The preparations in Salvador are complete and Rally Control eagerly awaits the arrival of the first boats in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. The Terminal Náutico (SUDESB) and Bahia Tursa have worked together to ensure that all the boats receive a fantastic welcome after many days at sea. Although all of the boats made a scheduled stop at the mid Atlantic island of St Helena, it will be well over 3 weeks since they all left South Africa and therefore likely that they’re eager to arrive and start exploring Brazil.
The first two boats expected on Monday afternoon (31 January) are the 76ft Swan Wild Tigris and the Oyster 56 A Lady. Both boats have made good progress although they were also the first to leave St Helena 10 days ago. As expected, the second half of their Atlantic Crossing has been typified with light winds and potentially slower speeds and so most of the fleet are expected to report a higher than usual number of engine hours for the passage.
The finishing line for the leg closes on Monday 7th February just in time for the skippers briefing that afternoon and the Welcome Party and Prizegiving in the evening. In the intervening time, the crews will begin to explore the historic and architecturally interesting city of Salvador de Bahia.