Author: mtashby

Current Position: 34 02.971’S 18 20.883’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 40; TWD: 182; Current Speed, 0 kt; Current Direction, 0; Distance to Waypoint (Hout Bay): in a slip; Total Miles Sailed: 16487 nm; Engine Hours: 388; Estimate Fuel: 5+12+50;
Comments: it was high winds all day, in the high 30s with gusts in the high 50s. The spray in the bay was amazing. The boat is secured with six lines. The winds died down overnight. I woke at 4:00 and couldn’t go back to sleep because it was too quiet. It is sunrise, but there is fog. The winds were supposed to be 5-10, but they are blowing 20 from the NE. This may just be the sunrise blow. I will work on gathering my laundry and organizing below for the move to the house and hope the wind quiets down later so I can drop the jib. The cover for the butterfly hatch was on the stern under the tiller. In 16,000 nm and breaking seas, that thing has not moved (it is weighted. How it ended up on the back of the boat and not in the water is a mystery. I will try to lash it down. I forgot how bright the cabin can be when it the butterfly hatch is exposed. Unfortunately, I cannot leave it that way or the plastic I used to waterproof the hatch will rapidly decompose in the sunlight. I was right, as soon as the sun was up, the winds died down and I dropped and folded the jib and main. It is a good thing I got it done at the first opportunity because it was blowing 25 again by 8:30. I spent the day getting stuff off the boat with the expectation that I would be moving into a house this afternoon, but at the last minute I was informed the place was double-booked. I could not find another place on short notice. I will be moving into a place on Sunday. In the meantime, I will work on moving stuff from the forward cabin to the main cabin so I can disinfect.

Current Position: 34 02.971’S 18 20.883’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 40; TWD: 182; Current Speed, 0 kt; Current Direction, 0; Distance to Waypoint (Hout Bay): in a slip; Total Miles Sailed: 16487 nm; Engine Hours: 388; Estimate Fuel: 5+12+50;
Comments: After a shower and a bite to eat, I laid down and slept 4h until 4:30 without once opening my eyes. Chinook arrived at Hout Bay after me. We have not seen each other since the Coocos. I met the captain, Carlos, and his new first mate, Summit, at the marina club house for a couple of drinks. After dark, I heard someone knocking at the boat. The wind was blowing the bowsprit into the electrical box on the dock. The lines were adjusted to (hopefully) prevent that. I had some difficulty getting to sleep because of my nap, but eventually fell asleep about midnight. I banged my head getting up to use the head and cut the bridge of my nose and forehead. It is not serious. Funny that the only time I run into anything is when the boat is relatively stable at a marina. I slept until 9:00! I tried to raise the watervane for the wind vane, but it will not budge. The bolt I replaced in Rodrigues is pinching the joint too much. I need safety bolt in there that can be seized with wire. I have rented a house beginning tomorrow for a week. I need to clear-cut the boat and treat the boat for mold. I also need to reorganize everything for the rest of the trip. I have rented a car for two weeks. I move everything that needs to be cleaned (clothes, dishes, etc.) to the house. I contacted a local sailmaker who is supposed to meet me later this week to discuss making repairs to the main and Yankee. The weather I was trying to avoid will arrive today with winds up to 40 kt. Early tomorrow morning the wind is supposed to be down to 4-9 kt. I will take advantage by folding and storing the storm staysail (I left it but to dry), and taking down the jib and mainsail. The sailmaker is supposed to meet me Saturday. I picked up the car this afternoon. I believe U can check into the house at 3:00 tomorrow. After I finish with the sails, I plan on making trips to the car with my cart, getting all my clothes and bedding off the boat so I can start washing it. I will also remove all perishable food and all of the dishes, pans, and silverware so they can be throughly cleaned. My plan is to disinfect the boat of mold in two steps … first moving everything from the forward cabin and disinfecting it, then moving stuff back while properly organizing it, then I will move the cushions and bins from the main cabin to the forward cabin, move what cannot fit into the cockpit to clear out all the cabinets in the galley area, before disinfecting the main cabin.

