Anasazi Racing: rio de janeiro

August 7, 2018

transequatorial passage / 21 days: rio de janeiro, brazil to st. david's, grenada, west indies

We had a smooth non-stop passage from Rio to Grenada, completing our circumnavigation with the two oldest kids (Tormentina & Raivo), when we crossed our own path from 2011 on the paper chart just off the coast of Recife. Back then Tormentina was three and Tarzan was one.

So wonderful to be naked & warm in the waters of the north Atlantic after so many Southern Ocean miles of blasting the heat and being bundled in all of our technical layers. We said goodbye to the Albatross & thick kelp of the south and traded them in for flying fish, needle fish, & the more delicate seaweeds and algaes of warmer waters.

My oldest daughter Tormentina was a huge help with our youngest, Tarzan - keeping him safe and being an extra set of hands when we needed - during sail changes, systems checks, cooking, cleanring... So grateful for her maturity & responsibility up the entire coast of South America - we couldn't have done it without her.

We made landfall on May 13, 2017 after 21 days at sea. Our children were ages 8, 6, 4, & 1.

Parting view of Paul Landowski's art deco statue - Christ the Redeemer - as we left Rio.
Passage / Rio de Janeiro to Grenada (April 2017)

Passage / Rio de Janeiro to Grenada (April 2017)

Passage / Rio de Janeiro to Grenada (May 2017)

Sargassum muticum. Passage / Rio de Janeiro to Grenada (May 2017)

Passage / Rio de Janeiro to Grenada (May 2017)

Four on a seat designed for one. Passage / Rio de Janeiro to Grenada (May 2017)

No luck fishing - only losing lures - Passage / Rio de Janeiro to Grenada (May 2017)

Passage / Rio de Janeiro to Grenada (May 2017)

August 5, 2018

sunrise / rio de janeiro

Rio de Janeiro - BRASIL (April 2017)

land fall! rio de janeiro, brazil (2-day pit stop to refuel & recharge)

What a dream for climbers - the big granite walls rising up from the sea as you approach Rio. James always wanted to sail into this port and climb Sugarloaf.

We decided to make a quick 2-day pit stop in Rio to avoid 48 hours of predicted NE head-winds rounding Cabo Frio. Lots of traffic along the coast north of Punta del Este (AIS going crazy); and a big active oil field off the cape to avoid.

We had the option of heaving two for those 48 hours, then push onward or taking an out of the way left and sail into Rio. Always hard to make a stop when we are caught up in the momentum of sailing a long passage. As much as we wanted to continue on, we decided that refueling, topping off water & resting would benefit us for the remainder of our passage north to the Caribbean.