ADVENTURE BREATHTAKING BRAZIL
The bright green vegetation of the Fernando de Noronha was the perfect backdrop as we took our first morning swim in a fortnight. It extended from the top of the striking Morro do Pico peak to the golden beaches below. As if on cue, a dolphin pirouetted out of the water close to us before another decided to take a closer look at the volcanic archipelago’s newest residents. In the distance, a turtle came to the surface to breathe. Elegant frigate birds and acrobatic gannets flew around our Buchanan 47 ketch, Lucipara 2. Our first encounter with Brazil was nothing short of magical.
The island was in stark contrast to what we had seen while sailing the 1,400 miles from Cape Verde across the Atlantic Ocean. Flora and fauna were limited to fields of seaweed, a single bird and the two fish we caught. The only proof that we were not alone were symbols of ships on our plotter. At night, we could follow the starry sky all the way to the horizon. The weather was anything but constant; the northeast trade wind decreased the further south we got, until leaving us altogether in the Doldrums. There, showers would come and