Current Position: 34 02.971’S 18 20.883’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 21; TWD: 182; Current Speed, 0 kt; Current Direction, 0; Distance to Waypoint (Hout Bay): in a slip; Total Miles Sailed: 16487 nm; Engine Hours: 388; Estimate Fuel: 5+12+50;
Comments: I received a message that I should arrive about 7:30. This means arriving in the bay about 7:00. It is 11:00 and blowing med-20s steady. I am drifting slowly towards Sandown Bay. It looks like I will need to set sail about 16:00 to sail the 60 nm and arrive at 7:00. The problem is the first half is going to be very slow and the second half very fast. I need to be at the Cape of Good Hope about 3:00 to arrive at the bay about 7:00. To do that I will need to set sail about 16:00. This all assume the weather behaves like predicted, that I have single-digit winds 16:00-21:00, for example. I should target a SOG of about 3 kt 16:00-21:00 and 5 kt 21:00-7:00. It is 11:30 and I am drifting too close to Danger Point, where the waves are breaking heavy. I unleashed the tiller and steered a course for Cape Point. The SOG increased from 1.5 to almost 4. Once I am clear of Danger Point, I will lash the tiller again. After I cleared Danger Point, I changed course to try to come in behind the Point towards Stanford’s Cove to try to get out of the building swell, some of which is beginning to break in the 25 kt wind. The boat slowed down to 3 kt. I am hoping some of the swell will break up in the shoals of Danger Point. It is 12:30 and that was a good call. I am not even out of the wind yet and the sea state is much better. It is 13:00 and I am just beginning to get behind the point. The wind is down to 17 and the current down to 1 with the SOG less than 2 kt. I am hoping things settle down enough to cook a proper meal. I had some soup. The wind is down to 12 kt. I set sail with just the storm staysail at 15:45 and am making 2.1 kt with a 0.7 kt current. I have 40 nm to waypoint at Cape Good Hope. By 18:00, as predicted, the wind speed had dropped to 6 kt and the SOG was about 1.5. I changed the course more westerly for a better wind angle. I can expect these single-digit winds until at least 22:00. I have 37 nm to go to the waypoint. I will have at least 30 left after the wind picks back up after 22:00. If I am to reach the waypoint by 4:00 as planned, I will need to average 5 kt in 10-15 kt wind. I expect to pick up more current by then to help. By 19:00 the boat was just drifting with the current. I received several securite radio transmissions about an entangled whale and a pod of 50 whales in the vicinity (about 35 nm away from my location). It is 21:00 and I have started seeing double-digit winds. With 30 nm to go to the waypoint and 7h to get there (30/7=4.3 kt) , the SOG is 3.5 kt with most of the Yankee unfurled and the staysail. At 21:30 I started seeing 18 kt winds and SOG close to 5. I slowed the boat down for now by furling in the jib. It will be easier to go faster later, but trying to slow down could be an issue. Just flying the staysail was a problem … it only gave me 2 kt and that was not enough to dominate a counter cross current. I unfurled 20% of the Yankee and that let me stay on course with a SOG of 2.8. It is 22:00 and I need to average 28/6=4.7, so I Iet out 50% of the jib to give a SOG of 4.3. Since the wind and current are suppose to increase in the next couple of hours, I believe the speed is okay for now. This will be my only chance to sleep tonight, so I set an alarm for 45m. I was awaken at 23:15 by noise. First, the boat was moving fast. Second, there was some animal calling. It sounded like a seal lion or some other large mammal. I could not see what it was. The boat was going 5.5 kt in 22 kt wind. I rounded up and furled all but perhaps 20% of the jib. I need to go 21/4.5=4.7 kt to arrive at 4:00 and am now going 4.6. I am passing S/V Freya at about 00:15. The name sounds familiar, but I cannot find a previous reference to it in my notes. From the speed, it is headed for Cape Town. I was awaken again at midnight by the boat going too fast. I was now in the main current, 2.2 kt, and had to fuel in the jib completely. I need to go 18/3.75=4.8 kt and am now going 4.6 flying just the storm staysail. I was awaken at 00:45 by the alarm on the TillerPilot. A screw had fallen out of the control arm bracket. Fortunately, the screw was still on the deck. The screw has a lock washer, but apparently that was not enough to keep it in. I had removed the bracket when I did the repair at Port Elizabeth. I will put some Locktite on it when I get to HB. I am a course now that is almost perpendicular to the strong current as I want to be well W of the Cape of Good Hope because its shoals break heavily. This has caused the boat to slow down. To overcome the pull of the current, rather than offer more sail, I turned the engine on for 20m to drive deeper into the current stream. The main goal is to stay in water that is at least 300’. I figure I only need to move 1-2 nm W. It is 4:30 and I have reached the waypoint just W of the Cape of Good Hope. I changed course to make my way up the coast, but I need to jibe. I am waiting to do that until it is light because there is a warning in the charts about fishing equipment. It is 5:15 and I am 17 nm from the channel into Hout Bay. At that point I will drop/lash the staysail and turn on the engine. I put out about 15% of the jib with the staysail am making 5.8 kt in a near run. The 2.3 kt current is about 40 degrees off my course. I should be at the channel to the bay about 8:15. By the time I motor to the bay where I will deploy the lines and fenders, it will probably be 9:00 before I reach the breakwaters. As I got within 6 nm of the channel into the bay, I moved closer to land and lost most of the current. The boat speed fell to 3.5 kt. Rather than present more sail in the 22 kt wind, I motor sailed at 5.6 kt. The fog/smog (from the fires) is making it difficult to make out features on the land. I am hoping there is enough elevation that when I turn E into the channel I am afforded some protection from the wind. About 4 nm out I was in the wind shadow, the wind speed dropped to 15, and the direction shifted, causing slatting of the sails. I furled the jib first. The staysail didn’t seem to be offering any advantage, so I dropped it and lashed it to the stanchions. It was also relatively calm offshore, so I rigged the lines and fenders. It was good that I did all that because I had up to 45 kt adiabatic winds in the bay. It was blowing 30 when I entered the breakwater, but remarkably the winds dropped to 20 by the time I got to the slip. There were three people to help me with the lines. By 9:30 the boat was secured.

