March 26, 2012-The Story Behind this Photo

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Sailing The African Coast

This photo is the screen saver on my computer. I look at it every day, probably 20 times, or more. It still compels me.

What is the story behind this photo?

I took it on the way down the Africa Coast. It was just a two day run; Durban to Port Elizabeth.

Should be easy but we knew there was a southerly coming, the forecast said so. They said it was going to be 10 to 20 knots out of the south, but for only half a day, and then the northerly would fill. We felt we could handle that and we needed to get south, so we left.

But the southerly hit harder than predicted; 25 to 30 knots and more. And after half a day it was still blowing solidly.This was not what the forecast said.

Still, it wasn’t so bad. After all, this was Wings’ weather, we could beat into 25 knots. And the waves, while big, were manageable. We kept on.

And I took the photo.

But in the back of my mind there was the Agulhas Current to think about. In a southerly the Agulhas Current runs against the wind and the waves can mean trouble; they can get big. This was what had been spooking us about the African coast for a couple of years: rogue waves, ship killers, it gave Judy nightmares as far back as Thailand. Now it could be happening to us. I couldn’t chance it.

We tuned into the weather service. They warned of “abnormal” waves.

That did it, we hadn't seen any "abnormal waves" but it only would take one. Now it was time to be scared.

Next piece of wisdom: When the wind runs against the current, get inshore. We eased sheets and headed for the beach.

About two miles off the coast we got out of the current. It was still rough but the danger of wind against current was over.

We turned back to the south.

In a few hours the wind switched and we got our northerly.

And we breathed a big sigh of relief.

So what do I see when I look at this photo? I see the bow headed for the sky as we climb over the next big wave which looks like a mountain peak off to starboard. I see the #4 jib, close hauled, filled and pulling and a reefed main. I see seven turns on the primary winch and a double handle silhouetted against the spray and foam, standing ready.

I see the sea, the boat and the sky. I see big power, big waves, and big danger. I see all of this and I remember. And I remember that we got through it and that is what counts.

Until the next time.

Click here to see the other photos from that trip.

Click here to read the original story.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Fortaleza, Brazil

Febuary 10, 2012-Departing Africa

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Blue Peter at the hoist

Wings departs Africa today bound for Saint Helena Island in the middle of the South Atlantic.

We expect to weigh and set sail at 14:00 and the wind, though light, should be adequate to get us out of Walvis Bay and out of Africa.

Hopefully we’ll reach the SE trades, which are in the forecast but otherwise nowhere to be seen, before the day's sea breeze dies out.

The fuel and water have been topped, the provisions refreshed, and the boat is in good shape except for the water maker and outside stereo speakers. No worry mate, she’ll be right.

It has been a good year in Africa, one which we would have been sad to have missed.

We’ll post the blog when we can.

Fred & Judy (and Randy and Laura), SV Wings, Walvis Bay, Namibia

Febuary 8, 2012-Walvis Bay

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Walvis Bay, near the salt pans

Maybe it is something to do with the weather which has me down. It has been cold and cloudy here in Walvis Bay since we arrived. Cold? How can that be in Africa at 22 degrees latitude in the middle of summer?

Well, it is. There is a cold current coming up the coast and it brings cold air with it, and fog.

So, we have fetched up in an altogether dreary place, in my opinion, although our new friend here, Arri, said, "If you get sand in your shoes here, you will always come back”. If there is charm here it must be the people, they are wonderful. But the town is is flat, industrial, cool, windy, dusty; you name it.

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Judy and Namibian Friends

But on the positive side, people here are very friendly, all of them, the yacht club is quite nice, we’ve found what we needed for the boat (not much, just a new computer!), and we’ll be able to get water and fuel and the other provisions we need for the crossing to Brazil. But boat parts? Impossible. Good thing we don’t need any. And right now I do have sand in my shoes but I find it hard to believe that I’ll always come back, as Arri said I would.

Right. Get me to someplace warm.

We leave Friday or Saturday for Saint Helena and Brazil.

