The weather could not make up its mind on our sail from La Plata, Argentina to Montevideo, Uruguay. It was windy, it was calm, it was rainy, it was sunny. In the photo, Karina is expressing her opinion of what the weather will do next. For most of the day, it was constant changes in the amount of sail we had up, as the winds varied from Force 2-7 (5-30 knots).

The Rio de la Plata water was muddy and choppy (because it is shallow, the waves are shorter and steeper) as we sailed. By the end of the day, the low clouds went away and the wind steadied to Force 4-5 (12-20 knots), and the sailing got nicer as night fell. We sailed all night, under a mostly clear and starry sky. The last few hours were mostly spent trying to slow down, as the wind was good and the current was with us, to avoid reaching port during darkness.

Shortly after dawn, we dropped sails, unlocked the keel (it is locked in the down position when sailing), and motored into the port of Buceo (Buceo is a wealthy suburb of Montevideo). Buceo is quite shallow, and we kept running aground as we motored over to the mooring buoy that Yacht Club Uruguayo said we could use (there is no room for anchoring). Running aground (at least on soft bottoms) is not a big deal with this boat, as long as you can raise the keel to get free, but it complicates maneuvering, as running aground stops the boat, and freeing the boat by lifting the keel means it is going where the wind pushes until you can gain control with the propellers again.

After tying to the mooring, we went ashore to clear in with the Coast Guard and Immigration, as the weather continued to improve to become a clear, sunny day, with light, pleasant winds, which we enjoyed from the comfort of the very hospitable Yacht Club Uruguayo lounge.