Current Position: 34 43.627’S 19 16.672’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 1.4; COG: 330; TWS: 21; TWD: 151; Current Speed, 1.4 kt; Current Direction, 0; Distance to Waypoint (Hout Bay): about 65 nm; Total Miles Sailed: 16407 nm; Engine Hours: 382; Estimate Fuel: 5+14+50;
Comments: I am going to have to transfer fuel from Jerry cans. The question is how much. I will need to stop the boat. Although the seas are less confused, the swell is still significant, so pouring the fuel without spilling it will be an issue. I have 80 nm to motor today and I want a full day tank at the end for the remainder of the passage (which will be mostly under sail). 80/4.5=18h. 18*0.75=13.5 gal. I have maybe 10 gal in the main and 9 gal in the day tank (total of 19), which is 4 more than a full day tank. This would suggest I need to transfer 13.5-4=9.5 gal. I will move 15 gal (three Jerry cans). There shouldn’t be much water in the Jerry cans (more in the main tank), so I will just pour the fuel directly in the tank without using the Baha filter (which would be too difficult to use in the swell without spilling fuel). I have decided to pump the main tank dry because I am only estimating how much fuel remains based upon the number of hours the engine has run. It is possible I will have enough fuel without accessing the Jerry cans. At 7:00 the day tank was down to 8 gal, so I transferred 7 gal from the main. The Racor filter started to plug again, probably because of water mixing with the little fuel that is left in the tank, but I saw no air suggesting there must be some fuel left. I would like to pump out as much as I can to start with a “clean” tank. It is 8:00 and as expected there is almost zero wind. The sea is glassy. I am running against a 0.7 kt current. If not motoring, I would be going backwards. By motoring, I am about 10h ahead of where PW expected me to be 10h ago. In the end, I will have saved more than a day of sailing. But in practice, it means I will arrive at HB during the light winds of Wednesday morning rather than struggling to get in before dark on Wednesday or even Thursday. I downloaded the 9:00 ECWMF update. If anything, the prediction now is for even lighter winds, even along the W coast. However, it looks like I will start seeing so 10 kt winds later this afternoon. The 30 kt winds are not arriving until Thursday. PW has me arriving 4:00 on Wednesday. I won’t be dragging my feet after Cape Agulhas after all. I will need to make an effort to arrive at HB by dawn. It is 10:30 and Horizon is rounding Cape Agulhas. I am on the backside of the current gyro and it is not flowing with me at 0.7 kt giving me a SOG of 5 at 1800 rpm. The water is like glass and the swell has been reduced. 55 nm to the Cape. I should be there about 20:00. About 14:00 I started to see 8 kt winds with 19 kt gusts. I raised the double-reefed main and unfurled 80% of the Yankee. With a 0.9 kt cross current and 1600 rpm in a close haul, I was making 6 kt with 39 nm to go to the Cape. The boat is way more stable now, which is a relief because although there was little swell the boat was rocking terribly while motoring without any wind. I turned off the engine at 15:00. With 11 kt wind I was making 5 kt. I was able to top off the day tank from the main, so I may not have to use the Jerry cans. The wind returned earlier than expected. It is 19:00 and I am rounding Cape Agulhas. I did not expect to be here until midnight. I have about 130 nm to go to Hout Bay. It may be possible to get there before dark tomorrow, but if I cannot, I’d have to fight the current and traffic all night to go in Wednesday morning. Sunrise will be at 5:30. If I want to arrive in the bay at 6:00 Wednesday morning, I need to