EAST LONDON TO CAPE TOWN

EAST LONDON TO CAPE TOWN

DECEMBER 10-14, 2016

We departed the East London anchorage at 0754 hrs local time (UTC+2) for Cape Town or as far as we could get before another SW’ly comes rolling up the East Coast.  Local sailing knowledge suggests that the best time for departure is at the tail end of a SW’ly when the barometer has almost topped out but still climbing.  Conditions might be choppy outside but the winds will come around to the S >SE>E>NE and should provide at least 2-3 days of good sailing before the advent of another Low.  One has to get out into the Agulhas current and move as quickly as possible.  Motor sailing becomes necessary to keep up the minimum speed to 6-7 kts.  The Agulhas current is usually found around the 200m contour depth off the continental shelf.  It runs anywhere from 2-6 kts and is about 12-25 nm offshore.  Closer inshore there is a counter current that has to be avoided.  It’s best not to get too far offshore in case an unexpected SW’ly pops up.  In that case, one moves closer inshore and manages as best as possible.  The bright side is that a significant SW’ly Buster isn’t likely or one wouldn’t have left a safe harbor in the first place.

Port Elizabeth (33-57.2’ S; 25-38.6’ E) is 130nm from East London.  The Agulhas current runs very strongly between the two ports.  Assuming a minimum speed of 6 kts, one can get there in 22 hrs or less.  There are no anchorages between East London and Port Elizabeth.  Once past there, the East Coast gradually turns to the South then West and safe anchorages become available all the way to Cape Agulhas.  Mossel Bay (34-10.6’ S; 22-08.5’ E)  is a  very popular anchorage to wait out a pending SW’ly Low.  It is 125nm from Cape Agulhas (The Cape of Storms).  This is another bottleneck in the southbound voyage.  The Agulhas current is diminishing and will change direction at the Cape Agulhas Banks and head back East towards Australia.  Because the Indian Ocean meets the South Atlantic Ocean at this cape, it must be rounded under moderate conditions.  There are anchorages close by to take shelter and wait for an opportune time to round Cape Agulhas.

On December 11^th the winds came around to the ENE and started to blow 25-30 kts; the seas quickly built up to over 12’ but were behind us.  I moved in closer to Mossel Bay to get out of the worst of it because the forecast was 35-40 kts just 10 miles south of us.  The gale force winds didn’t last very long and by 0500 hrs on December 12^th we were motor sailing once again with a light ESE’ly  wind about 10 kts.  This eventually veered into the SW 10-15 kts which was acceptable because the Agulhas current had diminished.  At 0600 hrs on December 13^th, we rounded Cape Agulhas (34-55.4’ S; 19-59.7’ E) under very pleasant conditions.  The wind was SSW 10 kts; seas 6’ SW’ly swells.  We set a course of 295 T for Cape Town.  Five hours after rounding the Cape, the winds backed into the SE and started blowing 25-35 kts.  This is the prevalent wind for Cape Town during the summer and it can blow quite hard.  I wanted to make a daylight arrival into Cape Town so I reefed in the jib to almost nothing; still we were making 6 kts and surfing off the bigger waves at 8-9 kts.  The Valiant is a great heavy Wx boat and can handle these conditions effortlessly.

We arrived at Cape Town at 0300 hrs local.  It was still blowing 25-30 kts and continued to do so until we finally got behind a headland that blocked the wind.  Once inside the harbor, the wind dropped out completely and we took in sail and started to motor: feast or famine.  That has been the pattern all along the East African Coast.  We are relieved to have it behind us.  It has a well-deserved reputation of being a challenging environment to sail.

Our entry into the Victoria & Alfred Marina was just beautiful.  One goes through two bridges to enter the marina.  There in the background is Table Mountain, seals are swimming all around the boat and our cruising friends are standing on the dock to help us tie up; it’s 0630 hrs in the morning.  We are overcome with joy and relief.

