FeNIX to Male, Maldives

[chase]

Fred,

Sounds pretty rough for a one day passage after being tied up a while. Might as well pack all the harrowing adventure into one night, I guess.

Glad to hear from you, have fun in Durban. We're dodging storms back here with three named systems on the horizon right now.

Chase

btw, got the Icom 718 on Ebay like you suggested and setup a dipole off the deck. Having fun with that. Got my Ham back in July.

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

but I had to do the old fashioned way "I earned it".

After a three week stay in Durban I was ready to head south once again. The weather in Durban was a mixture of blustery clear days and cold, overcast, rainy and glumy days. I got to meet many of the local sailors through the Point Yacht Club and the Royal Natal Yacht Club. They were as helpful as possible given that they all still had full time jobs. I also met Tony Kerrick, the local weather guru and owner of "Cruising Connections". CC is a chart and book store within easy walking distance of the Durban Marina where Fenix was berthed. He also has an excellent website chocked full of good SA info and weather links. It can be found at http://www.cruisingconnections.co.za

One day I also met Webb Chiles in the Point Yacht Club Bar, doing e-mails. The bar has a free to use computer with an internet connection, very handy, but slow. He told me he was getting bored sitting about in Chicago, his current home base. So he flew to Opua, NZ where he keeps his current boat, Hawke, on a mooring. "Thought it was time to go sailing again" he told me. So he set off single handed earlier this year for another circumnavigation, his sixth if memory serves. He was mostly interested in being back at sea not cruising per say. Therefore he only stopped in Darwin and Keeling-Cocos on the way to Durban. He left the boat in Durban and flew back to the US for a short stay and will return sometime in Nov to continue his cruise.

After carefully checking the weather I headed out and cleared the breakwater at 8 AM on Tuesday the 23rd for Port Elizabeth. This particular stretch of coastline is one of the most notorious in the world. It is only about 380 miles from Durban to PE but the 250 miles from Durban to East London offers no safe anchorages or harbors. The weather along the coast at this time of the year seems to be either a gale from the NE or a gale from the SW. Now a NE breeze is OK 'cause it is blowing in the right direction to go SW and it is also blowing with the current so it is possible to make excellent time going SW.

Sure enough after the early morning light offshore breeze died off the NE wind filled in nicely. In no time at all Fenix and I were romping along at nine knots, six from the wind and three from the current. By 5PM we were nearly 60 miles SW and it looked like an easy sail as the NE wind was moderating. Most of the afternoon was spent under just the yankee as the NE'er was in the 25 K range and gusting a bit more. The nice thing about the NE wind is that it fills in slowly and gives one a chance to reef down one step at a time.

At 5PM I made my check in to the Peri-Peri net. Roy told me the end of the world was coming and maybe I ought to think about returning to Durban. He said that East London was expecting 40-50 knots SW by 8PM. But that's 200 miles away from me I thought and it shouldn't get this far NE until the next morning. By that time it would be moderating a bit. I decided to play it safe and tacked inshore, under double reefed main and yankee. The recommended stratgy being to get out of the strong current off shore and ride the SW wind to the NE within the 200 meter depth line, that's only about 5~6 miles seaward of the coast. There is often a counter-current that runs up the coast near shore as well.

By the time I got to the 100 meter depth line it was time to tack off shore again. So I did. It was now about 8PM. As I tacked I looked SW along the coast and saw a nasty coming. A big fat cigar roll of black cloud. At the same time the nice NE breeze that I had was dying to nothing. I thought how can that be reaching me already when it is only now supposed to be reaching East London, 200 miles away? Doesn't matter really, it's here and it's now. Within a half hour bang came the wind. Unlike the NE that builds slowly and can be quite strong the SW comes as a storm trooper. Almost instantly it was 25 knots and gusting a lot more.

First thing was to get down the main. Fortunately it was already double reefed. Fenix was zooming under just the yankee and I knew I should reduce sail again. On with the saftey harness. I carefully worked my way forward and started to get the staysail ready to hoist but first I tied in it's one reef. By now the wind is 35 and gusting more. Fenix rounds up a bit in the gusts and I get splashed a bit by the wind driven slop. This really aggravates me as I do not have on my foulies.