Fred & Judy, (and Randy and Laura), SV Wings, Walvis Bay, Namibia

February 3, 2012-Driving in Namibia

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Namibia

Namibia is not a crowded place.

We rented a car on Wednesday and headed out. On Thursday morning we drove across the Namib Desert and for half a day and we encountered only two other cars.

That afternoon we saw four more cars and at the check point they said that they were having a busy day.

Wild Horses

But we are glad to be here; the sights in the desert are amazing. On Wednesday we visited a ghost town where diamonds were mined for 50 years. We saw a herd of wild horses. We stayed the night at a roadhouse in the desert with good food and old cars, mostly American ones.

On Thursday we drove to a huge canyon, the Fish River Canyon, which is said to be second in size to only the Grand Canyon and we were only one of three cars (and a couple of motorcycles) there. We drove along the edge of the south rim for two hours. There were no guard rails and no guards. We could have driven off and no one would have known.

We drove though mountains which border the Namib and then along the Orange River which flows from South Africa to the ocean along the border between the countries.

On the way home we drove through a sand storm.

We were glad for the reliability and air conditioning of our rented ford truck.

And we were glad to get back to Wings anchored in Ludertiz Harbor.

Luderitz

Tomorrow we sail for Walvis Bay, another port in Namibia.

Click here for more photos from Namibia

Fred & Judy (and Randy and Laura) SV Wings, Ludertiz Bay, Namibia

January 31, 2011-Randy Joins the Blow Over Club

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Dolphins escort us

You couldn’t tell it from the photos I posted but the bay at Luderitz is pretty windy. In fact the world record for speed sailing was recently set here.

Randy found out when he tried to take the dingy to shore in a near gale of wind. Only a few yards from the boat a gust of wind picked him up and blew both he and the dingy upside down. That’s when we also found out how cold the water was. He nearly froze to death and that is not an exaggeration.

I was on board Wings and I heard his shout and ran on deck to see him swimming alongside the white bottom of the upside-down dingy. From his gasps I knew the water was cold. In fact hypothermia was a danger. This was a serious situation.

I urged Randy to swim towards the boat and he urged me to start the engine and move the boat closer. We did both and soon he was back on board. That was a close call and we were lucky.

But in the end no harm was done and we learned a lesson. No boating in gales of wind without a second person’s weight to hold the dingy down to the water.

Fred & Judy (and Randy and Laura) SV Wings, Ludertiz, Namibia

January 25, 2012-Departing Cape Town

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Blue Peter at the Yard

Today we set sail from Cape Town bound for Namibia.

We are checked out, the boat is provisioned, tanks are filled, the weather looks good, the crew is eager to go, and we are just now having breakfast.

We cast off the lines at 09:00.

Fred & Judy, (and Randy and Laura) SV Wings, Cape Town

January 8, 2012-Table Mountain Down Draft

Wave of Cold Air Breaks over Table Mountain

On an otherwise nice day a Tsunami of cold air suddenly crashes over Table Mountain and pours down into Cape Town.

Sea gulls take shelter on the lee of our transom.

An afternoon Sou’Easter is coming and the masts soon catch the blast and the yachts begin a mad dance like they’re all on ecstasy and they’ll be up all night while we huddle in our cabin and listen to the howl.

It is just another normal summer day in Cape Town: sunny and warm at lunchtime when we washed the car in the parking lot. Then we saw the white cloud form over the mountain and the wind turned to the south and we wondered if there was any punch in it but Jim Burwick said if it turns black it’ll blow 40 knots and while we thought that was just talk, some sailor braggadocio meant to scare us Cape Town newbies, it did turn black and it blew like hell and by 21:00 it was over 38kts and the gusts were getting stronger.

So he was right.

But cape sailors shrug it off; they’re strong down here, have to be, boats were coming and going all day.

Not us; we check the dock lines and stay put.

