May 23, 2012-Fantastic Voyage of Anasazi Girl

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Fantastic Voyage, Fantastic Crew

Congratulations to the crew of Anasazi Girl on the completion of a fantastic voyage!

Ever since our old friend Jim Burwick told us of he and Somira's plans to sail west to Australia on their 40 foot ultra race boat with their family on board we have been a little worried.

To most people's eyes Anasazi Girl is a bit extreme for cruising with a family, let alone with two small children, and LET ALONE sailing 4800 miles across the Indian Ocean through the roaring forties, LET ALONE late in the year!

But these folks are great sailors with many ocean miles and thier boat is strong and seaworthy. Jim's abilites and resourcefullness has been well demonstrated by his already completed around the world voyage on this boat.

So, if anybody could do it, they could.

But still, we were worried.

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Somira, Jim, & Tormentino on Anasazi Girl

Tormentino & Raivo

Now they have just completed their voyage from South Africa to Freemantle Australia and we are thrilled to get this report: Captain's Report from Jim and this report from Somira

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Anasazi Girl, Not your Grandfather's Cruising Boat

Click Here, the Captain's Report for Jim's account
and Here, for Somira's

Click here to go to www.anasaziracing.blogspot.com for all thier stories, and be sure to check out Somira's photo web site she is terrific.

Again, Congratulations!

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Trinidad

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

June 15, 2011-Friends Check In From Paradise

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Stephane, Valerie, Patrick

Our friends Patrick & Valerie, from the yacht Haere Maru, sailed from Mauritius to little a bit of hidden paradise in the Indian Ocean, St. Brandon Rocks, and sent us a brief report.

"We went later with Valerie and the kids and Stephane my Mauritian friend that you met in the marina, to St Brandon , nice weather but not a lot of wind , I used my engine for 120 hours to help the lazy sailing... Everything went very well on board , were fishing every day and were like Robinson Crusoe's, it was exceptional. " Patrick and Valerie

When I say that this bit of paradise is "hidden" it is because it hardly shows at all on any charts. I couldn't find it anywhere in the Indian Ocean. Looking north of Mauritius where, based on reports from local sailors it had to be, I found nothing but deep blue sea. But the sailors in Mauritius would still talk about this magical place north of Mauritius called St Brandons and I had no idea what they were talking about. I wondered if it was imaginary. But it is there and when they explained exactly where it was I finally cracked the code. You zoom in far enough on the chart and there is Cargados Carajos Shoals, which is known to the locals as St Brandons Rocks.

Lat 16.36.8 Lon 59.33.8

From the photos Patrick sent it looks georgous. I wish we could have gone there.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, South Africa

April 16, 2011-Arrival in Richard's Bay, South Africa

It's pouring down rain here and cold. I hook up power and turn on a heater.

The three others are sleeping.

I have a cup of coffee.

I contemplate:

We have completed our crossing of the entire Indian Ocean.

We are tied up to a marina berth in Tuzu Gazi Marina, Richard's Bay, South Africa.

We made it to Africa.

The last 36 hours were a race against the clock. We were due on Friday but mostly we just wanted to avoid another night at sea. We wanted to get here on Saturday at least. For a while it looked like we wouldn't make it. The wind was light and the waves horribly confused. Sailing was difficult. Our headings seemed to be towards anywhere but Africa. The crew was tired. Around midnight Mother Nature threw more at us: Sudden wind shifts and squalls and waves coming from every direction. The sea was attacked us unrelentingly with sudden changes. The only good thing was that the wind did not become too strong. But coping with everything else meant continuous work for us on deck. We were all tired.

At midnight, beyond exhaustion, Judy and I kept working the boat through more changes; a tack which happened when the wind shifted too quickly for the windvane was sorted out, a sail change down to the #4 when a squall overpowered us with the #2 was completed. The tangled ropes were untangled. The tired bodies were pushed further. We almost gave in and dropped all sail; to begin motoring. But motoring in these waves would be slow and uncomfortable too. We willed ourselves to do more. We sorted it out.

We prevailed.

We got the boat sailing towards the destination.

By 2:00 AM the wind was steady and building. It hit twenty from the SW, a close reach, and we trimmed in. The main flogged and I got on the helm and pulled hard on the tiller against the weight of the wind. I reset the windvane with more weather helm. We surged forward. The waves were big but Wings shouldered them aside. With a full main and #4 jib we flew in these condtions. The boat speed went to 9 and we were making good the losses of the previous two days. Finally.

I stayed on deck all night to keep watch; to keep it going. Judy sat below in her foul weather gear ready to help but these precautions were not needed. Wings flew and the windvane steered and we touched nothing.

Through the night and most of the next day we sped towards Africa. Through the darkness and rain, steady, cold, rain.

We did turn on the motor when the wind again dropped (but the rain kept up) about 40 miles out, and we kept the engine on even when the wind came back for a while. We didn't trust the breeze to hold. Motor sailing. But with the main pulling and the combination of wind and engine giving good speed we saw that we could make it to port by 19:00 Saturday. After dark, yes, but we thought we could go in. We kept pushing.

And at 19:00, with all hands on deck, we arrived in Richard's Bay, storming in under main on a broad reach, through the breakwater in the pitch black and pouring rain, guided by the lights blinking in the darkness on either side and our charting system showing the way on the big screen below .

No time for hesitation now, we could smell the barn.

George, from Winddancer came up on the VHF and talked us to a slip, meeting us on the dock. He said the authorities would not bother us tonight.

We tied up the boat, folded sails, had hot showers on board, drank champagne, and went to dinner.

The captain paid.

So, we are in Africa.

Now, there are lions to see.

Fred & Judy, with crew Jean-Mee and Jennifer, SV Wings, Richard's Bay

Click here to see the Log Book Pages for this passage

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April 15, 2011-Passage to Africa, Dispatch #5

I'm standing by the mast looking to the west. Africa is there somewhere just over the horizon. I can smell it. Africa!

The sky to the west is clear; a pale blue with a few light clouds. There is a hint of dirt and livestock in the air. The dirt and livestock of Africa. I swear it! I've been waiting for years for this landfall. I know we'll make it in a day or so.

Standing here with the wind blowing in my face feels good. It is a cool and dry wind. The tropics are long behind us now, possibly for good. I'm enjoying the fresh air, and the feeling of being so close to our goal.

But it is slow going. There is not much wind and the seas are choppy and there is a foul current that is sapping two knots from our speed. Maybe it is payback for the previous two days when we had a two knot boost from a west bound current. Anyhow, we were slogging along yesterday in a dying breeze and at midnight when the sailing finally became impossible and I switched on the Yanmar. Now with the motor we can go six knots but we are only making four knots towards Africa.

This will delay the arrival but won't stop it.

Meanwhile life goes on aboard Wings. We eat, we sleep, we stand our watches. The SSB radio died completely on the 13th, (Oh, Happy Birthday, Jan) so we have had no long range radio communication, no weather reports, no email, no blog postings until now. (When this goes out we will be in port in Africa). I took the radio apart but I can't find anything visibly wrong. Losing the radio saddens me, but we'll get by. We hope people who have been expecting us don't get worried. Meanwhile I have talked to a couple or commercial ships on the VHF and they have given me weather reports which didn't say much but didn't sound threatening at least.

I've made further progress on the broken boom vang and now realize that only the topping lift function is broken, the boom vang still operates as a vang. So that too is good.