average 130/35=3.7 kt. That is real slow for these conditions (presently 1.5 kt current). I furled in about half the Yankee, slowing the boat from 6.5 to 4.5 in a beam reach. It looks like as I round the corner I am going from a 90 to 130, a broad reach, which should slow the boat down. The wind is supposed to die down a bit tomorrow afternoon, but build significantly Tuesday night. I can slow the boat down further by dropping the main and just using the foresails, which I may need to do Tuesday night. By 22:00 the wind speed had dropped to single digits. I was in a deep broad reach, almost a run, so I dropped the mainsail. The SOG fell to around 3 kt. Starting about midnight, the wind was supposed to back to the E for the remainder of the night. When it did, I was going to need to tack to starboard, but I was not sufficiently clear of the Cape to do that now. By 00:30 I was far enough W and the wind had backed enough to tack to the starboard and head for Cape Point (the western edge of Valsbaai), 76 nm away. The current was also rotating and was now NW. I was making almost 4 kt with the Yankee and storm staysail. The wind was supposed to continue to back and pick up speed to about 15, so I expect the boat to pick up speed as well. Now that I have tacked, I am moving along with the commercial traffic. It is 5:00 and I am 57 nm from the waypoint. I averaged (76-57)/4.5=4.2 since tacking. However, as expected, the wind has built to 15 and I am now averaging over 5. The wind is expected to build to 17 with 22 gusts the next few hours, then tapper off by noon to single digits all afternoon. At 5:30 I furled in the jib and am making 4.1 on the storm sail alone. I have 75 nm to go, so must average 75/24=3.1 kt. I have already flattened the storm sail, so there is not much more I can do but run bare poles and just float with the current, which would be a very bad idea with the amount of commercial traffic. It is almost 7:00. I have lashed the tiller port and am drifting almost perpendicular to the 1.8 kt current with a SOG of 2.1. I am going to wait out this morning’s blow like this. I am headed towards Betty’s Bay, about 30 nm away. This course takes me out of the path of commercial traffic. It is also moving me out of the main course of the Benguelas Current, which is now 2 kt. There is also supposed to be a pocket of dead air that develops there this afternoon. I will update the ECWMF forecast in a couple of hours. It is 9:00 and not much has changed in the GRIB. I am going to allow the boat to drift until mid to late afternoon, perhaps 15-20 nm towards Betty’s Bay. This will give me 55-60 nm to Hout Bay. After I round the Cape of Good Hope and starting 21:00-22:00, the wind will pick up to 16 with gusts in the 20s. It will be hard to slow the boat to less than 4 kt. At that point I will only have 20 nm yo Hout Bay, which I figure will take 5h, so I do not want to be to Good Hope before midnight. I figure it will be about 30 nm from the point I stop drifting to Good Hope. Much of the time in the late afternoon to midnight the wind will be very light (3-12), so I figured I can keep the SOG below 3, so it should take 30/3=10h. According to, I need at least 15h. If so want to arrive at the channel into the bay at 6:00 to reach the berth about 7:00, I need to start sailing about 3:00. Between now and then (6h) I am going to drift. This should not be a problem as I have already drifted out of the main current and the SOG is 1.5. I note that my plans have changed as often as the weather forecasts in the last 24h. I thought I would need to transfer fuel, then the winds came early. I thought I would be sailing straight through, then the winds were stronger than expected and I find myself heaved to for 8h.

