When we lived onshore, we never planned our day trips. While the elevator whisked us down to street level, we decided whether to travel via foot, subway, or, taxi.  On the boat, we have a formal pre-passage process including a crew briefing, weather forecasts and routing.  For a day sail our planning can be somewhat brief, but when we are leaving for 1,000 miles, more preparation is required.   The wind, tides, marina hours, sunsets, currents and crew schedules all create a complex timing puzzle with no ideal answer but a series of trades-off based on estimates.

Sample passage plan: The passage plan is either handwritten in my journal or stored in an excel spreadsheet; it is a summary of the important considerations for each leg of the passage. For me, writing down the plan reinforces it in my mind. In a tight spot, quickly knowing the weather trend, bail-out port and major navigational hazards is key.   The crew may be seasick and the captain might not have a chance to reread the source materials.

SAMPLE PRE-PASSAGE NOTES:

Leave Portland, Maine to Point Judith, Rhode Island (160 nautical miles) Sunrise :  615am    Sunset: 7:05pm Moonrise:   10pm  Moonset: 9am  (half moon) Portland Tide:  10 am low water,  7am 1.2 knots ebb, 9am 1.4 knots ebb Cape Cod Canal Tide:   3am (slack tide)  5am 3.5 knots west 9 am (tide going east) Pt Judith Tide:  Plenty of depth and tide up to 1.5 knots.   OK to arrive anytime before 11am. *Tides are described in the direction they are going while winds are described in the direction the are coming from.   In Florida, the Gulf Stream is a northerly ocean current (warm water traveling up the east coast).   If the breeze is from the North, a northerly, then the current and wind will be in opposition directions and sailors should expect large waves.   When we transit areas of strong tides or currents, we try to avoid such oppositions.   The strongest spots we traversed this summer were Hells Gate in NY, Cape Cod Canal, and The Race at the end of Long Island Sound.  All three locations can experience more than 4 knots of tidal speed.

Timing of arrival

We have not even weighed anchor, and I am thinking of our arrival time?   Our departure time is influenced by the time we wish to arrive at our destination, ride a current, or, pass a particular hazard.  Most of the time I try arrive in advance of a timing window, because it is easier to slow the boat down than to speed it up.    To speed the boat up,  you can put up more sail area and risk ruining a nice sail or worse, or, you can run your motors at high RPMs.   We tried to make it to a Brazilian offshore island before sunset on our trip north.   We were motor sailing and I increased the RPMs with the hope of making the anchorage before susnet.  The bad decision was driven by the “magic 8 ball”.   The magic 8 ball is my nickname for  Furuno’s predicted arrival time.   The number gyrates up and down as Two Fish pushes through waves.   The optimist sees the 7pm arrival, but the realist knows it is not possible.  In the Brazil island case, the breeze and seas became unfavorable, causing us to get progressively slower.  We arrived at 2am and burned so much fuel, we had to add an additional stop for diesel.   Lesson learned – have a fuel plan.   A conservative rule of thumb is 1 gallon per hour of run time per engine at 2,200 rpm.  The fuel gauges, while not perfect, offer a hint of our current fuel load.   On major passages we have carried an additional 35 gallons in jerry cans, but while coastal cruising, we carry only 15 gallons.

Slowing the boat down is the alternative to speeding up for a deadline.  It is used frequently by sailors and employees of the Department of Motor Vehicles.     Reducing sail area can allow precision with arrival times but sometimes the boat will not slow down.   In a 3 knot current off French Guyana and also in a 23 knot aft breeze off the Jersey Shore we were forced to hove-to as the final technique to  slow the boat down.   In both cases the boat kept going 2-3 knots;  it was good we hoved-to early else we would have overshot our destination, resulting in a brutal upwind or up-current passage to get back to the harbor in the morning.

