Final Log Entry No 8 - 18th Oct 07. (Yacht Discoverer)

FROM THE CAPTAINS CABIN

Yacht Discoverer is now alongside in Salvador Brazil

NAV CHECK

Discoverer had a relatively quiet night on Wednesday, the crew enjoying their last unblemished night sky before hitting Brazilian light pollution – a chance to do some star spotting and see some shooting stars. Red Watch leader, however, not only managed to steer into the only rain cloud for miles, but also managed to be the only one to get soaked – the rest of his watch had been sent down below to get foul weather gear on – by the time they were back on deck the brief shower was over. The only evidence was a drenched helmsman!

Thursday was probably the busiest day of the passage for far.  The morning watch (Red) had a non stop 6 hour watch that saw them pole the Headsail, rig the preventor, shake out a reef, spend an hour in the forepeak digging out the heavy spinnaker (at the bottom naturally – and it is very hot work in there!) before taking down the Yankee No.2 and replacing it with the heavy kite: definitely a fun packed morning. Blue Watch took over hoping for a peaceful afternoon – they were in luck. The spinnaker eventually wrapped itself around the forestay so badly that 1st Mate LCpl Minns was dispatched up the mast to work some magic – which he duly did.

Thursday night saw the mood on Discoverer relax as a North Easterly began to push as straight towards Salvador cruising downwind at over 8 knots with the Foresail poled out.  As the night went on the wind began to shift round to the East which pushed our course south, meaning that we would have to gybe to get into Salvador.  It was left up to Red Watch at 5 am to take the pole down and gybe onto starboard and head straight for Salvador. It was slightly strange that having come so far south over the past few weeks, on our final approach into Salvador we were heading North West.  It was not long after nightfall that we got our first indication that Salvador was not far, the glow of artificial light on our Western horizon confirmed the end of our passage was near.  In the early hours of the morning, we saw the main lighthouse of the South Western tip of Salvador and at sunrise we were able to see the mass of high rise flats stretching for miles along the coast.  Making our final approach, the whole crew were on deck, many hardly believing that we had finally arrived.

At 1030 on Friday morning we came alongside at Bahia Marina, our passage at an end. After all the excitement of arriving, the reality of being in an alien country speaking a language nobody on board understood set in. It took us a few hours to get our shore feet and begin to put out some feelers about the place we had landed in. We were unable to book in and clear customs on Friday and were advised to come back on Monday – we had arrived in Brazil at the beginning of a National Holiday weekend; lots of people were out in the boats and the sun was out. We were quickly approached by a kind Irish lady who helpfully gave us the low down on where to go, what to do but most importantly where not to go and what to watch out for. Bahia Marina is a very upmarket complex with a number of top class restaurants and bars. It seems geared more towards the well to do in Salvador as a place to go out, be seen and relax in a very secure compound. Just outside is a very rough area, we were even advised that if we wanted to go to a restaurant 200 meters down the road, we should take a taxi. The main problem here for us is that it is not geared up for visiting boats requiring showers, laundry and cheap food. There was a single bathroom for men and a single bathroom for women – the key was kept with a security guard who hung around a tree. When asked for the key he would reach inside the tree and pull it out – very strange.

Having spent 4 weeks sleeping in the confines of bunked cots in small cabins, a consensus was quickly established that we should look for a cheap hotel to move into, at least for a few nights, a price that all individuals were more than happy to meet for some personal space.  An area called Barra is the up and coming tourist area in Salvador and was only 10 minutes in a taxi from the boat, accommodation was found and occupied. Saturday was determined by the skipper as a day off and was spent shopping, relaxing and enjoying a fantastic beach 2 minutes walk from the hotel. Salvador has a problem with muggings and the crew have been very careful as they move around even an area marked as safe. We have been greatly aided by a helpful Irishman who is staying the hotel, he not only has a fountain of knowledge on Salvador and the dangers present but also speaks the Portuguese, invaluable.

Having had a day off, we have now started working back on the boat, preparing it for handover – a combination of tidying, maintenance and cleaning. Winches need their monthly check, leaks that have appeared over the last four weeks have been investigated and solved, sails refolded  - the jobs list is endless but the crew are rattling through it with a positive attitude. We will spend the next couple of days finishing off the boat and if everything goes well, a day off on Wednesday before travelling on Thursday.

In Other News

For a couple of days Discoverer was carrying another crew – Derek; we are unsure what Derek actually was, but he (or she) was a bird.  He followed us for a day before, when changing a sail on Wednesday night, we noticed him perched on the stanchion. It was not long before he was off for a glide, he returned having hovered about the foredeck; he soon left again for another circuit, this time practicing his hovering above the cockpit and slowly gliding towards the foredeck.  Lt Colquhoun and LCpl Minns who were watching the show from the companionway had to quickly duck as he swooped!  By the morning he was gone – so long Derek and I hope that we helped you on your way!

