Zephyr's Travels

Joshua Slocum arrived here during his circumnavigation in April 1895 and on his approach to the island he called out to a flying Booby "Oh what a speck in the sea!"
Little has changed on St Helena from that day 123 years ago.
Behind a moated castle wall with a large, gated entrance is Jamestown nestled at the bottom of a steep rocky valley with a veil of chain link fencing guarding against the threat of falling rocks from high above. (A rock fall once engulfed part of the town many years ago killing quite a number of people.
Today, lost in time with centuries old houses, shops and cobbled tracks, the town retains its historic character. Walking up the single Main Street, I could imagine Redcoats marching in regimental order towards garrisoned outposts dotted around the island. These carefully positioned fortifications once had an important job during the 1800's and that was to keep Napolean Bonaparte secure here on St Helena during his enforced exile. Reminders of this historical figure are everywhere from original portraits in a characterful hotel, to his residence Longwood house where he was contained with only his beloved garden as sanctuary until his death. Little has changed from that time and Longwood house remains much as it was all those years ago.
Stepping back further in history, I read about the slavery here when it was an important stopping point for passing ships to provision and water. Inevitably slaves were traded and the descendants of many settled on the island. Governor Lowe made history by taking steps to end slavery on the island by convincing slave owners to allow children born after Christmas 1818 to have their freedom. From this point on, the slave descendants became an integral part of island life and that is very evident today with the multicultural population and an interesting mix of christian and surnames.
Once ashore, we were greeted with smiling faces and a friendly nod from the locals. The warm welcome was infectious, and we found ourselves feeling very at home and welcome.
Ladder Hill Fort sits up high above the town. One way of getting to the Fort is by climbing the 699 steps of Jacobs Ladder, not something for the faint-hearted!
Of course, the challenge of climbing the steps is all part of making a visit here, and being competitive, we want to climb the steps in a respectable time. The record had been set a few years ago in a time of 4 minutes 40 seconds.
Challenge accepted! As we started out in a steady pace it became evident we'd be nowhere near the record time, barely 100 steps in and we were feeling the lack of oxygen and blood to our legs. Having underestimated our lack of cardio fitness from being on the boat for so long we soon started to wilt. Counting the steps to distract the feeling of dying and for me, not being able to look back over my shoulder at the dizzying steep steps, all I could do was to watch Colin place his feet and follow suit. Eventually we reached the top and still not able to look back down I collapsed in a heap behind a wall feeling very sick. For Colin his time was 9minutes 30s and for me 9minutes 58s. We ended up walking back down via a very old road to avoid me having to look down the daunting ladder again. Legs like jelly and lungs rattling it took a few days to recover before we attempted to do it again, Nuts!
Like most islands we have visited on our voyage, the monthly supply ship is a vital link. Originally St Helena was a regular stop for the Royal Mail Ships and the last mail ship 'RMS St Helena' was managed out of Porthleven and Falmouth until only a few years ago. Today's supply ship is chartered in and comes up from Cape town bringing much needed goods from food, fuel, cars and a myriad of day to day necessities. However just before we arrived, the last delivery was 2 weeks late being offloaded due to rough weather and the beer container was missing!. Can you imagine the look of horror on visiting sailors faces on hearing the news! You can just about cope with a shortage of eggs, fresh fruit and meat but no beer is a disaster. The tiny yacht club which offers a warm welcome and useful amenities did its best to overcome the situation and offered ice cold cider and very strong double gin & tonics to help soften the blow. The Wednesday fish & chips nights at the club were real treats with locally caught tuna and conger and a chance to meet up with fellow sailors and lots of locals on the quay.
The yacht club was a great social hub for visiting sailors. Exchanging stories and comparing notes on the upcoming passage was often a topic of conversation. Like us, quite a number of boats at this time of the year heading back to Europe, elect to take the direct route north rather than the traditional but 3000 mile longer route via Brazil and the Caribbean. This was something Colin had planned right from the start of our trip. He has monitored weather systems and drawing on experience of this route from back in the merchant navy days had come up with what should be a workable plan for crossing the calms of the doldrums and then dealing with the 800 miles of upwind sailing between the doldrums and the Cape Verde Islands. Occasionally greeted with a slightly doubtful audience it was a refreshing to meet so many likeminded sailors who all intended to do the same. In total 9 boats are looking to head up to Cape Verdes and then on to the Azores. Probably the most famous helm being Mike Golding who left a couple of days before us. With Colin's attention to detail and 45 years at sea, what could possibly go wrong haha! Let's hope they have a delivery of beer at our next destination to when we meet up with some of the fellow sailors in Mindelo, Cape Verdes.
To complete our 2 weeks on St Helena, we rounded our last excursion was to the Govener's residence Plantation House which sits high up in the middle of the island surrounded by lush green trees and a large well stocked kitchen garden. One of the reasons for visiting Plantation House was to pay homage to Jonathan, the island's oldest resident. At 192 years old Jonathan the giant tortoise on the front lawn was quite a sight. Mind you, in the hour we were there we only saw him move one leg ever so slightly - taking it easy in his later life no doubt.
On our visits to various islands around the world we kept missing seeing Whale Sharks which tend to be seasonal visitors. At Saint Helena our luck was finally in. Being the biggest fish in the sea they can be absolutely huge. Not unlike our Basking Sharks off the Cornish waters they are harmless plankton feeders fount gently swimming just below the surface. These gentle giants with their colourful marking are amazing. Colin and I were blown away by the chance to swim close by one for over an hour. A great way to end our time here and a memory we won't forget.
We lifted our anchor on 29th March (Mother's Day) and Lucy convinced me she had arranged the 3 Whale Sharks that escorted us out to sea as a Mother's Day gift. Thank you, Goose!