  Next Port of Call

As part of our destination selection process we read cruising guides, charts and Active Captain (like Yelp for boaters).   Some cruising guides are very marina focused so it is good to speak with locals as well.  This post is already too long so I will postpone a review of our massive collection of cruising guides.  On a similar vein, pilot charts show the average wind speed and direction for large bodies of water by month.  We have not found pilot charts very useful. Once we have chosen the place we are sailing towards, it is worth also noting bail out ports. For example, here are the harbors of refuge I had for the trip from Ft. Lauderdale to NYC: St. Augustine, Savannah, Charleston, Morehead City, Norfolk, and Cape May.   The longest stretch we had without a harbor of refuge was in Northern Brazil during our transit of the Amazonian river basin.  The river pushes massive volumes of water against the prevailing trade winds; this creates short steep waves as you get closer to shore.   If you did bash your way upstream the ports lack most services for boat repair.  Better to duct tape whatever is broken and fix it in Trinidad.

 

Weather Routing service

Of course it is not enough to just know your destination. Our speed, comfort and safety are governed by the weather and we are constantly checking the forecasts. For long passages, we like to get advice from the experts on when to leave, what to expect along the way and recommended waypoints. We are fans of Commander’s Weather and used them on all trips longer than 600 miles.  We felt that paying a few bucks to have a pro give you a green light was a worthwhile investment.   They can also send you mid-passage updates for passages longer than a few days. Forecasters are not able to prevent sailing into a few squalls, but they can help you avoid a tempest.   Here are my Florida to NY passage notes that Commanders Weather prepared for Two Fish.    I felt much better having such a thorough write up before undertaking the passage.  On the day of departure they prepared a more thorough write up of the expected conditions. We also used Jennifer Clark’s weather service.  Her specialty is the Gulf Stream and has guided many sailors racing from Newport to Bermuda.    Her suggested route and Commanders’s route were about the same.   The third route produced by me using the NOAA data had similar recommended waypoints. Weather Forecast by Two Fish Most weather apps and websites are based on the GRIB (Gridded Binary Data) files that come from NOAA.  The model is named GFS (Global Forecast System) and feeds zillions of different websites.   Do not get lost on the internet searching for new forecasts because they may be the GFS with some pretty colors.  We get our GRIBS by downloading them via our KVH sat phone while at sea.  The GRIB is a data file and you need a viewer to look at them. I use ZyGrib but could use MaxSea or dozens of free programs and apps. Most of the viewers have a GRIB request function that helps you define the area and fetch the data.   ZyGrib is free for the Mac and PC.  Download the version which has more cities as it is easier to find your position.  After surveying the predicted weather for my upcoming passage I start filling in the details.   I create the route on my iPad in the Navionics app.   I make a speed assumption of about 6 knots to estimate where Two Fish will be every 3 hours.  This is so I can obtain the weather forecast for my approximate position throughout the trip.  This process could be done with a few key strokes in Max Sea, however, I prefer the more manual approach since I spend more time familiarizing myself with the data.  More looks at the charts and more time with the weather files gives me more time to ponder different scenarios and how I will respond.   If the wind shifts more than expected and I have 25 knots on the nose, where will I seek shelter? This video is an introduction to using ZyGrib.  I have no connection with the authors of the software.  I just like it.

ZyGrib Demo from Two Fish on Vimeo.

  More Detail on Weather Plan Before leaving the dock, I combine my estimated positions for every 3 hours of the journey with the GRIB information to produce the below table, reminding myself that zyGrib GRIBS  are based on UTC. Gail only looks at the Gusts column because she believes the GFS gust data is a better predictor of the wind we will encounter. Our course for this example is 230 degrees and is used to calculate True Wind Angle (the difference between your course and the true wind direction). True Wind Angle is a key factor – 20 knots on the bow can be uncomfortable while 30 knots from the stern can be comfortable.  To get wave data using zyGrib, you must click on the wave tab when choosing data for download. Waves are not estimated for near-coastal areas.