Current Position: 34 45.157’S 21 33.020’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 4.3; COG: 284M (255T); TWS: 6; TWD: 006; Current Speed, 0.7 kt; Current Direction, 60; Distance to Waypoint (HB4, Cape Agulhas, 286): 78; Total Miles Sailed: 16298 nm; Engine Hours: 370; Estimate Fuel: 15+9+50;
Comments: It is 6:30 and the latest forecast is more dire. It is now looking like there will be little wind for 48h. My choices are to pull into Mossel Bay to wait it out (I wouldn’t get there until late tonight) or motor through for at least 24 and perhaps 36h. Drifting amongst all the commercial traffic is not an option. It does not make sense to motor 18h (perhaps 40 nm out of my way) so I can wait 24h in Mossel Bay. It also does not make sense to continue on my course towards land if I commit to motoring (just to cling onto sporadic single-digit wind that is blowing in the wrong direction). The sea should flatten out soon, making motoring easier. It seems U have only one choice after all. I am furling the jib and dropping the main (I will leave the staysail up for stability) and I am setting a course for Cape Agulhas. It is 7:00. The wind has dropped to 5 kt from the W and the 0.8 kt current is almost N. Neither the wind nor the current are of any help getting me to HB. I am 195 nm from Cape Agulhas and am making about 5 kt at 1800 rpm. I feel better about moving along the same path as the commercial traffic. It makes it much easier for us to avoid each other. Also, I seem to be about 5 nm N of most of the traffic. I notice Horizon is about 20 nm N of me (closer to the shore) and is under power. It is smart to be out of the commercial traffic, which I would have done had I known I was going to motor. It is 9:00 and raining lightly again … nothing threatening. At 11:00, there was 10 kt wind, so I deployed one-third of the Yankee, which helped stabilize the boat (with the staysail) and improved the speed from 5.2 to 5.6. There is usually an update of the ECMWF about 9:00 (and 21:00), so I download a fresh GRIB and AIS data. No surprises … the wind won’t be back until early Tuesday morning. After that, I will have solid 15/25 the rest of the way. It looks like if I am at Cape Agulhas about midnight (36h from now), I will have wind. That means I need to average 175/36=4.9 kt … which means motoring the whole way. I can see Saphir is 8 nm ahead of me, Horizon is 20 nm NW of me, and the leaders of the 5.80 fleet have skipped PE and are becalmed (doing 1-2 kt in random directions). I don’t envy the 5.80 fleet because they will likely sit there 48h. Paradise Falls is about 100 nm behind me and they must be motoring. It is 13:00 and some of the cloud cover seems to be burning off. It is 14:30 and the boat speed is up (6 kt), which I attribute largely to the calmer sea state. The winds are now down to the low single digits. 155 to Cape Agulhas. I transferred fuel from the main tank to the day tank and got a little water in the trap. That sometimes means I am getting to the bottom of the tank and/or the boat is rolling and shaking up the bottom of the tank. Both are probably true today as I probably have 18-20 gallons left in the main tank. Sometime in the morning when there is no wind and the sea is even calmer, I will stop the boat and transfer fuel from some of the Jerry cans. Sunset was at 19:17 (22.5e). The current is beginning to rotate to port as I approach the shoals of Cape Agulhas. It is 20:00 and the wind has picked up to 14, but it is only supposed to last for about 3h before it starts dropping to zero by dawn. I passed Mossel Bay about 21:00. It is 00:40 and as expected the wind has dropped to 4 kt. Also, the current has fallen to 0.8 kt. Consequently, the SOG is 4.6 with 100 nm to go to Cape Agulhas. I have entered the “Agulhas Bank”, a shoal area that spreads out the current, which is why it is less than half the speed it has been. Since there is little wind and current, it could take about 100/4.5=22h to motor to the Cape. By the time I get there, I should have 10 kt of wind and perhaps 120 nm to sail. The current will start out about 0.5 and build to 1.1 or so. The winds will build from 10 to 20. I will have 36h to cover the 120 nm to arrive Wednesday morning, so I will need to average 120/36=3.3 kt. Most of the distance will be covered directly downwind, so I will be running just the foresails, initially the Yankee and storm staysail, but probably just the storm sail by the end. The point is I will not be in a rush as it will be impossible for me to reach Hout Bay before dark tomorrow, so I will need to slow my roll to arrive Wednesday morning. I note the “squeeze” has begun with the commercial traffic lining up to turn the Agulhas corner. There is steady stream of ships passing me, one every 15 minutes or so, but I am 3-4 nm N of the channel and out of their way. I got up at 5:00 after a night of sleeping 45m intervals. Normally, the intervals would have been dictated by the intervals of ships passing, but they passed in such rapid succession it was impossible to do that. I simply tried to stay out of the shipping lane all together and hoped the ships would “behave themselves.” The 0.8 kt current has been shifting all night, rotating counterclockwise, and it is now perpendicular to me and running towards the shore. I had to adjust my course accordingly and I am now headed for the waypoint once again, 80 nm away. Sunrise was at 5:22 (31.5e).

