Position: 33º 1.002’ S 27º 52.998’ E Arrived safe and sound in East London. This was our fastest 24 hours ever at 254 miles (just over 10knots average). It wasn’t the most comfortable, and there was a bit of motoring involved but we are past the Wild Coast and looking forward to leaving for Port Elizabeth on Monday morning. All is well.
Position: 29º 51.798’ S 31º 1.422’ E We are looking forward to heading South tomorrow. The weather window looks good and, if we are lucky, we might be able to push all the way through to Cape Town. This next stretch of coast is called the Wild Coast, and has a reputation for bad behavior. Here’s hoping we found the mild wild window. All is well.
Position: 29º 51.822’ S 31º 1.422’ E Arrived in Durban after the worst single night passage ever. Lucky for us, nothing broke and we are all happy to be here. We’ll spend Christmas and New Years in Durban with our friends, and then continue on to Cape Town and beyond. All is well.
Position: 28º 47.688’ S 32º 4.71’ E We are in Richards Bay, South Africa. I’ve been dreaming about this country since college and it seems fitting that we arrived here on the edge of a gale and on the very same day (4 years later) as we arrived in Brisbane. Everyone is excited to see their friends and get some ice cream. All is well.
Position: 27º 33.558’ S 33º 0.42’ E We had a really peaceful night and a fast first day. We are right on schedule. All is well.
Position: 26º 2.832’ S 33º 23.1’ E Hip hip hooray, we are underway, to Richard’s Bay! All is well.
Position: 26º 0.882’ S 32º 53.748’ E We decided that today’s weather window was too tight and the consequences too high, so we are waiting for the next one. All is well.
Position: 26º 0.882’ S 32º 53.748’ E Summers in Round Pond, looking out over Muscongus Sound, I imagined the world as fictitiously vast. My horizon was bounded tightly by Loud’s Island to the East, and New Harbor to the South. Once, when my father took me on an overnight sail to Boothbay Harbor, I was fairly confident that we had reached the edge of the known nautical world. It was an adventure, first class. ...
Position: 26º 0.522’ S 32º 52.23’ E Arrived in Maputo, safe and sound. It was a raucous night but we reefed down and enjoyed the ride. Supplies are lean these days. Olive asked if we had straws (to draw lots, of course) and suggested that we had a rendang paste, and a ‘daddy rendang’ might make a good dinner if I drew the short straw. Engine sprung a leak again (oil cooler this time) and the old exhaust leak seems to be back (despite the new dry section we installed in Cairns). ...
Position: 25º 22.458’ S 34º 16.992’ E We had a fast night of sailing with (current assisted) speeds touching 10 knots, in only 10-15knots of wind. This morning things eased on both the current and wind fronts, and we are puttering along at a more modest 5 knots. Vick made pizza for lunch, a luxury in these lean times. We expect to arrive in Maputo tomorrow morning. If all goes according to plan, we will make our final leap to Richard’s Bay a few days later. We are looking forward to sleep, fresh produce, ice cream, and repairs for the boat in Richard’s Bay. ...
Position: 24º 4.572’ S 35º 33.792’ E Inhambane was much nicer than expected. Despite high winds and a current against wind, it was fairly calm. We had a quiet night and left at the crack of dawn. We are now on our way to Maputo or Richards Bay, depending on weather. Last night, we saw pink flamingoes. IN THE WILD. Day. Made. All is well.
Position: 23º 44.13’ S 35º 23.628’ E Arrived in Linga Linga (Inhambane) after a night spent hove-to waiting for high tide. We used the extra time to work on our storm tactics. Convivia, it seems, doesn’t particularly like to be still. Vick just beat a Two Dots level that she’s been stuck on “forever.” We are waiting on weather to make our next jump to Maputu. All is well.
Position: 22º 54.198’ S 35º 38.808’ E We are underway to Anhambane, a little roadstead anchorage on the coast of Mozambique. Last night Vick reports getting a better night’s sleep than at anchor, go figure. We have a line out, Vick is hoping for tuna for sushi. All is well.
Position: 22º 54.198’ S 35º 38.808’ E We are underway to Anhambane, a little roadstead anchorage on the coast of Mozambique. Last night Vick reports getting a better night’s sleep than at anchor, go figure. We have a line out, Vick is hoping for tuna for sushi. All is well.
Position: 21º 15.738’ S 35º 6.438’ E My watch keeps track of how long I sleep each night. I have always thought this was a pretty frivolous feature for my lifestyle. It seems like the kind of thing a high power business exec would use to come to some AH HA moment about their work-life balance. My life, I thought really didn’t require that kind of metric. Yesterday, as I was chatting with my friends on Saltbreaker, I came to the rather sudden conclusion that I am “all adventured out.” I’m making a lot of simple (inconsequential) mistakes. When I talk about wind direction, for example, I will reverse the ordinality, or I’ll read the battery voltage and add a volt when I say it aloud. These activities are so common, so core to our lives, that to consistently make mistakes in the reporting, is indicative of something greater. ...