Photos in Transit

Not much time for one of my long-winded posts; this might be welcomed by readers who prefer more photos and less history from the 1800’s.   The trip across the river Plate is known for strong headwinds and we were not let down.   We hid in Puerto Sauce for a night(mentioned in previous posts) which was a bit of a let-down since our previous visit provided us with a lifetime supply of paper mill smells.    I did very much enjoy the night approach to Sauce since I knew the harbor well but was still challenged while I try to regain my night vision.   I motored in slowly, except when cross winds required a bit of gusto.   I had to thread the needle between two anchored boats dancing at their moorings.   It felt very close in the dark of the night.   Guess what? In the morning it looked even closer.

We also have enjoyed leaving the silt waters of the Plata and seeing blue/green ocean water.   We can finally test our water maker!   Fingers crossed that it will convert ocean water into drinking water for our floating city.

I am surprised by the paperwork and radio work that sailing in this region requires.   Every port entry and exit requires a call to the control and 1 to 2 hours of paper work in a few different offices.    The staff are always friendly and the folks at Sauce were excited to see us again.  I tried not to let my face show that if I had had a choice, I might have chosen a different port.

 

We are now at our planned stop in Punta del Este, a Yachting hub made more exciting by the finish of a popular sailboat race from Buenos Aires to Punta.   As we arrived at 2 am there were many racers also arriving.   Our radar helped us to avoid meeting them on the water.  The boats showed up easily with Sea Gain set to 40, the other controls left on automatic and range set at 1 mile.  I will soon figure out how to show two radars at once on the left screen.   This way you can be zoomed in to avoid small Brazilian fishing boats while keeping a broader view for storms.   All of the large ships have AIS so they appear on the chart.   Makes the dark night much less scary.

We will leave mid day and are expecting very light air for 20 hours.   Then the breeze will increase to 25-30 but will be from the south, giving us a comfortable and safe ride North to Rio Grande, Brazil.   This leg is about 2 days.    Water rationing?   Nope.   With 4 people aboard we have used 3/8 of our water over 2 days.   Food rationing?  Nope.   Everyone besides me does not eat a bunch during passages.   We have pre-prepared some pasta salads and other simple foods.

Keep following us on our tracker but keep in mind it often takes a holiday.   Do not panic when it stops publishing, we are still fine.

It is all North from here.  Expect to hear from us soon when we get to Brazil.