31 May to 8 June Passage from Ascension to Cabedelo, Brazil

With a 1250nm passage ahead of us it's wasn't time critical for when to leave Clarence Bay. With our weather prediction service, and the knowledge of how many miles we'd expect Jackster to cover each day, we worked out it would take 8 days. If we were to arrive at the Paraiba river entrance at 10am next Friday we would be on a half rising tide to take us in and up river to the anchorage at Jacare.

We got up at the usual time, had breakfast and did final checks and stowing for passage and raised the anchor at 9 o'clock. Within fifteen minutes we had the twin headsails set, engine off and sailing in almost the right direction.

For the next eight days we sailed directly downwind. For the first half of the trip the wind was 18-22 ESE and we were flying with reefed sails although being pushed north of the rhumbline. The swell was coming up from the south and thus on the beam which kept us rocking all the way. In the second half of the trip the wind went from super light and back to regular 15 knots. The forecast was promising the wind would back to the east for the final 24 hours and allow us to sail all the way to the river entrance. It did and we did.

We arrived at the outer buoy at 9.30am – 8 days from leaving Ascension – turned on the engine for the first time in 8 days and were in the anchorage by 11am without passing any bottom clenching shallows.

Polly inspects the wahoo for quality

On the trip we'd caught three dorados and a wahoo and the freezer was full. We'd also lost two lures to big fish, had a dorado spit the hook at the last moment and swim away. Polly retreived from the deck and ate four flying fish on the trip which kept her a happy ship's cat.

We're anchored in 5m just off the Jacare Village Marina dock in the river which means for the first time since we were anchored in Walvis Bay, Namibia, Jackster isn't rolling in the sea swell! It is quiet too.

We put the dinghy together and went in to the marina for a cold beer, cold Caiprinha and a couple of steak dinners to celebrate crossing the South Atlantic. We'd sailed all the way using the engine for a mere 6 hours to take us in to and out of anchorages. Brazil; the 51^st country visited on our journey. Tomorrow the exploring could begin, but tonight sleep in a non moving bed.