News from the fleet
SV Serendipity – Day 21 at sea and the finish line is no longer just a rumour — it’s starting to feel real. Mile by mile, Rio is creeping closer. We’ve now logged just over 3,300 nautical miles, with roughly 460 nm left to run.
As we’ve pushed further west, the weather has decided to show us a few more personalities. Days and nights have turned increasingly overcast, with squalls lurking on the horizon like they’ve got unfinished business. Thursday morning delivered a proper reminder of who’s actually in charge out here. We spotted her approaching from the southeast — dark, heavy, and purposeful — rolling toward us like a freight train. In the blink of an eye, the wind leapt from 12 knots to 35 knots. We were under full sail (thankfully the spinnaker was already tucked away), hove-to smartly, and ten minutes later… calm. As if nothing had happened. Classic ocean mood swings.
Despite the occasional drama, conditions have generally been outstanding. Warm enough that life onboard is mostly lived in board shorts — a luxury this deep into a crossing. Nights, however, are on another level entirely. Pitch black, utterly magical. The star gazing has been spectacular, with satellites gliding silently overhead and shooting stars putting on what feels like a nightly performance just for us.
Of course, no crossing is complete without a bit of boat work. We’ve blown our big spinnaker and wrestled through a handful of onboard equipment gremlins. Thursday and Friday were spent head-down in repair mode, but for now everything is back under control and Serindipity is holding together beautifully.
The latest forecast suggests things are about to get lively. As we close in on Rio, high sea states and strong gusts are expected tomorrow and Monday with an incoming low-pressure system. Today, however, is eerily calm — very much the silence before the violence. We’re using the pause wisely, rigging the storm jib and battening everything down in preparation for what’s coming.
Our current calculated finish time is Tuesday, 20 January — but as always at sea, we’ll see how that cookie crumbles. I’ll likely only post again once we’re at (or just about at) landfall.
The crew of Serindipity would also like to congratulate all the competitors who have already finished the race — well done to every one of you. We’ve got our own little race going on at the back end between Solitaire and Suidoos, both sailing exceptionally well and keeping things exciting all the way to the line — but as they say in Afrikaans, “agter os kom ook in sy kraal.”
Cape 2 Rio truly is a race for everyone. It’s been spectacular following the leading boats, but just as rewarding discovering that even a heavier cruiser like us can squeeze every bit of excitement out of this incredible crossing.
We are very excited to reach Rio.
Once again, thank you to everyone for the messages and well wishes — they mean more than you know out here.
SV African Skimmer – We have been doing good time on the A2 all yesterday afternoon and through the night. Wind picked up above 20 knots in the early hours this morning so we had to drop the A2 and go onto the J1. Sailed through a fleet of oil production rigs and vessels. So much light up there that it was like we were back in the city! Some really huge production platforms that we passed in the night. Land ho at 06h00 this morning. Cabo Frio! Wind dropped again at 09h00 and we have hoisted the A2 again and we are slowly cruising into Rio. Predict wind has us crossing the finish line at 16h00 local time (GMT -3). We are still ahead of Fryd (by 10 nm). 😁