If the motor hangs in there, or some breeze comes up, we'll be in Africa in about 30 hours: Midnight Saturday, April 16.

Later than we planned, but we'll get there.

Fred & Judy, with Jean-Mee and Jennifer as crew, SV Wings, On Passage

Click here to see the Log Book Pages for this passage

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April 13, 2011-Passage to Africa, Dispatch #4

Each day is a new one. Two days ago we had weather from hell.

Yesterday it moderated but we still had huge waves and lots of rain.

Today it is gorgeous: fine weather, good wind, and, after a few frustratingly slow days, we are finally making great speeds. Judy and Jennifer each covered sixteen miles on their two hour watches today. Right now (Wednesday afternoon) we are speeding along on a broad reach at 7 knots with a blue sky across a beautiful blue Indian Ocean. The wind vane is driving, as it has the whole passage, Judy is cooking, life is good. I even fixed the hydraulic system (but not the boom vang) and marked off eight other items off the fixit list.

Judy's black eye, from where she was thrown across the cabin and hit her face on the bulkhead, looks like it is going down.

And it was shower day. We all had showers.

About the only glitch at this point is the African Sailmail radio station is down and we have not been able to receive weather files, or send or receive emails.

But we are in radio communication with Africa on the Peri Peri net and we are getting some weather information that way. It looks like one or two more days like this then a bit of a southerly on the final approach to Richard's Bay.

That one we need to watch carefully. The Alguhas current flows south along the African East Coast and right past Richard's Bay and in strong southerly winds it gets treacherously rough there. The waves can be ship killers when that situation happens and that one bit is the main reason that South African sailing has such a terrible reputation. So we'll exercise all caution, and if the Peri Peri Net, the radio weather forecasts, or the barometer, indicate bad weather along the African coast we'll turn around and wait till it blows by.

Otherwise our arrival will be Friday night or Saturday Morning.

Fred & Judy, and crew Jean-Mee and Jennifer, SV Wings, On Passage to Africa.

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April 12, 2011-Passage to Africa, Disapatch #3

This trip has gone from frustrating to difficult.

The change came on Jean-Mee's watch, 17:00. I was on the foredeck bagging a genoa. Suddenly the boat heeled and rounded up. I thought we were going to tack. Then, almost head to wind, the bow bucked sharply and I was hit by a wave and I grabbed a lifeline to stay on board. I nearly lost the sail over the side. What the hell? I looked at Jean-Mee and I saw him struggling with the windvane control line. He was clearly in trouble. I was trapped on the bow with that loose sail.

I yelled, "Get on the Helm!"

Judy appeared on deck. They both struggled. Finally the boat came onto course, but still heeled over sharply and screaming through the spray.

The wind had gone from 12 to 28 in seconds; no clouds, no warning, and it continued to build, hitting 30. We were caught with full sail and needed to reef, but reefing in that breeze was going to be hard. I steered and all hands got into position. We got it done without tearing a sail or hurting any one but the technique wasn't in the book; anybody's book. I'll tell you about it some time.

We were not out of trouble. We took down the jib. The wind speed passed 40. The waves got really huge. Did I mention driving rain? Not fun. Jean-Mee and Jennifer went below. Judy and I worked together getting things cleaned up. She's good. I love her.

At 03:30 the four of us put in the third reef. It helped but we still had plenty of power, the motion on board was still extreme and we had loads of water on deck as waves washed over us. A lot of it got below. Things were wet. No one slept.

But we coped.

Something like 24 hours later, after a peak of 45.9 knots, the wind settled back into a pattern of low thirties and occasional higher gusts. We passed the southern tip of Madagascar Island a hundred miles away and bore off. Sailing got tolerable again, barely.

The hydraulic system is down and the boom vang has failed but the backstay and baby stay still have pressure. Hope they hold until we make port. The repair list has gotten longer but at this time nothing else is serious.

So Africa isn't going to come easy. But it will come.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, On Passage to Africa

Click here to see the Log Book Pages for this passage

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April 10, 2011-Passage to Africa, Dispatch #2

For two days it was good. Then the wind left us.

For the next two days we have toiled, struggling to keep the boat moving; putting sails up and taking them down, reefing, shaking it out. The blue skies were gone; grey damped the mood and spitting rain, if not pouring rain, finished it off and left us in a funk.

Or me any how; the crew seemed to keep their spirits up and Judy was positively buoyant. I don't know why but that helped my mood too. That and the food, which has been good.

Squalls rolled through; just enough to look ominous but they held nothing.

Then a vicious combination of cross swells came and had us rolling our guts out, still do, slamming the sails until we worried about the rig.

I went forward to douse the jib and the bow plunged and I got soaked

I yelled at Neptune at the top of my voice. I was beyond frustration.

On Jean-Mee's watch, while we motored, a 20 knot breeze came up from astern. Not in the forecast, but hell, what was? He let out the main and turned off the motor. I said I'd come up later if it held and put on the wind vane.

In an hour the main jibed over and broke a check stay. We never drive down wind on the autopilot with or without a preventer but we did and it caught us. Lucky it wasn't worse.

I fixed the check stay.

On Jennifer's watch we decided to jibe and the main scythed back and forth across the cockpit with evil intent while I tried to rig the preventer. Once I heard then boom whistle over my head and felt the wind of it on my neck but it never touched me. Lucky again.

When you're in a low pressure region and the trade winds beckon you dive south to catch them, so we have turned away from our rumb line, deviating towards the northern side of a high, the circulation around which promises more breeze.

This reminds me of the deep dive south we took going looking for the trade winds out of Sumatra.

That time it took us eight days to find the wind.

This time we hope to find the wind more quickly. We'd better.

Fred & Judy, with Jean-Mee and Jennifer as crew, SV Wings, On Passage

Click here to see the Log Book Pages for this passage

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April 8, 2011-Passage to Africa, Dispatch #1

It is the third morning at sea on this passage and I stand the dawn watch as is my habit and with my first cup of coffee in my hand I look over my shoulder and see sun rise behind me where it has been these last 14 years as we've sailed ever westward.

We're bound from Reunion Island for Africa and while it is still early, so far it's been a good trip. Oh, we got out of Reunion a bit late on Wednesday morning, waiting over two hours for the customs to appear and give us our clearance, and then after setting sail in the harbor and standing out with flags flying in a bit of nice SE breeze, we had forty miles of fitful winds in Reunion's wind shadow, but we got clear of that at 22:30 and since then it has been fair sailing with clear skies, deep blue sea, and nice wind.

We passed a few east bound ships, some going to Asia, others taking a great circle around the pirate areas north of us going to India of the mid east, but I don't think any other west bound yachts are out here. We should be the first boat of the season to arrive in Richard's Bay. The crew is happy and doing well; with four aboard we get plenty of sleep. The food is plentiful and good, the boat is working well, and at this stage, the weather forecast is fine.

So, not much to report, we've got a bit over 1000 miles to go, and if there's nothing eventful, we'll be in Africa on the 15th of April.

Fred & Judy, with Jean-Mee and Jennifer as crew, SV Wings, On Passage

Click here to see the Log Book Pages for this passage

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April 6, 2011-Bound for Richard's Bay

On Wednesday, April 6, we left Reunion Island, after a short stay, bound for Richard's Bay, South Africa.