Altogether this takes about 45 minutes to do and then Fenix settles down quite nicely. She now carries only about 75 sqft of sail. It's well inboard and she's running off before the wind, easily controlled by the Aries. I dig out the GPS and see that now we are making 7+ knots, I think one~two knots current and hull speed under the reefed s'sail. The seas aren't bad at all because the wind was blowing all day strong from the NE. Now as the SW swell builds it has to knock down the NE swells first. This generates a lot of little cresting waves about 2 meters or so and a lot of spray.

The bad part, other than loosing all my SW-ing is that the SW wind is also cold. After I saw that all was well above I went below and changed into dry clothes and my foulies. Then it was an all nighter mostly in the cockpit watching for shipping. Since the wind was SW and the coast here runs almost exactly NE-SW I was dead downwind. But this is not good because the boat slews around on the cresting waves and every few minutes we gybe. So I altered course about 20 degrees. I run out to just past the 200 meter line on one tack then back in to about 400 feet. Then out again. Sometimes it seems very sedate with Fenix zooming along and sometimes the wind really pipes up. It isn't just gusts. The wind blows strong for 20~30 minutes at at time then eases off a bit.

A bit after sunrise it really howls for a couple of hours. This must be the stuff that was to hit East London at 8PM the previous evening. But by now I am well used to the stronger wind and the sea state is only about 3 meters, so not really dangerous. After the sunrise increase the wind eases to about 25~30 knots. I am surprized at my thinking that it is really a pretty good day now. The boat tracks very well and the speed is great. I could comfortably go below and fall fast asleep in a few minutes. But of course now is not the time. By 9AM I am back inside Durban harbor and putt-putting against the 25 knot SW wind as we enter the breakwater. It takes a while to get all the way back to the marina. The slip I left the previous morning is still empty so I pull right in. I am weary with fatigue and want nothing more than to go to sleep. But first I let the marina people know "I'm back". Then I go back aboard and zonk out for about five hours.

Later that day the SW wind dies out completely. Then by late afternoon it is back NE and increasing as night comes. Now I am really tweaked. The SW'er was strong but short lived. I could have easily rode it out hove to with the same stratagy, a one hour tack offshore, a one hour tack inshore. Through the 18 or so hours I might have lost half my distance gained to the SW but as soon as the wind eased I could have gotten underway again. Then when it came back from the NE I would have been well positioned to head SW again for either PE or EL. Oh well, live and learn.

The next day I went and really picked Tony's brain about this whole going to Cape Town thing. He said the #1 rule when going south is to wait until the baro peaks above 1020 then head out. These days one can also check the numerous weather websites for longer range forecasts. So that is what I did. It looked like the next clear day would be not until Sunday the 28th. So I enjoyed a few more days in Durban and spent the last night at an after race party in the RNYC with a number of new found friends.

Now once again, this time on Sunday morning, I head out. Fenix and I clear the breakwater about 8:30 AM and head off to the SE. This is done to reach the 200+ meter line as soon as possible and the friendly SW current. But alas today the current is not present at this depth and the NE wind is not around yet either. Fenix and I iron topsail it until the early afternoon before the wind finds us. When I was first able to sail, I had up the full main and drifter. Then dropped the drifter for the yankee as the afternoon progressed. Then reefed the main and reefed it again. Before nightfall it was yankee alone at six+ knots and we were well into the current so were getting another three knot boost for nine total.

As the moonless night approached I thought it would be prudent to exchange the yankee for the s'sail. Before departing Durban I pre-tied in the reef points and had the sheets rove and all ready to go. No surprises this evening. The wind held and Fenix was flying. By noon the next day we had a 175 mile run in 24 hours. Not too bad considering that the previous afternoon we were only making three knots under power and spent the night under just the reefed s'sail.

