Heading to So. Africa from Cape Verde
2 new developments here
I am pleased to say that my lady Jane called and asked where the hell I am. I told her to get to the airport and bring her bikini!
She will be flying in in 2 days to Grand Canaria airport and joining me for the next few months. I gave her a satellite phone so we could talk and so she can keep a tab on her business interests.
Second my Captain and I have been talking about crossing the Atlantic during this period of weather. I have charged him with making sure we are sailing safe and comfortably. I do not mind the rough seas, I lived thru a force 5 Typhoon in the Taiwan Straights many years back and believe me it does not get any worse than that.
Anyway last year we traveled from Barcelona along the same course but the weather was nearly perfect then. Last year we visited South Atlantic, Brazil, the Caribbean, south Pacific islands, New Zealand and finally Australia before my 75' yacht was sold to an Australian guy. We'd made it approximately 1/2 way around the globe. I thought then about sailing back to Australia via the Indian Ocean and based on my Captain's input that is what we will do as soon as Jane is aboard. The trip from Cape Verde Islands to Cape Town So. Africa is about 3100 MN. We will sail about 300 NM off the coast of Africa where the weather is more reasonable.
We'll stop off in Cape Town and visit friends and sight see for a few weeks. I understand that So Africa has a lot to see so we plan to stay for a while.
After Cape Town we have 2 likely courses, either sail up the coast between Africa and Madagascar visiting a coral reef I am interested in diving and then seeing parts of Madagascar This course is a difficult due to prevailing winds and a very strong current that travels South and is one of the strongest currents to sail against in the Navigable world so probably not... sail OR we'll sail due east and after several hundred NM turn NNE to head to Reunion Island and then to Mauritious Island, to Diego Garcia* and to the Maldives Islands, To Cocos Keeling Is and finally to Frenchman's Bay Australia and finally onto the South Pacific for a tour of many Islands we missed the 1st time. The southern course seem to be the most likely one to me.
* DG is restricted but I am friends with the XO of the Navy base and have permission to travel there to visit the facility there....It is a British territory leased in part to the U.S.
So there we go best laid plans of mice and men....