Table Mountain is a rock in the stream for air blowing from either direction. In a SE wind it bangs into the Twelve Apostles and flies over the top before crashing down into Cape Town. A few days ago however we found ourselves on the West side, over by the Twelve Apostles, and on that day a NW wind blew and the cloud came over in the opposite direction and came down onto us on the coast highway by Clifton. In the late afternoon sun it was gorgeous and when it got cool we just climbed into the car and switched on the heater.

Like a few other places in the world, Auckland, Hobart, and Patagonia, for example, when you are on a point of land sticking down into the Southern Ocean, the air masses will take their measure of you, they really do, and we are reminded of what insignificant specs on this planet we really are.

But we could be at sea in this stuff. That would be worse.

Click here to see more Cape Town photos.

Click here to see some boat work photos (Rope splicing and Stove Repair)

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Cape Town

UPDATE!

It's the next night. The neighbor's wind generator sounds like it is self destructing, the howl is louder than ever, the instruments say over 49 knots of wind, and Wings is jumping around at the dock like a bronco on a short leash.

This is in the marina?

We wonder if this is a normal thing for Cape Town; the locals don't seem to be taking any notice. Maybe this is typical. If so, we're impressed.

Today's Highest Gust

January 1, 2012-A New Year in Africa

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Did this stork bring the new year?

It was a midnight kiss, lots of fireworks which we could hear but not see, and the sound of big ships horns blasting that brought in the new year aboard Wings. We didn't go out, maybe too pooped from the boat projects we'd been working on all day, but we had a good celebration anyhow.

Last year has been great and we are expecting another one just as great.

In a few weeks we will set out to explore the SW African coastline as far north as Namibia, where we are looking forward to a trip ashore to see the Namib desert, then we'll angle off to cross the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil with stops at St Helena and maybe Ascension Island on the way. It will be a big trip but we are up for it. Randy and Laura are coming with us and they should arrive in about 10 days. We are looking forward to seeing them and sailing with them too.

Here in Cape Town we have very glad to be in our snug marina berth at Royal Cape Yacht Club because it has been blowing nearly every day, often over 35kts and a few times over 40 in the marina. Outside I have no idea but we glad we were not out there sailing. However, we've been watching the local boats go out and we've decided that if they can do it we can too. At least we could go downwind in this stuff, and farther north it should get lighter.

(Sometimes the local boats which go out can't come back in it's blowing so hard. They have to tie off the end of the dock and wait for a lull before trying to get back into their berths. This place blows!)

wingssail images-fredrick roswoldSimonstown

It has been blowing just as hard south of here in False Bay at Simonstown where most of the cruisers go. We visited Jim and Carol on Nepenthe there and not only was it windy but the boats were jumping around in a way which brought back memories of other ports in South Africa we've been to where you have to hold on even down below to keep from falling over.

A side trip we took included Hout Bay and the bird park there World of Birds.

wingssail images-fredrick roswoldHello Big Bird

You can see more of the photos from World of Birds here.

We have a few more boat projects and lots of exploring to do before we leave Cape Town, and we'll keep you up to date with all of it.

For more shots from Simonstown, Hout Bay and the Twelve Apostles, click here.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Cape Town

December 19, 2011-Forty Knots Isn't The Same Anymore

Cape Town: No this is not 40 kts

Four days ago we were anchored at Cape Agulhas and it was blowing forty knots and we could hardly stand up in the boat it was pitching and rolling so badly.

A few days before that we were in the port of Mossel Bay in 35 knots of wind and we were being slammed up against the wall and knocked down so badly fenders were exploding.

Now we are in the marina at Royal Cape Yacht Club in Cape Town, its blowing forty knots again and it's nothing. We are just so very damn glad to be here. There is no pitching, no violent rolling, no jerking and no shrieking dock lines. Judy looked outside and instead of breakers she sees ripples.

Forty knots? Bring it on. We’re in Cape Town.

Click here to meet our new/old friends in Cape Town

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Cape Town

December 17, 2011

Yesterday

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Cape Agulhas



Today

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Cape Town

Words Not Needed.