Throughout the day the NE'er moderated and the sailing was glorious. I changed back to the yankee and double reefed main. I was projecting an arrival in East London before midnight and it looked like 10 PM was quite possible. Just short of Point Morgan at about 5 PM I talked to Roy again and he said 11-14 K SW by the AM. So there I sat hoping the NE would hold until the morning or at least another 3~5 hours which would see us into EL easily this night. Argghhhhh! Sure enough by just after sunset, AGAIN!, the wind went SW and not 11~14 either but 25~30 and of course right on the nose. Damn! We were only 25 miles away from EL.

Now my options were limited. For sure I wasn't going to run all the way back to Durban. But trying to short tack even under much reduced sail did not look good. What to do, what to do? I had to make south and I had to make west. SW being the operative word here. I looked at where I was and where I needed to go and thought about what was happening with wind and current. I finally decided to go on a long tack south. The forecast was for the wind to go more SSW than WSW so while it was still SW I headed off to the south. This had the added advantage of taking me away from the land and shipping and I might be able to get in a couple of hours of snooze time. But the bad part is that it would take me out to the stronger current, not good. Not good because this is the area where the freak 20 meter waves are generated. But since the wind had only just changed direction I did not think it would instantly create any monsters.

Off we went. I was below doing my best to get some shut eye. But even though I didn't get much sleep the previous night and was pretty pooped I found it hard to unwind enough to drop off. At least I was horizontal and warm and comfortable. I held that course and checked the GPS every hour until it looked like Fenix could make EL in one go on the other tack. Sure enough by about 11PM things looked good so off on the other tack we went. The SW wind was pushing me NE but the SW setting current was pushing back the other way. Sorta' like a seed being squeezed between finger and thumb. I thought the conditions would cancel each other and maybe even give me a little boost. It was still 17 miles almost due west to EL and now about midnight. Again I went below and actually nodded off for about 2 hours. Crazy you may think when closing the coast and shipping lane but I really needed sleep and at 3.5~4 knots I wasn't going to hit the land too soon.

I woke with a start, hearing the alarm beep-beeping at me. On with the GPS and poke my head out the hatch for a quick look-see. Everything A O.K.? Yes. Still a couple of hours to go but I feel like a new man after my nap. By around 3:30 AM I could finally see the red flasher on the end of the breakwater though still some distance off. The wind now is starting to show signs of being the forecast 11~14 K but is still more like 15~18 and SSW so I am able to ease the sheet a bit.

Finally at 5 AM we clear the breakwater and radio harbor control that we are here. I run upstream, East London's port is in a river mouth, looking for Latimers Landing. At this time no one is around and there is no open space to tie up. But I notice many of the boats are side tied. So I tie up next to a 40 foot cat and go below for a real snooze. I woke up about four hours later and walked over the bridge to the other bank of the river. Directly across the river from Latimer's is the Buffalo River Yacht Club. Vicky, the manager, and her hubby Keith warmly welcomed me to join them over on this side. We drove back across the bridge with Keith. He was going to help me get Fenix across to a mooring. I thought an extra pair of hands would be a good idea as the SW wind was still pretty strong and blowing right down stream.

It was easy enough to move and tie up. They even provided me with a dingy so I didn't have to unship my ribby, how great was that huh?

Take care,
Fred

[Cathy Monaghan]

Glad you made it into East London safely. Keep us posted.


Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

My stay in East London was not to be for long. I checked the weather and watched the baro. By Friday morning, October 3rd, things looked good. So off I went. After leaving the harbor the wind was still SW but the forecast was for this to die off and be replaced by SE to NE wind later in the day. It is only about 140 miles to PE so I think that I can easily make that before sundown the next day. HA!

The SW'er did in fact ease off as the day progressed and it shifted to SSW then back SW again. At least I had a favored tack sometimes but kept asking when the shift would occur. By nightfall we are motor sailing south in a very light SW'er. Still no decided shift in the wind direction. By noon the next day the wind is SSW and up to about 18~20 K. I tack inshore until the water depth gets down to about 200'. Then it is offshore again. I decide to use the reefed S'Sail and double reefed main combination to see how Fenix performs. She does quite well.