We enjoyed the brief time we had here and might have stayed longer than the five days but there is weather coming. If you believe the long-range forecasts there will be a depression, or more, that would keep us in this port for a couple of more weeks, something we don't want to do. By leaving now, when the depression is over 1000 miles away, we think we can get clear of it and make it safely to Africa.

That is the plan anyhow.

So we are fully watered and provisioned, had a good night's sleep last night, and right now we are just waiting for Doanne (Customs) to come and clear us out.

Reunion was interesting and the terrain, geographically and geologically, is awe inspiring. The mood and feeling of this place is dominated by the 6,000 foot high mountains which rise up in long, steep, cloud shrouded slopes from the sea. The scale of man Vs Mountain is tilted strongly towards nature. Houses on the slopes of the hill look like so many white dots scattered in layers on the green hillside. The people here have also created a very civilized, nice little, piece of France in Reunion and that is also interesting, with the freeways, shopping centers, and small villages filled with great restaurants.

We'll file a full report as soon as we can. The photos will have to wait until we get to Africa; one of the odd things is that it was impossible to get a connection for the boat. This is the first place since Tahiti, 13 years ago, that we have been unable to get online, so posting photos will have to wait.

Meanwhile, we have sailing to do.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, On passage from Reunion Island

Click here to see the Log Book Pages for this passage

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April 2. 2011-Arrival In Reunion

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Approaching Reunion

We're here. In Reunion. Another island in the Indian Ocean and already we can see that Reunion is a really beautiful and interesting place. A part of France really.

The only problem we've found so far is that we cannot readily get Internet and definately not on the boat so our updates may be limited to occasional chances we have to get into an Internet cafe or when we can make radio updates (like the previous posting) which will not have photos.

However, you can click here to see a few shots from our passage.

We'll stay in touch, and update you when we can.

Click here to see the Log Book Page

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Reunion Island

April 2, 2011-Blasting Into Reunion

How we came to be blasting into Reunion Island under spinnaker is a bit of a story.

Judy and I talked about it on the way out of Port Louis and we had a plan for the trip; the winds were supposed to be fresh so our idea was to make this first leg an easy one, to set the tone for rest of voyage. We put up the #4 jib even when we both knew the boat would nicely carry a #2.

The reduced sail area worked OK for the first 18 hours. Watches were spent laying about the cockpit and the off watch slept below. No stress. No sweat. Yeah, we were a bit slower than we could have been but we were still looking at a noon arrival in Reunion and things were relaxed.

The weather forced us to change the plan. During the night the wind got light and by dawn we had no speed. Four knots or a bit more but what was worse was that even just to fill the jib we had to sail high of our course. We were looking at a jibe sometime in the morning and that would result in a very unfavorable heading and add miles to the distance.

At dawn I did some calculations and saw that our arrival in Reunion would be after dark Friday instead of noon. Time for a new plan.

I called for all hands and the 3-A kite and a sleepy crew came on deck and set the big red sail and then they all went back to bed.

I worked the boat by myself for a couple of hours, coaxing every knot I could out of that breeze and watching for some increase in the pressure of the wind. At first the spinnaker was barely an improvement; the wind had dropped further and 4-5 knots was still the best speed I could make, but at least we were headed the right direction and I just felt that the wind was going to build. I saw the island of Reunion appear in a cloud bank 40 miles ahead: my goal.

The wind came. By 7:00 I had a few 9 knot puffs and in them I could make 6 knots of boat speed. The wind continued to build. By eight I had 10 knots and 7 knots of boat speed. Jean-Mee came on deck for his watch. When the wind hit 14 knots we set the pole and bore off directly for Pointe des Galets. A higher puff came and the boat surged to over eight.

We had even more wind in the next few hours, up to 20 knots, and we flew towards Reunion Island. I gave the helm to Jean-Mee and he was hitting nines when we passed the town of St Denis. Jean-Mee was having a blast steering and I liked the miles we were making. At noon we took down the kite and turned for the port which we made by 13:30.

It was a fun sail and we were flushed with excitement and satisfied as we motored into the harbor. It was a great ending to a fine passage.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Reunion Island

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March 31, 2011-Blue Peter Flys Again

wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Ready to Depart


Wings is tugging at the dock lines and a fresh breeze is blowing. The flags are standing out straight. The sky is blue. The tide is high. It’s a good time to set sail.

Yet again we are about to depart for Africa. At 11:00 today we will stow the dingy and the awnings, say our goodbyes, make our numbers with the port, slip the lines and take a course for Reunion Island on the way to South Africa.

Less than one year ago we set out with a similar plan in mind but after reaching Sumatra we turned back; we got caught up short. A period of crisis followed, crisis of confidence and direction, leaving us set aback, stopped, and lost. But the lost period didn’t last. We adjusted, we signed on crew, and we set out again.

Again we got caught up short and we fetched onto the island of Mauritius. A planned five day stay turned into five months. This time it we needed to make some repairs and our beloved crew member Pierre, couldn’t wait. But those trials, too, passed.

Now with new crew and a fixed up boat we’ll go again. This time, we have no doubt; we’ll make it to Africa.

We have a date to see the lions there.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings. Mauritius

March 28, 2011-Countdown

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Servicing the Barient 532 3-sp

Today I finished servicing the winches. It’s been a while since I last had a look inside these monsters and I was pleasantly surprised; they were all still pretty well lubricated and reasonably clean. Still, going into eight winches, to clean and re-lube them all, is a slow and messy job.

But it’s done now, as is the refueling, propane refill, provisioning, chain stowing, dingy stowing, wind vane servicing, and a myriad of other preparedness tasks.

Basically it means we think we’re ready to sail to Africa on Thursday.

Judy asked, “What are we missing? How can we be so ready two days before departure that we have time like this and nothing major left to do?

“We must be missing something.”

More Music!

wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Last look at the Caudan Basin

So we went over to the La Sufferen Hotel where they have free WiFi and cold beer in the bar and downloaded some more music for the trip.

Oh! We’ve got to buy more wine.

It’ll be a good trip.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

March 19, 2011-Paul Sungalle

wingssail images-judy jensen
Paul

Back in November, when my new refrigerator didn’t work, I called for a local refrigeration expert to help out. A man named Paul Sungalle showed up with gauges and a bottle of R34 and a good attitude and, together, he and I worked on the problem. It was tricky but Paul was a smart guy, a problem solver, and a good worker. We fixed the refrigerator. When my alternator failed I called for a local electrician to help out. Paul Sungalle showed up for that one too, and again he proved to be a smart problem solver and a good worker and we fixed the alternator.

Later, when Paul was fixing another boat’s windlass, he asked me for my opinion and I shared my windlass experience with him and then went with him aboard that other boat and together we solved the windlass problem.

Over the weeks and months, as we fixed the problems on Wings and other nearby boats, Paul Sungalle became a good friend.

Often we would meet in the parking lot and he was always happy to stop and chat about any subject, boat problem or world problem. He had broad experience and expertise and curiosity and an open mind about everything. Our conversations were pleasant.

Paul Sungalle died this last weekend; heart attack it was said.

We’ll miss him.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

March 19, 2011-Keel Repair In Mauritius

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Judy takes the yard launch to the boat yard

The cyclone shelter here in Port Louis has a few wrecks hiding in its murky depths; we knew of three and while moving around back there last month trying to avoid cyclone Bingiza we found a fourth. Backing up a few feet from one spot to another we unfortunately came to a sudden stop. Bang! Wow! What was that and what damage did it do?