Click photos to see more.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Cape Town

December 15, 2011-The Southern Tip of Africa

A low pressure system is keeping us hunkered down in the lee of Cape Agulhas at the most southern point of the African continent. For a few days the cold wind from the low cell, one of many that spawn in the roaring 40's and spin past Africa, has been howling over the cape and there is enough fetch where we have taken what little shelter the peninsula affords so that even here Wings pitches and rolls.

Outside it is worse; we can see the waves boiling by and crashing on the reef and they refract around and roll into the shore near our anchorage, the wind blowing their tops off like long grey beards. We've set the storm anchor and we seem to be holding but the snubber line shows signs of wear and we've put on chafing gear. We go on deck to check and adjust the gear and the thirty five knots of wind threatens to blow us off the boat. Walking forward is an adventure. We had a peak of 45 knots yesterday. That's more than enough.

Down below we are out of the wind but listening to the howling sound is tiring.

Our main occupation here is watching the weather. We need a break in the westerlies to get around Cape Agulhas and Cape of Good Hope, 80 miles to the west. The low out there should to move east and there could be a day or two before the next one sweeps in. We'll make a run for it when that break occurs, if it does. The weather is fickle. What looks like a window one day often evaporates by the next and on the weather maps we see the lows out there circling eastward one after the other; they look like monsters waiting to pounce. Sailing in the gap between them is like dashing across a freeway between trucks.

Other boats, also waiting in dubious shelters along this coast, are in similar circumstances including our friends on Nepenthe stuck in Port Elizabeth where the conditions are as bad as here, or worse. One boat, Sonia Azul, left Mossel Bay a few hours behind us in the last break but failed to make it here before the westerlies came back. Tuesday night they were battling to get around Struis Point a few miles east of here, and not making it sailing, when their engine failed and they called for help. A helicopter flew over and checked us out to see if it was us and on the VHF we told them. "No, we're fine, it's another boat farther east." They flew on. Later that night a rescue boat towed Sonjia Azul into the bay where we are and anchored them near us. At least there was a rescue boat. Sonjia Azul is still here and again waiting, like us, for the next window.

And a cormorant, blown down wind and unable to make it back to shore, landed on our deck and sheltered for a while. We hoped he'd stay until the wind quit but he didn't and we watched him try and fail again, then fall into the sea.

We've heard that Simon's Town is a great little town and an excellent place to stop before rounding Cape of Good Hope, but right now all we want to do is get this whole coast behind us.

We want to get to Cape Town and forget the southern tip of Africa.

Added: Photos

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Cape Algulhas

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December 13, 2011-Waiting for the Blow

06:30

We just anchored in a large bay within sight of Cape Alguhas, Africa's southernmost point, intending to sit out a three day blow which is supposed to be coming.

We think this bay will shield us from the westerly wind but right now the SE swell rolls in pretty good. It might not be the most fun place to be but probably better than the alternative of sailing around Cape of Good Hope in a westerly gale and anyhow, tomorrow the swell is supposed to come from the west.

The holding isn't so great either. With all the sand dunes on shore you'd think there would be some sand below our keel but the chain is rumbling on rocks already.

And the Internet here is slow.

On those happy notes I guess I should say that the trip here was fine. Wings sailed well and even though we were beating for about half of the way it was easy sailing, if not fast. Later we got a good shift and we eased sheets and reached towards this bay, our destination. We motored for the last bit after the wind died as projected and we arrived here right on schedule. Sometimes you get lucky.

Now let's get some breakfast.

BTW, The Volvo boats are somewhere near here working eastward, waiting for the same westerly we're sheltering from, but for them it will be good sailing and I don't expect to see any of them dropping anchor with us. We're watching the AIS to see if we can spot them as they go by.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Cape Alguhas

December 4, 2011-Birds of Eden & Prince Alfred Pass

Green Winged Macaw

On Sunday we fired up the merc and hit the road, eastbound out N2.

The Birds of Eden aviary was the first destination and that was the star attraction as far as we're concerned. Click here to see more photos.

