Port Elizabeth to Simon’s Town

We enjoyed our 48 hour stop-over in PE. The Algoa Yacht Club was a friendly place; Spar supermarket was within walking distance; there were two chandleries in the port and good food and beer in the marina restaurant. What more could a cruising sailor wish for? The only downside was the coal loading bay across the harbour, which sprinkled coal dust liberally over the marina when the wind was in a certain direction. Sara II now has zebra stripes on her furling genoa!

We left PE on Wednesday afternoon, 2^nd December. Soon we were surrounded by lots of dolphins, perhaps 100, and many more gannets and other seabirds, all enjoying a feeding frenzy. Regular readers of this blog will know what the dolphins came to tell us. The strong winds arrived the next day, blowing force 7, and it was surprisingly chilly. The following SE wind gusted to gale force and the 3m swell had breaking waves on top, which sent splashes into the cockpit. There were many fishing vessels to avoid and a fair number of ships in the area south of Mossel Bay.

Breaking Bad south of Knysna

 We had no problems rounding Cape Agulhas, which is the most southerly point of South Africa. We chose to pass between the six and twelve mile banks as the wind and swell had eased considerably. We had been goosewinged but as we turned towards False Bay, John took the pole holding the genoa down and we were able to sail on a reach with the wind abaft the beam (apologies to non-sailors). 

Cloud over Cape Point

Later in the night the wind strengthened as we passed between Danger Point and Cape Point at the entrance to False Bay. Here Table Mountain has a local effect on the wind. Jeremy decided to move our course away from a narrow passage inside rocks in order to have more sea room. Fog came down soon afterwards, so it was just as well that we were well clear of rocks and shoal patches.

The end of the line: False Bay YC, Simon's Town

We tied up in our reserved berth in False Bay Marina at 0750 on Saturday 5^th December. John called Bullnose, the South African Navy, on VHF as they operate the marina, which is next door to the naval base. We were welcomed at the yacht club and given free temporary membership. It wasn’t long before we made use of the hot showers, the cold beers and the restaurant. Our passage from Pangkor, Malaysia to Simon’s Town, South Africa was over.

Returning from a hot shower

Jeremy and I left Sara II on Monday 7^th December and intend to do a little sight-seeing before meeting up with Jeremy’s cousin, Barbara, in Fish Hoek.

We fly home to Suffolk for Christmas on 15 December.

Durban to Port Elizabeth

We left Durban at 0720 on Saturday 28^th December. There was a small exodus of yachts as a suitable weather window of NE opened up. Soon there were several yachts calling each other on VHF to ask if anyone had found the infamous Agulhas Current that flows in a southerly direction at 3-6 knots. We followed the example of Wandering Dream and motorsailed seawards. We found the current and we stayed in it, recording speeds over the ground up to 11.9 knots. We maintained 10+ knots for most of the trip.

Sometimes the wind was light and we motorsailed; at other times it was fresh to strong and we sailed downwind goosewinged. During both nights we had to gybe, which involved taking the pole down and transferring it to the other side.

Soon after turning away from the current towards Port Elizabeth, the wind died as though someone had switched it off. We had to motor the last 50 miles. At dawn a thick fog descended, so we had to keep a careful watch, using AIS and radar to assist. Fortunately, as we approached the harbour the fog lifted. John called Port Control and we were given permission to enter. He then called Algoa Bay Yacht Club and we were told a berth was available.

We tied up at 1130 on Monday 30^th November. Checking in was easy – just one form to complete. We were made very welcome and made good use of the hot showers, the bar and the restaurant.

We intend to leave PE today (Wed 2^nd December) and hope to sail all the way to Simons Town assuming the weather stays favourable. SE winds are forecast.