TEAM SA LOGBOOK - 14th May - Port Natal, Brazil

14th of May 2009 - 1st Port day - Helen Worthington-Smith

This morning we reached Brazil! I still haven't been able to get over the indescribable joy which you feel when you gaze to the horizon and see land after 2 weeks of sailing. We dowsed all the sails and turned the engine on because the wind had dropped and we would never have reached shore otherwise because we were just bobbing up and down in the water.

We started off the day with colors as usual during which we were informed of our docking duties. we had to port furl all the sails which means furling them very neatly so that the ship looks presentable. We also had to get the fenders and the mooring lines ready for when we were alongside the dock. After that we had cleaning stations and we had to do a very thorough job because the health inspector was coming on board to make sure that the ship was the pinnacle of cleanliness.

When we were docked and cleared by the health official and customs official we were let loose on the town, our only parameters were that we had to be back by eleven that evening. Natal is a very beautiful city and was very fun to explore, but first we had to acquire some of the currency so that we could spend as much money as possible. This proved to be rather difficult (acquiring the money, not spending it) as none of us could speak Portuguese and none of the banks exchanged money. Eventually though we all managed to get our hands on some cash and we spent the rest of the day shopping (in the case of us girls) or going to the beach.

Eventually, we all returned to the ship. Some a bit earlier for night watch and others at curfew at 11pm, but all of us completely exhausted. It had been a long day!