Crossing the Mozambique Channel day 8
12 October 2015 | 24 46.312s:035 26.024e
Bill/storm is coming
We got warning today that a storm is headed our way with winds from the north at 35 knots and swells out of the Southwest at 2 meters. Now the swell of two meters doesn't worry us except it's from the opposite direction from the wind. Never a good thing. We've made the decision to hug the coast and head for Maputo in Mozambique. It's about 200 miles away so the timing is going to be close. The brunt of the storm, if it continues is late tomorrow night. If we huge the coast the swells should be less and the winds also a bit less. Through the night, the winds had been from the north. Now(1230)they are from the Southwest so we are beating into them. It's a beautiful day with bad things due here in 36 hours. We've been through worse so we just need to make sure we are completely prepared for what may be coming. Our next forecast is tomorrow at 0930. Buoy Weather, our primary source of weather info is still down. We watch and we wait. It still might change but we are heading for shelter just in case. It's now just after 1900 and Tracy has gone off watch. We have the main up and the forestaysail running but we also have the engine running. Winds aren't bad, about 10-15 knots but we are stuck in a counter current slowing us down. We're only doing about 4.7 knots at an engine speed that should be giving us well over 5.5. Oh well, this too we shall pass. We found out today that there is another bigger banded storm due in about four days with much higher winds. We need to make sure we are in Richards Bay before that one hits. Night Fly is pulling out all the stops to get in before it hits. They are a good half day or more behind us. While we will be shooting down the coast to avoid what this first storm is bringing, they are going right down the middle of the bay. I've got to say, they have guts but they are great sailors too. Lots more experience than we have. The race is on to get to Richards Bay before the storm. Another cruiser (Running Tide) will be ducking into a shelter till the storm passes. He's about 1.5 days behind us and there is no way for him to get in in time. It's going to be a bumpy night. We spent some time yesterday afternoon when it was a bit calmer tying down everything that might come loose on deck. If this blow gets out of hand we don't want to leave anything to chance. The winds came and went and came back last night with a steady 15 to 20 knots out of the southeast. The seas got stirred up making sailing tough so we just used the engine and a reefed mainsail to plow through it. It's now 0545 and the winds continue and Zephyr is getting thrown around quite a bit with water coming over the bow from time to time. I'm in the cockpit under a blanket with a jacket on and Tracy is trying to get some sleep in the main cabin as sleep in the stern would be impossible. We'll get more information from some GRIB files I'll be downloading just after 0600 and then listen to the Sam Net at 0930 for even newer weather forecasts. We are ready for what ever may come. We'll be changing course in a couple of hours to take us behind the headlands and make our way al ong the coast for Maputo so if we need to duck in there we can. Time and Mother Nature will let us know.