for the October voyage, let me know, as we may make space available-after all we do have 4 double cabins, all with ensuite bathrooms with an attached poop stool for more commodity, and it is a very comfy boat.
So, not exactly the way we planned it, but it is what it is, and we’ll make the best of it. And staying at this 5-star resort isn’t a bad way to start…
-David