As we sailed around the Cape of Good Hope from Simon's Town we entered the world of whales, penguins and fur seals. The sea air carried a rich smell of plankton and spray from the breaking Atlantic swell waves crashing on the shoreline.
The upwelling currents all along this spectacular headland bring vast quantities of rich nutrients to the surface and then the feeding frenzy begins! Birds flock in their hundreds and the whales blow, dolphins forget about surfing Zephyr's bow wave and head towards the bubbling cauldron to join the mass feasting.
Closer to shore, expansive kelp forests grow. The long stalks with broad fronds create an underwater world for the sleek Cape Fur Seals. These huge seals seem so ungainly when on land however once in the sea they become a completely different creature and move with grace and ease. Endless rafts of seals float on their backs enjoying the sun on their full fat bellies just letting the world go by, a wave from their flipper and you know they are still alive!


One of the enormous fur seals keeping watch in the marina

Further out and away from the hectic coast we were greeted by the calm elusive albatross. These gentle giants of the bird world ghosted past us but were often gone before we got a chance to appreciate the wonder. A glimpse of its massive wingspan in the distance is all I really saw, and then a thought ran through my mind of its solitary lonely life at sea. At least I have Colin, and we are heading home!
Before we started this part of our homeward journey we called into Cape Town for a few days of provisioning, topping up water and to make some sail changes. The trade wind conditions all the way to St Helena will be ideal conditions for the twin headsails probably for the last time. Although not the biggest of sails they are perfect for strong downwind sailing and so it was away with the big genoa and on with the twins.
After completing our chores, we got a chance to explore the famous Cape Town V&A waterfront. Under the iconic backdrop of Table Mountain we were greeted by a hub of exotic restaurants and high-end cloths shops. The vast shopping malls supply endless choices of exotic things to buy from furniture, jewellery and beautiful fabrics to ancient warrior masks and zebra skins. Security guards were patrolling the entire area which reminded us that only a few metres away is a world of poverty and hardship, hunger and violence with large numbers of people just trying to survive. The gap between rich and poor is wider here than anywhere else I have seen.
We had one last day to enjoy the bikes before they were packed away onboard. By following the coast south, we stayed reasonably clear of the city traffic. Both of us are considerably fitter then when we arrived three months ago after a lot of cycling out of Simon's Town and once again our bikes gave us the freedom to explore areas we would miss in a car. We both agree that having the bikes on board has been one of the highlights of the last 18 months. We headed to Hout Bay on a route Colin had ridden recently with the Simons Town Cycling Club and was blown away by Chapman's Peak. With a promise of a nice lunch in Hout Bay I agreed to make the 400ft climb. It was worth it! In 1915 a winding gravel track was cut in to the sheer face of the coastal mountain which was later made into the iconic road it is today. It took 7 years to build. The view back into Hout Bay was stunning. What made it even more special was knowing Lucy had been up this same road and enjoyed the same views a little less than a year ago.


Hout Bay from Chapmans Peak as the morning fog blanket cleared



Out on the bikes for the last time in South Africa

Lucy shared a number of interesting places to visit and our favourite has to be "The Scone Shack" From the road you would never know what lay down the bumpy track. Only open a few days a week this small homestead offered simple tea, coffee and cakes. The attraction is the interaction with the resident animals. Pigs, ducks, chickens and geese all flocked around our feet as soon as the tray of food arrived. A fly squat was placed by the teapot, and we were encouraged to use it to shoo various animals off the table. So instead, they nibbled feet or squabbled amongst themselves and generally caused chaos. Luckily the goats hadn't been let out that day and none of the Ostriches on the next-door farm paid a visit. Imagine this in the UK, Environmental Health would have a field day. It did remind us of Drym and the excitement of heading home.


Ducks, geese and chickens everywhere

The Food in South Africa has been amazing, particularly the restaurants in Cape Town including a huge warehouse building made up of pop-up style food stalls. This is a big tourist attraction and although it's unbelievably busy, the slick system of choosing, ordering and paying is fun and interactive. With tables, benches stools and bars it reminded me of the herdsmen's tent at the Royal Cornwall Show! We finished our week celebrating 31 years of marriage eating at Marble, and met up with friends who sail on Amica exploring the wonderful underground world of wine and whiskey in a nearby bar. (thanks, Jane Lake, for recommending so many lovely places, I see why you and John come here so often!)


Part of the unusual bar we found on the Cape Town waterfront

Under the shadow of Table Mountain which happened to have its cloudy hat on today, we let go of our lines for the last time in this extraordinary country, South Africa. Patiently we waited for the bridges to lift to release us out into the Atlantic and to start heading in a north easterly direction towards St Helena.


