We Arrived in Brazil with all the great intentions of Sailing on after a few days towards Capetown Well the Cape was closed and we found out that if we carried on we would probably only be able to get flights home to our boats in 2021 because Cyrils puppeteers were controlling his strings well and international travel was not on the list So after loads of deliberation we decided to leave the boat in Cabedelo and ask Brian to care for it while we were away and then come back to Brazil in January and finish the Job of getting it to Capetown After much discussion John and I decided to buy tickets through a travel agent because if we did it ourselves on the internet we would not be in control if there were any cancellations etc. It turned out to be a really good decision Pamela introduced us to a travel agency where one of here friends works and we booked airtickets from Joao Pessoa to Papeete flying on LATAM airlines and we were to fly to Sao Paulo to Chile then to Easter Island...

June 20th 2020 QD5 Position: We are in the quarantine anchorage in Grenada with Anchor down Boat: Gearbox is re-installed and now we are waiting for the raw water pump so we can test it again wind Its been howling for the last few days and its good that we are at anchorage because the wind can flow through the boat and keep us cool We are expecting a big blow tomorrow so we have to be prepared People: We are both ok and happy Alistair and Ingrid went shopping for us again and brought treasures like fresh vegetables and some more chicken John had asked Alistair to get beers and he obliged so between us so we can have beer o clock again but in moderation Comments: We are in day 5 of quarantine and its really funny because when I was at the quarantine dock i asked for feedback about the virus free certificates we submitted on arrival and if out 14 days would be reduced. Their response is as follows 'We have no proof that you did not stop on the way from getting the ...

June 17th 2020 Position: We are in the quarantine anchorage in Grenada with Anchor down Boat: Boat Is good and we are swinging wildly as the winds are strong here outside St Georges wind Winds when coming in Yesterday were very good however we had to slow down because we were going too fast and I am a fraidy cat who didnt want to arrive and anchor at night without a working engine John was more confident but acceeded too keep me happy and come in in daylight so we put all sails except the 3rd reef away and reduced speed to 3 knots to get our timing right only thing with that was the waves rolled us a lot. So anyone who would have been sea sick would have had it bad with the swaying and rolling sometimes over the 45 degrees mark. But having done the preparation we got here to the anchorage are in great time with the sun blinding us as as it rose over the anchorage. We sailed past the area so we could see what spaces were available and then tacked back to come in closer Once w...

June 14th 2020 Position: 11° 14.2745' N 059° 56.4821' W Boat: Same as yesterday. wind Yesterday we had all sorts of wind ranging from no wind to 18 knots with lots of rain Variable from North and west People: we are both ok Boat Speed: 0 to 8 KTS under sails Distance 124 miles in 24 hours miles sailed with a total of 1912 miles sailed so far and approximately 118 miles of the 2030 miles to go until we arrive in St Georges Grenada for quarantine of 14 days We are expecting an ETA of June 16 at around lunchtime if conditions stay the same Course: true ,Directly to Grenada around the north tip of Tobago Conditions: Swells are 1.5 m and the big ones still throw the boat around Comments: So yesterday we spent the day between rain and squalls and changing sails from pole out to pole down and the rest of the time we were mailing friends and anyone we needed help from Alistair and Ingrid are helping a lot already with Advice and arranging things...

June 14th 2020 Position: 10° 12.0030' N 058° 08.3712' W Boat: Same as yesterday. Selector problem persists and we now know the clutches are worn so the job will have to be done in Grenada when we arrive wind Yesterday we had all sorts of wind ranging from no wind to 40 knots in a big squall on my shift in the night Variable from North and west People: we are both ok Boat Speed: 0 to 8 KTS under sails Distance 137 miles in 24 hours miles sailed with a total of 1786 miles sailed so far and approximately 244 miles of the 2030 miles to go until we arrive in St Georges Grenada for quarantine of 14 days We are expecting an ETA of June 16 at around lunchtime if conditions stay the same Course: true ,Directly to Grenada around the north tip of Tobago Conditions: Swells are 1.5 m and the big ones still throw the boat around Comments: We sailed all day yesterday because we could not get the gearbox to engage and it was slow This morning it starte...