Cape Town is magnificent.  We are in the heart of the V & A development complex with all the amenities of a great city.  The architecture is Victorian and just about every conceivable activity is happening.  The Christmas theme and lights are everywhere; caroling, bands, individual musicians, contortionists, clowns, etc.; A hotbed of activity.  There are restaurants, bakeries, cheese, wine and all the local fruits and vegetables.  All of this caters to the tourists that come from every corner of the world.  The seals are everywhere and take over the pontoons at which the yachts are moored.  They are reluctant to move and challenge you when you try to shoo them away to board the yacht;  occasionally, a yachtie gets bitten.  They are noisy, argumentative, stink and keep you awake at night; nevertheless, delightful to have around.

In the coming days, we will explore the beauties of this magnificent city.  Every morning I look out at Table Mountain to see if it is donning a “table cloth”.  This happens when a strong SE’ly wind is blowing:  the white clouds heap up on top of the flat table top mountain and give it a table cloth.

So here we are, at the threshold of the South Atlantic Ocean.  We will be here until mid-January 2017 and then start our long voyage back to the States. 

EAST LONDON, SOUTH AFRICA

EAST LONDON, SOUTH AFRICA

DECEMBER 1-10, 2016

We arrived off the East London jetties at 0945 hrs (UTC+2) on December 1^st and anchored (33-01.385’ S; 027-53.893’ E) in the Buffalo River at 1006 hrs.  This is South Africa’s only true river port.  For yachts it enjoys the privileged position of being the first port of refuge after leaving Durban (260nm to the NE).  That leg constitutes the most dangerous and challenging conditions for any yacht because there is no possibility of a safe haven on what is called the “Wild Coast”.  It is this stretch of water, and the additional 135nm south to Port Elizabeth, that makes up the stuff of legends: abnormal seas and freak waves over 60’ in height and their corresponding troughs; violent” SW’ly Busters” which cause them. The cause for this is the Agulhas Current which runs is a SW’ly direction at 2-6 kts and the Low pressure systems that blow up the East Coast, against the current in a SW’ly direction.  There is a never ending succession of Lows and Highs that start off on the South American coast and end up at the bottom of South Africa.  A quick look at any synoptic chart of the area shows a “necklace” of the pressure systems moving from west to east.  Most of the time, there is a three to five day window between these systems.  This is the time that a yacht must leave from Richards Bay or Durban and head south to East London or Port Elizabeth.  The barometer and Weather Reports are the most important tools for deciding when to leave.  Experienced South African sailors advise leaving on the tail end of a SW’ly blow when the barometer has just about peaked at 1020+ hPa.  I have never seen such wild swings in a barometer as along this coast: 24 hPa rise or fall in a few hours.  Just before the barometer is at its peak, it’s time to go.  Enroute, the barometer will start to fall as the next Wx system approaches.  As long as it is gradually falling all is well.  Other than the daily fluctuations, should it start to rise, the next Wx system is not far away and a safe anchorage is needed.  Because the Agulhas Current is usually running at 2-3 kts,  good speed can be made by a yacht using available wind and engine if necessary; 6-9+ kts SOG is not unusual.  The Agulhas Current follows the 200m contour line off the continental shelf.  In the event of an approaching SW’ly, one needs to move close inshore and out of the current.  This will produce a significant reduction in wave height.  Our experience is that a 10-15 kt wind against the SW’ly setting current is doable as long as it doesn’t increase; GRIB files, Wx Reports and the barometer tell the story.  There are excellent Wx Reports coming from Cape Town Radio, Peri-Peri net and, the best of all (The  Samnet on SSB 14316.0 mhz at 0630 UTC and 1130 UTC).  Sam is the “Good Shepard” for the East African coast, Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius.  There is no one who gives a more detailed or comprehensive Wx report.  Although it is a Ham Net, he will take calls from anyone. 

Back to East London.  There isn’t much happening along the waterfront at the moment.  The Buffalo Yacht Club is waiting to renew their Restaurant & Pub license but allow visiting yachts to use their hot water showers and potable water. Latimer’s Landing on the other side of the river is undergoing reconstruction.  Just under the bridge on the East side of the river, there is the Ski Boat Club which welcomes visiting yachts. It serves food and has a bar.  Shopping is best done by calling Rocco’s Taxi Service (072 583 0653) and requesting to be taken to Hemingway Mall.  At the time of this posting the cost was R100 = US$ 7.00 one way.  The Mall has everything and more.