Table Mountain with the table cloth in-situ


Leaving the last marina for a while

After only a couple of miles as we coiled away ropes and put fenders into the lockers, Colin noticed something unusual in the water just ahead of us. Five bobbing heads appearing out of the morning fog! We cautiously approached and asked if everything was ok? It seemed a strange situation to have 5 guys speaking very little English just bobbing 2 miles off the coast in wetsuits. They didn't want assistance from us. To me they seemed cold and slightly anxious, so Colin radioed the NSRI (the equivalent of our RNLI) who we'd seen busy searching nearby.
The inshore rescue boat came out to our position, and we stayed close by, They retrieved 4 out of 5 men but the fifth guy wouldn't allow them to lift him out. The NSRI asked if we could continue to stand by while they took four very cold men back to shore and waiting police. We were advised not to approach or recover the remaining man but just to keep an eye on him. I was disturbed to hear him calling us to give him help and to let him come on board. It was becoming clear that these guys had probably been dropped here by boat to somehow get ashore as illegal immigrants. Our first instinct was to help but when told not to approach it was unsettling and my heart went out to the desperation of this situation.


Recovery of the last casualty

We will never know the outcome of this story, although with relief this remaining man eventually allowed the rescue boat to take him ashore. The coxswain of the rescue boat wasn't allowed to give us detailed information about the incident, but he later called us up on the radio, thanked us and wished us a safe passage.
A sad ending to our time here and a reminder of people's desperate struggle for a better life, a life we tend to take for granted.


One of the South African penguins, a critically endangered species only found around the South African & Namibian coasts

You would think by now we would have encountered most sea conditions that mother nature could throw at us. We have managed to cross the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans with stories to tell and experiences to remember. Zephyr has always arrived in each new destination with a purposeful presence about her. Over the past two years she has grown into a worthy ocean vessel carefully navigated by Colin and nurtured by me.
We both understand the importance of keeping her maintained in tip-top condition so she can continue offering us protection and hopefully take us home safely. For this next episode in our journey, we needed to draw on everything that we have learnt over the years to sail this challenging stretch of water safely.
The east coast of South Africa is known as "The Wild Coast". From Richards Bay to Cape Town is 865 miles and it is notorious for its strong currents, rough seas and unpredictable weather patterns. The Agulhas Current flows in a southerly direction roughly following the 200 metre depth contour but as we found out, the axis of the current varies considerably day by day. If you can get into the axis of the flow it can add up to 5knts to the boat speed. The downside to all that energy flowing down the coast is that it kicks up a dangerous sea when the wind is coming from the south.
Safe havens are few and far between on this stretch of coast so watching the forecast and timing departures from each port needs patience to avoid being caught out at sea with bad weather and nowhere to hide. The pattern tends to consist of popping your head out of one port only to be hit by strong winds and steep seas and then dive back into another port some 100 miles down the coast, it can take weeks of patient waiting between coastal hops to work your way down to Cape Town.
With Colin's knowledge, careful calculations and a degree of luck he identified a couple of weather windows that would take us days rather than weeks to complete the route down. We left Richards Bay on the back of a southerly blow with 2-3 days of favourable north easterly winds allowing us time to beach Zephyr and clean her hull and check the prop and sea cocks and to set sail later the same day.



Zephyr beached right next to Zululand Yacht Club waiting to re-float on the tide

A messy sea they call it, to me it was a washing machine of awkward waves not knowing which way to go. Not my idea of fun and the added onset of seasickness didn't help. Luckily, I found my sea legs fairly quickly and could start standing a watch. 75 miles off the coast we started seeing our speed go from the usual 5 to 6 knots up to 10 to 12 knots as we found the axis of the Agulhas current. We ate up the miles and worked down the coast missing out Durban completely. Durban is the bolt hole where most yachts would make their first port call to wait for the next weather window. For us, we decided to push on in the available time. The current was running fast and with a Force 7 pushing us along we covered the ground even with just the staysail. We achieved 230 miles in one day, Crazy!!


Messy following sea with Zephyr clocking a steady 10-12 knots in the current

Rather than push our luck we decided to duck into East London as a safe haven before the next southerly front came rattling up the coast. Once that had passed, we took the next opportunity to head back out and continue the roller coaster ride in the Agulhas current. With the worst of the winds passed through again leaving a messy, mixed-up sea state we motor sailed way off the coast to again pick up the current. In the words of Mike the Shark far enough off the coast so you can't


Current forecast chart showing why its important to get on the current conveyor belt going down this coast


hear the dogs bark, a top tip from a man with a lot of local knowledge and who is a bit of a local hero because he swims with great white sharks and tickles their noses. I kid you not! Well worth google searching and watching the documentaries about him. The south easterly wind was stronger than forecast, and the swell was big. Colin trying to convince me with a following wind and sea we were ok, so we battled through and once again achieved big miles in 48 hours. It was tough and the higher speeds gave Zephyr an unfamiliar motion in the ground swell coming up from the south .
Day 2 had a forecast of 30 to 35knots of wind and once again the main was triple reefed and later in the day we were down to the staysail. Zephyr coped amazingly and seemed to relish the conditions as did Colin. I on the other hand would have liked to hear the dog bark and be closer in to shore! Again, Colin convinced me it we needed to be offshore in the current before the weather turned for the worst. We continued and eventually came out the other end after rounding Cape Agulhas, the southern tip of Africa, unharmed but tired and only a few miles from our destination port of Simon's Town near Cape Town. The last 50 miles were a complete contrast to the previous days with flat calm water, bright blue skies and teeming wildlife (and I could hear the dogs barking).