As the afternoon progresses we inch our way SW. I am hoping to be able to clear Bird Island on this tack. But as I get closer I can see that it will be a close thing and decide to play it safe and tack offshore for a bit. When I am sure we will clear the island safely its back on the port tack again. Now the wind has eased quite a bit but it is still SW ~ SSW, grrrrrr! And of course being a southerly breeze means it is bringing the cooler air with it. And to add to the frustration we are being headed by a counter-current. The high pressure that was supposed to materialize is only contributing a light rain to to the mix.

After Bird Island the course is almost due west. But still about 32 miles to PE. From the Bird on most of the sailing to Cape Town is more west than SW. I keep pushing up to windward as close as possible on the port tack. We are motor sailing with double reefed s'sail and double reefed main. Not because of strong wind but to steady the boat in the swell. With nightfall the wind is way down, maybe 5K or less. The current at times has us down to 1.5 ~ 2 knots speed. All night long Fenix and I crawl along. Finally a little before noon Sunday we enter the harbor. Gratefully I putt-putt into the marina. Being a Sunday there are many people about. I ask where I can tie up and a gray haired fellow points to the slip next to his.

There are many ready hands to help me tie up and fill the air with questions about the trip down. As I get settled in I spend some time swapping sailing "war stories" with my assistants. Then it is off to a hot shower to wash off the salt and a meal at the club restaraunt. I return to Fenix for a good night's sleep after having been up for most of the last 2 1/2 days.

Through the week I met many of the club memebers and was filled with weather info every day. Dieter is a short robust Italian immigrant and a friend of Roy's from the Peri-Peri net. He stops by the club every afternoon for a beer or two and he brings me a print out of the weather forecast. With the opinions of other members we debate when the next opportunity to head out will come.

I also met a couple of members who have Cape 28's. This is a Van de Stat designed single chine boat. Somewhere along the line someone made a mold for the hull and deck and many people completed their own boats, in FG, this way. It is very similar to the CD 28 numbers wise although a bit lighter. I had numerous discussions with Joe and Martin about their boats and the suitability of sailing them long distance.

I also met liveaboards, Bill and Barbara. Bill completed his boat about 10 years ago and they have been living aboard for that period of time. Bill has made numerous mods to his boat including adding an inboard diesel. It is a gaff rigged Flicka! B&B are in their 60's and like their boat just fine. They are planning to sail off sometime soon. I wish them the best.

As the week came to an end it looked like Friday would be a good day to head out. All the right signs were there. So off Fenix and I went. The SW'er was to die off and be replaced by the good ole NE by noon. At noon it was still SW and not too bad, about 15K. Starting off in a SW wind is a good idea out of PE because it makes it easy to clear the harbor and Point Recife to the south then get south enough to gain help from the current at 200 meters. In the early afternoon I tack back inshore as I do not want to get to far out. The wind is still SW and dropping and again I am wondering if it will ever go NE.

The noon time weather report said 15K from the south in PE? But here we are still near PE and it is 12~15 SW~SSW. By the late afternoon the wind has gone SSW, right on the nose, at about 10~12 K. I give up! Fenix and I turn around and head back to PE. As the evening wears on the winds continues to drop. By the time we re-enter the harbor it is zilch. Back to the old slip again by 11PM. Tie up and bed down.

The next day two boats I met earlier arrive from Durban. Larry on a large light 45' tri and Tim on a self built 40' aluminum cat. I talk to them at the yacht bar that afternoon and they dub me "The Come Back Kid" We have a good chuckle over it. We all pour over the reams of paperwork concerning the weather. They say looks like Monday afternoon. I say I'll wait and see.

Late Monday they both power out of the harbor. The wind is still SW but dying. The are only going to Knysna(pronounced" Nyes Na") about 140 miles west. I want to get to Mossel Bay about 180 miles so need two good days. during the day on Monday the SW'er is still strong at 20 K and even if it is going down I do not want to have to power sail against the bigger sea that will be running, therefore decide to wait 'till morning. That evening a light rain falls and the cloud cover builds, a sure sign the high is on its way.

