On arrival at the Brazilian island of Fernando da Norona, we finally had the chance to diagnose the cause of Saecwen’s mid-Atlantic engine failure. Working in close contact with the team at the Elephant Boatyard back home, the news was bad.  The raw water pump, which provides the principal means of cooling our engine, had systemically failed. Crew mate Jem, who through herculean effort had disassembled the pump, was able to identify that the critical stainless-steel shaft tha

If you ask a Brazilian sailor about their favourite cruising destinations, the chances are Fernando de Noronha will be at the top of their list.  This archipelago is situated 350 miles off the north east coast of Brazil and hosts a pristine ecosystem of diverse marine and bird life, unique geological structures and wildly beautiful beaches. The islands were discovered in the early 1500s by Fernao de Loronha and have since been under Dutch, English and French rule before being

Unlike a traditional downwind passage direct to the Caribbean from the Cape Verde Islands, a voyage to Brazil is an altogether more challenging undertaking given it involves crossing several very different weather systems. The passage can essentially be divided into three discreet sections. Firstly, it starts whilst still in the NE trade wind belt, involving classic downwind sailing for the initial few hundred miles heading south from the Cape Verdes. Refuelling in Mindelo,