June 15, 2011-Friends Check In From Paradise

haere maru image
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

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

wingssail images-judy jensen
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.

images-patrick

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

March 7, 2011-Circumnavigating Mauritius

With our new crew, Jean-Mee and Jennifer, we sailed Wings on a six day cruise all the way around Mauritius early in March; the main destination was Grand Port, on the opposite coast from Port Louis.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Islands at Grand Port

Grand Port

In 1810 the British naval commander, engaging the French fleet in Mauritius, sailed his warships into Grand Port on Mauritius’ east side, where the French were based.

On the reefs inside Grand Port three of his frigates ran aground on separate reefs and the battle was lost.

This month we sailed Wings into Grand Port right among the reefs named after these ships, Nereid Reef, Sirius Reef, and Sappho Reef and we saw first hand how treacherous these waters are; even with GPS, depth sounders, and modern charts the navigation is tough here and we ourselves touched bottom just off Nereid Reef. It was just a slight bump as we were turning away from a sharply rising bottom. A man in his small fishing boat watched as we approached, bumped, and moved away. Then he attended to his fishing, impartial to our presence or our narrow escape.

We came here to Grand Port to feel some of the history of these waters and to visit the town of Mahebourg which is on the shores of Grand Port. On this cruise we have had some great sailing and have anchored in some beautiful spots. Anchoring near Nereid Reef presented a opportunity for a trip into Mahebourg town.

In town there is a naval museum and the battle of 1810 is depicted on large murals. We stared at these paintings of the smoke shrouded tall ships pounding each other in Grand Port and then we returned to Wings anchored in the bay and we could see the ghosts of these ships around us on the reefs carrying their names. We could almost smell the gunpowder drifting westward towards Mauritius’ mountains and hear the thunder of the cannons.

At the mouth of the southern entrance to Grand Port is the island of Isle de La Passe where fortifications and French canons once guarded the fleet inside. We crawled around the two-century-old fort and saw the soldier’s names carved in the limestone blocks: more history.

After a three day visit we prepared to sail back to Port Louis happy that we have visited historic Grand Port.

Return to Port Louis


A 60 mile sail meant another dawn start.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Happy Crew

The forecast 20 knot winds never materialized and we had to work hard to make the distance before dark; three jib changes and three spinnaker sets and dowses were sweaty work. The portion of the trip from La Morne on the SW corner to Pointe aux Caves, a few miles south of Port Louis was the slowest but our perseverance was rewarded with a beautiful beat the final miles into port. We arrived at 18:45 and had the boat put away by dark: A nice end to a nice trip.

Click here for more photos of our Grand Port cruise

Click here to see the log book pages of our sailing trips in March, 2011

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Feb 28, 2011-Update From Julian Mustoe

Julian Mustoe, the voyager pictured below, has sent me an email indicating his safe arrival in Africa.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Julian Mustoe in Mauritius

Dear Fred,

When I left Port Louis I intended to sail directly to Simonstown. But on the way I had several exasperating gear failures and so I have put into East London for repairs.

If the same thing happens to Wings you can haul out at East London. A boatyard operated by Stuart Astick and Keith Wirlcox. Keith's mobile number is 073 788 5929.

Repairs, repairs, repairs!

Julian


Click here to read the original post.

We're glad he made it, through the most dangerous part of the year from our perspective, and we hope to do as well when we leave in April. We'll post his journal of the trip when he sends it to us.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings. Mauritius

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

We're fine; the cyclone missed us.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

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.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

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. 12, 2011-Cyclone Season

The talk around the marina is about cyclone Bingiza, a few hundred miles to the north of us.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Cyclone Bingiza, projected to turn west

We check the satellite photos, the weather bureaus, and the GRIB files twice a day.

I talk to Patrick, who owns Haere Maru, the boat behind us, on the phone frequently. We discuss the situation.

Jean-Mee sends me grib files.

Right now Bingiza is heading toward us but it is supposed to turn to the west.