Diving later to take a look at the keel (when we had gone out of Port Louis to a bay up north where the water is cleaner) we found a nasty little ding.

I guess we could have sailed on to Africa with that little ding; the damage was slight. But our bottom paint was 17 months old and the zinc was almost gone and with this damage it just made sense to do a haul out at Taylor Smith Boat Yard here in Mauritius and fix everything and that’s what we did: Tuesday we hauled it out, over the next three days we fixed the keel, sanded and painted the bottom (with the help of yard worker Rayman), replaced the zinc, and on Saturday morning, in the rain, we relaunched.

So that’s done.

Now we just have to provision the boat, dodge a couple of more tropical depressions which are prowling around out there, and clear out. Africa here we come.

Click here to see photos of this haul-out.

Click here to see the log book page of this incident.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

March 15, 2011-Mauritius Report

Mauritius

Rodriguez, Mauritius, Reunion: the Mascarene Islands. More than what you would read in Patrick O’Brien, although that is interesting in and of itself, and with more yachts thinking of crossing the Southern Indian Ocean to Africa instead of the higher pirate risk of the Red Sea Route we thought that sharing our experience in Mauritius would be of use to others who might follow in our footsteps.

We stayed in Mauritius for six months after missing the November window which we think is the safe limit of the season for a departure for Africa.

Landfall:
Approaching Mauritius from the NE, as most mariners will, your first sight of land after the long and rough Indian Ocean crossing will be Round Island, some 13 miles to the Northeast of Mauritius’ Cape Malheureux. Mauritius itself will not rise above the horizon until it is quite close, maybe 4-5 miles, depending on the clarity of the air that day, the northern part of the country quite being low. Be cautious of the off lying reefs which surround the Island and take particular care rounding Canonnier’s Point, the NW corner of Mauritius; its reefs are particularly dangerous.
Be also aware that the magnetic variation at Mauritius is around 19 degrees.

The flat water sail down the NW coast will be a welcome relief to the endless swells of your crossing and the entrance to Port Louis is straight forward and well marked. Note that there are two harbors at Port Louis; the southern one is the main port and it is where yachts enter. The electronic charts for this area are generally accurate.

Entry and Clearance:
Call “Port Louis Port Control” on Channel 16 when arriving at the outer markers and request permission to come into the port. This harbor is busy with arrivals and departures of numerous fishing vessels, container ships, and cruise ships and the port control manages the traffic closely. If you enter (or depart) without permission you may be intercepted by the coast guard in one of their orange speedboats.

The port is open during daylight hours; arrivals after 18:00 may not be acknowledged by radio. It is acceptable to anchor clear of the entrance until morning.

Upon obtaining permission to enter yachts proceed to the customs and immigration station at Lat 020 09.6 S, Lon 057 30.0 E. This is a poorly marked or unmarked building for customs and immigration with a small float (orange boats) and to the right of that a concrete wall where yachts are expected to tie. Be cautious of the shallow area to the starboard of the direct line to the Customs Station. Tie to the wall and the skipper can go into the offices to the left and complete formalities. This process can take over an hour as often various officials will need to be called. Sometimes they will board the yacht for inspection. While not strictly permitted crew members can go ashore for a meal or refreshment at the mall directly behind the wall where the yacht is tied without causing undue concern from the friendly officials.

Be sure to get a copy of your clearance papers because it may be required by coast guard boarding parties if you visit other ports in Mauritius. (In every port we visited in Mauritius the local Coast Guard team came out to say hello and check our papers as we first anchored in their jurisdiction.)

One note: No firearms are allowed, and this, strangely, includes spear guns. Declare your firearms and spear guns and the Mauritius Customs will ask you to turn then in for the duration of your stay in Mauritius. You will be given a receipt and told to call them 24 hours prior to departure so that the weapons can be delivered to the waterfront office for your recovery when you check out.

Citizens of most countries will be given a two week visa on arrival which can be extended by application to the immigration office at Sterling House, a short distance from the waterfront in downtown Port Louis. Several forms must be completed and documents provided so it is worth going there a day or two before to get the list of what is needed. Visa extensions of up to 180 days for owners and crew are commonly approved.

Foreign yachts, the vessels themselves, however, are only allowed to be in Mauritius for three months and after that time Mauritius Customs will expect a bond or bank guarantee equal to 15% of the value of the vessel to be presented to their office (New Customs House in the Free Port area).

Officials in Mauritius are courteous and professional, will speak English as well as French and Creole, and they will not ask for any fees or other payments.

Berthing in Port Louis
Just .25nm due west of the customs station is the Le Caudan Marina. Yachts may proceed there after clearing and tie at any available spot. Tying on the outside wall is permitted but yachts there will be subject to wakes. The quay at Le Caudan is concrete and can quickly damage topsides if your fenders are not properly deployed. Rafting is permitted.

If westerly swells are present (uncommon during winter) the quay at Le Caudan is untenable and yachts should move elsewhere, commonly into the “basin” (see below).
Berthing is reasonably priced, electricity and water are included, and the fees are paid at the Caudan Security office across the parking lot from the quay. They will accept mail and packages.

There is a back basin, the Caudan Basin, (the entrance further westward) which is used as a cyclone shelter for all Mauritius based yachts and visiting yachts may go into this basin and tie for free wherever there is room. Be very cautious navigating in the Caudan Basin because there are shallow areas and numerous unmarked wrecks there. Port Louis authorities will need to clear this basin before it is safe for visiting or local yachts.

The other note is that Port Louis is a dirty harbor. Diesel is often present on the surface of the harbor and this will foul your waterline as well as present a strong smell which gave us headaches. Easterly winds, however, usually keep this out of the marina. The water quality is not good in other ways also; after heavy rains the whole Port Louis harbor becomes a sewer.


Facilities in Port Louis
Mauritius has a number of small chandleries and many engineering shops which cater to yachts. There is, for example, a sail maker here with a good reputation (Rob Stevens). There is, however, no yachting directory for Mauritius so perhaps the best way to contact any of the resources is through the helpful services of Rashid (+230 422 5895), a taxi driver who focuses on assisting yachties, or one of the captains of the charter yachts usually tied up in the marina.

Parts and equipment which are not available locally may be ordered and quickly shipped from the US or Europe via FedEx, UPS, or DHL or other carriers. Yachts in transit are not subject to the 15% VAT but customs clearance and delivery fees may add up to more than that amount. Talk to the courier company before your parts arrive to decide whether you wish to pay the vat or the customs clearance fees.

The Taylor-Smith careenage is located nearby in Port Louis and boasts an excellent 200 ton travel lift and a concrete hardstand with professional staff who can complete or arrange most haul-out services for a very reasonable cost.

Provisioning
Several supermarkets and “hyper-markets” are located either within walking distance of the marina or by taxi or bus. Prices for most items in the super markets are comparable to similar products in Asia or the US. Taxi fares are high in Mauritius; expect to pay more than you did in Asia or Australia for a taxi ride. Fuel costs are also high here. Luckily we arrived with most of our low cost Indonesian fuel still aboard.

There is an excellent market just a couple of blocks from the marina with the best selection of fresh produce we’ve seen in our years of cruising. Be careful, however, of the vendors there; they are happy to sell you second quality goods if you are not looking closely when they select them for you. Selecting the items you want yourself is better but many vendors will not let you do this.

