Jeri day 18

So, in usual fashion, will try to tell you about something that's not windsurfing to start with.. I obviously haven't seen much of Brazil and its famous wildlife, on a beach. But you would be surprised what pops up in town. There's a bright green iguana about two feet long that lives at the windsurf centre and makes public appearances on occasion, to the delight of its public. It seems quite happy to pose for pictures. Yesterday I saw my first hummingbird here; quite extraordinary shape and flight. It was all over navy blue, with a bit of a sheen, and looks as if its standing bold upright in the air in the bright pink bougainvillea. And as we were eating at the restaurant last night, someone pointed out a mammal strolling nonchalantly along the wall nearby – a sort of possum thing. Dunno how it gets on with all the cats. And there are buzzards always wheeling around outside the pousada, on the edge of the dunes.

The sailing area is over sandy beach, so devoid of most nasties. I may have mentioned it is reliably reputed to have No Sharks. But someone speared themselves standing on a catfish spine, and Andy casually mentioned he'd seen a man o' war. “Only a small one.” People do sometimes get stung, but it's no biggie. Got to be better than South Africa (sharks) and Oz (box jelly fish and – sharks).

Getting close to the end now. Only two days left, and I think it's safe to say I've peaked. Have I learned to carve? Have I broomsticks. My daily mission has been to return to the same bit of beach I've left, and as you have seen I have not been at all successful at that.

To cut myself some slack, I've hit the wall energy-wise this week. What with the holiday tum and all, I seem to have de-acclimatised. Any walk of more than 20 yds brings me out in a dripping sweat. When I get to the centre I have to sit down in the shade for 30 mins to rehydrate and get over it. I haven't been eating very much, and that's translated into not much energy on the water, and short sessions.
But I will go home with greater confidence in waves and, I hope, a memory of how I tuned up my sailing this time. I hope I still have it next spring, because I can't imagine I'll be doing any UK sailing for a while!