Just as the sun was rising a few degrees above the horizon we dropped anchor off the north side of our first landfall in Brazil and the New World. Our crossing essentially down the middle of the Atlantic (since we were on a course of 205 for most of the days at sea) was very calm and filled full of activities. Today and tomorrow we all are looking forward to spending time visiting one of the "jewels" of the Brazilian coast. Fernando de Noronha was discovered in 1500 by the famous explorer Amerigo Vespucci and the island's name is derived from the nobleman of Portugal in 1504. Various countries subsequently laid claim to the island over the decades until finally in the early 18th century mainland Brazilian forces grabbed control. In 1988 70% of the archipelago was declared a marine park to protect the unique and interesting wildlife.

In the morning we were given time to bask in the sun and swim in the delightfully warm waters. There are 16 sandy beaches around the island. Some of the beaches are being protected as sea turtle nesting areas. In the afternoon half of the group boarded local boats for an excursion to view a local population of Spinner Dolphins that stay in a small bay during the morning and then travel around the island during the day to feed.

The other group ventured back ashore to visit with some of the TAMAR (tartarugas marinhas) researchers and to see them measuring turtles. We were fortunate that 3 turtles were brought ashore for inspection. One was a large Green Turtle and the other two were the very endangered Hawsbill Turtle. Following the demonstration we then went to a lovely viewpoint high over the southern side of the island where we could see one of the most important nesting beaches for the turtle. During our trip we heard about the biology of the turtles and the efforts of TAMAR from the director of the project, Claudio Bellini.

During cocktail hour people chatted about their various activities and experiences during the day. For recap Claudio told us a little more about the TAMAR project and introduced a video about the islands and the conservation projects. Following the video Claudio was presented with a gift from Lindblad Expeditions to further the research and conservation efforts on Noronha. Claudio, although speaking reasonable English, used our staff naturalist, Suzana Machado D'Oliveira, to interpret his overwhelming appreciation for the digital camera. He said it will be very useful in documenting the conditions of trails around the island and also producing a catalog of turtle and dolphin photos. After dinner many people strolled around the deck taking in the tropical evening and the bright moon.