We stay close to the boat, in case we need to move; if Bingiza doesn't swerve away we’ll have to go to the nearby cyclone shelter.

We already did that once this year, in late January, when the last system, just a low, not a cyclone, pushed big waves into the marina.

Bingiza is already bringing rain and wind; we guess it will last a week or more. The air is humid. We're a little worried.

When you live in an area subject to cyclones, hurricanes, or typhoons, you watch the weather closely.

Click here to see more weather images.

Fred & Judy, 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

Jan. 27, 2011-A voyager, not a Cruiser

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Julian Mustoe


He is a voyager but not a cruiser.

He is a brave man, but some might say foolhardy.

Julian Mustoe, 78, is sailing his 25’ IOR quarter tonner Harrier alone around the world following the path of Charles Darwin, and Monday he set out for Africa to continue his voyage directly into the face of whatever Neptune had in store for him. He has no HF radio, no means to get weather updates, and no EPIRB in case he runs into serious trouble. Julian Mustoe is on his own. However, he’s gotten this far (London to Mauritius), not without some incidents, and you can’t argue with his persistence in the face of disaster nor his resourcefulness. When setting out to cross the Indian Ocean (before leaving Australian waters) his windvane failed and he had to resort to hand steering. Julian rigged a method of steering by the wind pressure on the sails and carried on. Forty days later he arrived in Mauritius.

I gave Julian a briefing on Sunday and told him that the weather picture didn’t look good. There were storms between Mauritius and Africa and maybe a chance of cyclones; I wouldn’t go. But Julian was stoic. He told me, “I think that I shall go tomorrow anyway - I am bound to get some bad weather somewhere in a 30 day passage”.

So now he is off to Africa and I wished luck him and good sailing.

ALTERNATOR WARS

I made a wiring error 17 years ago and discovered it last week. I’ve been working on the alternator recently. After my old Balmar failed for the second time and I bought a new one (shown below) which wasn’t performing well I’d been running tests and checks. Right in the middle of my work the alternator quit charging altogether and I discovered that the regulator had shut down. Tracking the fault I discovered that the blue and black wire from the panel which I used for a regulator switch was actually the ground wire from the charge warning light and was never the right one to use (I never 'til now quite understood the wiring diagram). When the light bulb failed after 17 years the regulator shut off.

OK, now, finally, I got it: the black and red wire should have been used not the blue and black one, so I reconnected the regulator properly as well as replaced the light bulb. It all works now. Amazing to me that this wiring error made so long ago should have lay in wait from then until now.


New Balmar Alternator

Now, let me qualify that “all works now” statement. The new Balmar can’t hold a candle to the old one. Its output is not greater and it overheats dramatically: 249F vs. 176F. What a disappointment. I’ve talked to Balmar about it and they agree that the new product is not as good as the older one but they say parts are not available to continue mass producing that prior model. This tells me that their success in selling their product has had the result that they cannot maintain the quality which made their reputation while still addressing the high demand. Too bad.

As for us, we’re having the old model rebuilt (again) and we’ll put it back in service.

Click here to see the another photo
Click here for some shots from Mauritius

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Dec. 31, 2010-Another Day Sailing

We met a Mauritian couple here when they walked up to our boat at the dock in Port Louis and said “Hello, did you sail here from the US?”? It’s not an unusual question; we get asked it about three times a day in Port Louis and usually it’s just a tourist who is awed by the idea but really has no concept even when we try to tell them why it took 14 years because that’s always the next question,

“How long did it take you?”

But Jean-Mee & Jennifer are planning to buy a boat and go cruising themselves and they’ve done a bit of sailing and they were knowledgeable, interesting and interested so it was nice to meet them and we invited them aboard Wings for a glass of wine. The conversation was good and so was the Christmas Dinner we had a week later at their house.

We planned to meet again in Grand Bay for New Year’s Eve. There would be dinner ashore and then we’d watch the fireworks from Wings and the next day talk boats with them again. There would be lots to talk about and maybe time for some sailing.