What a difference a day makes, welcome flat seas on the approach to Simon's Town

Simon's Town nestled in False Bay just south of Cape Town is one of South Africa oldest towns. This picturesque place has a lovely atmosphere about it with traditional independent shops and pretty balconied white-washed houses lining the surrounding hills with a community who live here with pride. Unlike Richards Bay where locals would freely throw their garbage out of car windows with not a care in the world, here the streets are spotless and patrolled by Baboon officers waving flags to inform cars to slow down to allow these rather intimidating primates to roam freely! However occasionally a restaurant owner is hiding in the shadows armed with a catapult threatening the Baboons if they should try raiding the restaurant or climbing the gutters causing expensive damage.



Simon's Town from the top of Red Hill on one of our bike rides

With the main road leading out towards Cape of Good Hope we decided to get the bikes out and explore. What an opportunity to ride along a road hugging the coast with the Atlantic roaring to one side of us and mountains hugging our shoulder on the other side, this was one of my all-time top bike rides.





On the road south from Simon's Town to Cape of Good Hope in the distance

It is easy to forget there is another side to this privileged experience. We had to be mindful of the nearby townships and smaller informal settlements. One of these settlements was a few miles outside the town. It consisted of corrugated tin sheds are crammed on to land unregulated by the government, with poor sanitation and generally very poor living standards. Understandably crime is high and while Simon's Town is regarded relatively safe you still need to be aware of the risks.
On one of our many bike rides I got separated from Colin and took a wrong road. This lead me up Red Hill which is home to one of the informal settlements, where recently a cyclist had been pulled off his bike and had his valuables stolen. As I continued up the hill I began to realise my mistake but was at a point where I couldn't turn back. I came across a lady with two young babies strapped to her back trying hard to get a lift with any passing cars. Although I was feeling quite vulnerable and slightly stupid, I smiled and said if I could, I would offer a lift on my bike. She replied with a broad smile and gave me the nod to keep going. Sadly, I can't help or ease the hardship of these people, and I am very uncomfortable knowing this is only a stone's throw from where we have the comfort of Zephyr in a secure marina. I respectfully carried on up the road on my bike thankful for not been troubled but saddened to see such poverty in today's world. We take so much for granted at home and yet we still complain and want more!



Part of the settlement near Simon's Town

I couldn't believe my eyes when we first arrived in Simon's Town, finding two Cornish Pilot Gigs moored in the marina! In no time at all I tracked down False Bay Gig Club and made contact with Hayla and her husband Tony. They told us their story of when they used to row for Bristol and how rowing was their life. They later moved to South Africa and settled down in Simon's Town near to where Hayla was born. Hayla heard about two pilot gigs that had been shipped to Singapore some years ago where they were somehow forgotten about and fell out of use. Through a mutual friend it was agreed that they could be shipped to South Africa and re-homed. This now thriving gig club in the heart of the community holds weekly rowing sessions and offers valuable opportunities to disadvantaged local children. Both Colin and I were so chuffed to be able to row and cox with the club. Such an opportunity to connect in a sport thousands of miles away from home that has played such a big part of our lives back in Cornwall.



One of the two pilot gigs moored in False Bay Marina


Bec out on one of the Friday night rows


False Bay just outside the marina during one of the many south easterly blows while we were there


The National Sea Rescue Institute boat based in Simon's Town. We were lucky enough to have a guided tour of the station and watch a launch


Ready for the rugby. We managed to watch the 6 Nations matches while in SA

I started imagining Africa many months ago. In my head I had pictures of lions, zebras and elephants all walking far out in the heat of the African plains hunting and living their life. If we were lucky, we might see some animals in the distance with binoculars.
We never dreamt we would have the experience we had on this excursion and how it would touch us the way it did.
We were lucky enough to have "Amakhosi" recommended to us by some friends in the marina. As there are a lot of game parks in the area, it saved us wading through all the information written online. We were told to get on and book as Christmas is around the corner and prices would increase. Without reading too much about where we were going, we booked a couple of days.
Closing Zephyr up was strange, and we both felt a little guilty abandoning her! She was in a safe place at Zululand Yacht Club and friends would keep a close eye on her. We packed the car and headed up north deep into Zululand.
With clear instructions we arrived at a gate with a warden who greeted us warmly and told us to proceed into the park. I couldn't quite believe we were being sent into the park with a further 10k to drive in our small hatchback. Immediately after the gate we saw a herd of Impala leaping ahead of us and a shy Kudu Antelope popping its head over the bushes.



Shy Kudu

With great excitement we followed the long track and eventually arrived at a large, thatched building and were offered hot towels and told to make our way down through trees to the honeymoon suite which was not quite what we booked but very happy to go along with their choice! Our own private lodge looked out over the Mkuze River with floor to ceiling windows giving us an amazing view. Having spent 18 months on a boat this was all very surreal. Within no time at all we were given high tea and allocated our ranger and tracker for our time here.