Position	Time	UTC	Wind Speed (knots)	Gusts	True Wind Direction	True Wind Angle	Waves (meters)
Near Portland Light	0600	1000	8-10	15	090	60	1m
Prout’s Neck	0900	1300	14-16	21	120	100	1
Kennebunkport	1200	1600	5-7	11	90	130	.5

We also look at the CAPE data in zyGrib; this is the probability of convective activity, a chance for thunderstorms.   Give this a look when sailing in Florida or the doldrums.   It is best if you can avoid the high risk areas, but if you are stuck then make sure you are using your radar in dual range mode.   In dual range mode half the screen is set to see 3 miles to avoid other boats.   The other half of the screen is set to see 24 miles for rain clouds.   On the 24 mile screen turn the rain clutter to zero and gain very high so rain clouds show up.   Now you can try to use your radar to avoid the worst storm clouds.

What can you learn from the table?

Waves:   Waves on the nose over 2 meters with a short period are hellish and the fun factor goes away over 1 meter.   A following sea with a decent period can be comfortable up to 5 meters.   Waves are nasty when an ocean current and a breeze are passing in opposite directions. Wind speed:   The Antares can handle wind very easily when it is aft of 90 degrees.   If there are gusts up to 30 at less than a 90 degree true wind angle, then you better make sure you have enough ginger on board. Wind shifts:   Cruising may not be racing, but cruisers like to be comfortable and looking for shifts can really help.   In a few of my trips the table showed that the true wind angle was going to change dramatically over a 36 hour period.    Initially, the true wind angle was 160 degrees.   I often have twin head sails up for this wind angle.   But in 36 hours there was going to be a big shift in wind direction, causing the true wind angle to shift to 50 degrees.   It is no fun to sail hard on the wind.   My table helped me increase the comfort level.   I sailed above the rhumb line for 1.5 days.   I was 50 miles off course and I had bet on the forecast being correct; if I was wrong, we would have gone way out of our way.  But the GRIBs came through and the wind shifted forward.   We avoided the pain of sailing to weather and turned the boat back to the rhumb line.   Smooth sailing. Changes in forecast:  During the voyage I use my KVH v3 to download fresh GRIBS and compare those to the original estimate.  As a back-up, we have a slower Iridium Extreme sat phone and even slower SSB to download GRIBs.  If the forecast changes dramatically, I reassess our plan.   Then I share the new information with the crew.  When I am off watch I will ask to be woken if there are changes in wind direction or speed.   For example I might say, “Wake me if the true wind direction changes 50 degrees or the wind speed goes above 25”. NOAA data I love the Coast Guard and NOAA.   Since your tax dollars are covering the costs, you might as well use NOAA’s great website. Full list of NOAA data Package – weather briefing for NW Atlantic Surf around the site and you can find other regions and plenty of data on waves and wind. Here is the Brazilian weather website  and the Argentinian website. Click on the link labeled “suscripción” at the top of the page to subscribe to the Rio de la Plata weather.  The national weather service of Uruguay was on strike for one of the weeks we were sailing their coastline so we will not post their link.   Windguru is a very popular website that we use as well. Route Planning My next step is to plot the route in Max Sea.   This can be done on the TZ screen at the helm, but I prefer to do this on the laptop.  When the route is done I export it to the TZ touch SD card.   I use the sneaker network, but I could sync the routes by plugging the laptop into the Furuno network at the navigation station.   This video offers a brief introduction to MaxSea. MaxSea Tides from Two Fish on Vimeo.

Ocean Currents I enjoy the strategic aspect of passage planning.   Betting on a wind shift or trying to get the most from ocean currents.   Sometimes there is no option for finesse.   The southern Brazilian coast is into the wind and into the current.   The only strategy is to enjoy a period of pain. Farther up the coast, life becomes much easier as both the wind and current are allies.   Ocean currents are fickle friends.   In a mere 5 miles a 3 knot advantage can become a 3 knot enemy.

