1 February 2014 – Arriving in Rio.

By Peter Bosch.

Around 15h15 UTC we were just outside the bay. The winds were strong and perfect conditions to sail the final distance. Once the spinnaker was up we were sailing at 9.2 knots, a comforting speed that brought back the memories of the good old days where the wind co-operated. Our smooth sailing was interrupted by a sudden increase in wind speed that caught us all off guard. In a blink of an eye, the boat pulled up out of the water and we broached. We later realised that we had passed through an area where the wind funnelled between the rocky islands which caused the wind to pick up to almost 30 knots. We let the sheet fly in an effort to regain control but we were still over powered because the gybe preventer was still attached to the main which pulled the boat over. We weren’t prepared for a broach which meant that all the portholes on the starboard side were open. Water rushed in and soaked all the bedding and gear that we had just managed to dry. The team worked hastily to stabili se the boat and dry as much as they could.

We moored the boat, stern on, onto the concrete wharf and were welcomed by fellow competitors, the race chairman and a few close friends and family. We were congratulated on our great sailing and their kind words of how this year’s race had been one of the toughest due to the heavy storm and light winds that nobody could control, lifted the team’s spirits. Once ashore the crew enjoyed warm, fresh water showers as well as a few indulging in a well needed shave.

Prize giving provided a perfect opportunity to interact with the other crew members and swop stories of our travels. We had a friendly chat with the crew of Cool Runnings and compared notes.

On Sunday morning, the Rio Scouts joined Grant, Virgil and Ashwyn for a wonderful sail around the Bay with each scout getting a turn to helm. It was a day filled with swopping scarves and shirts as well as learning about the ways of the scouting movement in Brazil. Sea Scouts is fairly large in Brazil with over 100 troops situated around the country. The movement is also well supported by the navy and plays a huge role in the lives of the Brazilian Youth. The Brazilian Scouts combine the left handed shake with a linking of the pinkie finger. They claim that this identifies one easier as a scout than the normal left handed shake that we are accustomed too. We ended off the day at the Fogo de Chao Steak house which we were kindly invited to by Cathleen’s parents. A variety of different cuts of meat were served from steel skewers accompanied by sides of fried banana, potatoe wedges and the option of salad from a separate salad bar. We each received a card when we arrives, the one si de was green which indicated that we would like to indulge in the fine meats while the other side was red indicating that you didn’t want another more for that period of time. It was a most delicious meal especially since we had not seen fresh meat for a good 28 days. The crew had had an elegant sufficiency and we all rolled our way home with smiles on our faces and content feelings.

Monday brought the National Sea Scout Commissioner of Brazil, Andre Torricelli who took the crew to see the iconic Statue of Christ which was simply breath taking. It is a sight that is inexplicable through words, one has to see it in person to experience its true magnitude and grace. It certainly left a long lasting impression on many of the crew members. From here we were taken for a sight seeing tour through the town with its glorious buildings that hold so much history. We also stopped at the Scout shop which provided us with an opportunity to grab some memorabilia to take back home. We also walked through the main market which some may compare to Green Market Square in Cape Town with all the vendors and local trading posts. Our main transport was on foot but we did catch the occasional train and bus and by the time the crew got home to the boat, the made a beeline for their beds and slept like logs.

On Tuesday we spent quite a bit of time cleaning up the boat while Grant, Chris and Marcus packed their bags and got ready to head back to SA. We then welcomed Chris Benford and Rory Rochat onto our boat as crew for the trip back. Besides the claning we also got stuck into our much needed repairs and tinkering here and there. We filled our water tanks and took the afternoon off to do more sight on Sugar Loaf Mountain and the two main beaches, Copacabana and Ipanema. We would like to welcome our newest crew member Reneir Fourie who joins us from Rustenberg, Johannesberg. He was an avid follower of our blog during the race and responded to our request for another crew member to sail back to Cape Town. In the evening we made our way into the local streets in search of a typical Brazilian restaurant which we found in the older side of town. There was nothing fancy about it, the food was delicious and ever so tasty. It is frequented by the locals so it was relatively inexpensive.

On Wednesday we fitted the repaired boom and autohelm bracket as well as the repaired sails and the brand new Spinnaker pole car track on the mast. Chris Benford managed to work his magic on the electrical switch panel which had water damage from the broach and was shorting out. We also went grocery shopping for the trip back and packed the boat full to the brim. There is no doubt that the cooking will live up to the standards set from the trip here if not better.

We plan on departing from Rio on Thursday morning and head towards Ilha Grande for 3 or 4 days which is 70NM South along the coast before we head home to Cape Town.