Amakhozi Lodge looking over the river valley



Amakhozi dining area with views out over the Mkuze river

Before sunset we set out at speed along a network of tracks winding across open plains of parched grass and then deep into heavily wooded valleys. It wasn't long before we turned a corner to find two male lions under the shade of a tree. Panting in the heat of the sun and unperturbed by our presence they were guarding a recently killed large buffalo carcase. High above us vultures and eagles were waiting their turn to feed, but not until the lions had quite finished. In the distance we could hear deep trumpeting. 'ELEPHANT' our tracker called out. Deep in the bush and around every turn a branch with thorns was ready to stab you,



Giraffe keeping an eye on us

so ducking and diving we eventually came into a coppice of trees. Turning the engine off we sat in silence. We could hear an almost frantic blast of trumpeting but unnervingly close. No more than ten feet away hidden by branches we were being watched. As I turned a long inquisitive trunk was holding back the branches and massive ears were flapping. To me this elephant was showing all the signs of not being happy. Ruben, our ranger sat calmly and in a quiet voice said its ok. The elephant came out and headed straight at us, my heart was in my throat, but I decided if Ruben was comfortable with the situation we weren't in any danger. This was an young bull elephant who was almost behaving like a teenager having a temper tantrum and not being quite brave enough to touch the truck, was throwing sticks and gravel as his way of stating his presence.





The oldest elephant on the reserve at 54 years old

There was a lot more going on here then we first realised, there was in fact 3 young bulls in the area all up to no good with a young female. It was something the rangers had never seen before, while the two adolescents stood guard the slightly older bull was mating. We were all quite speechless, we just needed David Attenborough to start talking!


Breakfast on the move


Breakfast coffee with Amaretto high above the river valley

We headed back to the base overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted but excited. The following morning before sunrise we were again driving through rivers and climbing up high into the mountains and out into the open savannah to see more wild animals then we could ever imagine.




One of the two brothers at the buffalo kill


White Backed Eagle


One of the few vultures on the reserve (scarce due to deliberate poisoning by local farmers)


White Rhinos (we also saw Black Rhinos at a distance but they were quite skittish


Warts on a warthog


Ruben our guide pointing out one of the many plants with medicinal properties. His knowledge of local flora and fauna was exceptional


Flower from the headache tree


Lion exiting left


The trusty open top Toyota

Once back at Zululand Yacht Club we settled into marina life through the remainder of December and into January, getting all sorts of boat jobs completed including beaching Zephyr to get the propeller and anodes serviced and to take the opportunity for hull scrub well clear of the Bull Sharks, Crocodiles and Hippos which were residents of the area.


Christmas Decs in Zulaland Yacht Club Marina

Christmas in Richards Bay was a very sociable affair with us teaming up with two other boat crews for a combined effort preparing the Christmas dinner. We decided to eat on Peruagus, a very comfortable catamaran belonging to Thomas and Sarah. Keith and Helen were doing the vegetables and Colin and myself roasting potatoes and the chicken.
Christmas day morning was a fanfare of excitement and emotions. We had Lucy on a video call and all the cards our end that had been kindly brought out by Nick and Neil Wilson to Mauritius over a month ago.
One by one we opened cards and started to read the most wonderful messages from friends and family. I don't think I will ever forget how special that moment was for us. Lucy had somehow pulled the whole thing together collecting cards from all over Cornwall and managing to meet Nicky on the Helford before they left for the airport. A story in itself and one for Lucy and Gran (who also helped) to share.





Emotional mornnig reading letters and cards from friends & family

Meanwhile, the problem of the potatoes not roasting! This always happens at home and causes a great deal of stress along with far too much buck's fizz, (a recipe for disaster) On this occasion with wobbly pontoons, steps and flipflops to contend with, it was best to save the alcohol till much later. Colin was chief Elf helper and spent all morning running from one boat to the other mostly collecting pans dropping off ingredients and keeping all boats involved happy. A shake of his head with his hat and bells brought a smile to all.


Christmas dinner coming together


Chief Elf dinner deliveries completed

A wondaful Christmas day was had, the friendships that bonded on that day will never be forgotten.
Fair winds and following seas


Wonderful hospitality from Sarah & Thomas on Peruagus





More than enough for 6!