June 13th 2020 Position: 09° 00.8762' N 056° 09.9336' W Boat: Same as yesterday. We did some checking on the selector and it went into reverse and it went into forward gear but we cannot test it because when the boat is doing 8 to 9 knots the propeller is turning faster from the drag of the boat than the engine turns it so we will wait until the winds slow down and test it then wind Last night Was was strong and we sailed very fast even though we still have reefed both the main sail and the genoa down to two reefs Average sailing speed for the day was just over 8 knots (14.95 KM per hour) People: we are both ok Boat Speed: 7 to 12 KTS under sails Wind: 14 kts from North Distance 193 miles in 24 hours miles sailed with a total of 1646 miles sailed so far and approximately 384 miles of the 2030 miles to go until we arrive in St Georges Grenada for quarantine We are expecting an ETA of June 15 at around lunchtime if conditions stay the same Course: tr...

June 12th 2020 Position: 07° 23.5740' N 053° 23.0924' W Boat: Alls well with the boat and she is sailing well but the selector on the gearbox is giving some troubles so the propeller doesnt engage in forward when you put it into gear but reverse works so we may have to reverse into the anchorage in Grenada just like i had to in Panama wind Last night Was was very strong and we sailed very fast even though we had reefed both the main sail and the genoa down to two reefs At times in the squalls we were sailing at 12 knots and averaged for the whole day over 7 knots which is really good for a boat this size People: we are both ok Boat Speed: 7 to 12 KTS under sails Wind: 18 kts from North Distance 194 miles in 24 hours miles sailed with a total of 1456 miles sailed so far and approximately 574 miles of the 2030 miles to go until we arrive in St Georges Grenada for quarantine We are expecting an ETA of June 15 Course: true ,Directly to Grenada Conditi...

June 11th 2020 Position: 05° 35.0683' N 050° 41.8529' W Boat: All good on the boat yesterday we motored a while and then in the afternoon we could sail again so its back to my kinds of days except during the night we had two or three serious squalls and had to put sails away and out and away and out again and again wind Last night was good but for the squalls i mentioned and today we are predicted to have 14 kts on the beam (or at 90 degrees to the boat) so its going to be good if the weathermen get it right People: we are both ok in the storm we let our tempers fray but 10 minutes later we sat out in the cockpit and sorted the misunderstanding out and it was all over We have been at sea for 10 days now and about 3 full days of motoring all joined together because of periods where there was no wind Boat Speed: 9 to 13 KTS Wind: 10 kts from North westerly Distance 139 miles in 24 hours miles sailed and motoring again with a total of 1267 miles sailed s...

June 10th 2020 Position: 04° 21.4794' N 048° 45.6867' W Boat: THe engine got hot last night but we caught it before it overheated so we were very lucky and this am when it got light we redid the grub screw and put a hose clamp on it so it will be kept in place longer and cant work its way loose. When we get to grenada we will take the pump off and get a keyway made and then the problem will be solved. Water is good again and we are back using it wind Last night Was really light and with no engine we were really slow but flat seas and no wind allowed comfortable sleep. Its picked up a little but is still slow and we are motoring with the weather projections telling us it should start blowing at 11 am but we all know the weather forecasters simply cannot get it right Never mind they said the wind would be blowing us toward Grenada at good speeds they got the direction wrong for another full day and to add we went into a zone where the current was countered jus...

Hi All June 9th 2020 Position: 03° 40.6711' N 047° 28.2376' W Boat: All good here and we ended up motoring for a total of 33 hours over two days and used 2.05 liters of diesel per hour to travel 6 knots per hour so i am glad we have wind again and can use the freeby Our water in the water tanks was dosed with muthti (African for medicine) and now its a huge improvement and we wont have any more problems I hope and it tastes better too wind Last night after a rain storm John found some wind and we used it all night and are still using it now. Its Light but it works and the boat is sailing at 5 to 6 kts with better winds expected at 9pm this evening Strange thing is that the wind is on the nose so we are beating towards the Caribbean which is very unusual. I even asked John if that wasnt the beginning of a hurricane because thats the only explanation i have for the wind reversing like that for such a long period in this area. Luckily he said no People: we...

