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American Spirit II - Day 338; Brazil Visa Day & Paid Exorbicant Haul Out/In Bill; Wednesday, December 10, 2014



Up at 7:00 AM. Breakfast 7:15 AM in the hotel.

Went to Royal Cape Yacht Club and paid for haul out at 11:00 AM. I was purposefully misled about the cost of the haul out. When I'd gotten the price estimate I was told the haul out was about 4,000 Rand or $346. A little cheaper than in the US. However, the 'haul out' did not include the 'haul in,' putting the boat back in the water. Same price as the haul out. So twice as much as I expected.

We were back at the hotel at noon and Joel and I had lunch at a Wimpy's next door. Not sure where Jeanine went. We left without paying the bill. Oops. We were told this by the manager the next day and rectified the matter. Then Joel and I worked on our Brazilian Visa applications. We found out that in Florida it will take 30 days to get a Visa via the mail; and that the expediting service we were thinking of using is not allowed to 'expedite' Brazil Visa's in Florida. And we can't go to another consulate, say in Washington D.C. or Chicago, to get the Visa sooner. Its only Florida where there is a big delay. I sent an email to the Brazilian Embassy in Washington D.C. and they responded back quickly that I could probably get my Visa in Miami in 10 business days provided all my paperwork was perfect. Unless Joel and I can get home early, we won't have 10 business days to get Visa's back before we have to fly back to Cape Town. We can't blame Brazil for the Visa issue because they only require that we have a Visa because we require the same of their citizens. Europeans don't have to have a Visa. We fill out the Visa online application and then print a receipt.


I call a company in the US that expedites Visa's for US citizens, and they tell me that they don't expedite for Brazil because the Brazilian government won't allow them to do so in Florida. Other states are OK, just not Florida.

Dinner is at an Italian restaurant near the hotel. Its quite good.

Back in the room after dinner, we watch a movie on TV with Clint Eastwood. Not sure of the name; maybe 'Grand Torino.' He dies in the end. 'Lead poisoning.'

Tomorrow we will go to the Brazilian Consulate and see if they will process our Visa's in 4 days instead of 7. The day you drop off your application doesn't count towards your 7 days. The situation looks hopeless. If we can't fly home early and drive to Miami to get our Visa, then unless we get the Visa by next Wednesday in Cape Town, the day we fly home to Florida, we'll have to apply for our Visa's when we get back from Florida and will have to start the next Rally leg to St. Helena 4 or 5 days after the Rally fleet has departed on January 10.

Brian Fox

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