Current Position: 34 45.157’S 21 33.020’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 4.3; COG: 284M (255T); TWS: 6; TWD: 006; Current Speed, 0.7 kt; Current Direction, 60; Distance to Waypoint (HB4, Cape Agulhas, 286): 78; Total Miles Sailed: 16298 nm; Engine Hours: 370; Estimate Fuel: 15+9+50;
Comments: It is 6:30 and the latest forecast is more dire. It is now looking like there will be little wind for 48h. My choices are to pull into Mossel Bay to wait it out (I wouldn’t get there until late tonight) or motor through for at least 24 and perhaps 36h. Drifting amongst all the commercial traffic is not an option. It does not make sense to motor 18h (perhaps 40 nm out of my way) so I can wait 24h in Mossel Bay. It also does not make sense to continue on my course towards land if I commit to motoring (just to cling onto sporadic single-digit wind that is blowing in the wrong direction). The sea should flatten out soon, making motoring easier. It seems U have only one choice after all. I am furling the jib and dropping the main (I will leave the staysail up for stability) and I am setting a course for Cape Agulhas. It is 7:00. The wind has dropped to 5 kt from the W and the 0.8 kt current is almost N. Neither the wind nor the current are of any help getting me to HB. I am 195 nm from Cape Agulhas and am making about 5 kt at 1800 rpm. I feel better about moving along the same path as the commercial traffic. It makes it much easier for us to avoid each other. Also, I seem to be about 5 nm N of most of the traffic. I notice Horizon is about 20 nm N of me (closer to the shore) and is under power. It is smart to be out of the commercial traffic, which I would have done had I known I was going to motor. It is 9:00 and raining lightly again … nothing threatening. At 11:00, there was 10 kt wind, so I deployed one-third of the Yankee, which helped stabilize the boat (with the staysail) and improved the speed from 5.2 to 5.6. There is usually an update of the ECMWF about 9:00 (and 21:00), so I download a fresh GRIB and AIS data. No surprises … the wind won’t be back until early Tuesday morning. After that, I will have solid 15/25 the rest of the way. It looks like if I am at Cape Agulhas about midnight (36h from now), I will have wind. That means I need to average 175/36=4.9 kt … which means motoring the whole way. I can see Saphir is 8 nm ahead of me, Horizon is 20 nm NW of me, and the leaders of the 5.80 fleet have skipped PE and are becalmed (doing 1-2 kt in random directions). I don’t envy the 5.80 fleet because they will likely sit there 48h. Paradise Falls is about 100 nm behind me and they must be motoring. It is 13:00 and some of the cloud cover seems to be burning off. It is 14:30 and the boat speed is up (6 kt), which I attribute largely to the calmer sea state. The winds are now down to the low single digits. 155 to Cape Agulhas. I transferred fuel from the main tank to the day tank and got a little water in the trap. That sometimes means I am getting to the bottom of the tank and/or the boat is rolling and shaking up the bottom of the tank. Both are probably true today as I probably have 18-20 gallons left in the main tank. Sometime in the morning when there is no wind and the sea is even calmer, I will stop the boat and transfer fuel from some of the Jerry cans. Sunset was at 19:17 (22.5e). The current is beginning to rotate to port as I approach the shoals of Cape Agulhas. It is 20:00 and the wind has picked up to 14, but it is only supposed to last for about 3h before it starts dropping to zero by dawn. I passed Mossel Bay about 21:00. It is 00:40 and as expected the wind has dropped to 4 kt. Also, the current has fallen to 0.8 kt. Consequently, the SOG is 4.6 with 100 nm to go to Cape Agulhas. I have entered the “Agulhas Bank”, a shoal area that spreads out the current, which is why it is less than half the speed it has been. Since there is little wind and current, it could take about 100/4.5=22h to motor to the Cape. By the time I get there, I should have 10 kt of wind and perhaps 120 nm to sail. The current will start out about 0.5 and build to 1.1 or so. The winds will build from 10 to 20. I will have 36h to cover the 120 nm to arrive Wednesday morning, so I will need to average 120/36=3.3 kt. Most of the distance will be covered directly downwind, so I will be running just the foresails, initially the Yankee and storm staysail, but probably just the storm sail by the end. The point is I will not be in a rush as it will be impossible for me to reach Hout Bay before dark tomorrow, so I will need to slow my roll to arrive Wednesday morning. I note the “squeeze” has begun with the commercial traffic lining up to turn the Agulhas corner. There is steady stream of ships passing me, one every 15 minutes or so, but I am 3-4 nm N of the channel and out of their way. I got up at 5:00 after a night of sleeping 45m intervals. Normally, the intervals would have been dictated by the intervals of ships passing, but they passed in such rapid succession it was impossible to do that. I simply tried to stay out of the shipping lane all together and hoped the ships would “behave themselves.” The 0.8 kt current has been shifting all night, rotating counterclockwise, and it is now perpendicular to me and running towards the shore. I had to adjust my course accordingly and I am now headed for the waypoint once again, 80 nm away. Sunrise was at 5:22 (31.5e).

