Location: 34° 57S, 54° 43W
Sunday 02.03.2008

At noon on February 3rd, the Schooner Maggie B was at 34° 57S, 54° 43W, about 12 NM out of Punte del Este, making 8.5 knots motorsailing more or less due East. We are only about 20 NM from the end of the Rio de la Plata estuary, when we will head NE for Florianopolis, Brazil. We have come 202 NM from Buenos Aires, Florianopolis is 539 NM and Antigua is 3131 NM.

The weather is overcast with rain showers marching past (and over) us. Right now the wind is light from the South, but we expect it to pick up to 15-20 from the SW as we get further along. We are all hoping for a nice sail. There is a big Southerly swell. We have about 1 1/2 knots of current with us, which is probably partially tide and partially a swirl of the usually SW bound (unfavorable Brazilian current. As we go northeast to Florianopolis, we will do our best to play the current, staying inshore enough to avoid the main current and perhaps catch a bit of a counter current, without getting tangled up in drilling platforms, inshore fisheries or other complications.

Punte del Este was a first for the Maggie B. It was the first time we have been solicited for a bribe by an official for doing his job. The Immigration Official claimed that we didn’t have the proper papers with our passports. We explained that when we checked in at Colonia the Immigration person didn’t issue them to us and said we didn’t need them. Oh, no says our man, it is a about US$100 fine for trying to check out without the proper paperwork. We said that we did everything that they told us. Well, says he, there might not be a fine, but he would have to check with Montevideo, which might take a few days. But if we paid the fine, he could clear us immediately. I said we would have to have a receipt. Oh, no says he, to give a receipt, he would have to check with Montevideo, which….would take a few days. And tomorrow his colleague was on duty and she was much tougher than he. I say - no receipt, no money. We go back and forth (this is all being translated by Thomas). Finally, when Thomas says I’m sorry but the Captain insists, he gives us our stamped passports (he had been waving them in his hand) and says get out of here. I shake his hand, which he almost refuses. He was wearing several gold chains around his neck and was obviously disgusted with us that we didn’t help add to his collection.

All is well.