After lunch, maybe a bit late it turned out, we headed northward to cross the Price Alfred Pass and take R62 home.

Coastal Mountains

We crawled over the rough gravel road for hours, climbing higher and higher, and wondered if we get across before dark, and that was only the first pass. The second one took us through a narrow gorge and the afternoon shadows had us into darkness.

But at 6:00 PM we came out onto R62, a long straight road through the dry rolling hills on the other side of the mountians and we let the merc stretch its legs.

Getting back to Mossel Bay before dark was easy with that car.

Click here for more photos from Prince Alfred's Pass.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mossel Bay

November 27, 2011-Mossel Bay

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Fishing boat in Mossel Bay

Mossel Bay is a fishing port, as are most of the ports on this coast, filled with rugged seagoing vessels and working boats which come and go on a daily basis. There is little provision for cruising yachts and we were lucky to find a place to tie up. In fact the port’s first response was to turn us away.

“You must anchor outside the port,” we were told by the voice on the radio. It was ungodly rough outside, exposed to the fury of the Southern Ocean, and we knew that anchoring outside would not be pleasant, probably not even safe, in the open anchorage on a lee shore and with poor holding.

There would certainly be no respite from the rough ocean or rest for us there.

I looked at the port control building and the row of blank windows and I was angry at the faceless men inside who would send us back out into the ocean. It was clear they just wanted us to go away, and any trials we might face after leaving was our concern, not theirs. At that moment I did not have a warm place in my heart for Mossel Bay.

But then they relented and we were allowed to stay within the port and come alongside the fishing jetty. Not a great berth with its high concrete wall and relentless surge but we were thankful for it.

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Mossel Bay

We remained on that wall for a week and then we were able to move to the marina, where we are now, and today the wind still howls and the rain pours down but we are snug and safe.

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Sea Lion

Despite the days of bad weather and the tight conditions in the port we have come to like Mossel Bay with its clean air and clear water with the sea gulls wheeling overhead and the sea lions cavorting in the port. The salt air smells good. This is an honest, working man’s, port and the town on the hillside behind the harbor is charming with its old buildings and quiet streets and on a sunny day, and we have had several, Mossel Bay is beautiful. Even the harbormaster, who spoke sternly to us on the radio that first day, has turned out to be an OK guy.

When I talked with him about the rigors of sailing this coast and the need here for more yachts to be able to find shelter he said he would always find a place to accommodate yachts in bad weather but it was tough with the numbers of fishing boats and other commercial ships here. OK, fair enough; at least he is trying. We shook hands.

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On a sunny day the deck gets a good scrub

Now that we have a marina berth and wheels, (we brought the car down from Port Elizabeth yesterday) we can stay here for a couple more weeks and enjoy the nearby area before sailing on to Cape Town.

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On the the Garden Route

Click here for more shots of Mossel Bay

Click here to see our Sea Lion friends

Click here to see photos of the Garden Route from Port Elizabeth to Mossel Bay

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mossel Bay, South Africa

November 18, 2011-Knysna Aborted

Knysna looked as beautiful as its reputation led us to expect: a blue lagoon surrounded by rolling green pastoral hills and mountains behind. The entrance looked a bit different though: white water all the way across.

Bar was rough

That was the view from Outside.

We never got in. Mission aborted.

Knysna is a river entrance with a narrow gap in the rocks called "The Heads" which is, apparently, impassable at times. This was one of those times.

There is a web cam (http://www.theheads.co.za/) with still shots every 30 minutes. We had internet coverage and we looked at the web cam shot. It showed a big wave just outside, coming in, looking like it was about to break.

I called the Sea Rescue Group and talked to Graham. He said it was flat at the moment but some big sets were coming periodically. We chatted a bit as we both watched the water, he from inside, us from outside. He asked me what our best speed was.

"Seven knots." I said.

"These waves come in at 20." replied Grraham.