Fenix and I depart Tuesday morning. It is dead calm and 100% overcast. The wind should fill in by about noon. I'm thinking it should be a good run to Mossel. By noon still no wind but the sea is down and with the current we are making near 5K under motor. At about 1:30 in the afternoon the easterly comes in. Only 10 ~ 12 at first but through the day day it builds to a good 12~15 ESE. Hurray we made it this time. The conditions hold all night and we have a good sail under a clearing sky and full moon.

We are no longer honking along with a big current boost. After PE the coast goes nearly east - west and the Agulhas current fans out over a much wider area and loses its speed. By the afternoon on Wednesday the wind is near due east and up a bit. I'm down to yankee only and making 5~6K easily. I would prefer to have up the reefed main as well, to reduce the rolling, but as we are nearly DDW it only blankets the the headsail. Earlier in the day I was running wing and wing. If we were trade winds sailing I would have the yankee sheeted off the boom and the s'sail polled out. But here along the coast where conditions can change fast and there is shipping to content with I opt for ease of handling and the ability to gybe quickly if needed.

As day changes to evening all is well. I'm starting to think we will arrive between midnight and sunrise. I peer ahead looking for the 25 mile light on the point at Mossel Bay. The cloud cover has returned and mutes the light of the full moon but visibility is still good. Finally at about 17 miles I pick out the wink-wink of the 15 second double flashing white light. Still running DDW it is getting very rolly as the water is getting shallower. At 7 miles I start looking for the red flasher at the end of the breakwater and at 6 miles it shows as the chart indicates. But now the wind is going down and rather than spend 2~3 hours to make port I fire up the engine so we will be in sooner. Finally at 2PM I find the small marina and an empty slip. After circling around to get the lines ready we pull in and tie up. It takes a while to get everything set. I sit in the cockpit and relax for a few minutes before heading below. I turn in and wake up at 10AM. Time to check in to the club and of course the Captain has to take the cook out to a meal.

Take care,
Fred

[Warren Kaplan]

Great read Fred!!!! Keep it comin'!!!!!!

[paul marko]

I have followed your adventure since you stated in Florida, this portion, particulary the part Richerson bay south, seem to be the most difficult as it has been for others like Moitesssier ,the Hiscocks . I am impressed by your endurance,sailing skills and judgement.

I really like reading about your voyage.

Paul Marko--CD 28 ixcatl

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

Cape Aghulas! It is considered one of the five "Great Capes" in the world. Rounding it can be a real challenge. There are two distinct banks just south of the cape. This shallow water is not the place to be in any kind of strong wind, direction doesn't matter. The shallow water extends well off shore, that is it is less than 600'. The conflicting currents and sometimes very strong winds make the "Cape of Storms" well named.

After my arrival in Mossel Bay I went to the local yacht club to check in, they also manage the marina which is located about 1/2 mile away from the club. While waiting for the manager to finish his business with a memeber I looked at the bulletin board. The yacht clubs along this coast always post the weather report because it is so important for small boat sailors. From what I could see it looked like Sunday morning would be a good day to head out. That's pretty good for me. Having arrived at 2 AM Thursday morning a Sunday departure would give me a chance to get in a couple days of rest.

It is about 200 miles from Mossel Bay to my destination, Simon Town, so I need two good days to make the run. I chose Simon Town as by all reports it is a very friendly place and not as windy and grown up as Cape Town, rather like Richard's Bay south. It is in Valsbaii(False Bay). False Bay is about 14 miles due south of Table Bay and across the penisula that forms the southern side of Table Bay where Cape Town is located. The Cape of Good Hope is located at the end of the penisula about 10 miles to the south of Simon Town. The manager asked me how long I was staying and I said looks like til Sunday according to the weather. After finishing the simple paperwork I went upstairs to have lunch and then a hot shower.

