Position: 12 07.8'S 037 14.99'W (11:00 UTC)

Day 1
Distance sailed: 108 NM

We left Salvador harbour at 8 am (local time) with almost no wind and an incoming tide, due to a limited weather window we don't want to take risks....so we leave. There is a huge current in the bay of all Saints due to a funnel effect. Once on the ocean the current disappeared, but the wind was still below 5kts....not enough to sail. We decided to raise the main and foresail and continued motor sailing all the way.
We run each motor for a period of 4 hours. Fuel load and consumption are carefully calculated and noted to avoid running out of diesel.

During the night the wind shifted to NE, not exactly what we wanted, so we tacked for almost 8 hours, after which the weather gods decided to give us an Easterly 5 - 8 kts....but we continued motoring as the boat speed was too low and we didn't want to take the risk of being out of our weather window. Most of the day was sunny with temperatures around 27c.....no rain yet!

It always takes me a few days to get my sleeping habits on a trip, but Mauro has no problem with it, he just took a bit longer to get his sea legs back. After more than 6 months I needed to get the confidence in the boat back, and the performance of Atlantis after modifications in Brazil is stunning. The new rudders are giving such a direct response, with the small helm it is like driving a racing car. (Memories) The moral on board is high, and Atlantis behaves as a horse that was left too long in a stable and just want to get out and run. I believe she wants to be as soon as possible in the clear Caribbean waters, relaxing with a cocktail.

At around 5pm Mauro and I where honoured by a surprise visit of a pod of dolphins...we counted at least 15 of them playing with Atlantis and greeting us with their joyful chatting. We were greeting them from the trampoline while they performed stunts and turned on their side to look at us....it was an amazing encounter for which we are grateful. There is no explanation for it, but every contact with dolphins brings smiles on our faces and gives us profound happiness.

Master chef Mauro prepared a wonderful chicken (the one we almost left on the jetty in Salvador) with rice. We eat lots of fruit and drink mostly water .....not beer and Caipirinha as some will probably think. We had a first unsuccessful attempt to catch some fish, but there is plenty of time and fish left for Sushi. Our fishing technique is a simple line with a lure attached to a rubber on the stern railing.....often used by fellow "yachties".

Position: 12 07.8'S 037 14.99'W (11:00 UTC)

Day 2
Distance sailed: 110 NM

We started the day with a great sunrise over the South Atlantic....such a pleasure having this ultimate view at breakfast, we are so privileged and thankful for it to Mother Nature. During the day the temperature rises above 30c and it becomes really hot inside the cabin, so we sit in the cockpit most of the time. I am sure that by the time we arrive in Trinidad, we will comply with the South African BEE.....for non South Africans following the blog, it means our skin becomes dark.

In the morning the wind is still coming out of the NE and giving us some difficult tactical choices. If we continue motoring against the wind and there is no change in wind direction within the next 10 hours, we will not reach our destination with the available fuel. If we loose too much time, our weather window will be gone and maybe the NE will increase and block our progress to the North.

From studying the Brazilian weather charts we learned that there is a current going North close to the coastline that could help us making progress....and as we sail more to the NW from our current position, our angle to the wind will give us more speed. According to the weather forecast the wind would turn East at the hight of Maceo....so we took that option.

4PM.....the wind finally shifts to the East as predicted. What a relief to be able to switch of the engines and smoothly glide through the water at a comfortable 5 kts....with only 8-9 knots of wind....and fully loaded. Well done Atlantis! I am so happy with here performance, she is sailing better than ever before.

It is now 1am (Brazilian time) and I am doing my watch. It is still 27c and we have a consistent 8 - 10 kts Easterly wind. James, the autopilot is doing all the work, I am just an observer. We are more than 40 NM off shore and not disturbed by fishing boats, only the occasional tanker. I can see the lights of the city of Aracaju in the distance and we are heading for Recife. The SOG (speed over ground) is consistently over 7 kts with peaks of 9 kts...I feel great.

Today is a special day for me and Atlantis, as we passed the milestone of 5.000 NM together. We rounded the most Southerly point of Africa, crossed the South Atlantic Ocean and will soon go around the most Easterly point of South America and cross the equator. I am proud of little Atlantis, we went through storms together, had 3 Mayday situations, but she always kept us safe. She is a strong lady!

Position: 08 20.160'S 034 35.414'W (11:00 UTC)

Day 3
Distance sailed: 166 NM (new day record)

5 PM (Brazilian time)....The fishing line was tense and we saw a fish jumping up and down...time to get the line in. Our first fish, and what a beautiful specimen (look at the picture). If any of our readers know this fish, please give us the name. Mauro got the line in and cleaned it as a professional in now time. He prepared a part as sushi, and I can tell you without doubt that it was the best fish I ever had in this lifetime! The rest will go into the fridge for another excellent meal tomorrow. The sea is good to us....thank you.

Amazing temperatures; at night we still have a nice 27c and the seawater reaches 29,5c. Some rain cleaned Atlantis during the early morning hours, and gave us peak speeds of 10 kts.....The reason for a decent day average. At the end of the day the wind shifted to SE with a smooth 10-12 kts.....what do we want more?

Position: 12 07.8'S 037 14.99'W (23:00 UTC)

Day 4
Distance sailed: 92 NM

Position: 07 02.205'S 037 51.537'W

The last leg from Recife to Cabedelo was done in the fastest average time until now (7,66 kts) with a wind speed not exceeding 10 NM....I must add that we had some rain showers where the wind picks up.

It is raining in Jacare....an opportunity to remove the salt layer on Atlantis. We anchored in front of the Jacare yacht club, after a night entrance in the channel of the Paraiba river. It is always difficult to do a night approach in an unknown harbour or in this case a river. The IALA markers and lights are also different in this part of the world, which is sometimes confusing....but we made it safely. We sailed (motored) 8 NM miles up this beautiful river to find some extra fuel for the rest of the voyage.

After downloading the weather forecast we decided to leave tomorrow morning at 6 AM to be at the first waypoint around 8 AM. Strong currents (2,2 kts) are expected around the Amazone river up to French Guiana ......this will help a lot.

Next feedback from Trinidad!!!

Marc