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American Spirit II - Day 409; We Make a Night-time Entry Into Recife; Thursday, February 19, 2015



One year ago today:

"Day 47; Day Tour Isla Santa Cruz; Wednesday, February 19, 2014. Up at 7:00 AM, looking for a boat that is supposed to pick up our garbage. No such luck. Not sure such a boat exists."

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Up at 5:55 AM. I relieve Jeanine. The wind is 12 knots and we're motor sailing at 7.2 knots thru the water and 5.7 knots over the land. Light, fluffy and high clouds with patches of lower, black clouds under them - rain showers and squalls; with the first squall of the day heading our way just forward of our starboard beam. Here we go again! (to quote a famous American President - Ronald Reagan).

At 6:15 AM I turn left 10 degrees to Recife, 76 miles away. Recife is at the eastern most point in Brazil, right at the 'hump' of Brazil that sticks out into the Atlantic. Up until now we've been heading a little east of north. Now we're heading north. And when we leave Recife we'll travel north again, then turn northwest for Fortaleza. When we do that the wind and current will be with us...all the way to the Caribbean Sea.

At 6:45 AM I roll 1/2 of the jib out; have a 2nd reef in the mainsail; and the engine is at 1,800 RPM's. With the jib out our speed increases from 5.8 to 6.5 knots SOG (Speed Over Ground). I also ease the mainsail out as the wind is more behind us now.

At 7:20 AM I shake 1 reef out of the mainsail; and our speed increases a little more to 6.7/6.8 knots.

At 7:25 AM are making 8.1 knots thru the water. Wow!

At 8:03 AM the wind is 14 knots and we're motor sailing at 8.3 knots thru the water and 6.9 knots over the land. We're 12 miles from shore. I can see mountains and sand dunes to the west. It is mostly cloudy; and there are 2 ships on AIS (Automatic Identification System) to starboard. I can't see them, but our chart plotter can.

At 9:00 AM the wind is 11 knots and we're motor sailing at 7.6 knots thru the water and 6.7 knots over the land. It's still mostly cloudy, but thin clouds; so some sun is shining thru. Not the usual 'blow torch' sun in intensity. We're closing with the coast, which is now 10 miles away.

At 9:10 AM two dolphins swim by the starboard side of the boat and jump under and in front of the bow. They're big dolphins.

Whenever I'm in the cockpit I use a 2 1/2 gallon zip lock bag to put my personal items in: log book; Kindle; camera and camera case; paper reading book in the day time; head phones; and cigarette lighter charger and cord for my I Phone. All it takes is one splash, one wave, to ruin everything.

Joel hosts the 10:00 AM net. Civetta II is 32 miles from Recife and we're 54 miles. Merlyn of Poole is 130 miles. They're further away because they're doing more sailing than Civetta II and us.

Breakfast is at 10:20 AM and consists of eggs; potato; chilled mandarin orange slices; and brown bread. Jeanine has granola mixed with powdered milk and oranges. She says the powdered milk is OK.

Our noon position is 8 degrees, 3 minutes South; 34 degrees, 51 minutes West; and we're 39 miles from Recife. The wind is 8 knots and we're motor sailing at 7.4 knots thru the water and 6.4 knots over the land. We've traveled 130 miles since noon yesterday, at an average speed over the land of 5.4 knots and thru the water of about 6.9 knots.

From 12:30 PM to 2:15 PM I type 1 log and about a dozen emails.

We have Brazilian micro wave popcorn at 2:15 PM. Jeanine says its good, the 2nd best she's had on our trip. That is high praise from the Pop-Corn Queen.

At 2:25 PM Joel showers and shaves. (He only shaves on the boat after taking a shower. Go figure).

At 3:00 PM we're abreast Ilha Dos Franceses. There are 5 ships anchored off the port. The wind is 7 knots and we're motor sailing at 7.1 knots thru the water and 6.2 knots over the land. It is overcast, with rain showers to starboard. I hope we can enter Recife before the night-time rain and lightning storms along the coast hit us.

At 3:45 PM we're approaching a rain shower or squall in front of us. I roll down the center dodger window; close the bathroom window; and put a 2nd reef in the mainsail ('reef early and often'). The temperature drops 10 degrees as the rain falls in front of us; and the wind direction changes 100 degrees.

At 4:02 PM it looks like the rain shower affecting our wind is falling over Recife, obstructing some of the high rise buildings I've been viewing.

At 4:10 PM I turn 13 degrees to port for our final approach into Recife. In front of us are a breakwater to our starboard and a breakwater and reefs to our port. A handful of ships are anchored outside of the harbor entrance. We're 12 miles away.

While down below I see a tiny cockroach in a storage area under the main salon table. I've never seen a cockroach in the boat in 6 years. It probably came aboard when I provisioned the boat in Salvador. I tell Joel later and tell him we need to put down some more 'Roach Proof.' He says the stuff he put down 6 years ago is still working. We'll see.

At 4:26 PM two more dolphins swim off the bow.

At 5:43 PM the sun sets into a cloud bank behind the high rise buildings of Recife. Pretty. But it also means another night-time landfall entry for us. Some of the boats in the World ARC fleet won't make a night landfall, standing off until sunrise. Joel notices that the buoys are now on the American standard. Red, right returning. For all of our trip until now green has been on our right, not red. Yeah! I guess the Americas are on th US standard.

At 5:55 AM Joel turns on the AIS. Apparently, when he took his nap earlier he rolled over and his hand turned the AIS off. Not the first time this has happened. That pesky hand of his! As we approach an area between the two breakwaters, we can't find a green buoy on our left. We find out later from Merlyn that the buoy is there, but that the green 3 second light on it is not working. As we turn left into the channel around the breakwater to our left, another aid to navigation light is also not functioning. Welcome to Brazil! It doesn't affect us as with our electronic and paper charts; we know where we are.

Civetta II calls us on the VHF radio and will help guide us in to the Pernamuco Iate Club marina. Their masthead light is on; and they shine a spot light that we see. At 6:47 PM we are at a mooring ball and Joel attaches a line to it. Once that is accomplished its 'Captain Morgan Time.'

My Brazil Cruising Guide says "The club is modest but welcoming.' Perhaps 'modest' is an overstatement. But it IS welcoming. Even in the dark, I can see the marina is a dump.

Dinner is at 8:00 PM. Joel cooks blackened chicken drumsticks on the propane grill while I cook homemade French fries on a skillet in the galley. Along with those two items we have baked beans, which everyone puts BBQ sauce on. That's a Jeanine innovation and a good one! After dinner Joel and I relax and have a glass of wine. He has red while I have white.

Joel and I are in bed by 9:30 PM. Jeanine goes to bed much later. Tomorrow I will have to clear us in to Recife. That's a job only the 'Captain' of a boat can do. In most countries you only have to clear in and out once. In Brazil, we have to clear in and out into each new state we enter.

Brian Fox

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