To solve this puzzle I found the confusing but very useful ocean current database,  OSCAR.  I became obsessed with currents because they are free speed like solar is free energy.  In a helpful current the boat is going faster without bumpy seas or howling winds.  Many chart plotters have ocean currents as part of the standard package but they display long term averages.   This is flawed as currents change by season, by year and by trending weather patterns.   There are also data bases with ocean currents averages by month, which is better than a yearly average.   Best would be real time ocean current data?   OSCAR by NOAA does just that.   With buoys, satellites and a bit of black magic they show where the current has been for the last 5 days.   To use the data I download a PDF of the region and manually create a route and waypoints.   You can see the process in the image above.   Then I take the waypoints and insert them into our Furuno chart plotters.   This process takes a while so there must be a better way. When we arrived in Tobago an iPad app (Weathertrack)  announced that it had just added support for OSCAR data.  It is 10 dollars and it is a requirement if you a doing a major ocean passage and want to excel in the current.  I still have to type in waypoints but with this app it is much faster than the previous arts and craft style project.  Progress!

There are two ways that I know of to assess whether you are in the current.   First is to compare your speed over ground (GPS speed) to your speed through the water (paddle wheel speed).   Paddle wheel speed is not accurate.   The worst part is that the error term changes with the speed of the boat, direction of the waves, if the paddle wheel is in the windward or leeward hull and other voodoo-like attributes.   Another equally opaque technique for finding ocean currents is to measure the sea temperature.   This works great for the gulf stream which is much warmer than the surrounding water; however, the currents in Brazil are not easy to detect by temperature.   The black art of current surfing is one of the fun puzzles cruisers have to solve. If you become interested in ocean currents as a hobby and want to read more visit this University of Miami website.  It was a bit heavy for me but still fascinating. New Crew

We now have a plan. We often have friends join us for longer passages. At this point, I am so excited to get going that I have to control the urge to cast off as they clear the stern steps.  But first, with new crew onboard, we print out and discuss our safety briefing (What to do in case of fire) which covers fire, flood, Man Overboard, MayDay and life raft operation. We also discuss other safety issues such as not getting your hand eaten by the winch, cleating BOTH sides of the traveler, warnings on power winch usage, reefing procedures, tensioning both sides of the screecher reefing lines and other tips to stay safe on Two Fish. We ask that crew go forward with a PFD and wear a PFD at night. We have spinlock PFDs that contain a Kannad AIS system in the pocket of the PFD. This means that if you fall overboard you can become an AIS target for us to track on the chart plotter. We also have jacklines so people can clip in as they go forward in rough weather.

Watch Schedule

We always have one person at the helm set out in our watch schedule. On longer passages, we prefer having a total crew of 4 people. 2 hours on, followed by 6 hours off. We tape the schedule underneath the clock and barometer. The bottom blue box in the photo is the chores schedule. Each crew rotates kitchen cleaning, head cleaning and general salon picking up. I make dinner for the crew at 4pm every day and it becomes a social hour and a great time to share routing thoughts. I turn the generator on to top up the batteries while I use the microwave to warm up the meals Gail has prepared in advance. Baked ziti, lentils with sausage, and spicy chick peas are some of my favorite Gail passage dishes. Sometimes I give crew an area to “Captain”, such as CFO (chief fishing officer). It is a great way to get crew involved and in control of their own space. When we do overnights with just the two of us we play it by ear. I (Jason) will do the bulk of bad weather and dark while Gail will helm many hours of flat seas during daylight.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts Wow that was a long post.  I hope all the links and videos do not hide my thesis.   Planning for a passage can be one of the joys of captaining an ocean-going vessel.   With knowledge comes the power to make better decisions and give confidence to crew that may have some pre-passage nerves. I try to think about what could happen and how to respond before it does.  I also keep adding and improving to my passage plan based on tips from others and lessons learned in the heat of battle.

Clearing in and out of Brazil takes time. Consider this post your seeing eye dog for a Brazilian paper pushing adventure.   Embrace the process of being lost, being told conflicting instructions by different parts of the government, and traveling through the non-tourist parts of Brazil.   Once I had the right attitude, I enjoyed living like a Brazilian –  life is always ok in América do Sul.

