Tradewinds Sailing Blog

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

We’re in Fortaleza.  For repairs.  The hydraulic ram on the autopilot has been leaking fluid, and finally failed yesterday afternoon.  As we don’t have enough crew to hand-steer all the way to Buenos Aires, we had to stop and try to fix it. It’s a particularly frustrating failure, as the surveyor that checked out the boat a month before our departure noted some fluid in the area, and said the seals should be replaced. A few weeks later, the good folks at the Moorings said they had checked everything out, and it was all good- no leaks and no problems. Yeah, right. I suppose I could take the boat back to the Virgin Islands and make them fix it, but that’s not too realistic. So it will be interesting to see what they have to say for themselves, as they have a lot of reputation riding on this.

Anyway, we arranged a local guy to hunt down the seals we need, and are currently waiting for his return, hopefully within an hour or two.

If all went well, we could theoretically have things fixed and put back together this evening, and be back on our way. Although we may choose a quiet night at rest, too.

If he is unable to get what we need today, things may stretch into next week, and then all of our plans will get altered, as July is getting shorter every day. Steve and Marianne are enjoying a nice buffet lunch in the 5-star hotel we are parked in front of, while I repair some previously-shoddily-repaired wiring to the windlass that failed.

Keep your fingers crossed for us, and I’ll let you know what happens…

03.43S  38.31W   2568nm gone,  2604nm to go.  3pm  7/15

It seems we can’t catch a break. With less than 100 miles to get to Fortaleza, a big harbor of refuge, the wind perked up dramatically this morning, and has been blowing 28-32 knots all day. Right on the nose, of course. So we are back to a double-reefed main and half a jib, and slowly tacking our way down the coast, trying to eke out whatever protection we can. Generally, we are within a mile of the beach, in 15 to 25 feet of water.

Other than the wind, the rest of the day is normal- sunny and clear, temps in the 80’s day and night, and when we do catch spray, which happens a lot in this wind, it is warm water- also in the mid-80’s.

We are seeing lots of jangadas, the small wooden fishing boats, almost like a scow, with a crab-claw sail on a tree mast. They are everywhere, and as the sun set last night we counted 12 sailing in just our neighborhood. Today I’ve only seen 2, and one of them had the sail rolled up and was headed for the beach under bare poles. I know how he feels…

On the food front, Steve ate his last fresh apple today, and that marks the end of our fresh produce.  As we have been out for 17 days now, that’s actually pretty good.

With some luck, we may pull into Fortaleza sometime tomorrow, at least for a short break and to check it out.

02.55S  39.43W   2466nm gone,  2689nm to go.  3pm  7/14

Today is another mellow day, with light wind and calm seas and mostly sunny skies.  Just a squall or two, but Steve and I don’t worry about those, because they only seem to come when Marianne is on watch. It’s like the squalls are on the same rotating schedule we are, because whenever Marianne is on deck, that’s when the squalls come.  So we are calling her Squall-Master Marianne now.

We are close along the northern coast of Brazil, and can see the long sandy beaches and sand dunes of this region, but not much else, as there are no hills or mountains anywhere near. Lots of small fishing boats, though. And this morning we passed a wind farm- 15 huge modern windmills lined up along the beach, generating power for somewhere.

The only minor issue today was a bolt of some sort worked loose from a mainsail batten where it attaches to the mast car, which meant that section of sail wasn’t attached to the mast like it should be.

Although we don’t have the right size replacement bolt, a fat cotter pin seems to be doing the job for now.

An interesting ritual we have developed, just by happenstance, is to gather on deck about 30 minutes before sunset every day. It doesn’t seem to matter who is on watch or resting, we all wind up out there, watching the sun go down, wondering what kind of display nature has planned for us each day. Will we get a green flash? Beams of light through the clouds? The red ball of lava sinking into the sea?  With cameras ready, we just relax and watch it unfold, our own private show.

02.47S  41.35W   2316nm gone,  2798nm to go.   2:30pm  7/13

Things have improved today, weather-wise. The howling winds have reduced to 10-15 knots, and the seas are back down to 2-4 feet, which is a good thing. It’s still blowing from where we want to go, so progress remains slow, but every day we get closer to turning the corner at the eastern end of Brazil.