I returned to the boat and planned to make a grocery run on Saturday. Since it is still Thursday I take it easy and turn in early to make up for the previous sleepless nights. I find that staying up for more than one night at a time usually requires two nights to recuperate. On Friday I unpack my bicycle and take a ride about. There is a very large hill to ascend to get into town. This means I walk the bike uphill and then cruise the streets at my leisure although they are still pretty hilly. Later in the afternoon I returned to the club. On Friday nights they have a raffle for the members. Numerous prizes are given out and I was told to be sure not to miss the festivities.

When I returned I checked the weather report to see what the latest version had to say. Gee! I thought it looks just the same. Then I looked at the date!! It was two weeks old. What is this I think. So I asked the manager if he could get an update. He tells me his computer is down and he can't access the internet at all. Oh boy, I think. What do I do now? Unfortunately the easterly wind that brought me to Mossel Bay is still blowing nicely and continues for another day. Argghhh! I found out later I should have left Thursday AM and continued to Simon Town. On my shopping trip the next day I found an internet cafe in town so now I had a source for current weather info. It looked like Wednesday would be the next time to leave.

On Sunday afternoon a racey racer type has come into the marina and is in the slip directly ahead of me. It is on a delivery from Cape Town to Durban. I walk over to say hi to the four man crew. The regale me with horror stories of their passage. Major big time SW wind and seas. 40-50 knots, 6+ meter seas. They were constantly getting pooped and the boat was flying under triple reefed main. The boat leaked like a sieve and much of their gear and food was soaked. And to top it all off while the youngest crew member was at the one of the two wheels the boat gybed wildly. When it did so the main sheet got wrapped around the starboard pedestal and nearly ripped it off the boat. They showed me the pedestal base, made from f/g it had a huge crack around about 75% of its circumference. The wheel on the port side was also bent from one of the crew being thrown against it. Wow, didn't these guys check the weather before they left? I wondered.

They were going to head out on Tuesday to take advantage of the continuing southerly wind. On Monday, Adrian one of the crew, came over to Fenix and we had a long talk about cruising. Adrian in his younger days sailed about the Atlantic in a converted life boat. The boat was less than six meters long. He decked it over and put a gaff rig on it. He and his girlfriend, now wife, had many a good sail on the boat. He just recently sold it. Time for a bigger boat now that his family has two small children. He wants something about 30'. Its big enough for the four of them and cheap enough to be affordable.

Late Tuesday afternoon they head out going east and north to Durban. I am planning to leave the next day, probably about noon. That's when the SW wind is supposed to be dying off to be followed by a southerly shifting to easterly. In the morning I go to check out with the club manager and pay my slip fee. Then I wait aboard to see if the weather will co-operate. It does seem to be easing, so Fenix and I head out. It is a somewhat overcast day but not too cold. I have to go due south inititally and the 15k SW'er makes that pretty easy. By 8PM I am past my first waypoint and headed to the second about 100 miles away. The number two waypoint is 35* 07" S x 20* 00" E, that's about 17 miles due south of Cape Aghulas at the 100 meter depth line. The wind has gone more to the south and getting lighter, just as forecast.

Because there is a pretty big chunky sea running and the wind is going lighter I am power sailing with a reef in the main and the yankee. This is not an area to dally. I want to make as good a speed on course as possble. Through the night to wind drops to almost nothing. The sky is clear but the only moon I get is just before sunrise. The baro is very high, over 1030, and I keep looking for the wind to fill from the south. When I talked to Roy the previous evening he said it was coming. I sure hope so because we are not going too fast right now. This continues throughout the day. By about 4PM the wind is up BUT not from the south. It is, you guessed it, SW.

This time I change down to the reefed s'sail and double reefed main. Fenix spent most of the night slowly inching her way westward. First a long tack about 1/2 east of south, then a long tack 1/2 north of west. There are numerous ships about also. But they are easy to see from their nav lights. The seas are running in the 4-5 meter range. On the off shore tacks I head below to get some shut eye. When I talked to Roy this afternoon I asked about the SOUTH and EAST wind and where was it. Its coming he told me. I thought about heading to Struis Bay on the east side of Cape Aghulas. This is a good anchorage and is well protected from SW to NW winds. But it is not a place to be in south or east wind. So I decided to stay at sea making what progress I could and hoping the wind would change. Finally in the wee hours I decided to make another long tack so the south. That way when I tacked I could make my waypoint due south of Aghulas. By sunrise it was time to head inshore again.

