Necessity is en route to Rio Grande in Brazil
Necessity
Eva and Jan Fr. Mack
Fri 13 Apr 2012 20:53
We have now checked out of Uruguay. With regard to officialdom Uruguay has been the most easy going country in South America . Chile and Ecuador was ok, though bureaucratic. Argentina can only be described as paranoid. The Uruguay coast guard was also somewhat bureaucratic, but there was a definite good will. We checked out in Punta del Este in less than one hour, Immigration, Customs and Coast Guard - all. This is the best since El Salvador.
Necessity is now headed for Brazil. Going up this coast can be a challenge with northerly winds being predominant. We now have an opportunity of a few days with very little wind which should get us to Rio Grande or maybe beyond. There is still 900 miles to Rio where we will hopefully find the trade winds (apart from Copa Cabana).
What has happened since this blog was last used a couple of months ago? Quite a lot actually:
1. I have been home with my wife and also spending time with my daughter and her family - including dog and grandchild. That was good after a lot of sailing around the horn.
2. Eva is now back onboard, and no offence to my other good companions, but this way Necessity feels more like a home. A week ago we went by bus and ferry from Piriapolis to Buenos Aires (Necessity is never going back to Argentina). The city is a must, a truly beautiful place with huge boulevards. Unfortunately it is also a place of thieves. We were thoroughly robbed of one rucksack complete with PC and iPad. I am pretty good at backups, but restoring everything including all the programs is still a big deal. We did enjoy the city despite all that.
I generally find Uruguay a better place though. The country is small, but fairly modern and safe. Uruguay, including Montevideo, has the feeling of a fully developed place. People are positive, and we made some friends even though very few speak anything but Spanish. The country is not spectacular with regard to nature, but there are some pretty good beaches. Like Argentina it is expensive though, almost as expensive as back home.
We are now well offshore, the weather is nice, and with no wind, the engine is running.
Jan and Eva
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