Some members of the crew used the day off to pit their surfing talents against the locals, unsurprisingly the standard fell woefully short but fun was had by all.

LT AJ COLQUHOUN

FINAL THOUGHTS FROM THE CREWS QUARTERS

On a long ocean passage, food conservation is essential, Spr Andrew Grieve didn’t help the cause yesterday when the skippers evening meal ended up on the floor – luckily the foul weather trousers that are mandatory wearing prevented any injury.

The pallets on board have now recovered from the horrors of Neptune and have continued to enjoy some tasty evening meals. Puddings continue to be a dark art, fruit salads are not difficult, open tin and serve; the art of cake making, however, produces mixed results. The cakes made by Andrew and Gav on Monday, had some space for improvement although served with a good dose of jam and honey were perfectly edible!

The Bread making skills of the mother watch, have improved and the bread is now consistently edible. No more burnt bread Neptune, many apologies!

LT AJ COLQUHOUN

FROM THE CREWS QUARTERS

From the Blue Watch

Chris D:
A very good experience and glad that I done it. Never thought I could say to people that I’ve been to Brazil! Also could possibly lead on to future sailing ventures. Good points were overcoming challenges and meeting new people and showing initiative to get things done. Bad points were uncomfortable sleeping and a lack of proper showers. All in all, very good ‘once in a lifetime experience.

Will:
I am glad that I came on this trip, it has been a good experience. Have met some good lads and it was good to hear what they do. Overall I’ve had a good time and will definitely do it again.

Dan:
This trip has taught me a lot of skills that should help me during my career. I think it was a great experience and I will definitely try to do more sailing in the future. I have also met some new people that I will keep in contact with. The trip got very tough at times and it was hard livening without household comforts and not being able to phone home. I’m really glad to be back on land!

Andrew:
Overall I am glad I came on this expedition, as I have had once in a lifetime experience of crossing the Atlantic and equator, as well as learning a lot. I would definitely go sailing again but not for any longer than a few days, as I found living on a yacht especially hard at times.

From the Red Watch

Jade:
I am very glad that I came on this expedition. It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience and will definitely do something like this again. I have met some really nice people, we all got on well which was good. The only bad point about the expedition was that 3 weeks at sea is pretty hard to adapt to if it is your first time sailing and could get quite frustrating at times, overall, I have really really enjoyed myself, it has been brilliant.

Gav:
It has been an experience and a once in a lifetime thing literally. Most of the time was sat on watch, sleeping or eating, same thing everyday for 3 weeks. The best parts were when it was pouring down with rain at night changing sails and things because I knew round about what I was doing and it was funny, better than sitting down bored looking for boats. My conclusion, one hell of an achievement but never again!

Kris:
What can I say that could possibly do justice to this leg of the expedition….? It’s been a hell of an adventure, and an adventure, and an experience I never thought I’d have in my life and possibly never will again. It has been amazing, from start to finish. I’m grateful for the chance to take part. It’s been hard work in parts. But overall it has been an unforgettable journey.

Callum:
I am incredibly grateful that I was chosen for this trip. It was hard at times, but we all got through it. I have learnt a lot about myself and teamwork in the 3 weeks at sea and if it wasn’t for this teamwork we would never have made it. Good points were: initiative increase, teamwork capability increased. Bad points: lack of space, lack of airflow. Overall, glad I was chosen and to have time to experience Lanzarote and Brazil was totally worthwhile.

FINAL THOUGHTS FROM THE AFTERGUARD

Skipper Andy Fernie:
Worked well as a team, not too many cross words! Good effort to get the boat the distance we did in the time we did it and as well as we did!

1st Mate Danny Minns:
It was a great opportunity for the guys.

2nd Mate Simon Finch:
Taking the inexperience of the crew into consideration, it had been a pleasure to watch the daily improvement in their helming over the passage. Also it was fantastic to see a group of very young soldiers, none of whom knew anyone at the start of this trip bond into effective teams.

Red Watch Leader Andy Colquhoun:
It was a fantastic opportunity for both the crew and myself. I had never done an ocean passage before this one and so personally have come out a more rounded sailor. While the crew learnt a lot over the course of the passage, they need to back this knowledge up quickly with some time sailing in coastal waters where manoeuvres on the boat happen a couple of times an hour rather than every couple of days. An unforgettable experience and one that I would repeat if given the chance, but perhaps in a racing environment rather than an extended destination sail!

Blue Watch Leader David Glover:
A once in a lifetime opportunity, it has been a fun trip.

ARTD Instructor Jamie Smith:
The crew are now one step ahead of their peer group with the command tasks they have been doing, taking command and control and beginning to feel comfortable talking infront of people in an effective manner. This is all extremely good training as they take their first steps in trying to become a JNCO. As a personal experience: a once in a lifetime experience that I will always remember but I don’t think I have caught the sailing bug. It has been a pleasure to work with phase 2 students form a collection of different cap badges.