At a few minutes past 9AM we pass due south of Cape Aghulas. According to Fred's official reckoning we are now in the Atlantic Ocean again after over 2 & 1/2 years. Hooray! But where is the south wind? It is finally changing direction but not by much. And now that I have made WP 2 I can ease the course just a bit to WP 3. WP 3 is about 10 miles SE of Good Hope and my course now is about 300* True. I noticed in the early morning that there was a large cloud bank to the SE. Maybe that's the SE wind finally coming I thought. Until noon the wind is still SW'erly and maybe 1/2 South.

By 5PM the wind has definitly shifted. With the vane steering and my inattention we have gone off a bit too far south. I ease the sheets and later drop the main because we are DDW. At nightfall the wind has gone almost due east and it is time to gybe. Now on a starboard tack we are finally zooming along. It looks like we will make Simon Town a couple of hours before sunrise. That doesn't thrill me but if conditions remaim as they are it won't be too bad. The yacht club and its marina are well protected by a very large breakwater for the commercial port and South African Naval Base located there. I remember the weather forecast and for Friday it was for very strong easterly winds. Guess what? They weren't kidding. When I left Mossel Bay I thought I would make to Simon Town by Friday afternoon but the SW wind of Thursday killed any chance of that happening.

The wind continued to build and it was time to drop the yankee and hoist the reefed s'sail. As the night progressed the wind was past the howling stage and up into the screaming stage. Howling through the rigging is usually 35 knots, screaming is up around 45. And here we are Fenix and I, heading deep into a bay, a lee shore from which there is no possibility of escape. Yikes I am thinking. And also wondering if it would be prudent to slip around Good Hope and continue to Hout Bay or even Cape Town. But no, I didn't want to go there. Sneaking around the end of the breakwater at Simon Town will get me into calm water at least. I start looking for the light on Roman Rocks, a little ENE of Simon Town. The light is supposed to visible from 20 miles. Vainly I peer into the night looking for that light.

The lights at Good Hope and Cape Hangklip, which defines the western and eastern points of the bay, are both visible. The bright white flashes are a comfort in that I am in the right place and going in the right direction. BUT where is that 20 mile light at Roman Rocks? I gotta tell you folks it is a pretty tense night. The wind is screaming, the seas are building and I am having to help the self-steering as the gusts are strong enough to cause Fenix to round up too close to the wind. I wished I had the spitfire jib up, about 30 sq ft, instead of the reefed s'sail. At 75 sq ft it was still too much area. This continues all night. About 3 AM I decide I do not want to approach the breakwater area too close in the dark. There won't be any moonlight until just before sunrise and I still can't see the Roman light. But I can see the shore lights of the various towns around the bay's edge. I decide to close until I'm about six miles out then I will drop the s'sail and drift in slowly waiting for the predawn light to make it easier to see.

About 4 AM its time to drop the sail. With wind and sea as it is, it is a real rolly ride without any sail up. I have to start the motor and keep it ticking over at about 1,000 RPM else wise Fenix wants to head up into the wind too much. We continue to creep towards WP 4. That's just southeast of Simon Town. Finally we reach WP 4 and it is getting light enough to see the land details quite well. I finally see the Roman Rocks light but I am only three miles away from it. What's up with that I wonder, somebody needs to re-write the local almanac and cruising guide I got from Tony back in Durban. Mind you it is still blowing 35+ and gusting up into the screaming range but at least I can see where I need to go.

As I round the end of the breakwater I see a small powerboat sitting in the water. A welcoming committe? No just three very bundled up hardcore fisherman. They are anchored in just enough of the lee to have a smooth ride, while they drown their worms. I approach the marina but still must use pretty significant power to overcome the wind. Fortunatly there is an empty space on the very end of the dock. It is a challenge to to get Fenix lined up just right and drift into the dock ready with the lines to tie up.

