Current Position: 20 26.742’S 61 18.4957’E; Local Timezone: UTC+4; SOG: 6.1 kt; COG: 260; TWS: 15 kt; TWD: 158; Distance to Waypoint (26s47s, 261): 855; Total Miles Sailed: 13813 nm; Engine Hours: 269; Estimate Fuel: 48+14+50;
Comments: It is a little after noon. One thing that is going to make this passage challenging is the enormous amount of commercial traffic. Everyone takes the same route around the southern edge of Madagascar. The first, a cargo ship named Dorado, passed 10 nm N or me at 13:20. Jacob in Bib is about 25 nm ahead of me, consistent with the 5h head start he had. It is 13:30 and I have just waken up from a brief nap. While enjoying a tomato sandwich in the cockpit, I noticed high-altitude, wispy (mares’ tail) invading the sky from the W. The surface wind is from the SSE. A depression is certainly approaching. It is probably the fast-moving low pressure system Des wrote about two days ago. I figure it will pass in a couple of days, followed by a vacuum, and probably a sheer line as the next system sets up (just like what happened as I approached Rodrigues). I noticed the cloud systems were becoming more complex as I approached Rodrigues, leaving the trade winds I have enjoyed most of the time since my departure seven months ago. Bottom line, the wind direction and speed are likely to be very fluxional the next week. Des has suggested I post my check-ins earlier in the morning so I may make best use of his recommendations, so I will start posting approximately 1h after sunrise. This will give me a chance to see the sky/sea conditions before posting. Sunrise is at 5:17 at the Rodrigues (63.5e), at my expected location in the morning (61.5e) it should be about 8m later, 5:24, so I will post at 6:30. A second cargo ship (Messinian Spire) passed 12 nm N of me at 16:10. Sunset is at 17:47 at the Rodrigues (63.5e), at my current location (62.75e) it should be about 3m later, 17:50. Sunset was indeed at 17:50. I was waiting to sleep for a tanker to show up. At 21:00 I downloaded long-range AIS data that showed it had changed course and was going to pass way N of me, so I set an alarm for 1h intervals and went to sleep. At 2:00 I downloaded a new GRIB and (most importantly) AIS data. There does not appear to be anymore commercial traffic tonight. The forecast has changed a bit. I adjusted the windvane because the wind veered to 165. I am averaging 6.7 kt. I woke up just before 5:00. After several adjustments over the night, the boat had been doing a pretty good job tracking the rhumb line for the past 20 nm, averaging 6.2 kt. The wind has decreased to 13 and is still from 160 (why the boat is still tracing). The boat speed is down to 5, but the SOG is still over 6 with the help of a 1.1 kt current. I am on track from a 140 nm 24h period since hauling anchor at 8:00 yesterday, which is not bad as the first 3-4 lh were pretty slow as I motored out of the bay, rounded up to raise the sails, and worked my way out if the shadow of the island. A high continues to move E about 650 nm S of me, rotating the wind counterclockwise, as highs do in the southern hemisphere. Consequently, I expect the wind to back during the day, moving me further from a far reach and closer to a broad. I am not too worried about being driven S as the wind should eventually be from the NE, allowing me to tack and reestablish the rhumb line. The sun was behind a cloud bank on the horizon when it rose, but appeared to be when expected. The sunrise was spectacular … the sun is getting more orange as I move to lower latitudes.
Comments: It is a little after noon. One thing that is going to make this passage challenging is the enormous amount of commercial traffic. Everyone takes the same route around the southern edge of Madagascar. The first, a cargo ship named Dorado, passed 10 nm N or me at 13:20. Jacob in Bib is about 25 nm ahead of me, consistent with the 5h head start he had. It is 13:30 and I have just waken up from a brief nap. While enjoying a tomato sandwich in the cockpit, I noticed high-altitude, wispy (mares’ tail) invading the sky from the W. The surface wind is from the SSE. A depression is certainly approaching. It is probably the fast-moving low pressure system Des wrote about two days ago. I figure it will pass in a couple of days, followed by a vacuum, and probably a sheer line as the next system sets up (just like what happened as I approached Rodrigues). I noticed the cloud systems were becoming more complex as I approached Rodrigues, leaving the trade winds I have enjoyed most of the time since my departure seven months ago. Bottom line, the wind direction and speed are likely to be very fluxional the next week. Des has suggested I post my check-ins earlier in the morning so I may make best use of his recommendations, so I will start posting approximately 1h after sunrise. This will give me a chance to see the sky/sea conditions before posting. Sunrise is at 5:17 at the Rodrigues (63.5e), at my expected location in the morning (61.5e) it should be about 8m later, 5:24, so I will post at 6:30. A second cargo ship (Messinian Spire) passed 12 nm N of me at 16:10. Sunset is at 17:47 at the Rodrigues (63.5e), at my current location (62.75e) it should be about 3m later, 17:50. Sunset was indeed at 17:50. I was waiting to sleep for a tanker to show up. At 21:00 I downloaded long-range AIS data that showed it had changed course and was going to pass way N of me, so I set an alarm for 1h intervals and went to sleep. At 2:00 I downloaded a new GRIB and (most importantly) AIS data. There does not appear to be anymore commercial traffic tonight. The forecast has changed a bit. I adjusted the windvane because the wind veered to 165. I am averaging 6.7 kt. I woke up just before 5:00. After several adjustments over the night, the boat had been doing a pretty good job tracking the rhumb line for the past 20 nm, averaging 6.2 kt. The wind has decreased to 13 and is still from 160 (why the boat is still tracing). The boat speed is down to 5, but the SOG is still over 6 with the help of a 1.1 kt current. I am on track from a 140 nm 24h period since hauling anchor at 8:00 yesterday, which is not bad as the first 3-4 lh were pretty slow as I motored out of the bay, rounded up to raise the sails, and worked my way out if the shadow of the island. A high continues to move E about 650 nm S of me, rotating the wind counterclockwise, as highs do in the southern hemisphere. Consequently, I expect the wind to back during the day, moving me further from a far reach and closer to a broad. I am not too worried about being driven S as the wind should eventually be from the NE, allowing me to tack and reestablish the rhumb line. The sun was behind a cloud bank on the horizon when it rose, but appeared to be when expected. The sunrise was spectacular … the sun is getting more orange as I move to lower latitudes.