Friday 15th November and with a favourable weather window, this was our opportunity to leave the Mascarene Islands (Rodrigues, Mauritius and La Reunion) along with two other boats for company.
We met Bill in Darwin on his boat Cara Mor, she caught my eye because she is registered in Fowey. Bill sails his 40ft Westerly Ocean Lord single handed and has been circumnavigating a similar length of time as us. It amazing our paths haven't crossed before but now they have we have enjoyed meeting up and being in regular communication.
Penny Oyster, the other boat embarking this passage is a particularly pretty classic 1980's 40ft boat belonging to David and Millie. We met David and Millie through Distraction with Mike and Emma. After a few sea-shanty shindigs they have become our adopted Cornish cousins. This young couple have a wonderful relationship with their boat appreciating what a grand lady she is. They too are circumnavigating and are on a similar time scale to us.
Two other boats, Mister X and Marasol had left a few days ahead of us but had got stuck in light winds so in total there were 5 boats pretty much on the same route and schedule.
Day 1
Zephyr, Cara Mor and Penny Oyster all checked out at similar times leaving Port Louis late afternoon. In no time at all we all seemed to settle into a comfortable first night with about 5 to 10 miles between us. Surprisingly you can lose sight of each other quickly, but it's always a comforting sight to see the sails and navigation lights on the horizon. For a closer inspection on how we are all proceeding our AIS tracker has the boats on the navigation screen up to a range of about 15 miles. Here we can monitor speeds and positions when out of visual contact speeds along with the VHF radio to discuss progress and any issues.
The VHF can also act as a form of entertainment making use of one of the quiet working channels. I'm currently putting together a boat quiz. If they are lucky, I can do Name that Tune with the ukulele!!
DAY 2
All the nearby boats have disappeared far over the horizon settling down to their plotted course. (Nothing to do with my Ukulele playing!) With radio communication to hand, there's an early morning discussion on our whereabouts and who has the most wind and clocked the most miles overnight. Penny Oyster has crept away from us and is almost doing summersaults over the waves with her spinnaker flying. Millie who's not only a very experienced sailor for her young years is a dab hand at cooking. We have a chat about what the bake of the day is, along with important stuff like weather and upcoming acceleration zones! Millie reminds me so much of Lucy and how much I love seeing young people traveling. We have come across one or two boats where a group of youngsters have clubbed together and sailed across the Atlantic just for the adventure then selling the boat on to pay for flights home. Some go on to work as crew on larger boats benefiting from travelling further on again.
As we make our way to the southern tip of Madagascar, we are beginning to appreciate the size of the island. 850miles from North to South and 350 East to West. Unfortunately, we won't be stopping unless we have to drop the anchor to shelter from bad weather. It is impossible for us to go ashore without immigration and customs clearance from the authorities to land on their shores. However, an interesting place to visit sometime in the future!
DAY's 3 & 4 Cyclone Alley
Each morning the "boat galley communications" start up and Zephyr becoming HQ! The in-box is on our satellite phone is full of texts and its only 8am. Penny Oyster has picked up a weather system that could potentially be a hazard towards the latter part of the passage. Gale force southerly winds blowing up the east side of South Africa meeting the fast-flowing Agulhas current coming the other way are lining up in our path. When the wind waves meet the current, high standing waves form which over the years have claimed ships let alone small yachts. We have always known the chance of encountering this scenario is quite high with the southerly fronts occurring every 5-6 days at this time of year. In fact, Colin has been monitoring the weather patterns for the past two months to get a handle on it all and having alternative plans to hand. This particular cold front however appeared more intense than most and initially looked like it would affect the whole of the Mozambique Channel across to Madagascar where there is only one viable sheltered anchorage.
First things first, and we needed to gather as much information as possible. With access to a number of weather routers and surrounding boat buddies meant we could all share any useful updates and information throughout the day. The cold front was about 5 days away from us and the main topic of conversation was whether to head to St Augustine Bay anchorage 700 miles away on the west side of Madagascar or to stay offshore and tough it out. Getting to the anchorage was a long diversion with the added complication of not having official clearance to be there. Technically we would be there illegally although it has to be said, it is used for emergency shelter on a fairly regular basis.
As the day rolled into night and after much discussion it seemed sensible to change course and head to Madagascar. According to recent comments from other sailors it seemed the Bay we were heading to was quiet well away from any officialdom and the remote village would leave you in peace for a small anchorage fee.
The following morning and Boat Galley communications was back in business. News hot of the press, was fresh information not involving what lay ahead but what was coming up behind, a named tropical cyclone "Becky" (I couldn't make it up if I tried!) This particular cyclone had been brewing for some time and again one we have watched carefully. While it was forecast to pass within 200 miles of our current position, as long as we kept moving west, we would be far enough away and all would be well.
Slowly as the day wore on with Cyclone Becky dealt with, latest weather data was starting to show a less gloomy picture of what laid ahead with the cold front intensity being downgraded somewhat. After another chat with all our boat buddies we decided to keep heading to Richards Bay and not go to Madagascar as first discussed. Even with a moderated cold front, the mix of strong southerly winds against the Agulhas current was still something to not get tangled up in. If we stayed north we had options to heave-to well off the coast, slow down to time arrival or make a run for it and get in before it all kicks off. So this is the current plan as I write this blog, staying north on a steady heading with some good winds following. I don't think we can beat the arrival of the front but I know we can heave-to safely and Zephyr will look after us. Meanwhile a game of storm scrabble is on the cards and a bit of cakey tea and some ship spotting for Colin!


A Korean fishing boat passing a bit close for comfort


DAY 5 Fire and Brimstone
Zephyr HQ, Boat Galley communications kicked off again today. Basically, we have a couple options but to continue the track we are currently on would mean we would need to slow down and prepare for a bumpy ride along with some thunder & lightning with fire and brimstone thrown in for good measure. Given the latest synopsis we decided to cut and run after all to St Augustine Bay, Madagascar, as per the original plan right at the beginning when all this storm talk started a few days ago. This would take a couple of days sailing but would be our safest bet. It's disappointing to say the least but I think in the circumstances it is the wisest choice, and I think as our family and friends read this will be relieved! One thing we have on our side is time, we have no deadlines to meet so there is no point putting ourselves or Zephyr at risk. We can wait out this particularly nasty cold front in a safe place all be it illegally having not got permission to enter Madagascan waters. With a few of the other boats joining us at anchor we will be in good company as we all get marched off to jail together!!!


DAY 6

Zephyr HQ was much quieter today. Our fleet of friends have made their choices and are heading to their safe places. Penny Oyster is the only boat to try and make Richards Bay ahead of the scheduled storm. They have at least 24hr to get in and be safe before the southerly front crosses their path. However, they will still need to fight their way through strong preceding northerly winds rattling down the Mozambique coast, a bumpy time for them. We will be in regular contact with Dave and Millie and watching their progress, Personally I will be relieved when I know they are in and back to singing their sea shanties once again.
Meanwhile we update Lucy with our movements, who commented it would be a good idea to get the fishing line out and try stocking up on our provisions as we could be at anchor in a remote area for some time. No sooner said than done and we had landed a 4-foot Dorado! In a slick operation much improved from our last Dorado encounter when we were crossing the Atlantic. On that occasion Ken, Ali, myself and Colin were all running around slowing Zephyr, finding buckets, heaving on rods, shouting and then letting it get away! A great memory but amazing to think it was nearly a year ago!


