I rounded Cabo Frio about 10am yesterday, and things mellowed out considerably soon thereafter. It was nice to sail along gently in light air and smooth sea for a while, to relax and re-adjust after 2 days of wild and woolly running.
By evening I was along Rio De Janeiro- probably the most famous Rio in the world that doesn’t actually have a rio. That pesky Portuguese explorer Gonsalves thought he found a big river estuary in January 1502, and named it thus. Turns out he was wrong- it’s just a bay of the ocean, but the name stuck anyway. I couldn’t pass by here without at least a quick peek, and it’s a beautiful spot indeed. At night, the famous “Christ the Redeemer” statue on top of Corcovado mountain is lit up bright white, but the mountain is dark, and blends in with the night. So as you look at Rio, you see all the city lights and activity along the waterfront, and way up in the sky, all by itself, the statue seems to hover over everyone, arms stretched wide. It’s really spectacular.
The evening was quiet, and this morning slightly cooler and a bit overcast, with variable winds around 10 knots. My plan is to keep going while the going is good, and if any ugly weather threatens, I’ll run and hide. There are plenty of good parking places along this stretch of coast, so no worries there. We’ll just see what the day brings.
23.28S 44.08W 4270nm gone, 1082nm to go. 8am 9/9