We spent the majority of the last week in the Cabedelo Nautico Internet Cafe trying to finalize plans for Antigua - crew, accommodations, transportation, etc. I think that Assis and Pamela thought we might want to move in! In any case, we have pulled together a great crew and plans for the week are in pretty good shape.

We checked out, filled the boat with provisions and diesel and left Jacare this morning on the high tide at about 5:30. We had a really lovely day of sailing. A easy and fast beam reach with calm seas. For dinner we grilled carne do sol which is a specialty of the area. It is beef that has been salted and partially dried in the sun. It was originally a way of preservation in the days before refrigeration, but is now considered to be somewhat of a gourmet dish. In the restaurants they serve it cut in small pieces and fried. It's a bit drier on the grill, but I actually prefer it that way.

We just rounded the corner of the most eastern point on Brazil and are now heading northeast towards Jericoacoara, touted by Lonely Planet as a "trendy beach town, boasting a perfect combination of scenery, relaxing activities and nightlife." There is no anchorage, per se, but we have heard of boats anchoring behind a small point just to the west, so if it looks tenable, we will stop there for a night or two before heading on to Tobago.

Not much wind tonight (6-8 kts), but with the help of the current we're doing an easy five knots under main alone, as the wind angle is too deep for the genoa. There are a lot of boats out, both large freighters and small fishing boats, which we expect to will see as long as we are this close to shore.