Health Services
Mauritius has good medical and dental facilities and would like to develop a “Health Tourism” industry. Services for visitors are reasonably priced but the quality of the facilities are uneven and not consistently up to the standards, for instance, of Australia, Thailand, or Malaysia. That being said, we received excellent care for the medical services we needed while in Mauritius and found low priced prescription and non prescription medicine here.

Cruising in Mauritius
Sailing is excellent all around Mauritius with plenty of wind and waters, once away from the shores, free of dangers. The electronic charts, where present, are accurate. Mauritius is called “The Green Island” for good reason, it is bright green (more so in summer). Mauritius is also mountainous; the vistas for a yacht circumnavigating Mauritius are beautiful.

Grand Bay.
To the north of Port Louis, Grand Bay offers a good anchorage and many attractions ashore. There is a yacht club, The Grand Bay Yacht Club, with facilities available for free for visiting yachtsmen upon application at the office, and an active social and racing program. From a waypoint at Lat 019 59.3 S Lon 057 34.1 E proceed on course 151 true past the Red and White “Pass Mark”, taken to starboard, over the 2.4m flat (sand), towards the barely visible range at the GBYC until you reach the 4m area where the yachts are moored. Further into the bay the depths are 5-6 meters and holding is good. The Grand Bay Coast Guard will visit you as soon as you come into the bay and may board you to check your papers, as will other coast guard units at other ports in Mauritius.

Riviere Noire (Black River)
South of Port Louis, Reviere Noire is the center of the active sports fishing fleet of Mauritius, with the famous La Morne Angler’s Club there, annual fishing derbies, and Black Marlins landed on most days. Entrance is straight forward and anchorage is easy, if surrounded by reefs, and calm but expect an onshore wind most days which will swing you right around and bring a slight chop. By nightfall however the easterly will be back and the anchorage will again be calm.

Grand Port.
On Mauritius’ east shore, Grand Port is both historic and scenic. Grand Port was the first port established by the Dutch in the 1500’s and remained the main harbor for French Mauritius until the early 1800’s when Port Louis was developed by Mahe LaBourdinais. Navigation within Grand Port is rewarding for the adventurous if a bit tricky and you must closely watch your charts; the channels are twisting and generally unmarked. Anchoring in the lee of Ile de La Passe permits easy access to that historic fort as well as other nearby islets but the winter trade winds are unrelenting. Grand Port is rarely a mill pond.

Further offshore are the Cargodos Carajos Shoals, known locally as St. Brandon, some 250nm to the north, which are remote and untouched, and other destinations such as Ile Tromlin and Madagascar, as well as Rodriguez and Reunion which all offer interesting cruising for the Mauritius based yacht.

Land Cruising
Car rentals are easy to obtain in Mauritius, if not cheap, and there are many interesting destinations for a cruiser who takes to the roads. The traffic however can be horrendous so allow plenty of time to get anywhere and watch for pedestrians as well as oncoming or parked traffic which will often be in your lane on the narrow and twisting local roads which cover most of Mauritius. Mauritians use their horns liberally to notify others of their presence so don’t be too startled if you are honked at, it is not meant to be offensive.



Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

March 13, 2011-Photos from Patrick

We are back in Port Louis getting ready for the passage to Africa but the recent trip to Grand Port is still fresh in our memories.

Patrick send some great photos.

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Wings in Grand Port


Click here to see his photos.

Our time in Mauritius is getting short; three weeks from now we should be on passage. Before then we will try to get a haul out completed and wrap-up a few minor projects.

We're sure the time will pass quickly and the time to cast off the lines will soon be here.

We'll be ready.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Feb. 23, 2011-Bingiza Missed Us (and a thought about Piracy)

We're fine; the cyclone missed us.

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Route of Bingiza


We moved into the cyclone shelter, then when Bingiza didn't come our way we moved back out to the marina where we have power and water and easier access, then Bingiza reappeared south of Madagascar and, while it didn't actually threaten us, it pulled a flow of humid equatorial air southward over us, which, besides from being uncomfortably hot and humid, brought a long ocean swell in from the North, which made the marina untenable, so we went back to the cyclone shelter, where we are now.

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Calm in the Cyclone Shelter

It is peaceful and quiet here in this little basin in behind Port Louis but not without aggravations. Like rain which makes us close the hatches. Like mozzies! The first night in here we were eaten alive! We put on bug repellant. Then we were sticky. And it was hot. We tossed and turned all night in the heat with bugs buzzing in our ears. Woke up all tangled in damp sheets with bites everywhere.

Needless to say we spent the next day fixing our bug screens, which we had not used since the Solomon Islands in 2003, and our awnings so we can keep the rain out without closing the hatches. We have more work to do on that second item but at least we now have no mozzies, and we have been keeping cooler.

There are a few other boats back here in the cyclone shelter with other people aboard so we have some human contact. And we have our new Mauritian friends who are fun to be with. There is a nice hotel nearby with a very nice bar and we go there for happy hour and to upload stuff on the Internet.

So life is good as we wait for the safe time to depart to Africa, which we hope will be in early April.

PIRACY

Which brings us to piracy: It was shocking to read about the outcome of the pirate attack on the vessel Quest. Judy and I both know that their family and friends are greiving and it again makes us realize what we put our families and friends through just by being out here. I think there is more to be told about this event as the statement from the US Command, as reported, was more than a little ambiguous. It’s not that I really smell a rat but we need to hear the complete version.

I suspect that this occurrence will change the situation in the Indian Ocean somewhat. At a minimum it will make people more reluctant to set out to cross through pirate territory. It might make the world powers do something, although what I am not sure; it is a very difficult situation to correct. Maybe every boat found in the Indian Ocean should be boarded and all guns thrown over the side, or maybe the whole coast of Somalia blockaded, but where is the legal basis for this type of response? Pirates are basically not pirates until they attack, before that they are just Africans on an old boat, and then when they do strike it is too late. The Navy can't very well go around shooting every boat which has Africans on it in case they might be pirates. But I want them all blown to hell and back again too (as my normally peaceful sister suggested) only they don't very well announce themselves and say, "shoot me". Still, the US and other countries will, must, do something, eventually they have to I think, I hope.

Our route is far away from the known pirate areas, at least those know to be pirate areas for now. It may only be a matter of time before other countries start imitating the Somali's excellent business model. Once they get past the risk that some of them will get killed, and in a country where there is no government, no food, no jobs, and much death already, that isn't much of an obstacle, it is pretty attractive; you invest a few thousand dollars and can get a few million dollars for a tanker, even if it goes wrong once in a while.

That is not just cynicism, it is a fact, so again, I think, I hope, the world powers will take some action, what ever it is.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Feb. 18, 2011-Remembering the Indian Ocean

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Indian Ocean

This Indian Ocean passage had been going on for a couple of weeks and was nowhere near over. Each morning, as we came on deck for our watches, we surveyed the sea around us and saw the waves extending all the way to the horizon, topped with white foam and blown by the never-ending trade winds and it was hard to fathom the vastness of the ocean. The scene never changed day after day.

And it wasn’t easy sailing.

One morning, the duration of the passage having started to weigh on me, I went onto the very bow with a book and my music player thinking I could relax and pass some time, but I couldn’t relax and I didn’t stay long; the noise and motion and tension of our progress through the water was simply too intense up there and it soon drove me off.

