L'Eau Commotion Westabout

8:45pm Tuesday 10th October 2017 ( UTC+2 ) Cape Aguhlas is the Southernmost tip of the continent of Africa and as such is one of the four designated turn points of my planned voyage but most people, including myself, regard the Cape of Good Hope as the South of Africa. It was therefore with much pleasure I was able to actually see in the afternoon at a distance of 38 miles this great Cape and as night fell glimpses of its powerful light. I was hoping also to see the lights of Cape Town but as those millions of cooking fires fired up for the evening meal the whole eastern horizon was engulfed in a purple haze and even the loom of the lights of this great city was just discernible through the dense smoke. Another reason to be gladdened by the sight of the Cape of Good Hope was that I had rounded the Cape of Storms. For three whole days the good folk at the South African weather bureau had issued no gale warnings but today, for Durban East, 35 knots from the South West with seas of 7.5 metres. Added to that was the provi so that this forecast does not take into account the enhancing effect of the Aguhlas current on wave height and sea state and you can see how relieved I am to have rounded this formidable obstacle in the mildest of conditions. Another reason to be relieved was that more by force of circumstance than actual planning I had ended up well South of the heavily trafficked Aguhlas area and the ships round these parts can be BIG! I just passed a Super Tanker, or in the parlance VLCC ( Very Large Crude Carrier ) measuring 333 metres long by 60 metres beam and drawing 21.6 metres and the ore carriers out of Brazil are only a smidgen smaller. The forecasts are favourable so I am now looking forward to many weeks of pleasant Trade Wind sailing with just the odd puff to keep me on my toes.