Ilha Da Trindade

Our course took us fairly close to Ilha Da Trindade, a small island about 600 miles east of Brazil. We talked on the radio with the Brazilian Navy outpost there, and asked for permission to anchor in the lee of their island for repairs. The Brazilian Navy was very helpful, they suggested where best to anchor, and asked if we needed anything (we didn’t). We needed a place out of the waves and swell to take off the auxiliary rudder, replace its lower bearing, and reinstall the rudder. We anchored on the lee side of the island, in 10m (30feet) of water in a bay that sheltered us from the waves and from most of the swell. The job of reinstalling the rudder involves lifting up the 200lb rudder, lining up two pins and then lowering the rudder. This is much easier done when the boat is not moving, so we were very glad to have been able to do the work at Trindade island, instead of having to do it at sea.Just before dusk, we started to leave, but the anchor chain had snagged a rock and would not come up. I dove on it, and between pulling the chain and moving the boat, we were able to free the chain, raise the anchor and leave the island as the light faded.

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