I am writing this from the 'comfort' of a crowded Boeing 767 which is gliding effortlesly south from Madrid, following pretty much the route down which I sailed not three months ago. Atlantic Ocean beneath us, Cape Verdes behind, and a vivid tropical sunset, just as I remember them. All that apart, the contrast could not be greater. Alone, then, I am now surrounded by Brazilians returning from Christmas in Europe, and close to one in particular who snorts loudly, inhales, and swallows the product of his efforts every half minute. If there were a shop I would by him a handkerchief and invite him to have a good blow, for all our sakes. Yes, the second leg of the voyage is beginning and within a few hours I hope to find ’Wild Song’ as I left her in the careful care of Pier Salvador marina. There are few clothes in my packing - most remained onboard - but my bag is stuffed with odds and ends, such as new Spectra lines for the self steering, and rubber caps to prevent the boarding ladder from scraping the topsides when the ladder is deployed. Little stuff, but every item needed. I also have crew for company. One is Mike, my brother in law, who never fails to add a little joviality to any voyage; and Alasdair who is a computer genius who I have tasked with the reduction of sun sights from first principles to prove to me that he is as clever as he seems. He says he understands the mathematics of GPS: we’ll see if this is help or a hindrance. So far, they have both scored highly with their skipper by bringing a commendably small amount of luggage. As they are both of the same height,it will be interesting to see how wins the battle for the longer bunk. I don’t know if I am filled more with anticipation or apprehension. Not at the sailing but at everything that surrounds it, and in Brazil that is mostly beaurocracy. I will spare you the traumatic details but I expect to be spending several hours in austere offices before I am finally allowed to drop the warps and head to another harbour where I will have to do it all over again. And with four hours before landing I am wondering about the boat, too. You may remember that I left Salvador in some disorder with my dislocated shoulder in a sling. I managed to do most of my packing, but the thought at the back of mind is that it is quite possible I forgot a chunk of salami which has been festering in the 35 degree heat for two months now. I shall carefully open the hatch and sniff the air before venturing further, and I’ll let you know.