Current Position: 34 31.516’S 23 57.710’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 5.4; COG: 350M (325T); TWS: 9; TWD: 276; Current Speed, 0.9 kt; Current Direction, 355; Distance to Waypoint (HB4, Cape Agulhas, 290): 197; Total Miles Sailed: 16176 nm; Engine Hours: 347; Estimate Fuel: 24+14+50;
Comments: It is 15:00 and it has been beautiful sailing all afternoon. The seas are relatively calm, there is a perfect amount of wind (14, and a strong current (1.6). It is 16:30. As expected, the wind has backed, shifting from a beam to a broad reach, slowing the boat down a bit (5.5 from 6.2). Rougher sea conditions are also contributing to the slower speed. I unfurled the rest of the Yankee and was able to pick up a little speed (5.7). I just passed two more fishing bouys. They are impossible to see unless I am right on top of them. I am about 13 nm from Seal Point. I still have (weak) cell signal, but I expect to loose it after Seal Point as the land mass shifts northward and I become further offshore. I passed Seal Point at 18:45, about 30m before sunset. I set a course for about 10 nm N of Cape Agulhas (245 nm away). To get a decent AWA, I had to set a course for 280 (rather than 288). The current speed is not down to 1.5 and the SOG about 4.7. The wind is expected to drop markedly by midnight. I noticed the French aluminum ketch Horizon has left PE and is motoring. Sunset was at 19:08 (25e). I had 15 kt of wind most of the night and made about 5 kt in a near dead run. As expected, by 3:00 the wind had dropped to 6 and the current bro 0.9, slowing the boat to 2 kt. I was sailing 45 degrees to the shipping lanes, so I turned the engine on and set a course for Cape Agulhas (so I could get a bit more sleep while staying out of the way of the ships). I downloaded the latest GRIB. It was going to get worse with very little and at times no wind the next 24h. In a couple of intervals, I managed to get a bit more sleep, waking just before dawn at 4:50. The boat was moving faster. I had motored into a some wind and producing a SOG of over 6 at 1800 rpm. Sunrise was at 5:07 (24e) and it was beautiful. A tanker was passing me at the same time (coincidentally called the Aeolian Sunrise) and the my boat practically bumped into a fishing bouy. I wonder how many of them get tangled in props? I am waiting until the ship passes, then I will turn the engine off again. I will need to make a decision soon, when there is zero wind. Do I motor or do I drift. If motoring, I can stay in the shipping lanes. If drifting, I need to motor closer to shore, out of the lanes. It is 5:30 and the wind made up my mind, veering so I had to set a course inland, practically straight at Mossel Bay (90 nm away), to avoid slatting of the jib. It is just as well as it will give me a better angle to the wind when it returns. It is only 50 nm between degrees of longitude at this latitude. In contrast to the clear skies yesterday, it looks like it could rain today (consistent with the convergence overnight). It is 6:00 and my course is towards Pettenberg Bay (about 35 nm away). I am going to continue on this course as long as it makes sense (e.g., until the wind or current in this direction dies down), then will turn W (parallel to the shore). It just started to rain.

Current Position: 34 08.565’S 25 22.910’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 6.2; COG: 282; TWS: 15; TWD: 173; Current Speed, 1.8 kt; Current Direction, 310; Distance to Waypoint (HB3, Seal Point, 282): 28; Total Miles Sailed: 16102 nm; Engine Hours: 344; Estimate Fuel: 25+11+50;
Comments: I didn’t get to sleep until after 21:00, probably because of the nap, but was awake again at 3:00, nevertheless. I downloaded the GRIB from 21:00 last night. The dead air Monday lasts longer and is more widespread (unavoidable). It looks to me like I should fly the asymm from Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon. I’ll have a better idea after the first 24h where I stand. I am going to try to “hurry up and wait) by getting to 20-21e and waiting for the blow up the W coast starting Monday night. I will only have 130 nm to go at that point, so I may need to “slow my roll” to arrive Wednesday morning. I’d rather do that and have 12h buffer of daylight. I replaced the Racor filter because I could not top off the day tank. It was completely plugged, apparently from absorbing water. I settled my bill and pulled out of the slip about 8:20. I paused in the port to stow the line and fenders and raise the storm staysail. There was only 5-6 kt winds from the E and the sea state was calm. HB1 was directly in the wind, so I didn’t raise any sails other than the storm staysail. At 9:45 I changed course for HB2, 4.5 nm away, following the “traffic service lane” (the shipping lane leaving the port headed S). There were a huge number of seabirds in the relatively sheltered water. Interesting, my heading is 181 magnetic but the true direction is 153 degrees. The magnetic declination in southeastern Africa is some of the largest in the world. I passed the famous lighthouse on Cape Recife about 10:00. I am still heading directly into the wind. The current is starting to build, now about 1 kt. I will turn more S wasaw soon, so I went ahead and raised the double-reefed main. I realized the Agulhas current is 35 nm offshore her and to get to it would require motoring against the wind. Furthermore, the current is faster closer to the shore than in the waters between the coast and the main current. Accordingly, I changed my waypoint to about 10 nm off Seal Point, about 55 nm away on a heading if 280 M (250 T). I will take the 1 kt if current and the little wind U have in a close haul. So, at 11:15 I am motor sailing 6.2 kt in 1 kt current , 9 kt wind, and 1800 rpm/. Soon as I see double digit wind, I will shut off the engine. At 11:30 I unfurled 80% of the Yankee and the SOG increased to 6.6 kt, so I decreased the engine speed to 1500 rpm giving a SOG of almost 6 kt. I am trying to stay close enough to shore that I am not in the shipping lanes. It is 11:30 and I can see from the AIS that Saphir is just leaving PE, about 3h after me. I can also see the 5.80 racers have just left EL. Paradise Falls, which I have not seen since the Cocos is halfway between EL and PE, about 100 nm behind me. It is 13:00 and the SOG is over 7 because of a better-than-expected 1.8 kt current. The wind was now in the double digits, 10-15, as expected. I turned the engine off and was averaging about 6 kt. A few minutes later I passed two finishing bouys … yet another potential hazard, presumably more likely as I am only 5 nm offshore and the depth is about 300’. It is 13:30 and I am still using the TillerPilot even though I am under sail and there is plenty of wind to use the windvane. I suppose I am worried about being so close to shore and the likelihood the wind is going to back more.

