After leaving the national waters of the United States, "Tonquin" sailed southeast into the Atlantic. On 5 October, the ship came within sight of Boa Vista in the Cape Verde Islands. The enforced policy of impressment by the United Kingdom made Thorn wary of passing British vessels. Consequently, he decided against staying at the holdings of the Kingdom of Portugal and avoided the Cape Verde Islands. After sailing down the coast of West Africa, "Tonquin" made way for South America. Off the coast of Argentina an extreme storm struck, ruining many of the sails and adding two additional leaks in the hull. As the voyage continued on, the freshwater supplies dwindled to three gills a day per sailing member.