As Erebus's crew work on the topmast rigging, they find that her bowsprit, which was replaced in the Falkland Islands, is badly sprung.

McCormick takes a steamer to the Braganza shore and walks as far as an old fort.

The portable magnetic observatory is set up on Rat Island (present-day Ilha Fiscal).

20 June 1843: Terror's crew bury their shipmate in Rio's British cemetery.

Thomas Jones, able seaman on Terror, dies after an illness of about five weeks.

McCormick goes for a stroll around the city, eating lunch at Pharoux's Hotel and visiting the fair and cathedral before returning to the ship.

19 June 1843: Terror's sailmaker is repairing the maintopsail.

Ross and Crozier call on the commander of the American squadron, Commodore William Shubrick.

As it would take more than a month to reach Montevideo, Ross decides to sail for England as soon as he has completed magnetic observations in Rio.

Ross is disappointed to find that Commodore John Brett Purvis, the senior British officer in the port, had left for Montevideo, and that all of the mail for the expedition had been forwarded to him there despite his orders to the contrary.

As the ships enter the harbour, the guess-warp boom of an American frigate, the Columbia, collides with Terror, but does no damage.

Cunningham notes that there appear to be about 500 merchant ships in the harbour.

After beating up all day, the ships anchor in the harbour around 4:40PM.

18 June 1843: At 6AM, the ships make sail amid squally weather for the mouth of Rio de Janeiro's harbour, about 17 miles distant.

The ships exchange colours with an American corvette.

A rotting canister of preserved meats is thrown overboard from Terror.

17 June 1843: The ships continue to struggle against unfavourable winds and squally weather.

Crozier returns to Terror in the evening.

McCormick notes the light from Ilha Rasa lighthouse after dark.

In the evening the winds drop to a near calm, and rain begins to fall.

Crozier goes aboard Erebus in the afternoon.

16 June 1843: The ships tack back and forth off the land in the morning, battling unfavourable winds.

Cunningham notes seeing the light from the lighthouse at Cape Frio at night.

Amid light winds, the ships tack on and off the land for the rest of the day and into the night.

The ships exchange colours with a French brig of war.

15 June 1843: The ships sight the coast of Brazil at daybreak.

Terror's logline carries away, resulting in the loss of 56 fathoms of line.

14 June 1843: Three other ships are in sight, including a small schooner that keeps in close company with Erebus and Terror for most of the day.

Squalls at night.

Erebus takes soundings in 50 fathoms, finding a seafloor composed of coral, broken shell, and sand.

A canister of soup on Terror is found to be unfit for consumption and is thrown overboard.

13 June 1843: Light winds during the day.

Heavy rain at night.

12 June 1843: Erebus takes soundings in the afternoon.

Divine service takes place on both ships.

11 June 1843: A strong breeze lasts all day.

A breeze springs up at night.

Erebus takes soundings in the afternoon to record the ocean's temperature at various depths.

10 June 1843: A calm lasts for most of the day.

Erebus takes soundings in the afternoon to record the ocean's temperature at various depths.

Erebus continues to burn a blue light once or twice an hour, while shortening sail, and the ships are back within sight of each other by 4AM.

9 June 1843: Erebus burns a blue light, which Terror answers.

Shortly before midnight, the ships lose sight of each other in a squall.

The breeze drops to a calm around 11PM, and a heavy rain begins.

8 June 1843: A brisk breeze continues for most of the day.

Erebus's remaining turtle is killed, and McCormick preserves its head and shell.

In the afternoon the ships pass within a mile of the island; the surf is too high for any boats to land.

7 June 1843: The ships sight Trinidad in the morning.

A canister of preserved meats on Terror is found to be stinking, and is thrown overboard.

Terror's Captain of the Forecastle, Archibald Stewart, has his allowance of spirits reduced, the full allowance "being found to be too much for him".