 After spending Christmas in Trinidad , the ships departed for Rio de Janeiro on 29 December . A ceremonial Brazilian escort of three cruisers met the task force 12 nmi ( 14 mi ; 22 km ) outside Rio , and " thousands of wildly cheering Brazilians lined the shore " ; 10 days of ceremonies , games , and festivities followed , and the stopover was so successful that the visit was the cause of a major boost in US – Brazilian relations . The fleet left Rio on 22 January 1908 , still heading south , this time bound for the coaling stop of Punta Arenas , Chile . 
