Hi everyone,
We are currently in position 34 14S 23 37E, motorsailing at 6 knots on a course of 310M. We have a light SE wind of about 10 knots. We have full sail up which is adding a couple of knots to our motoring speed. We have logged 95nm on the passage so far and have 75nm to run. The passage is 200nm over the ground so we are getting assistance from current - perhaps 1 knot on average.
We motored across a windless sea from 2100 last night until 1200 today when the light SE breeze came in. As the night wore on the clouds dispersed and we had moonless but starlit early hours. The bioluminescence stirred up by the propellor was impressive, extending a boatlength or so behind us.
We have caught up with the two boats we're in company with. The three of us have been in VHF range of each-other all the way - a first for us since leaving Fremantle. We seeing lots of birds on this passage, and think we may have seen a seal in the distance. Expecting to see more of the latter along the south coast.
We hope to arrive in Mossel Bay around dawn tomorrow morning. We expect a brief period of strong SW winds on Tuesday afternoon and overnight. If they die down as predicted we will be able to depart for Simon's Town on Wednesday afternoon.
Monday, 14 December 2015
Port Elizabeth Departure
Hi everyone,
We departed PE at 1430 this afternoon. We are currently in position 34 08S 25 26E, motoring on a course of 280M at 4 knots. The wind is about 5 knots from the SW and there's a slight left-over sea still running and a low S swell.
Our final full day at PE was fun. We returned the hire car then took a taxi to the Boardwalk which is a few kilometres south the the port. We watched the Bond movie Spectre then had a very nice lunch at a restaurant overlooking the beach. It was a very windy day, with 40+ knot winds in the marina.
We are sailing for Mossel Bay, taking advantage of a short weather window. We are in company with UK yacht Pipistrelle and German yacht Anke Sophie. Initially we had a nice sailing breeze which took us south from PE past Cape Recife. Sadly the breeze died at 2100 and we've been motoring since then.
Sadly we expect to be motoring for a while. This forecast is for light winds but it was time to move on. The weather windows are proving few and far between so one has to take whatever comes along. It will be interesting to see if we find more black debris in the engine's freshwater system after this passage. It is only 200nm to Mossel Bay where we can shelter from the next front which is due on Tuesday night / Wednesday.
Trust all's well where you are!
We departed PE at 1430 this afternoon. We are currently in position 34 08S 25 26E, motoring on a course of 280M at 4 knots. The wind is about 5 knots from the SW and there's a slight left-over sea still running and a low S swell.
Our final full day at PE was fun. We returned the hire car then took a taxi to the Boardwalk which is a few kilometres south the the port. We watched the Bond movie Spectre then had a very nice lunch at a restaurant overlooking the beach. It was a very windy day, with 40+ knot winds in the marina.
We are sailing for Mossel Bay, taking advantage of a short weather window. We are in company with UK yacht Pipistrelle and German yacht Anke Sophie. Initially we had a nice sailing breeze which took us south from PE past Cape Recife. Sadly the breeze died at 2100 and we've been motoring since then.
Sadly we expect to be motoring for a while. This forecast is for light winds but it was time to move on. The weather windows are proving few and far between so one has to take whatever comes along. It will be interesting to see if we find more black debris in the engine's freshwater system after this passage. It is only 200nm to Mossel Bay where we can shelter from the next front which is due on Tuesday night / Wednesday.
Trust all's well where you are!
Friday, 11 December 2015
Port Elizabeth - Garden Route National Park
Hi everyone,
Yesterday we drove part of the "garden route" from Knysna back to Port Elizabeth. We visited the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park to see the mouth of the Storm River.
Our night in Knysna was good. We enjoyed the waterfront area and the B&B we stayed at was very nice. We found the town to be "totally touristy" which isn't really our thing. It is certainly set in a lovely estuary environment.
The mouth of the Storm River is crossed by a pedestrian suspension bridge. We walked from the visitor centre to the bridge. Nice walk and a nice view. The park is popular with kayakers and hikers.
From the park we drove to St Francis Bay where we had a nice lunch overlooking the small marina. There was an Amel ketch in the marina so it's possible to get reasonable sized boat in. From there we drove home to Zen Again. Our four day tour was fantastic. We particularly enjoyed the inland areas we visited - big mountains, deep gorges, broad plains and "big sky".
Yesterday evening we met the crews of UK yacht Pipestrelle and Swedish yacht Anke-Sophie here at ABYC. Both arrived while we were away and we are all are planning to move on over the weekend. The weather isn't ideal but is certainly not looking bad. We should be able to reach or broad reach most of the way to Simon's Town. Might be a few hours on the wind but Zen Again enjoys that. Continuing to watch the forecasts.
We spent all this morning cleaning the rig and deck of the boat. The manganese dust was thickly coated on mast, standing rigging, running rigging and all over the deck. I spent at least an hour up the mast scrubbing everything clean with a rag and a slow-running hose. I don't think I've ever spent that long aloft before and I have plenty of aches and pains to show for it!
With the rig clean we set to work on the deck. It took us a while to find something which would lift the greasy deposit off the deck, particularly the non-slip areas. Eventually we found that rust remover works very well indeed. Bring plenty if you plan to stay a while in PE!!!
At present the wind isn't easterly and there's no ship at the manganese ship loader. Hopefully at least one of these will remain true until we leave!
Yesterday we drove part of the "garden route" from Knysna back to Port Elizabeth. We visited the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park to see the mouth of the Storm River.
Our night in Knysna was good. We enjoyed the waterfront area and the B&B we stayed at was very nice. We found the town to be "totally touristy" which isn't really our thing. It is certainly set in a lovely estuary environment.
The mouth of the Storm River is crossed by a pedestrian suspension bridge. We walked from the visitor centre to the bridge. Nice walk and a nice view. The park is popular with kayakers and hikers.
 |
| View from above the bridge |
 |
| The bridge from the west side |
 |
| The gorge |
 |
| The mouth |
 |
| Bridge from the east |
Yesterday evening we met the crews of UK yacht Pipestrelle and Swedish yacht Anke-Sophie here at ABYC. Both arrived while we were away and we are all are planning to move on over the weekend. The weather isn't ideal but is certainly not looking bad. We should be able to reach or broad reach most of the way to Simon's Town. Might be a few hours on the wind but Zen Again enjoys that. Continuing to watch the forecasts.
We spent all this morning cleaning the rig and deck of the boat. The manganese dust was thickly coated on mast, standing rigging, running rigging and all over the deck. I spent at least an hour up the mast scrubbing everything clean with a rag and a slow-running hose. I don't think I've ever spent that long aloft before and I have plenty of aches and pains to show for it!
With the rig clean we set to work on the deck. It took us a while to find something which would lift the greasy deposit off the deck, particularly the non-slip areas. Eventually we found that rust remover works very well indeed. Bring plenty if you plan to stay a while in PE!!!
At present the wind isn't easterly and there's no ship at the manganese ship loader. Hopefully at least one of these will remain true until we leave!
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