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.