We were flying across the ocean with the great pressing power of the Southeast Trades coming constantly from behind and huge white topped swells from the south passing endlessly under our keel. The stern would rise on the front of the swell until we were pointed straight down into the trough, then, as the wave lifted us, slide forward with a roar until the crest passed beneath and the bow, 10 feet in the air, and I with it, pointed skyward, poised for the next drop into the trough and the next mad surge down the next front, nearly burying itself again, then rise up and repeat that process on the next wave, and the next, and the next; carrying us forward at a mad and unrelenting pace with every line and spar and square foot of the hull straining and each of us in the crew feeling it all and hearing it all and wishing it would ease off a bit.

But it didn’t.

I could have slowed down too, but I didn't. We were making good time and we had a long way to go and I pressed onward. There is something that drives me to put miles on each day.

The waves were at an angle and they threw us to the side and the wind vane, half a step behind and working overtime to keep up, yanked hard on the tiller on each wave. At the extreme forward end the swerving of the boat was exaggerated and threatened to toss me off into the sea, or maybe the rudder would simply lose it’s grip and we would spin out of control, as we certainly must if ever we got a bit too far off course, into the wild flapping frenzy and chaos of a round up and knock down, crashed onto our side in the boiling sea, spilling the air from our sails and maybe spilling ourselves too. God only knows what damage we’d suffer in that event. It was a fine edge we walked and the disaster was always close by and we knew it. I dreaded it. If it happened while I was on the bow…I couldn’t imagine it.

I gathered my belongings and made my way back to the cockpit. There was no relief from this passage other than achieving the destination, and that was a week away.

It's not surprising that this image of our Indian Ocean crossing is the one which sticks in my mind but the funny thing is, as terrible and stressful as it was at the time and still is when I remember it, the memory compels me and makes me think about the next one. I want to put myself out there again.

Why I don’t know.

Click here to see the log book pages of our sailing trips in October 2010

Fred Roswold, SV Wings, Mauritius

Jan. 30, 2011-Wordless Hours in a Remote Place

Wordless hours of peace go by on a quiet night in a remote place.

Wings lies at rest in a small harbor somewhere on the planet’s watery surface and late into the night Judy and I sit up in our cabin. It is still and quiet outside.

I select familiar, old, songs on the computer which play softly on the cabin speakers and Judy reclines on the settee reading her book.

We are sipping glasses of white wine, each of us alone with our thoughts.

We are cut off from the world outside of our cabin; the dark and still world which surrounds us. We can’t hear anything outside of our cabin and we can’t see into the darkness. Our world is this cabin.

We could be anywhere; it looks and feels the same wherever we are.

Tonight we are in Caudan Basin in Mauritius and there is barely any movement in this enclosed bay to rock us even with the utmost gentleness. We are surrounded by Mauritius’ peaks, visible against the foggy sky out through the main hatch if we look.

On another night like this we were tucked into a tiny nook in Gaciosa Bay in the Solomon’s Santa Cruz Islands, and on other nights, in other far away places where the particular combination of weather and location provided anchorages where neither wind or waves disturbed our peace, we relaxed in just the same way.

We came into this basin in the back of Mauritius’ Port Louis Harbor to flee some rough weather which seemed to be coming. On Wednesday there was something in the air and the marina was subject to an unusual swell.

On Thursday we checked the satellite photo and it showed a Low Pressure system nearby. The system was still to the north but coming towards us and the swells in the marina were bigger.

Thursday afternoon Paul Sungales saw me on the quay and said, "The weather is deteriorating fast."

We downloaded some GRIB files and they showed a pretty well defined system which was projected to become more defined by Friday and be even more defined than that on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011. From these pictures we could see that the weather would indeed get worse over the next two days.

That night the marina was almost untenable. In the morning we moved to the nearby cyclone shelter: Caudan Basin.

In Caudan Basin there was no wave action. It was peaceful.

We sat quietly and enjoyed the night.

Just as we have done in countless other small anchorages and harbors in countless other places.

Click here to see today's images from Port Louis

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Nov. 18, 2010-One Month In Mauritius

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Wings anchored in Mauritius

I wake up at 05:30 each day when the sun rises and as I lie in my bunk I can see blue sky out the port over my head.

It makes me want to get up, get a cup of coffee, and go on deck to see the world, which I will do as Judy continues to sleep in.

There is coffee from yesterday already in the pot and I heat it. I’ll make another pot later with the beans we brought from Sumatra, to be fresh and hot for Judy when she gets up, but for now this is fine.

On deck with my Starbucks cup I look around at the anchored boats and watch the fishermen heading out to sea.

Other than the rumble of the fishing boat engines its quiet at 5:30 in Grand Bay, Mauritius and the weather is gorgeous. The sky is blue, the air is clean and the sun is bright. The morning is really nice.

Day after day.

Judy says the wind blows too much, but I even like that.

Later the buses start moving along the shoreline highway and the town wakes up. Someone ashore starts a jack hammer at a construction site. The peace is broken.

By then I’ve gone back below and turned on the computer.

We’ve been a month in Mauritius and I’ve come to love the weather and the beauty of the country.

In that month we spent some time in the marina at Port Louis and we’ll go back there in a week or so. Other than that we’ve been anchored in Grand Bay. Both locations are good for living on a boat, within walking distance to markets, super markets, and many shops and restaurants nearby. Bus service is frequent and cheap, rental cars are affordable. The country offers much to see. We’ve met a few people, not made any close friends yet except with cruisers who have already sailed onward.

On many afternoons we go into the yacht club and have a drink and watch the sun go down before returning to Wings for dinner on board. We like it here at Grand Bay.

Later, after we return to Port Louis, we might sail to Black River, further down the coast. We hear there is a good anchorage and a quiet village there. Or we might even sail around the Island to Grand Port, on the SE side.

We’ve been here a month and we have another five months before we sail away ourselves.

I think we’ll like our stay here.

Click here for a few more images from Grand Bay and our dingy trip today.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Nov. 9, 2010-Sailing to Grand Bay

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La Caudan Marina, Port Louis, Mauritius

Being there was too comfortable.

We’d been securely tied to the wall since the day three weeks ago when we arrived in Mauritius. It was close to the market, had water and power (free), and it was a good base for touring the island by car; and we’d been there and done that three times already.

We met some people from other cruising yachts and they quickly became friends but like all sailor friends we’d lose them soon; they were due to leave for Africa.

It was time to get out of the marina.

Inertia was setting in. The longer you sit the harder it is to move. And then there is the rut you can get into and maybe you start feeling sorry for yourselves about new friends who seem to be abandoning you when they set sail and you’re staying. Plus, who knows who might be hanging out at Grand Bay Yacht Club if you go there.

So you overcome the inertia.

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Yachts in Grand Bay

On Monday we sailed out of Port Louis and went up the coast 13 miles to Grand Bay. The forecast said “mild” but it was pretty windy (up to 30) and at times rough during that two hour trip. We lost a fender overboard and had to retrieve it. The spray drenched the boat and kept us huddled behind the dodger (and again coated Wings with salt). We felt our way over the shallow banks into the harbor thanks to some local knowledge we’d obtained. They said we needed a high tide and we had it and they said to go from the outer mark straight to the point where the yacht club lies. We did and we nudged our 2.4 meter keel over the charted 2 meter patch with .5 meter to spare.

