After the getting to sleep fiasco, I am like one of the living dead when Mike wakes me a couple of hours later.
I am paranoid about falling asleep like I did the other night, so I only allow myself the luxury of lying down with the alarm clock on and my eyes wide open. Gradually, I come to and alternate between watching a movie and watching the radar screen and MaxSea. We are not alone any more. Basia and Brown Eyed Girl are alongside us for a while before overtaking us and Crazy Horse are advancing at our rear.
It’s a beautiful night with loads of stars, although we have a ring of dense cloud all around us. On the horizon in front of us is something I haven’t seen for a long time. The bright, halo-forming lights of land – Brazil!
By the time I go off watch, Brazil is clearly visible. Even 20 miles out to sea, the high rise buildings are clearly visible. By the time I come back up from an abortive attempt to sleep, we have our first real glimpse of what is to come.
As we get closer, the commercial traffic increases. There are motor boats zooming around, a couple of local yachts sailing around the bay and five or so tankers and cargo ships anchored off. As we sail around the coastline towards the marina, we can see that the beaches in town are being heavily used by the local population.
We get the mainsail down and I put out fenders on both sides. As we enter the marina, motor boats and ferries zoom all around us from every direction but the pontoon where the WARC fleet is berthed is visible as lots of the boats have their dress flags out already.
There are many hands ready to take our lines as Mike backs Jeannius onto the pontoon, just tucked in at the end. I throw the tow stern lines out to secure us to the dock while Mike then picks up the lazy lines in the water to tie them to the cleats at the bow to hold us in place. I am glad he is doing this as they are covered in brown slime. One does not want to think what exactly this brown slime consists of!
Even before my duties are finished I leap off the boat to say hello to everyone. We are the almost last boat in for a few days. Chessie are a few hours away and Ocean Jasper is still a few days away. Paul and Suzanna welcome us with the local alcoholic drink, which normally I don’t like (they are usually strong and rum based) but this one is delicious. Some local ladies in traditional costume are there with our tourist information and welcome smiles.
Abandoning Mike (after all I have been cooped up with him for a month) I head off to Crazy Horse for some drinking and chatter with the usual suspects. Mike eventually finds me there and stops for a while on his way back from dealing with some of the authorities.
The back of my bikini is irritating me and I remove it from under my shirt, managing to keep everything covered up and not revealing my weight gain to anyone. The are all intrigued by the strange shape when it is off, after all, it took Johanne and I ages to work out how to put it on in the shop when we bought it in St Martin. Matt has a go but decides it’s a one piece – cod piece more like it!
I get back to the boat before I get too hammered and eat a piece of bread and butter to soak everything up. Mike is already in bed and I join him, falling asleep immediately. I don’t wake up when Matt comes hammering on the boat to say that the party is starting on Chessie (who have now obviously arrived), or when Joe staggers down to invite us out for dinner (we all got our wires crossed there) or when Mike comes down with a cup of tea for me. I do eventually wake though, get my act together and go down to Chessie where the party is now in full swing.
Mike has a thumping headache and stays on the boat and I take care to avoid the rum punch as I know it is lethal, and stick to white wine which I pour myself so that I know exactly how much I am having. I need to get the boat ready for Johanne and Steve early in the morning and can’t afford to be ill.
Our position is: 12 deg 58 min S, 38 deg 30 min W
Distance so far: 22167 nautical miles
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