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Free & BrEasy - Return to the Equator



Today we will cross the equator, about 120 miles east of the mouth of the Rio Amazonas. We last crossed the equator on the 12th February 2014 on our way out from St Lucia to the Galapagos. It is also the first day of March so, just over a year later, we are well on our way on the return leg to St Lucia. We invited King Neptune and his friends aboard for the first crossing (we have the pictures to prove it!) so in true seamen tradition we shall not be celebrating the second crossing. Well, maybe a tot of rum on the banana flambé!

We left Forteleza on the Brazilian coast, just over two days ago on the 1700 mile passage to Tobago. Forteleza was a whistle-stop-stop as we stayed for only 24h to refuel! The Marina was part of an up market hotel with a very nice pool and bar but the marina pontoons were old iron tanks that were coming away from the pylons and each other. With the combination of stern-to mooring and a heavy swell, there had already been damage to the sterns of several boats. One ARC boat, Folie a Deux, suffered a pontoon chewing event to her stern, below the water line! Concerned that we might be the next victim we decided to leave as soon as we could.

We were therefore not in Fortleza long enough to get an accurate picture of the place. On the approach to the Marina we were impressed by the number of high rise hotels lining the sea front and beaches. Closer to, there was a big wrecked cargo ship just outside the Marina breakwater and many of the areas near the Marina had a dilapidated look. A beautiful schooner was anchored just inside the breakwater in a magnificent setting with the twin spires of the cathedral just behind. During our quick stop we managed to refuel, carrying the diesel in 20 litre containers from a petrol station on the road outside the hotel, take on water, oil and provisions, have a haircut, go for a run, skype and email everyone, shower for the first time in a week, experience the 'waterfall massage' in the pool and spend all our spare Brazilian Reals on a pool-side feast just before leaving. We successfully left the pontoon in the dark but only after a few hairy moments as we were too close for comfort to the other boats and then had to deal with the super sticky Forteleza mud on the chain and anchor!

The passage so far has been eventful. For the first few nights we had to thread our way in between dozens of small fishing boats. One boat appeared to constantly be on a collision course no matter how we changed our bearing, necessitating a big change of course! Next, we had a lucky escape when part of a fishing net was trapped under the boat but we managed to cut the net free before it became entangled with the propeller. Then Roger noticed that our projected course went straight through a prohibited area with lots of oil rigs, requiring another big change of course! We have also been blessed with acrobatic dolphins. On passage, dolphins frequently swim with the boat for short periods but do little more than swim across the bows. Here they were leaping clear of the water, rolling onto their backs and back-flopping into the water with a noisy splash. Were they doing it for fun or to get rid of itchy parasites? Maybe they just wanted to impress us!

We are now settling back into the routine for the 14 day passage to Tobago. To pass the time we are going to play Circumnavigator's Discs and Books. Name seven discs and seven books that you would take with you on a solo circumnavigation and explain why they are of significance to you. Finally, which disc and book would you rush back to the boat for if she was sinking! If this is successful we will try our 'bucket list' next. The other game we have played is "which route will the next circumnavigation take?" but (for the married ones at least) that is purely fantasy. Should give us something to think about on the long night watches!

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