So on December 30, 2010 Judy and I set sail up the coast to go back to Grand Bay, where we’ve been before.

Mauritius often promises and sometimes delivers that kind of easy sailing on its leeward side: flat water, blue skies, and good wind. There was breeze sufficient to fill the sails and move Wings at a good pace and the low chop threw an occasional splash of salt water in our faces but nothing which would bother us or cause us to work too hard. And it was warm enough to sail in shorts and a t-shirt.

It was fun in other words.

Under the main and number 4 jib, with the main flattened and traveled down and both sails eased a bit, the helm was light and the boat steady and we slid along at 7 knots just off the reef. Tombeau and Balaclava passed to weather and we approached Cannonier’s Point.

Coming out from under the point Wings heeled to the stronger breeze and we saw the breaking waves ahead marking the reefs which lurk offshore there. Judy ducked below several times to check the chart. She warned me to keep footing off even as the wind was trying to lift us. Wings wanted to sail higher and I had to resist the temptation to let her go up.

We stayed away from the reefs.

Once past the point we felt the rise of the Indian Ocean swell and the boat came alive. There was more wind, more spray, more heel, and more speed; we had the power now and we charged upwind. There was deep blue sky and Indigo ocean and the smell of clean salt air which had blown in all the way from Cape Leeuwin, Australia, three thousand miles away to the south east. It was great.

Free of land we gave Wings her head and we, along with the boat, reveled in blue water sailing at its best. So good was the sailing that there was an urge to just keep going. We right sailed past Grand Bay and looked at the horizon and imagined the vastness of the Indian Ocean ahead.

But slack high water at the flat outside of Grand Bay was not to be missed so we turned away from the open ocean, tacked over, eased the sheets and ran in watching our shadow leap over the sandy bottom. It was close enough under the keel to make us nervous but we’d been this way a few times before and we let her fly.

Later, when the chain rumbled out in our old spot in front of the Grand Bay Yacht Club we felt good; it was the last sailing day of 2010 and it had been a great day.

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Grand Bay, Mauritius

Footnote:

The fireworks at Grand Bay were absolutely spectacular although we almost missed them; dinner in town with Jean & Jennifer and Joelle ran long then there was desert and the bill, and after that we had to weave through the Grand Bay New Year’s Eve crowds and we were even surprised to find the dingy dock packed with spectators waiting for the show but they let us through and we quickly boarded the zodiac intending to get back to Wings in time to see the show and hoping to get some good photos.

Only the show didn’t wait!

Halfway back to Wings the main fireworks started and by that time we were just abeam the raft from where they were being fired, by remote control, so at that point, when we were about 100ft away from the raft, we were the closest humans to ground zero for the Mauritius fireworks spectacular. Luckily it didn’t blow up and none of the smoldering debris landed in our dingy but we were looking straight up at them for the longest time. When it was finally over we continued on to Wings. The downside was that my camera was on Wings, not with me in the dingy, so I got no shots. Maybe Jen or Joelle did.

Footnote #2

wingssail images-judy jensen

Sailing with Jean and Jen

On January 1, 2011, we again set sail, only for this time it was to go out of Grand Bay for a short day-sail with Jean and Jennifer. Again we had great blue water sailing conditions and we beat towards the east with a #4 and full main in nice 15kt winds. What we didn't anticipate was the effect of the strong current which runs between Mauritius and the islands to its north. That current was against us and simply flattened our tacks on the outbound leg but after an hour or so when we turned back to come in with the spinnaker the current became a major issue as it swept us down towards the rocky reef on the east end of Gunner’s Quoin.

With the assym kite up but without it being fully hoisted or pulled in on the tack it could not be trimmed for a tight reach and it was not at all effective as we tried to sail high to avoid the rocks. We did get clear without much drama but it was not particularly pretty. The barely flying kite was pulling us mostly sideways and we were not going as fast as we should have been.