THE KEY PLAYERS

 

Polícia Federal:  This branch of the government is like the FBI and border patrol merged into one.  No joking with the Polícia Federal because their day job is fighting violent criminals.   The Polícia were firm, but always professional.  They stamp your passport and check your visa. They are focused on proper border entry, gun possession, time in the country, and whether your yacht is a stolen vessel.   If you stay past 90 days, they can extend your time in Brazil.  They are more concerned with the people than with the yacht.   I approach all entry agencies holding the passports of the entire crew and acting as agent for the crew.   This makes it much easier to appear organized for the Policia.   At the end of process, the Polícia will ask to see the crew.

 

Capitania dos Portos (Marinha do Brasil):  The Port Captain is the Brazilian Coast Guard and is part of the Brazilian Navy.  It is good to have their emergency number programmed into your satellite phone.  They are the only department you visit that goes to sea.  We were never boarded, however, we did see two boats being boarded by the Marinha do Brasil while we were in the north.  They expect ALL visitors to be dressed properly in long pants, shoes (not flip flops) and a collared shirt.   This is good policy for all the Brazilian offices and expect to be turned away if  you don’t comply.  I always enjoyed visiting their offices, since they were often stationed inside a major working port.   These offices tended to have the longest lines, but the staff were very friendly.

 

 

Receita Federal:  The Receita Federal is the Brazilian IRS and Customs Department.  The Receita are not interested in your safety, rather your wallet.   Brazil has a 100% boat importation tax and unscrupulous Brazilians try to avoid the tax by flying a US ensign.  The Receita’s job is to encourage the tax cheats to rethink their decision and pay the mandatory tax.  At our first Brazilian landfall, we had to meet the taxman an excruciating four times.   They were concerned that Two Fish was a sailing charter business because she is owned by an LLC.   Receita agents insisted on boarding the yacht which I think was driven by curiosity after seeing the yacht’s assessed value.   The agents boarded with black soled shoes and asked to see our ship’s log.  The collection of 4 meetings went from 9am to 7pm.    I found these folks to be buffoons and bullies.  So they have something in common with the US revenue service?   Good news is you only need to see them twice (entry and departure from the country).     Warning: they want to know your last port in Brazil.  The best port to use is Fortaleza since this is the farthest northern town a Yacht would enter and gives you more flexibility in departure.

Papers you need

1)  Passports of all crew with Brazilian Visas

2) Certificate of Documentation (Department of Homeland Security – US Coast Guard):  I always furnished a color copy and was never asked for the original.

3) If your boat is owned by an LLC, then papers that show you are allowed to control this boat.   I talked about this in a previous post.

4)  Initial entry documents from Uruguay will only be needed for your first port of call.

Papers I had but never showed

1)  Insurance

2)  US radio license

3)  ASA sailing certificates

4)  Marriage and birth certificates

5)  Vaccination cards from our doctors

Process

First landfall in Brazil

1) Polícia Federal:   They will stamp your passport and inspect your visa.  Your passport will not be stamped again till departing the country but will be inspected in every state.  The Polícia Federal will give you a “Passe de Entrada” de embarcação  (Entry pass for a ship).   Do not throw out the “Passe de Entrada” as you will need to return it  to the nice fellow who just gave it to you when you check out of this port.   You will always have either a Entrada or Saída when in Brazil.  This will prove you are either checked in or checked out.  We have a notebook where we keep of all of the ship’s papers and we bring this on our official visits to reduce the chance of forgetting a document.   We do scan many of our key documents and store them on the cloud.   Also, we sometimes only furnish a copy to protect the original.

There are many Polícia Federal in larger cities, so ask other boaters or the marina and they might send you in the correct direction.  In most northern cities the marina will ask you to travel by cab or face certain death.  To compare this to an airport, after the Polícia visit, you have made it passed border patrol and can go to the luggage carousel but you are not really in the country.