Everyone is feeling more positive and in good spirits today, and we all remain in good health. Marianne, who has already sailed around the world, commented that this is the cleanest trip she’s ever done- the luxury of the big water tanks means she gets to wash up daily, and it’s so much nicer not to be salty and grimy all the time. A nice squall this morning let us fill the bucket with rainwater runoff from the bimini, so Steve did another load of laundry.  We’ve been eating well enough, though none of us seems to be eating as much as we do when at home. We’ve also been more focused on using up the refrigerated goods first, so the rest of the trip may be a lot more canned food for all.

02.11S   43.36W    2178nm gone,  2943nm to go.   3pm  7/12

We got to the coast, but didn’t get much relief. The wind has been blowing 22 to 32 knots since yesterday, with 8 foot frothy seas to match, and its all on our nose- coming right from where we want to go.

We’ve been sailing with 2 reefs in the main and about half a jib, and slowly tacking our way down the coast. Our track looks like the front of Charlie Brown’s shirt. It’s progress, but its slow.  If it continues tomorrow, we may anchor somewhere just to take a break and rest up for a while.

Other than that, the weather remains mostly sunny and hot, and we’re enjoying the gibbous moon at night. We also enjoyed the last of our Suriname mangoes today- hairy, juicy, sweet and delicious.

01.09S  45.09W   2035nm gone,  3033nm to go.   3pm  7/11

We crossed the line!  From summer to winter in the blink of an eye.

Now the numbers of Latitude are getting bigger again. We’re affirmed and re-affirmed Trusty Shellbacks- no Slimy Pollywogs here. That’s right, we sailed across the equator at about 2:30pm this afternoon. We toasted King Neptune, and asked for him to look a tad bit more favorably upon us with regards to the wind and seas and currents. Then we drank a shot of rum and gave an equal share to King Neptune.

In the “be careful what you wish for” department, last night’s very light winds turned into surprisingly strong winds about midnight, and right on the nose, of course, with rapidly building seas to go with it. So we have been forced to head more south than east, hoping to find some relief along the coast. On the plus side, we have been sailing fast- mostly 8 and 9 knots all day, which is why we crossed the line so early.

All the books and guides talk about the light NE winds to be found here, and how it never blows more than 15 knots from any direction, with July and August having the lightest winds. And how the current should only be about one half knot. Yeah, right. We’ve had winds in the 20’s most of the day, and last night saw 3 to 4 knots of current against us. We’re making the best of it, but if the coast doesn’t offer better conditions, it is going to be a long slog to the eastern tip of Brazil.

00.02S  45.56W     1884nm gone,    3102nm to go.  2:45pm  7/10

First of all, satellite reception is the worst on the equator, surprisingly, so I am having trouble getting  data connection. So be patient over the next few days, just in case.

The sea is an amazing deep blue out here, finally away from the Amazon’s brown influence, and the sky is a blue to match.

Unfortunately, the winds remain very light, and the current is strong against us, even though it is not supposed to be. So we make the best of it, progress slower than we would like, but hard to complain with such beautiful weather.

Steve tried fishing (trolling a line) with an ultralight spinning rod for most of yesterday, but only upon reeling in the lure at sunset did he realize he hadn’t taken the protective plastic cover off the hook!  So theoretically, a fish may have swallowed it, only to have us yank it back out of his mouth, since there was no hook to catch him with. Fishing experts we are not.

01.41N   46.53W   1750nm gone, 3200nm to go.   3pm  7/9

Today has been pleasantly uneventful so far.  8 to 10 knots of breeze, mostly flat seas, lots of sunshine and blue skies, some puffy white clouds, and hot. We are finally offshore enough to see some sealife, and twice now dolphin have paid us a visit. But its not offshore enough to avoid the influence of the mighty Amazon river. Even this far out, its effluent (along with a 17-foot tidal swing) affects us, creating currents, swirls and eddies seemingly in the middle of the ocean.

It is interesting how little we get done each day. Maybe it’s the influence of the weather, the routine, our diet, the rotating watch schedule, and I don’t know what else, but we tend to lay around a lot, and not have a lot of energy. Its rather nice, really, as there’s not that much that needs to be done. One day I cut my finger nails AND my toe nails. That was an exhausting day. The next day I just shaved.

Yesterday was laundry. After all that acivity, there’s nothing scheduled for today, allowing us all to recover from our individual efforts.

One thing is for sure- we have a lot of time with nothing but our own thoughts for company. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

02.56N  48.49W   1604nm gone,  3340nm to go.  3pm 7/8.