And nothing bad happened; we can still sail and still navigate. Was there any doubt?

We are now anchored near the Grand Bay Yacht Club listening to the wind howl outside and the anchor make those rumbling sounds it does when the chain is dragging over some rock or coral. Fun! But at least we got moving. Now we just need to get the dingy launched and start exploring this place.


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Grand Bay Action


We’ll let you know what we find.

Click here to see more images from Grand Bay

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Mauritius skykine from Grand Bay

Click here to see the log book pages of our sailing trips in November 2010


Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Nov. 8, 2010-Impressions of Mauritius

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Port Louis Rice seller

It’s the Creole I guess which makes Mauritius feel like a Caribbean Island, the creole along with the French and African cultures here. The streets are filled with Africans speaking that French based slang dialog called Creole.

And the age of the place: In Port Louis, the capital, old buildings abound, decrepit but still in use even in their falling down state next to modern banking centers; Mauritius is big in old buildings and financial services. And street markets, but somehow different than those Thailand. Here they put a tarp or a table on the street and cover it with clothing or used hardware and hawk it to every passerby. Maybe it is all the black skin that makes it look different from Asia.

Click here to see more of Port Louis

Click here to see more of Mauritius

Then there is the sugar cane and the Indian people brought here by the French to work it. You drive in Mauritius and you find yourself on country roads surrounded by cane fields. When you reach the outlying towns they are all Indian. That part reminds us of Fiji and it should, both are sugar growing islands populated years ago by an imperial power with Indian workers. The imperial power has left but the Indian population remains, so curry and roti are ubiquitous.

But it is hard to imagine an Island in the middle of the Indian Ocean being anything else.

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Mauritian Farming

Until you see a local farm (above) or the town of Phoenix; it looks like Bellevue, or the M2 freeway, which looks like it should be somewhere in Britain, or the yacht club fleet, which looks like it belongs on the coast of France.

There is the old central market filled with locally grown produce just down the street from the modern shopping malls with the hyper-market stores, and there are the worlds’ most modern telecom services sold out of 1850’s falling down buildings by men in dreadlock hair-dos.

We found a windy beach filled with kite surfers.

We found china town, they came all the way here to work the sugar fields too, and now have the small stores and restaurants.

We went for a tour of the Indian neighborhoods on Diwali (festival of light) and saw streets filled with Indians dressed in their best sari’s carrying cakes and other sweets to the homes of their friends.

Click here to see images of Diwali lights and surfing kites.

And we’ve just started.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Oct. 24, 2010-Resting In Mauritius

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Yachts In Mauritius

I’m watching the parade of yachts coming in from the sea and those heading back out. They don’t stay here long.

Mauritius has long been a stopover on the Indian Ocean sailing route and sees a lot of traffic. This welcoming harbor in the middle a vast ocean offers a respite from the sea where ships and yachts crossing the Indian Ocean can rest up and get decent provisions before going on. They all stop here but they usually don’t stay long. The long haul vessels discharge or take on cargo and then are in a hurry to be off to the next port of call and the westbound yachts just take a breather before Africa beckons and they quietly set sail towards Reunion, the next stop and the last one before they make the jump to the dark continent.

In some ways I long to be moving on with them but I know it will be best for us if we stay in Mauritius for a while.

We’ve been here five days and we’ve pretty much caught up on our rest and, yes, we’re still waiting for parts to come in from overseas, but even after they arrive we’re decided that we don’t want to head out of here this season.

It’s not about crew, we could get someone. We could also get the parts and install them, (or even leave without them) and we still have plenty of time before cyclone season shuts the door.

It’s that we just aren’t in any hurry to face that next crossing yet, the one to Africa, and maybe never will be.

We don’t have to right now. Mauritius is an interesting and beautiful place. There are some advantages. We already know that wine is cheap and the market is excellent, plus there is a racing scene here.

So Wings is on a different agenda from the rest of the fleet and that’s OK. We’re cruisers. We stop and see places. We live there for a while. Now we’re going to hang around here, live here a while, and get to know the place.

We can leave next season if we want to.

Tomorrow we’ll go to the immigration office and see about a visa extension.

Then we’ll go check out the Grand Bay Yacht Club and see how friendly it is.

And if there are no show stoppers we’ll stay.

And if the itch to join with the departing flock gets too strong, well, Africa will still be there next year.

Click here to see the first shots from Mauritius.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Oct.24, 2010-Photo Updates Now Posted

It's been nearly a month since September when we dropped off the grid back in Indonesia. Now, here in Mauritius, we've got an Internet connection again and though it is expensive to use it seems to work good enough.

We thought we'd catch you up up on all the photos we've been taking.

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In the Mentawai's

Click here for more photos of the Mentawai Islands where we visited just before leaving Sumatra.

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ITCZ Sailing

Next we sailed south looking for the SE Trades. We had miserable and stormy conditions before finding SE Trades and some blue skies eight days later.

(Every other yacht coming across the Southern Indian Ocean this season has reported similar, or worse, conditions.)

Click here for more shots of the rough conditions we found in the ITCZ.

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Boisteous Trade Wind Sailing

Even when the sky cleared, the wind didn't drop much, the seas stayed big, and we rocked on Westward.

Click here for more shots of trade wind sailing.

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Tied up In Mauritius

Eighteen and a half days after leaving Sumatra we tied up Wings along side the sea wall in Mauritius. 2700 miles: a momentous crossing for us.

Click here for more shots of our arrival at Mauritius

So that's the crossing in a nutshell. We've said we are sailing westward until we stop.

For now, we've stopped.

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Westward

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Oct. 22, 2010-Sega Dancing in Mauritius

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Sega Dancer

The culture in Mauritius is a mix of French, Indian, and African/Creole. One Creole contribution is this unique sega dancing which was a form of relaxation of the African workers after a hard day working in the sugar fields. Now it is an erotic dance enjoyed for the fun of it and particularly enjoyed by tourists.

The ARC Around the World Rally organized this performance at La Caudan Marina as entertainment during their departure party in Port Louis.

Click here for more sega dancing shots.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Oct 19, 2020-Arrival in Mauritius

Just to let you know we made a safe landfall in Mauritius on Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 17:00 and are tucked into a marina in the main harbor of Port Louis. We are fine and the boat is fine.

We sailed 2772 miles in 18.5 days, an average of about 150 miles/day.

We'll send more information and put some photos on the blog soon. Right now we are trying to get established here and start fixing the few things which are broken.

Our crew member, Pierre, has to fly back to Singapore in order to look for a job. He didn't quite realize how long this whole crossing to Africa would take. So now we have no crew member to sail with us to Africa and we probably won't go this year. Mauritius looks nice anyhow.

Click here to see the log book pages of our passage from Sumatra to Mauritius.


Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Oct 19, 2010-Dispatch #9 from Indian Ocean-

Day 19; 19.45.093S 58.26.080E

A very quiet morning on our last morning at sea. At 07:00 AM the sun is up and glorious, the sea is up a bit, the wind is 22 knots and building, Pierre & Judy are still sleep on the settees and Wings rocks on silently, racing ever westward.

After 17 days on port this morning we jibed onto starboard to set up our approach to the north end of Mauritius. At 08:30 we will jibe back. It might not be the last jibe and that depends on the anticipated wind shift as the trades deflect around Mauritius.