2)  Capitania dos Portos:   The port captain will ask you to fill out a 2 page form with odd questions such as your engine’s horsepower and whether the boat has a VHF.   This  is another do not lose document.  It will be checked for the entire Brazil trip and not swapped like the Passe de Entrada.   The Port Captains across the country create a memento for you, by stamping and signing this at every port you check into.  Think of this document more like a passport for the boat.   Some Port Captains have AIS, so make sure your story at the office matches your arrival time in that remote bay.

 

3)  Receita Federal:  After being water boarded by the Receita they will give you a one page document, the TECAT (Termo de concessao de admission temporaria).  The TECAT will need to be shown many times in the future.  The document gives you the right to enter your yacht without paying tax because you are transiting and not staying or running a business.   Keep it close to your Coast Guard documentation as it is a favorite of the paper pushers.   You will only visit the Receita at your first and last port in Brazil.

 

Exiting a state but staying in Brazil

1) Polícia Federal:  Hand back your  “Passe de Entrada” and get a “Passe de Saída”.   Show Polícia but keep passports, TECAT, and Port Captain documents.

2)  Capitania dos Portos:  Another stamp for your collection on the “Declaracao de Entrada/Saída.   They will also ask to see the Passe de Saída that you just received from the Polícia.

Entering a state but already cleared into Brazil

1) Polícia Federal:  Hand back your “Passe de Saída” and get a new “Passe de Entrada”.   Show Polícia but keep passports, TECAT, and Port Captain documents.

2)  Capitania dos Portos:  Another stamp for your collection on the “Declaracao de Entrada/Saída.   They will also ask to see the Passe de Entrada.

Leaving Brazil

1) Polícia Federal:  Imagine that now you are flying out of the airport.  They will give you an exit stamp in your passport and your final Declaracao de Saída.   If you expect your stay to be longer than 90 days, then this office may offer you an extension.

2)  Capitania dos Portos:  Your final stamp – they will let you keep the memento of your trip.

3)  Receita Federal:  Despite threats from the taxman, Two Fish was not confiscated or taxed 100%.   The Receita will also give you a exit document.  I would keep this if I planned to return to Brazil.

When to check-in

US vessels are supposed to check in and then out every time they sail into a new Brazilian state.   We did not follow the rules 100%.   We skipped checking in while in remote locations, on very short stays and on non-business days.   We also typically checked in a day after arriving in a new state.   Forgiveness for late check in was easy to find but permission was impossible.   The dream bureaucratic maneuver was the combination check in and check out.  Like a unicorn it is written about but rarely seen because this shortcut is  reserved for yachts that arrive in the morning and leave in the afternoon.   A few times we got a pet unicorn for stays longer than 2 days.

 

Brazilian State	Did we stop?	Check in?
Rio Grande do Sul	Yes	Port of Entry (3 agencies)
Santa Catarina	Two stops	No
Parana	No
Sao Paolo	No
Rio de Janeiro	Four stops	Once
Espirito de Santos	Yes	No (only stopped at offshore island)
Bahia	Two stops	Checked in at second stop
Sergipe	No
Alagoas	No
Pernambuco	Two stops	Checked in at second stop
Paraiba	Yes	No
Rio Grande do Norte	No
Ceara	Yes	Yes

 

TOP SHORTCUTS

1)  Check in Check out on the same day (disused earlier)

2) Website  (www.edbv.receita.fazenda.gov.br)  This just started when we arrived so we filled out the form online but in the Receita offices.

3)  Finding the offices:   Do not ask for immigration or customs or any similar American places.   They will not make sense to Brazilians with decent English.  Instead use the proper Portuguese names that I have included in the post.

4)  When you arrive at the offices use the term “Entrada or Saída par un embarcacao veleiro”.

5)  Do not have your entire crew come to the desk, just the captain.

 

With the right attitude you can enjoy these trips.  We did.