Current Position: 33 01.449S 27 53.911’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 18; TWD: 120; Current Speed, 0.2 kt; Current Direction, 90 Distance to Waypoint (East London): At Anchor; Total Miles Sailed: 15914 nm; Engine Hours: 324; Estimate Fuel: 51+15+50;
Comments: I was awake by 5:00. There is no wind and the sky is cloudless. It is looking more probable that I will leave Sunday and possible that I will sail straight through to Hout Bay. I have sent a message to the marina there to confirm a slip is available. I have been studying the weather this morning. I have a bit of a Catch 22. If I leave Sunday, the seas will not have had time to settle down and I would be looking at 12’ waves on the beam until I passed Port Elizabeth, but after that would have good wind all the way to Hout Bay. If I wait until Monday, it would be two good days of sailing before I am becalmed for 24h (before I reach Mossel Bay). As Des frequently reminds me, I cannot rely on forecasts beyond 48h. Unless the forecast changes, I am going to make ready to leave early Monday morning and with a plan to go as far as the weather allows me. After monitoring the the anchor in gusts up to 35 during the past 24h, I decided the anchor was secure and I went ashore for a shower and then took an Uber to the museum. I was at the museum for 5m when I received WhatsApp message from Major Tom telling me my boat was dragging. I rushed back to find it dangerously close to the cameraman Kalim. I quickly got back to the boat and repositioned it further down the river (upwind). I don’t understand the anchoring situation here. The boat turned last night as the wind shifted from the SW to the NE, but it stayed in the same spot (within a radius of 10’) for 6h. I simply will not be able to leave the boat again while at this anchorage. I set the anchor again, the boat stayed in the same spot for 30m, then it suddenly started to drag again. I tried to pick a different spot and payed out more chain at 11:40. The wind was blowing at 20 with gusts in the high 20s. It was blowing straight up the river, causing significant chop. I had to reset the anchor again at 12:10 … this time even further upwind and with practically all 350’ of chain. I received an e-mail from John at Port Elizabeth and he suggested I leave Sunday, skip PE, and head straight for Haut Bay. At 12:30 there was a sustained period of 30 kt wind and the anchor held fast. They are lining up more Mercedes Benz cars and vans on the jetty, which means another ship is coming tomorrow. I really hope they don’t make me move. It is 13:10 and the anchor seems to still holding fast in 25-30 kt wind in that I gave not been pushed closer to the marina, although I may be closer to the shore now. A new GRIB became available at 14:00. There were no significant changes. A departure Sunday morning might get me to Hout Bay (630 nm) early Friday morning. It is 16:10 and it is clear the anchor has not dragged in the last 4h. The boat is closer to the jetty, but that is because the wind has backed more to the N.
Comments: I was awake by 5:00. There is no wind and the sky is cloudless. It is looking more probable that I will leave Sunday and possible that I will sail straight through to Hout Bay. I have sent a message to the marina there to confirm a slip is available. I have been studying the weather this morning. I have a bit of a Catch 22. If I leave Sunday, the seas will not have had time to settle down and I would be looking at 12’ waves on the beam until I passed Port Elizabeth, but after that would have good wind all the way to Hout Bay. If I wait until Monday, it would be two good days of sailing before I am becalmed for 24h (before I reach Mossel Bay). As Des frequently reminds me, I cannot rely on forecasts beyond 48h. Unless the forecast changes, I am going to make ready to leave early Monday morning and with a plan to go as far as the weather allows me. After monitoring the the anchor in gusts up to 35 during the past 24h, I decided the anchor was secure and I went ashore for a shower and then took an Uber to the museum. I was at the museum for 5m when I received WhatsApp message from Major Tom telling me my boat was dragging. I rushed back to find it dangerously close to the cameraman Kalim. I quickly got back to the boat and repositioned it further down the river (upwind). I don’t understand the anchoring situation here. The boat turned last night as the wind shifted from the SW to the NE, but it stayed in the same spot (within a radius of 10’) for 6h. I simply will not be able to leave the boat again while at this anchorage. I set the anchor again, the boat stayed in the same spot for 30m, then it suddenly started to drag again. I tried to pick a different spot and payed out more chain at 11:40. The wind was blowing at 20 with gusts in the high 20s. It was blowing straight up the river, causing significant chop. I had to reset the anchor again at 12:10 … this time even further upwind and with practically all 350’ of chain. I received an e-mail from John at Port Elizabeth and he suggested I leave Sunday, skip PE, and head straight for Haut Bay. At 12:30 there was a sustained period of 30 kt wind and the anchor held fast. They are lining up more Mercedes Benz cars and vans on the jetty, which means another ship is coming tomorrow. I really hope they don’t make me move. It is 13:10 and the anchor seems to still holding fast in 25-30 kt wind in that I gave not been pushed closer to the marina, although I may be closer to the shore now. A new GRIB became available at 14:00. There were no significant changes. A departure Sunday morning might get me to Hout Bay (630 nm) early Friday morning. It is 16:10 and it is clear the anchor has not dragged in the last 4h. The boat is closer to the jetty, but that is because the wind has backed more to the N.