Mauritius is sixty miles out now, not yet visible but I am watchful. The mountains of Mauritius should soon appear on the horizon; landfall after 19 days at sea. It will be a welcome sight.

Fred & Judy & Pierre, SV Wings, Indian Ocean

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Click here to see the log book pages of our passage from Sumatra to Mauritius.

Oct 17, 2010-Dispatch #8 from Indian Ocean-

Day 17; 18.46.124S 63.48.821E

17 days at sea is something of an endurance test. Of course other sailors, many others, have done longer passages by far, but for the three sailors on Wings this test is a mix of good and bad.

The sailing itself is glorious, that is true. We have had days on end of fresh, now cooling, breezes from a steady SE direction. Twenty knots of wind, or more, which push us ever westward fleeing from the rising sun each morning, pursuing the setting moon each night, seven knots of speed and upward, hour after hour, day after day, sheets tight, sails flat and firm, the windvane at the back constantly adjusting, pulling the tiller left and right, so that we keep on our westward course, and the water continually roaring past our hull. Who could ask for more?

But we also have the endless motion. Big waves, rollers up from deep in the Southern Ocean, are added to significant wind waves from the SE trades and the result is extreme motion which is constantly with us, a powerful opponent to any normal activity. No item in the boat stays in its place unless constrained, including ourselves. If you put something down, anywhere, as soon as it is released it lifts directly from where you put it and flies away. Try cooking a meal, doing the dishes or even poring a glass of fruit juice; nearly impossible. It takes two hands to do it and then there is no hand left to secure yourself, so you and whatever you are holding fly away only to crash into the next solid thing. You learn new skills of working one handed and planning every slightest operation. The surface of the stove, which, being gimbaled, is not motion free but its movement does not cause items to fly off of it, and it becomes your only ally. You can place things there, however briefly, and they rest. So you use the stove even when not cooking. The sink can hold a few things, so you use it too. You learn these new skills by necessity.

When working on the computer the mouse becomes a missile on a leash. You have to put it way after each click. To type you lean on the computer keyboard to preempt the motion which wants to fly you there anyway. Even that is risky; I was thrown onto my beloved new Dell Studio laptop computer and my elbow broke the glass on the LCD screen and it is slowly degrading. Right now there is magenta and red blood dripping from the crack. Its demise is imminent which saddens me because I love this computer; it is my joy and my tool and my entertainment. I am so sorry I broke it.

Even sleeping is difficult because your body is thrown up and down and from side to side in the bed. We wake up with sore arms, backs, shoulders, and necks from fighting the motion in our sleep.

On deck you have the same issues of motion but added the constant wind and spray. Try to read a book and the pages flutter like bird's wings unless you hold them both in place. The spray flecks the pages with water spots until the book is soggy. The motion carries away the cookie you took with you. Going to the foredeck or aft you need to walk like a cat with at least one hand grabbed onto something solid at all times, even then you get thrown around. Your fear is being thrown off the boat so you wear a harness which gets tangled in your feet and everything else.

But we cope with all of this. We eat, sail, cook, read, work on the computer, work on the boat, clean things, pump things; all of it. Sometimes life seems really good. This afternoon Judy is on the settee reading and drinking wine, Pierre is on deck, standing his watch with a camera and a good Grisham novel and I am sprawled in the aft cabin reading a religion textbook in a pool of warm sunlight coming in through the open hatch. We are sitting around reading, listening to music, and standing our lazy daytime watches while the boat rocks, rolls, and sails itself onward. It is the life on the sea.

But, we are two days away from being in port.

That arrival will be a happy moment; things will be still for a change.

Fred & Judy & Pierre, SV Wings, Indian Ocean

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Oct 15, 2010-Dispatch #7 from Indian Ocean-

Day 15; 17.57.098S 68.47.467E

Sent from African Radio Connection; we're now close enough to Africa to connect with them.

Heading WSW at 7.5 knots reaching on port jibe with a #2 genoa and a second reef in the main. The wind is from 123 degrees at 19-20kts. Sun is shining and sky and ocean are blue. Sailing is good and very fast. A positive current is helping.

The wind came back and we're flying along. 182 miles in the last 24 hours and we have a good chance of getting in on Tuesday.

Fred & Judy & Pierre, SV Wings, Indian Ocean

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Oct 14, 2010-Dispatch #6 from Indian Ocean-

Day 14; 17.27.891S 73.24.459E

Heading WSW at 6.6 knots reaching on port jibe with a #2 genoa and a full main. The wind is from 133 degrees at 15-16kts. Sun is shining and sky and ocean are blue. Sailing is good.

Two days of lighter winds have both slowed our westward progress and given us a rest from the motion which always results from being on a speeding boat on a big ocean of angry waves in which category we definitely fell the week previously.

There are some spectacular photos of those flying days sitting on memory cards aboard this vessel which, due to the connection limitations of HF radio, we cannot share with you now but you'll see them later.

The lighter winds and smaller seas don't make for such photo opportunities; however it makes cooking and sleeping easier. We are well rested and well fed.

The sun has also dried us out. All the laundry and linens have been on the line over the last two days and even cushions have been on deck drying out. The hatches are open and the breeze flows through so we have a fresher smell down below.

We enjoy the respite from the motion and the damp but miss the speed.

Yesterday we had a celebratory drink as we passed the 1000 mile point from our destination, Mauritius. Now as I write this the distance to go is 921 miles. We'll be there on next Wednesday even in the lighter conditions we have now, and they are forecast to increase a little.

So it is a happy ship.

Fred & Judy & Pierre, SV Wings, Indian Ocean

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Oct 10, 2010-Dispatch #5 from Indian Ocean-

Day 11; 15.21.585S 79.15.368E

Heading WSW at 7 knots running with a poled out #4 jib and a full main. The wind is from 80 degrees at 15-16kts. Sun is shining and sky and ocean are blue. Sailing is good.

Sailors know all voyages will eventually end and so will this one but for me this voyage is taking a while.

I realize that we will still be seeing this same vista of vast blue ocean filled with waves which seemingly go on forever, as far as we can see in every direction, for ten more days and have for eleven already.

The ocean is big.

The crossing is also seemingly going to go on forever and so we have a lot of time on our hands.

Time for reading, for music, for talking, for fishing. Time for anything we want as long as we can do it on this boat out here at sea.

But me, I'm restless and I want to get there, get going on stuff that I can only do in port and get on with things like fixing and planning and arranging; the things of action that I do.

Instead, if I am going to keep my sanity, I need to chill out and relax and enjoy some of those things that I have all this time for.

But it isn't easy. This morning I went to the foredeck with my ipod to listen to the latest Wilco and Arcade Fire and enjoy the roar of the ocean as we surfed at 10 knots down the big ones. But an hour was all I could do.

Then I read my Stephen Hawking book for about 30 mins, got bored.

So, I need to find a zen or a zone or something, because, like I said, we've still got ten more days of this. Maybe tomorrow I can make it longer on the foredeck or read a few more pages of Stephen Hawking.

But I am working on it and like I said, all voyages eventually come to an end.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Indian OceanFred & Judy, SV Wings, Indian Ocean

If you see this posting then we haven't lost comms yet, but due to distance, we expect to soon.

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Click here to see the log book pages of our passage from Sumatra to Mauritius.