When it was finally it was apparent that we’d passed the rocks and we could bear away to the West we did and then we were able to trim the kite. For Jean & Jen, who have not sailed with spinnakers before, the reach to avoid the rocks was an eye opener. Jean said, “I don’t think I’m going to get one of these for my boat.” However, when we were later steaming downwind with a full kite at nine knots he might have started to reconsider and when we were back in Grand Bay at anchor it was all smiles aboard Wings; we’d had another great day on the water and enjoyed the company of our new found friends.

Again:

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Grand Bay, Mauritius

Click here to see photos from the New Year's events at Grand Bay

Click here for a few photos from Jean & Jen's place at Trou D'Eau Douce (and the drive we took)

Click here to read (in French) Jean-Mee's political articles about Mauritius

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

Dec. 21, 2010-A Good Sail Today

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Judy steers with the big sails up

You go,
you go out,
out to sea,
out to the blue sea,
out to the ocean.

You go out for
the sailing,
the fix,
the sailing fix,
the fix you need.

Out there on
the flat horizon,
the blue flat horizon,
where the wind blows,
where the sailing is good,
real good.

You put up the sails,
the big sails,
the really big sails.
and sheet them in,
sheet them in hard,
really hard.

You go up on the wind,
get right on the wind,
get really right onto the wind,
and then you’re sailing. Really sailing.

We sailed to Port Louis from Black River on Tuesday after a week anchored in that beautiful inlet on the SW side of Mauritius.

It was good to get out in the breeze and sheet the sails in hard. The power which comes on when the wind is up and the sails are in and we head up into the wind…that’s what gives me the sailing fix I’m talking about. It’s a great feeling and I need it once in a while.

The wind strength and angle surprised us though. The previous day a Beneteau 49 headed out and we watched as they found a light easterly outside the reef and took a good angle on starboard tack right up the coast.

We set sail today and when we got out the pass we found a northerly wind blowing instead of an easterly which meant a beat but we hoisted the big genoa and enjoyed the good sailing conditions for a while as we started upwind laying long tacks in the ocean towards Port Louis.

The wind was building and the genoa soon proved to be too much and we dropped it and while it was down we decided to put in a reef in the main. Sometimes you know what is going to feel right and what isn’t. Something told us that the small jib and a reef was going to be a better combination and it was.

We also set the baby stay due to the increasing chop.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Sailing Past Mauritius

Then for the next four hours, with everything ship shape and set for the conditions, we had a great sail in twenty knots of wind at 6.6kts boat speed and 40 degrees to the wind with sun, strong breeze, lots of spray flying and not too much pounding; it was true blue water sailing at its best. But it was tiring and after 18 miles and we were glad to crack off at the entrance to Port Louis and reach into the harbor.

By 16:00 we were tied up to the quay in La Caudan and ready for a cool drink and a shower.

But we’ll be ready for another sailing fix in a week or so.

Click here for more sailing shots.

Click here for photos of the fishing contest at Black River

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

Fred and Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Dec 20, 2010-Merry Christmas

wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Merry Christmas

Dec. 15, 2010-Riviere Noire

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Mountians of Mauritius

In the evening the wind comes offshore and our vessel swings toward the land to face the breeze.

Mount Tamarin and the hills of Black River Gorge rise over the small collection of houses known as Riviere Noire (Black River) where Wings is anchored. Beyond these lies the central plateau of Mauritius. These high land forms spawn the offshore breeze and the air which spills down from them each night is cooling and smells of earth.

Behind us a low surf can be heard on the outer reef and we know that local fishermen, including Rashid, who by day is our taxi driver from Port Louis and our friend, are out on the darkness tonight and most other nights unless the seas are up and in the morning they will each bring in a catch amounting to a dozen or so kilos of tuna and reef fish which they will sell to supplement the money they make from their day jobs.

