After our departure from Paranagua, our journey continued to the south along the coast of Brazil. We have been in Brazil now for three weeks and we have only one more day here before our voyage will move on to the coast of Uruguay.
From the bridge and open decks it was clear that we were once again in the company of albatrosses, with a number of yellow-nosed albatrosses from Tristan da Cunha putting in an appearance. As we make our way further south we anticipate the sighting of other more southerly species of seabirds, including penguins. Perhaps the most unusual sighting of the day was a Picazuro pigeon that made several circuits of the ship before continuing on its way. It is spring in this region, and this bird had most likely drifted offshore while heading south. But at only 30 miles offshore, this bird could be back on dry land in an hour, so it was probably not really lost at sea.
On board the series of presentations and talks continued. Yesterday a new guest speaker arrived on board, and this morning he lost no time with his first presentation to share his wealth of knowledge and experience with us. President Cesar Gaviria of Colombia was in office from 1990 to 1994, and his insight into the modern history of Latin America was a unique and valuable perspective on this region. We anticipate hearing more from him and our other speakers, but before that happens we have our last day onshore in Brazil at Rio Grande do Sul.