Then there was a momentary gap in the conversation. I knew we were both watching the same big comber come in, 3 meters high or more, breaking all the way across the entrance and the wind was blowing the top off the wave. It looked like Sumatra surf to me.

"If you get hit by one like that we'll be picking up the pieces." Graham said.

"Thanks Graham, see you next time."

We diverted to Mossel Bay.

Click here for another shot and see a whale jumping.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Sailing under Africa

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November 16, 2011-Port Elizabeth

Port Elizabeth Library

Today we are securing the boat to go to sea; we're leaving Port Elizabeth with the tide in the morning bound for Knysna.

We've been here a week, give or take, since we were gone for a few days, but the boat was here. Anyhow, we've enjoed our stay and we like Port Elizabeth. It is, as the locals say, "The Friendly City", to which we concur. They also say it is "The Windy City", with which we also concur.

ABYC on a Dramatic Afternoon

The central district is historic, filled with old buildings, some in disrepair, others undergoing refurbishment, and some already restored. We walked around quite a bit, and although I didn't feel like carting the big Nikon all over, I did get some photos with my Samsung phone.

Click here for more photos of Port Elizibeth

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Port Elizabeth

November 13, 2011-Drive Across the High Veld

Drive Across the High Veld

Our red Merc thundered down the mountain at 145km with the silver VW right on our tail. Out of the Great Karoo we came, headed for the coast, and we could smell the barn, Port Elizabeth, where Wings was moored just four hundred klicks to the South, and we pressed on to make it by dinner time.

We’d flown back to Durban to pick up the car and after a wonderful curry dinner with the warm friends from Nepenthe and Windancer Thursday night we headed out Friday morning, climbing NW out of Durban up onto the Central Plateau of South Africa.

Up here on the High Veld the road flies straight and true and we watched out the car’s windows as mile after mile of low hills and waving grass reminding us of Eastern Washington or Nebraska, or Iowa, rolled by and we easily maintained a high speed and cut the huge arc around Lesotho and through the Free State towards Bloemfontein, arriving by late afternoon.

Religion in the Morning

A hotel, called the City Lodge, and a steak dinner at the Mexican Restaurant which has no Mexican food but does have excellent beef, and we slept well after our drive. Saturday morning found us up at dawn and atop the local viewpoint, Naval Hill, at sunrise, surrounded by religious Afrikaners standing on the rock wall holding bibles or replicas of Gabriel’s horn shouting at God over Bloemfontein’s rooftops in a language which sounded a lot like Hebrew to me but I guess it wasn’t.

Back on the turnpike, headed towards Cape Town, we upped the speed. Straight roads and few cars made us feel we could cruise at any speed the Merc was happy at and it seemed to like 140.

The road to Port Elizabeth branched off at Colesberg and we turned left and started our descent. From the five thousand feet of the Central Pleateau, where it was cool dry and we were glad for the heater, we dropped to 1500ft and rolled out of the hills which looked like Arizona or New Mexico, onto the flat and dry Karoo desert where we needed bit more cool air and we switched on the air conditioning.

Church in Cradock

We had lunch in Cradock, which is where we picked up the VW, and he stayed with us as the road took its final drop out of the Karoo and down to the green coastal hills where the sweeping curves encouraged the Merc to stretch its legs before slowing for the traffic on the coast highway into Port Elizabeth.

The VW turned off at Alicedale and we came on into town on our own by 17:30.

A good run for a couple of days.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Port Elizabeth, SA

November 8, 2011-Sailing The African Coast

Boisterous Sailing

This was the trip we’ve been thinking about, dreading maybe, for a couple of years. It’s the BIG African coastal hop and it has a reputation for wild weather and dangerous storms. But Saturday was a nice day, the forecast was good and we set out with optimism and excitement to be going to sea again.

The optimism evaporated with the new forecast we received a few hours after we left. Isn’t this the way it always happens? Now there was a cold front predicted and strong southwesterly winds, maybe even big winds, not light like we thought, and there was a blood chilling mention of “abnormal waves”. But by then we were too far down the track to go back, we felt we were committed.