June 8th 2020 Position: 02° 00.2320' N 045° 31.0388' W Boat: All good here and we had to motor for 19 hours because the wind took leave from us and the weather says it will only come back tonight after dark Our water in the water tanks is going to be treated today then we have to leave it for 10 hours before we can use it again. We found a bottle of treatment silver ions and will dose the water as a trial and then see how that goes The water isnt hurting us its just the smell which is strange and it tastes like an overdose of chlorine wind We have zero winds so we are motoring at 6 knots and then every 24 hrs we stop to check the engine and we start again People: we are both ok Boat Speed: 5 to 6 KTS Wind: 0 kts from anywhere Distance 145 miles in 24 hours miles sailed and motored with a total of 885 miles sailed so far and approximately 1145 miles of the 2020 miles to go until we arrive Course: true ,Directly to Grenada Conditions: flat like a lake...

June 7th 2020 Position: 00° 36.4707' N 043° 33.4697' W Boat: All seems well with the boat and she is sailing fast even with the light winds we are experiencing Our water in the water tanks has developed a peculiar taste and so now we are boiling it before we use it and I am sure it will be ok and i also have enough emergency water in bottles to see us the rest of the way to Grenada should it be required wind We have light winds but are still able to sail and going very well considering People: we are both ok Boat Speed: 5 to 7 KTS Wind: 8 kts North easterly Distance 142 miles in 24 hours miles sailed with a total of 740 miles sailed so far and approximately 1280 miles of the 2020 miles to go until we arrive Course: true ,Directly to Grenada Conditions: good with a bit of rolling 24-hour mileage: expecting around 142 miles which is still really good even though we have current helping us Comments: Yesterday we had a strange thing happen to us ...

Position: 00° 51.9458' S 041° 43.2092' W Boat: Yesterday the pulley for the raw water (sea water) pump came loose and the engine got hot but John got is and put it on again however we are sailing and saving the motor for when we get to Grenada and I have and idea on how to repair it so the same wont happen again and we hope we can send the pump in for that modification while we are in Quarantine but other than that all good with the boat wind We have light winds but are still able to sail and going well People: we are both ok Boat Speed: 5 to 8 KTS Wind: 10 kts East North easterly Distance 172 miles in 24 hours miles sailed Course: true ,Directly to Grenada Conditions: good with a bit of rolling 24-hour mileage: expecting around 172 miles which is still really good even though we have current helping us Comments: John has a sophisticated weather routing program which relies on being able to use the iridium for downloading the data so it takes a lo...

June 5th 2020 Position: 02° 27.1630' S 039° 11.2222' W Boat: boat is going well and we have now gone past Forteleza and well on our way to the Amazon river mouth Crazy Sophia is a fast boat and at times we were sailing between 10 and 12 Knots wind at the moment is good from behind so we are running at around 8 knots The weather forecasters are still hiding from Covid because they got it all wrong again saying no rain but it bucketed down all afternoon and from 3 am to 6am a loght drizzle all the time which is soaking People: we are both ok Boat Speed: 7 to 9 KTS Wind: 12 kts easterly Distance 182 miles in 24 hours miles sailed and motored Course: true ,Directly to Grenada Conditions: good with a bit of rolling 24-hour mileage: expecting around 182 miles which is really good even though we have current helping us Comments: Again No fishing boats last night at all and only fivene cargo ships last night We are swapping between a run (wind direc...

June 4th 2020 Position: 03° 55.0575' S 036° 47.3630' W Boat: boat is going well and we have now gone around the corner 74 miles east of Forteleza so going well wind at the moment is very light so we are motoring and have been for the last 6 hours THe weather forecasters are hiding from Covid because they got it wrong again but we are loading the next forecast and we will see how they do from there People: we are both ok and I have now cooked two dinners so the food routine is back on track Speed: 4 to 6 KTS Wind: 5 kts easterly Distance 134 miles in 21 hours miles sailed and motored Course: true ,Directly to Grenada Conditions: good with a bit of rolling 24-hour mileage: expecting around 146 miles by 0900 hrs today As of now i will only measure the mileage from this time so from tomorrow it will be a proper 24 hr mileage Comments: Again No fishing boats last night at all and only five cargo ships so far today Yesterday one Ship carrying LPG ...