We wonder where Rashid, whose family were shipped here from the Indian sub-continent by the British to work the sugar fields and were workers or farmers but certainly not fishermen, got his affinity for the sea. In Mauritius it is usually the African Creole men not Indians who we see going to sea in the small boats each evening or working the charter boats in Black River or Grand Bay. But Rashid’s work ethic does not surprise us: we saw that of the Indians in Fiji too and in Asia. And here, like in Fiji, the Indian population has swelled and they now dominate the electoral results. Unlike Fiji there have been no coups by indigenous people envious of the Indians'success, perhaps because there are no indigenous people here; everyone here has roots elsewhere.

We sailed from Port Louis to Riviere Noire on Tuesday to explore this new area. It was another lazy day of sailing as the fresh NE wind from behind carried us at six knots with only a mainsail and we didn’t care to set any other sails. We watched the island of Mauritius with its dark mountains and bright green sugar fields pass to port and had white wine with our lunch to toast its beauty.

As we neared Riviere Noire the wind shifted to the West: the geography here which results in an offshore breeze at night also provides a reliable onshore wind during the day. We sheeted in and reached toward the pass and then rode the breeze through the pass and into the bay where we anchored among the local charter boats and a few sailing yachts and admired the mountains. The views are nice.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Angler's Club, Riviere Noire

Since then we have been ashore a couple of times and found the Angler’s Club where a cold beer can be had for $1.00 and where in the afternoon the returning charter boats offer entertainment for free. We walked to the supermarket but it was closed on Wednesday afternoon. We met a family living on a small catamaran here who operate a business from their boat designing and marketing kites for kite surfing, which is big in this area, but their market is primarily in the US.

So we are finding Riviere Noire to be an interesting and peaceful place to hang out.

We’ll sail back to Port Louis in another week or so but in the meantime we are enjoying it here.

Click here to see some more shots of the trip to Riviere Noire

Click here for more pictures of the Angler's Club at Riviere Noire

Click here for photos of the fishing contest at Riviere Noire

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

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Riviere Noire, Mauritius

Nov. 28, 2010-Racing Back to Port Louis

pascal mamet photography

Sailing again

I thought the La Bourdonnais Challenge was just a fun race to a bar in Port Louis, not too much competition, just some fun, like the old days when we raced to Chung Chow Island for lunch with the Discovery Bay Yacht Club in Hong Kong. Perfect for just Judy & I to sail.

So we entered.

But this event was a pretty big deal for the Grand Bay Yacht Club, nearly everyone turned out including the media and the party at the LaBourdonnais Hotel was fantastic. So, by joining, we stumbled into a good thing.

However, on the morning of the race it was soon clear that the racing was going to be very competitive. Aboard each of the race boats crews were switching kevlar for dacon and scrubbing the bottoms. We also found out that the start was going to be tricky being in close quarters inside Grand Bay and also inside the reef where the channel depths only allow us to clear at certain times. At the time of the start we'd have about 6" under our keel.

So we skipped the start, motored out early, then hoisted the sails and joined the fleet at the first mark, and sailed along just for the fun of it; not offically part of the race.

We took it easy, real easy, no spinnaker, no big jib. We didn't need more sail area to get there with the fleet; it was windy, quite gusty actually, and we sailed fast. And even with just a #4 and a main we were busy the whole way. I had my camera on deck but took no photos until we got to the finish and rafted up with the other boats.

For other photos from the photographer, click here to go to pascal mamet photography.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold

Rafted with the racing fleet
Nice party on the lawn, nice awards giving like all yacht clubs awards givings, a very nice dinner, and through it all, lots of sailing talk. And even though we didn't get scored with the racers we got some recognition as the "Fred & Judy, on the boat from the US, who were joining today" and a big applause. We enjoyed ourselves.

And it got us back to Port Louis where we will stay for a few weeks.

Until we sail somewhere else.

Click here for more photos from the raft-up

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


Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mauritius

Nov. 18, 2010-One Month In Mauritius

wingssail images-fredrick roswold
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

wingssail images-fredrick roswold
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.

wingssail images-fredrick roswold
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.


wingssail images-fredrick roswold
Grand Bay Action


We’ll let you know what we find.

Click here to see more images from Grand Bay

wingssail images-fredrick roswold
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