A Sudestada (or South-Easter) is a weather phenomenon unique to the coastlines of Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. A low pressure system from the Pacific, normally cut off by the Andes, somehow hops over the mountains and takes up residence a few hundred miles offshore.
This is somewhat rare – it apparently only occurs 8 or 9 times per year – but when it does happen very strong southeast wind can blow for a few days. It looks like it’s going to happen now, so we’re either lucky (it’s a favorable wind for heading north) or unlucky (it’s forecast to be pretty strong).
So, we decide to slow down for a day to let the strongest wind pass ahead of us. We jog slowly to the northeast under small sails so we won’t make much progress, and we take the opportunity to relax a bit and clean up the boat.
All’s well.
Day Ten
100nm
38 51.1S 48 33.0W