A bit messy but it all got eaten


Today I have some large Dorado fillets cleaned, bagged and chilling in the fridge and this should give us and any friends that end up at anchor with us some tasty suppers, along with a fishy tale to tell.
Days 7,8,9,10,
St Augustine Bay, Madagascar
St Augustine is the only sheltered bay on the south-west coast of Madagascar and home to several subsistence fishing communities. Large sedimentary rock cliffs and sand dunes surround the whole area, with long white sandy beaches and thatched houses dotted like a string of beads in a single row running along the top of the sand with an unforgiving desert landscape inland.


Sandstone cliffs from the anchorage


Thank goodness St Augustine Bay is a relatively safe anchorage in sand and soft mud, with a coral reef further inshore. Although tempting to be in closer it for better shelter, the presence of coral heads wasn't worth the risk. While there, a nearby yacht got his anchor chain wrapped on coral and ended up pulling his bow roller and stem fitting clean off the bow and losing his mast forestay and genoa furler at the same time. Thankfully with help from the locals which involved various canoes with wives and children (mostly spectating) the anchor and chain was retrieved and the yacht departed to the nearest port for emergency repairs fortunately with the mast still standing.
Once anchored we soon had a fleet of pirogues (wooden outrigger fishing and cargo carrying canoes) heading at speed past us and beyond. Waves and woops coming from several men either perched far out on the outrigger or acting as ballast in the hull. The skipper on the helm with a few ropes running back to his hands and skilfully swapping a steering paddle from side to side to steer. Running down wind, these boats go incredibly fast.


A cargo carrying pirogue passing by


The sails seem to be made up of feed sacks, sheets and in some cases national flags (the Canadian Maple leaf featured in one sail) sewn together creating a patchwork of cloth that billowed far out from the boat catching the wind and driving them off into the distance.



Resourceful use of a Canadian flag

Each morning with a cup of coffee in one hand binoculars in the other Colin and I tried to piece together what was going on in the village.



Another take on sailmaking


The stretch of beach directly in front of us seems to be a trading hub of sorts. Early each morning large numbers of boats come from all around, ghost their way into the shore under sail loaded down with sacks of produce. By 8am and the shoreline is looking like the Scilly Gig championships, with up to 100 boats drawn up. People walking running and unloading heavy sacks along with ox carts on standby waiting to be loaded. This hive of industry continues throughout the morning. What looks like an outdoor school with children are ready to help. A rusted-out cattle truck is also on standby, but I fear it has seen better days and won't be partaking this time. We later found out that charcoal transportation was one of the activities we were witnessing.



Hustle and bustle on the beach


By midday the beach is clear and the fleet of boats are heading back out into the bay again all under sail, there doesn't seem to be many engines used unless carrying passengers on the bigger boats to the nearest big port further up the coast. I'm clicking away on the camera trying to catch this once in a lifetime moment knowing we won't see anything like this again and its only by chance due to bad weather and seeking shelter we are here at all.
Meanwhile communications between the three boats start up with a suggestion of supper on board Zephyr.
Potluck meals are a great way of everyone bringing something to the table, it was no surprise that I would be doing freshly caught Derado together with some fruit and vegetables brought out buy the local lads and delivered with beaming smiles. I had a pair of fins that were too big for me and decided to let the lads take them for their reef fishing. This was much appreciated but I think they were more impresses by the net bag they were stowed in.



Young entreprenurial boat boys always willing to run an errand for a few dollars

A strong onshore wind starts building through day 9 and by mid-afternoon the sky is a menacing dark blanket with lightning intermittently lighting up the mountain peaks. We start to batten down Zephyr and pay out the full 80 metres of chain in preparation for a bumpy ride at anchor. Large swell waves lift us up and then continue to the shore full of vigour only to crash into large heap on the shoreline. Not a night you would want to be out in. In the distance a Pirogue approaches amid shrieks of laughter and a huge smile on the face of a lad no more than ten years old, skilfully helming the boat with his dad standing on the furthest most point of the outrigger surfing down the breaking waves. As they zoomed past, they called out for us to watch with whoops and laughter. Torrential rain thunder, lightning and winds touching 25 knots were not going to stop their fun.




The cold front had lost its sting by the time it reached Madagascar

On day 10 with the worst of the front gone through, we finally have a window to cross the 700 mile wide Mozambique Channel and time is of the essence to get going before the next weather system appears.
Everything is battened down with only basic living items to hand along with a batch of bread and storm stew to last hopefully the five days we expect to be sailing. Five days and not a day longer to cover the 700 miles or we risk getting caught up in the next low-pressure system. If we can't maintain the speed and something nasty is looming, then we do have a final storm hideaway on the Mozambique coast 200 miles from our destination. Entering Mozambique would be a last resort so, Colin is working incredibly hard at keeping Zephyr going as fast as possible. For now, the sun is shining, and we are on a good heading towards the west coast of South Africa.

