East London to Knysna

Tuesday, 27-11-12 at 0800 - departed East London, South Africa.

Wind: 8 to 10 knots SW.

Engine: 1140.4 hours.

The Flight Plan was lodged with the Police the day before. Called up Port Control on VHF Ch 12 for permission to depart the harbour. I had logged onto Peri Peri Radio Net the night before - periperiradio@gmail.com.

The residual SW swell and light wind left a nasty 2 to 3 metre, choppy sea. Both skipper and crew felt decidedly ordinary again. The skipper's breakfast threatened to make an unpleasant reappearance.

Noon 27-11-12 – Tuesday

Time: 12.00L UTC+2.0 

Lat: 33 14.62 S

Lon: 027 53.74 E

COG: 240 Deg  M, Speed 3.5 kts, SOG 6.0 kts

Winds: 10 to 12  Kts S

Swell 2-3 m SW

Engine: 1143.4 Hrs

Barometer: 1028 Mb steady.

The seas started to settle and be a little more friendly.

Wednesday 28/11/12 At 0615 hours

Wind was 12 to 15 from the NE.

23 miles due south of Port Elizabeth

Lat: 34 24.91 S

Lon: 025 40.88 E

Current around 1 knot SW and dropping. There was an abundance of sea birds about.

Noon 28-11-12 – Wednesday

Time: 12.00L UTC+2.0 

Lat: 34 23.87 S

Lon: 025 40.88 E

COG: 290 Deg  M, Speed 5 kts, SOG 6 kts

Winds: 12 to 18  Kts SE

Engine: 1143.6 Hrs

Distance covered since noon yesterday 161 Miles.

Barometer: 1017 Mb.

We had hoped to make it through to Hout Bay, Cape Town on Saturday, December 1 doing an average speed of 5 knots. I had downloaded a weather GRIB file and was concerned with the increasing easterly wind around Cape Agulhas up to 40 knots. I spoke with the ever helpful Roy, Paul and Norman at Peri Peri net at 1700L and was advised not to go near Cape Agulhas in easterly winds of 30 plus knots with SW swell of 3 to 4 metres. They suggested I shelter in Mossel Bay. Had I been closer to Port Elizabeth it was suggested I go back. However, sailing back 70 miles was not really an option. There are not that many places to shelter from a south easterly wind on the south coast.  

1800 hours

Winds 5 - 10 knots SE

Sails slatting in light airs and not going anywhere in a particular hurry. It did not look like there would be much wind for the next 24 hours, then there would be too much.

Started the engine.

During the night we decided to head to Knysna instead of Mossel Bay. The winds were getting lighter and the seas flatter. The problem with Knysna is it is a narrow entrance with a fairly shallow bar. The entrance should only be negotiated in calm seas about one or two hours before high tide - slack water.

29-11-12 Thursday at 0600 hours - motoring.

Winds: 5 to 8  Kts ESE

Lat: 34 20.83 S

Lon: 023 28.80 E

Knysna 26 miles about 5 hours motoring.

Mossel Bay 66 miles about 12 hours motoring.

Knysna Entrance

Noon 29-11-12 – Thursday

Time: 12.00L UTC+2.0 

Lat: 34 07.18 S

Lon: 023 07.51 E

COG: 330 Deg  M, SOG 3 to 4  kts

Winds: 5 to 8  Kts ESE

Engine: 1159.0 Hrs

Distance covered since noon yesterday 95 Miles.

Barometer: 1019 Mb.

Thursday 29-11-12 at 1330 hours arrived Knysna Yacht Club

We managed to safely negotiate the entrance and navigated the narrow channels to the town of Knysna. On nearing the Knysna Yacht Club a good few crustaceans on the bottom of the keel where crushed when Sadiqi ran aground twice. I dropped the anchor instead of parking the boat on the mud again. I phone the yacht club, apologised for putting dents in the mud and asked for some guidance, which was happily given. Sadiqi spent one night tied up to the Yacht Club jetty before moving to the private marina near by.

Alongside Knysna Yacht Club

Knysna is a very pretty, affluent, tourist town nestled near a beautiful lagoon.

Richards Bay to East London

Dawn, a  school friend from old and husband Martin showed Claude and I around Richards bay and Meerensee. They also very generously drove us up to St Lucia game park to see the game around the lake.  