Current Position: 33 57.997’S 25 38.094’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 17; TWD: 270; Current Speed, 0 kt; Current Direction, N/A; Distance to Waypoint (Port Elizabeth): Moored; Total Miles Sailed: 16072 nm; Engine Hours: 324; Estimate Fuel: 36+15+50;
Comments: I was awaken at 2:00 by an unusual noise, like perhaps a bilge pump going off. I checked the bilges and found the shower sump bilge essentially dry. There was relatively little liquid in the main bilge as well, but it had a strange red color, like the color of ATF. I checked the level of the fluids in the engine and transmission, and the water, oil, and ATF were fine. Although the fluid in the bilge looked like it flowed from the engine room (there was some on top of the diesel tank), the sump of the engine compartment was dry and there was no evidence anything has been leaking. I checked beneath the sink and could not find any containers leaking there. All I can think of is I ran the watermaker while offshore just to purge it. It was my intention to just let the desalinated water flow into the sink, but the spicket was twisted and the water ran onto the counter (and presumably ended up in the bilge). I cannot be certain how much water ended up there, but from the time the watermaker was running, I am guessing 1-2 gallons. Perhaps something got washed down there in the circuitous route the water took. I fell back asleep about 3 and slept until 5:30. Checked the weather … still a go for tomorrow. Looks like the weather will be good all week … at least until Friday. I left for my massage about 8:30 and returned about 11:00. I baked three pizzas for the passage and then took a 2h nap. The ECMWF was updated at 9:00. The weather looks good for a 9:00 departure tomorrow. The wind will be light initially, making it easier to get out of the marina, but will pick up around noon offshore. It will be a 3.5d passage, putting me at HB about midnight Wednesday morning. I will try to time my arrival at the marina for dawn. The wind will pick up during the day and see 40 kt gusts by afternoon. Dawn is supposed to be 9-20 with 28 gusts., but of course that forecast may change between now and then. I entered a series of waypoints. Basically, I plan to clear Cape Recife, then head for a waypoint about 5 nm S of Cape Agulhas. Once clear, I will set a NW course for Cape Maclear and Hout Bay, taking advantage of the Benguela current as I can.

Current Position: 33 57.997’S 25 38.094’E; Timezone: UTC+2; SOG: 0; COG: N/A; TWS: 8; TWD: 148; Current Speed, 0 kt; Current Direction, N/A; Distance to Waypoint (Port Elizabeth): Moored; Total Miles Sailed: 16072 nm; Engine Hours: 324; Estimate Fuel: 36+15+50;
Comments: I woke at 3:00 … sweaty. The weather cannot make its mind up if it hot or cold. I furled the spinnaker I sewed yesterday at first light, 4:30, before the wind picks up. I am going to leave it suspended this morning to try to dry it out a bit before stowing it. It was a good thing I got it furled because the wind picked up at dawn The ECMWF updates about 9:00, so I will download a new GRIB then. I am going to ready the boat today and do some cooking tomorrow. This morning’s update of the ECMWF has not changed much. If anything, the forecast looks better (PE to Hout Bay in 2.25 days). I treated the sail bag for mold (bleached it) and repacked the asymm. I organized the V-berth and the starboard settee area. I met the crew of Horizon, a 50’ aluminum ketch from the Netherlands that I have seen on the AIS many times. They arrived yesterday. Notice: I forgot to post this yesterday afternoon.