WINDY PASSAGE

SEYCHELLES TO MAYOTTE August 21-27, 2016

WINDY PASSAGE

On August 21^st, we departed Angel Fish Marina, Roche Caiman, Mahe, Seychelles for Dzaoudzi, Mayotte.  This is not an ideal time to sail 800nm on a SW’ly heading.  The SE Trade winds are well established and blowing 20+ kts most of the time, however, occasionally there is a kink in the WX pattern that provides a window of opportunity to sail South in lighter winds.  It’s not often and can change dramatically once the voyage is started.  We have sailing friends on a 36’ Malo yacht that subscribed to a WX Routing Service called” Commanders”.  They have a good reputation for safely routing sailing yachts from one destination to another.  We noticed a WX window coming up and Commanders Wx Routing Service confirmed that there would be a “stable WX pattern over the next 7-10 days.  Based on that information, “Solstice” and “Norsa” completed all paperwork for clearing out of the Seychelles on August 21^st bound for Mayotte.

Once the actual WX forecast was received, it wasn’t quite the same as had been predicted:  initially, the winds would be in the low to mid teens but increase to 25-30 kts!  Other complications in the WX forecast might produce even stronger winds.  This is not the stable WX forecast that was initially given.  The Valiant 40 and the Malo 36 are both heavy weather boats and can sail in these conditions so we decided to go for it.  We were tired of being in the “Paychelles” and wanted to move South to Mayotte and Madagascar.  We departed our berth at Angel Fish Marina at 0900 hrs on Sunday, August 21^st.

A quick recap of the Ship’s Log gives the following:

August 21: 0900 hrs to 2400 hrs:  Wind was SE-SSE 10-15 kts and then 15-20 during the night.  Seas SE’ly 6’.

August 22: 0001-2400  Wind SSE 15-20; seas 6-8’.  During the night wind increased to 20+ kts.  We made good 153 nm from Noon –to- Noon.

August 23: 0001-2400 Wind 20-25kts; seas 8-10’.  Distance made good from Noon-to-Noon: 140 nm.

August 24: 0001-2400 Wind 25-30 kts with a rain squall to 40 kts; seas 8-12.  We are sailing under a double reefed main.  At 1530 hrs, we put a third reef  in the mainsail as wind is predicted to increase to with squalls.  Distance made good from Noon-to Noon: 143 nm.  The yacht is sailing very well in this beam on sea at 6.5 kts.  This is the first time ever that we have sailed in these conditions at this speed.  The boat remains remarkably dry with very few waves breaking onboard.

August 25: 001-2400 Wind increases 35-40 kts.  Boat starts to make 7.5 kts which is far too much so we reduce the genoa down to a “scrap of sail” and the speed drop to 6.5 kts; seas are in the 12’+ range.  The vessel is handling these conditions with ease and very little water is coming aboard other that spray.  Riding beam on to these big seas is an awesome sight.  Distance made good from Noon-to-Noon: 140 nm.

1800 hrs:  we reach the cross-over point on the top of Madagascar into the wind shadow and the wind and seas drop quickly and dramatically.  By 2100 hrs we have no wind and are motoring:  feast or famine!

August 26:  0001-2400  Wind  SE’ly < 10 kts; seas <3’.  Mostly motoring but set full main and genoa.  Distance Made good from Noon-to-Noon: 124 nm.

August 27:  Wind SE 10; seas 3’.  There is a strong adverse current 1 to 1-1/2 kts against us. The wind shifts more into the SSE.  We are not able to make more than 4.4 kts motoring at an economical fuel speed of 1800 rpms.

0600 hrs:  wind backs into the SE.  Set reefed genoa and start making 6.3 kts

0800 hrs:  In the Entrance Channel to Dzaoudzi:  17 nm to the anchorage.

1230 hrs:  Pick up a mooring buoy (12-46.902’ S; 045-1.647’ E) in front of the Dzaoudzi Yacht Club.

The total distance for this voyage was 805 nm in 147 hrs at 5.5 kts average speed.  It is one of the windiest voyages we have had since sailing from Tonga to New Zealand in 2012.  What makes this trip especially difficult is the “enhanced” Trade Wind corridor over the top of Madagascar.  A quick look at Windyty.com will clearly show this corridor.  One would have to be very lucky to sail from the Seychelles to Mayotte or directly to Madagascar without encountering it.  The amazing thing is that, once it is crossed, the boat moves into the wind shadow of Madagascar and conditions improve quickly.

The ideal time to depart the Seychelles would be in June, before the SE Trades are well established, or October during the transitional cross-over from the NE to the NW Monsoon.  There are problems with both of these times.  Vessels that are making the Indian Ocean crossing from the Maldives do not want to undertake the 1000 nm voyage through the ITCZ before the SE Trade Winds become established.  To do so means motoring most of the way.  That’s a lot of fuel to carry. The April departure will be a windless passage with the Equatorial Counter Current against you.  Depending on when the SE Trades move North to the Equator, May might be a good window or windless.  Vessels planning a stop in the BIOT Chagos archipelago will, most likely, stay the permitted 28 days and then, set sail from there.  Either way, the vessel ends up in the Seychelles close to June and has to make a decision to use that time frame to sail to Madagascar under favorable conditions.  Then what?  To Arrive in Madagascar in June and not be able to leave for South Africa until mid-October is a long time.  The longest that the Visa will be granted is for three months.  If one leaves the Seychelles in October, there is very little time to spend in either the Comoros or Madagascar before crossing over to South Africa.  Therefore, out of necessity, passages are made is less than ideal conditions.