THE LAST LEG
It's been nearly 3 weeks since we were last ashore, so to see the miles ticking down as we head closer to Richards Bay is exciting. Finally, with nothing nasty showing on the forecast we have what looks like a clear final 3 day run in. With the notoriously fast changing weather patterns in this part of the world its no time to be complacent so its full speed for Zephyr. Using the engine is something we rarely do, Colin is renowned for going under sail in all conditions, so for us to motor sail was a hard pill to swallow but needs must!
With 3 days still to go we had another close encounter with a huge pod of my favourite whale, the False Killer. At least 20 came along side squeaking and playing in our bow wave, the matriarch who was nearly the length of Zephyr swam alongside while the remaining pod splashed, jumped and raced us with high pitched squeaks of delight. They don't have the beaked profile of common dolphins, in fact they have large rounded heads but never the less they are beautiful in their own way, and are always inquisitive and playful, I could watch them all day.


Bulbous bows on False Killer Whales

Finally on 4th of December on day 20 we tie up in the Tuzi Gazi small craft harbour of Richards Bay and get all our loose gear stowed below to avoid loosing anything to the inquisitive and mischievous troop of monkeys watching our movements before battening down for a solid 12 hours of sleep alongside.

Sorry for the wait! We have been busy getting Zephyr in good shape for the next passage. When I get to South Africa I will have much more time to tell you all some salty sea stories. For now, I hope you will enjoy this short account of our stops at Rodrigues Island and Mauritius.
The Indian Ocean is huge, and to enable us to get to Richards Bay we needed to navigate ourselves carefully through the Mascarene Islands. Rodrigues Island was our first stop after a long 18-day passage from Christmas Island. This was always going to be a pit stop to rest up, top up water, download a weather forecast and anything else that was needed before moving on to Mauritius.
We always knew entry into these islands would be a lengthy bureaucratic process and Rodrigues Island was no exception! After a long morning with the Border Force, Coastguard and Department of Agriculture personnel all coming on board to verify we were who we said we were, and had no uninvited friends onboard, including four legged ones, we were allowed to go ashore to visit various offices to continue the process.
Our first port of call was to the Harbourmaster to obtain an authorisation letter to allow us to buy a mobile phone SIM card. You would normally expect this to be a scribbled note, but not in Rodrigues. We had to wait for a hand-written detailed document crafted with immense care.


Our precious letter

We stood patiently almost to attention in complete silence and with lack of sleep from arriving early morning I was slightly hypnotised watching the slow fluid movement of his pen and the care and attention taken just so we could buy a sim card. This was just the beginning of what became a very lengthy process to allow us to phone home and download a much-needed weather report. Overall, it took four days to finally get hold of the treasured SIM card. Everything is recorded into large ledgers and stamped with great pride by the person allocated that precise job and probably go as far back as the days when the Dodo lived here. (sadly, now extinct) They have a computer system in place, but the preferred manual procedures seems to struggle connecting with today's computers, Unfortunately, the SIM card debacle meant we spent most of our time queuing in the local phone shop each morning only to be told we weren't on their database and to try again tomorrow. No sooner had we got the sim card and much needed data and it was time to leave.

Mauritius was our second stop and a step nearer to South Africa. We had planned to meet up with Mike and Emma on Distraction along with Neil and Nick Wilson from the Helford in Cornwall - a proper Cornish reunion. With the Cornish St Pirans flag flying we were spotted by someone who knew someone in Cornwall, they took a photo of Zephyr, and that picture eventually got sent to our daughter in Falmouth. Laughing, she replied '' yep, that's mum and dad'' It's a small world!


Lucy's local spies found us

Having not seen the Distraction gang since French Polynesia 5 months ago, we've had such a lovely time with them, sharing each other's adventures catching up on everyone at home, singing sea shanties till the early hours and then being beasted by Emma on a nearby beach doing her round the world gym club.


Helford gym club on tour

Seeing Nick and Neil has boosted us even more to get home and see all our friends and family and so our stay in Mauritius has been relatively short and focussed on boat preparations so time to explore has been limited. From the little that we did see, I was saddened by the out of control tourism and development leaving very little of the original landscape of forests, fauna and flora. The industrial landscape of sugar cane production everywhere and the development of hotels lining the coast with speedboats tearing around all over the place completed the picture. Occasionally a turtle would pop his head out of the water close to Zephyr to see if the coast was clear and no crazy speed boats would come flying past but only to dive back down with a plastic bag for company. If we are not careful this will become the norm everywhere even at home in Cornwall if it hasn't already. There needs to be more emphasis on the effect tourism has around the world and as tourists we should encourage a more environmentally friendly approach to our holiday. We might all end up like the Dodo the way we are going!

Our next passage onwards to Richards Bay in South Africa is notoriously tricky with fast changing weather systems and strong complex currents. At this time of the year, the South Indian Ocean cyclone season has started and Mauritius is very much in the path of these with one developing to the north east of us as we depart today. Fortunately, it is still some distance away and we will be long gone before it gets as far as Mauritius.


The tropical low lurking behind us and the route ahead arround the bottom of Madagascar to Richards Bay (green dot)

Ahead of us, we have to round the bottom of Madagascar where the prevailing winds are accelerated by the land mass then the final sting in the tail is the procession of cold fronts that march up the east coast of South Africa every 3-4 days with strong southerly winds blowing against the fast flowing Agulhas current which flows down the coast. The tactic there is patience and slow down or heave-to to avoid making an approach when a cold front is lurking.


Something soothing and different from weather watching