I jump on the dock with line in hand and off goes Fenix! The dock line has jumped off the cleat. There I am standing on the dock, holding a line that is not attached to the boat as Fenix starts to drift away. Ahhhhhh! But I grab the stern rail just in time. Come back here Fenix. I slip the eye over the cleat and tie it off. The cleats on the dock are very weird, they're not made with horns really, just kind of an upright u shape. I must pull the line through the clead and tie a fast couple of half hitches. With the strong wind it is a real struggle to get the boat tied down. But finally it is done. I climb aboard and strip off the foulies and some of the extra layers of clothes. Even though it is still very early I walk towards the yacht club. This dock is quite long and I am nearly 1/4 mile from the land. I look around a bit but no one is about at this early hour. So I head back to Fenix and plonk into my bunk. The walk has helped me to wind down a bit. Now that I am safely tied up and secure it is time to sleep.

After about a four hour nap I woke up. As I'm stirring around below I see someone on the dock next to Fenix. I went topsides and met John. He is a friend of Roy's. Roy contacted him to see if I made it in OK. John was happy to report that all was well with Fenix and crew. John listened as I recalled my adventures coming down the coast. He told me that he checked the wind speed the previous night on his boat, slipped about 50 yards closer in than Fenix. His readings confirmed the whole gale of the night before. 45K on his instrument and his boat is protected somewhat from the strongest of the wind by being in the lee of the breakwater and commercial harbor. As we were talking the wind was still blowing at least 35K and gusting 10~15 more. It continued to do so for the rest of the daylight hours of Saturday.

I had a meal late that afternoon in the club restaurant and made a brief visit to the club bar in the early evening. But I could tell it would take anonther long night's sleep to recover from the three day trip so I turned in early and slept soundly for about 10 straight hours. By the morning the wind was down to a light breeze and the air was warm. It was now Sunday and the club had a race planned for the day. But now of course the wind was almost non-existant and the race became a drifting match. But for me it was a beautiful day with warm sunshine and no screaming wind. As I sit here writiing this report on Monday evening about 8PM the boat is rocking around and everything is aflutter outside. There is a howler from the SW blowing right now. A good 35K and I am happy to be here safe and sound.

Take care,
Fred

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

Fenix and I plan to leave the 10th of Nov.

St Helena, Acension then Salvadore, Brazil. About 4,000 miles altogether or so.

We have travelled about 22,000 miles in 2 1/2 years so far.

Do not know if I will be able to get internet access for the next couple of months.

It may be that I will be at sea for XMas and/or New Years as well.

So enjoy Turkey Day, Ho Ho and the New Year.

I look forward to being back in the tropics again where its warm.

Don't want to "Shoot six holes in my freezer".

Take care,
Fred

[paul marko]

You are going on a long sail without many ports of refuge, I wish you and Fenix a Safe and interesting crossing.

Paul Marko
Ixcatl cd /28

[MarkN]

Fred,
From time to time I check your position on ShipTrak but have not seen an update since Richards Bay. Have you given that up?
Also, as I'm sure you are aware, the Vendee Globe begins on November 9 so watch out for those 60 footers heading south!

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

First Ship Trak. My position has not been reported because I did not ask it to be done. The passages down from Richard's Bay have all been short, so no need.

When I start the Atlantic trip I will ask that the position reports be started again.
It looks like a start on the 11th of Nov for us.

I got a Brazilian Visa. Outrageous!! US$200. More than 4X what I paid for any other country.

So after "Scrums and Wickets and Whales and Seals and 'The Sharks and Blue Bulls and SpringBoks' and monkeys and baboons and Tries" and a whole host of other South Africanisms I will be off.

There are a growing number of cruisers heading this way. And a number already here. Many will be heading the same way. Some going to Namibia enroute.

Contact again when I can.

Take care,
Fred

[Ocean Girl]

Godspeed Fenix!
Erika