The strategy we discussed was to sail fast, out in the Agulhas current to help speed us along, and when the wind came, we’d move inshore and out of the big waves.

And hope for the best.

Log entries.

Saturday: The wind died this evening and we are motoring however the wind is coming back a little now and we probably could set the genoa and sail but with more wind coming tonight we hold off. We just don’t know how much wind or when and neither of us wants to be caught out here tonight in a blow with that big genny up. So we’ll motor until the wind fills enough to sail with the small jib then we’ll set that. At least then when the shit hits the fan we will not have to worry about too much sail area.

Sunday: The wind arrived at midnight. Sixteen knots at first but more was coming and we reefed the main. By 09:00 it is blowing 22-26 knots and the waves are big. We have been slamming into the waves a lot and quite a few big ones have come on-board and swept down the deck. We came in-shore to get out of them but that didn’t work; we’re only a couple of miles off the beach and it is still too rough. We can see the huge waves crashing on the rocks, looking close, so now we’ve tacked back over and stopped; we are hove-to on starboard tack, slowly working back to seaward.

We had a drama with the genoa earlier. It was bagged and tied down on the foredeck, and with all the waves crashing over the deck it started to go over the side. I had to go forward and get it back on board. That was fun. I also had to go up the mast and replace a check stay which dropped out and that was some kind of fun too. But we did it and now everything is fine.

Monday: The front passed and the northerly wind that we based this whole trip on came in at midnight. In the morning we were approaching East London, our first potential stop, sailing fast under sunny skies and since the breeze was projected to last until midnight we make the tough decision to bypass East London and go on to Port Elizabeth, taking advantage of the good sailing conditions to make some distance down the coast. But after midnight another front is due so now we want to go as fast as possible to try to get into the next port before it arrives.

At five PM we are flying down the coast, as we have been all day, since midnight in fact. We are pushing the boat hard and we have covered the last 147 miles at an average speed of 8.6 knots, rushing towards Port Elizabeth but also towards the low which is supposed to be forming right between us and port. At the rate the barometer is falling we expect the cold front to hit us between midnight and 02:00 AM. We might make it to port by then and we might not, and we’re trying, but it makes us anxious knowing we are rushing headlong towards some unknown fate at over eight knots. I guess in about seven hours we’ll get to face it, whatever it is.

Tuesday: The new front arrived biting cold and at full strength just as we motored into Port Elizabeth Marina. We were glad to get alongside a moored fishing boat, the only place we could tie up at 03:30 in the tight quarters of the marina in that wind. Now we are safe for the time being and we are exhausted. We’re going to bed.

Next we have the hop to Knysna and then Cape Agulhas.

Click here to see more photos

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Port Elizabeth

October 29, 2011-More Durban Projects

Autopilot

wingssail imagesOur track


It should have been a 2 hour job but it turned out to be a week of work; par for the course for boat projects.

When we decided to put in the new Raymarine X5 Autopilot (after carrying it as a spare for several years) we found that one thing led to another: open up the autopilot hood and we found that we had to remove the instrument cluster. Remove the instrument cluster and we had to get into the main hatch. Once into the hatch we should sand and paint it.

So we did.

One week later the hatch is done and the autopilot is installed.

Time for sea trials,or... calibrate the new autopilot.

So we went out, did a few circles, discovered that due to a miss-wiring, right is left and left is right, (fixed that) and almost ran aground during the “Learn” phase where the auto pilot takes over for a few minutes, and got past that too. But you can see from our track that we went every which way.

And finally success! The old Autohelm 4000ST-GP was good, and was still working, but after 15 years, we felt we could risk the upgrade, and now we have it.

The "Bose" is Back!

Speaker work

Pierre noticed it first; one day off the Sumatran coast when the sailing was good and we thought we needed a little loud music we turned up volume on the outdoor Bose speakers (the Bose 251’s that the crew bought for us in Singapore).