Clearing out of Richards Bay can only be described as tedious. First one has to get and fill it in a "Flight Plan" form from the marina or Yacht Club. For international registered vessels Immigration and Customs has to be visited in town to get a stamp along with a forest of forms to complete. A stamp is required from the Police Station, the Marina at Tuzi Gazi and the yacht club. Finally the form is faxed to port control. This is supposedly the required procedure for each port in South Africa. On departing Richards Bay port control has to be called  for confirmation that the flight plan was faxed before permission to exit is granted. A yacht has 36 hours to depart the port once the Flight Plan has been submitted.

I had heard that both Richards Bay and Durban small boat harbours were full. Apparently there has been far more yachts crossing the Indian Ocean to South Africa than previous years.

Sunday, 18-11-12 at 0800 - departed Richards Bay, South Africa.

Wind: 5 to 10 knots South.

Engine: 1125.7 hours.

Out of the shelter of the harbour the seas were nasty, 2 to 3 metres, short period, sharp and choppy. Both skipper and crew felt decidedly ordinary. It did not take long belch chunks and to feed the fish. Once in the south west setting current the seas were even worse - Sadiqi bobbing around like an aberrant cork. The wind was light from the North East. The instant weight loss program of feeding the fish went on for quite some time. Looking on the bright side one method to detox.   

At 1700 hours the wind was 12 to 15 from the NE.

27 miles offshore. Current was 2 to 3 knots SW.

Lat: 29 27.09 S

Lon: 031 56.75 E

At 2030 hours the winds 12 to 18 NE.

We were breast of Durban - 33 miles due west. Fast sailing in the current.   The seas starting settle and be a little more friendly.

Monday, 19-11-12 at 0600 hours Winds 12 to 15 NE.

Boat Speed 5 knots, SOG 8 knots, COG 225 degrees M

Magnetic Variation 25 degrees West.

Lat: 30 56.31 S

Lon: 031 13.74E

 The coastline between Durban and East London is aptly called the Wild Coast. Not a coast to be messed with when a south westerly wind is about. We had a brief experience of this when at 0200 hours in a 2 to 3 knots southerly current the wind swung to the SW and increased to 20 knots. We headed toward shore to get out of the current for the shallower water and counter currents. A strong wind against strong current is not a good place to be. The SW wind only lasted a few hours and abated. We motor sailed 30 miles into East London harbour in light SW winds.

On Tuesday November 20 at 1230 we dropped anchor at East London - Buffalo River Yacht Club.

Engine: 1139.7 hours.

Sadiqi was one of the last of 15 or so yachts to arrive from Durban and Richards Bay for the trip to Cape Town. Richards Bay to East London is approximately 330 miles. Approximately 52 hours an average of just over 6 knots. The very friendly members of the Buffalo River Yacht Club were quite overwhelmed with the number of yachts arriving in their small town.

K

Buffalo River Yacht Club, East London

The Claude and I decided to stay a little longer in East London and wait for the next weather window to head further south west. I managed to find a fore aft mooring for Sadiqi at the yacht club, for the cost of a few beers. The owner of the mooring, Roy was doing the bottom maintenance on his yacht. This was one of the advantages of having a smaller boat. Most international yachts were 40 feet or more. The hospitality of the members of the yacht club was outstanding. Anton offered to drive Claude and I around to do shopping and proudly gave us a tour of East London and surrounds.

 

Waiting for the weather window or more to the point hiding from bad weather.

The screen shot below shows the weather forecast for the south coast for Saturday, November 24.

 http://www.windfinder.com/forecasts/wind_south_africa_animation.htm

The barometer plummeted to 1007 mb as the front came through before steadily rising to 1022 mb.

 Anton and Natasha very kindly offered to take Claude and I to Mpongo Private Game Reserve near East London. Mpongo is owned by the Premier Hotel Group. The highlight was seeing loins and cubs. The lunch after the game viewing drive was sumptuous.

Hluhluwe/Umfulozi Game Park.

I arranged car hire and accommodation at Hilltop lodge in Hluhluwe to visit the game park with Claude, Bruce and Jill from Daemon. Claude had never been to Africa before and was totally captivated by the animals. Each evening we had to check that Claude had not kidnapped any animals to take home with her.

We saw an abundance of game despite the lush grass undergrowth from the recent rains. The only game we did not see of the "Big 5" were the Lion and Leopard. 

The Crew - Jill, Keith, Claude and Bruce

Elephant playing with car

Giraffe

Rhino

Hippo

Warthog - "What you lookin at?"

Buffalo

Impala and Zebra