Anchoring in the river, just below the line of yachts that are all moored together, is safe, spacious and good holding in mud.  We have switched anchor positions several times and found that the bottom has lots of black garbage bags and rags; still the holding is good.  There is a Zoo for the curious.  The Mercedes Benz Co. has an assembly line here and is the largest employer.  Thousands of cars are produced and gigantic Car Carriers come in to load them up.  Don’t obstruct the dock on the West Bank or you will be asked to move by the harbor tug boats on the east side.  The only thing required for departure is filing a “Flight Plan” at the local Police Station located at Latimer’s Landing.  It’s a simple one page report and can be filled out any time before departure.  It’s the easiest process we have experienced so far.

On Saturday 10 December, we depart East London for Cape Town (580 nm).  Hopefully, we will have a Wx window that will get us around Cape Agulhas (Cape of Storms) and on to Cape Town.  Regardless, once past Port Elizabeth (135 nm to the SW), there are safe anchorages to weather out any unforeseen weather coming up from the South.  We have a reservation at the V&A Marina in Cape Town where we will spend Christmas and New Year.         

SOUTH AFRICA: OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIENCES

SOUTH AFRICA: OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIENCES

OCTOBER 26 TO DECEMBER 3, 2016

We have been in South Africa for 39 days: 13 days in Richards Bay at the Zululand Yacht Club; 22 days at the Durban Marina; 3 days anchored in East London.  Our experience with South Africans has been entirely positive.  They are a warm, friendly, generous people that enjoy meeting the tourists that come to their country.  We have to qualify this since we are foreign yachts in marinas that cater to the more affluent in the country; we are Caucasian.  The former system of Apartheid has left behind inequalities that we couldn’t begin to understand. 

In Natal, the Zulu tribe is predominant and the President of the country is Zulu.  One of the biggest problems we have seen is unemployment.  There just aren’t enough jobs to employ black South Africans.  This leads to crime, thievery and unsafe areas in Richards Bay and Durban.  The local advice is to wear no jewelry, carry very little cash and show no cameras or designer sunglasses; only frequent areas that are considered safe in the daytime.  Companies that provide security are the biggest employers.  Private homes have walls with barbed wire draped over the top and security guards inside.  Most White South Africans are forced to take security measures to protect their families.

The country is rich in land and mineral resources and fertile enough to grow most of the things we have in the States or Europe. The quality is excellent.  To enter a South African butchery is to behold and array and variety of meats that wouldn't be found in the States.  The price for food is quite a bit cheaper than in the States or Europe; labor is even more reasonable.  This makes South Africa one of the best places to have repairs done on a yacht.  The shipyards are efficient and provide a high quality of workmanship.  I believe that they are cheaper than Boat Lagoon in Phuket, Thailand and the standard of workmanship is far superior to the shoddy jobs that Thai’s do.  Part of this is due to the system that we experienced at Bowman’s Yard in Durban.  He has the yard and facilities for hauling out but all the labor for the different jobs is independent contractors that work through him but are paid directly by the client.  They, in turn, employ and supervise their labor force.  All this provides excellent service at very reasonable prices.  The white South African is entrepreneurial, hardworking and good at what he does.  The black South Africans provide the brute labor force and are still trying to achieve equality in a very complex society.  Apartheid is gone but the inequalities of the system are still being overcome.  Reverse discrimination against the Whites is the logical outcome.  In conversations with both White and Black, they have been candid about the problems they are facing.  The political situation is frustrating for both races.  The ANC is Nelson Mandela’s creation and remains the dominant political force in the country.  Over the years, it has become corrupt and inefficient but remains in power by duping the uneducated:  Donald Trump might have studied their tactics.

For us, it has been an exciting wonderful experience.