Pierre said, “Hey, what is that?” They sounded like crap; very weak and totally muddy. We were shocked. I used to think they were pretty good. I guess the deterioration had been gradual and I hadn’t really noticed it or maybe I just hadn’t tried them much for a few months.

On the Indian Ocean crossing we couldn’t do much except fiddle with the equalizer settings, cranking up the treble and turning down the bass, so the speaker fix waited. After the autopilot upgrade was done this week I decided on a speaker upgrade too. A new amplifier helped but the sound was still weak and muddy so we took a closer look at the Bose speakers themselves. Once the covers were off it was obvious: they needed new drivers (sorry team).

Off to A-1 Radio I went to buy some new drivers.

The Bose is Back!

It took all day to rebuild the Bose speakers with the new “twiddler” drivers and another day to re-wire the nav station for the amplifier and the new switches but in the end it was successful. The Bose speakers are again good, clean, and loud; the ”Bose" sound is back and louder than ever!

Mercedes Benz Heater fun

Mercedes Benz

Boat work is constant but if you have a car, car work is constant too. The ’94 Merc W124 is a great ride but while most of the other things work fine the heater has never worked since we bought the beast. A few false starts on fixing it later and I finally got under the covers pretty good. Hoses off, wires ripped out, parts on the sidewalk and some new ones, heater solenoid valves (used) installed, a bucket of water added and a short hose, and finally today I rebuilt the heater water pump. I’m not sure what it was but now the heater will burn your toes. Finally I got heat.
That is good, however it is now late spring here and heaters are not much in demand. Air con is more likely the feature that will sell the Merc when we head out in January. Well that works too, like a dream.

Now that everything is fixed, we just need to get to Cape Town

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Durban

October 19, 2011-Durban Lightning

Sometimes it pays to be the smallest boat on the dock.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Afternoon Thunderstorm

On Wednesday a lightning storm landed on Durban and at least two boats in Durban Marina were hit including Doughty, the 70’er next to us, but we were spared. In fact I was on the computer typing an email when the sky darkened, the afternoon storm hit, the rain came pouring down, and the thunder and lightning struck. Again, and again.

“Bang”, then, “Bang”, then… “BANG!”

“Ouch!’ I said, “That last one must have been a close hit.”

I didn’t know how close.

The security guard told me it hit the boat next to us; he saw it strike, and sure enough, soon the crew on Doughty were removing fried electronic gear including the masthead unit. On the next dock over a boat named Revelation was hit and much of their gear was also damaged. But in that storm, on that day, not to say what might happen on future days or in other storms, we were spared; nothing on Wings was hit. Was it the 100’ mast on Doughty or the 80’ mast on Dream Free, on the other side, that saved us? Or just luck, maybe dumb luck? I don’t know; I’m just thankful.

Anyhow, the coast of Africa is unforgiving. The lighting storms are unpredicted, the strong fronts blow through with little warning, and boats limp into Durban with long lists of damaged gear. We’re seeing them arrive daily.

Our next jump down this coast will be 500+ miles to a small fishing port called Knysna. We hope to skip over two industrial ports on the way, Port Elisabeth and East London, however, given the unpredictability of the weather around here, we might have to duck into one of them.

We want to get going but we are watching the weather. No sense in going if the forecast is bad. Even if it is good we could get smacked, so might as well wait for the best possible weather window. Right now, from the data we see on the Internet, it is at least a week away.

Gives us time to fix a couple of things including the car we have.

Never thought we would own another car but we do. We bought an old Mercedes Benz while in Richards Bay and we have it here with us in Durban. It needs some work, so we have that to deal with. But we’ll leave it parked here, assuming it is fixed, when we sail to Knysna, and then take a bus back to get the car.

Fun, huh? A cousin of mine said, and he was right: “Freedom is nothing left to lose”.

And that includes a car. But we love driving that old Merc, so we’ll keep fixing it and keep moving down the coast.

Meanwhile, we watch the weather and enjoy Durban.

Click here for some other photos

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Durban, South Africa