This is going to be a less technical passage blog post and more geared towards how much fun we had making this passage with Hennie and Nicole…who earned their keep by cooking, fishing, and line handling…. honestly, the best crew EVER!!!!
Our route: 738 nautical miles, 6 days, 71 engine hours, Avg SOG 5 knots.
The weather up the West coast of South Africa to Namibia is relative benign compared to the coast around the Cape of Good Hope we did just 2 months ago. Currents near the coast could be up to 1 knot but nothing too much. Beware of going too far west where there could be a counter current. The winds were more consistent the farther west we went and were less stable closer to shore.
Weather forecast showed pretty mild weather but with crew that needed to be back home sooner than later, we anticipated we would have to motor sail both for speed/time and for comfort. The forecast was pretty close to what we experienced with the exception of the wind acceleration zone near Luderitz although the below screen shots do not capture it. When we pulled weather during our passage, near the shores of Luderitz, the wind forecast would almost always display 10 knots greater than farther out offshore. When we passed Luderitz, the wind was foretasted to be about 15 knots but we experienced 25 knots with gusts up to 30 about 50 miles offshore.
Our general strategy was to head NW until about Ludetritz without adding too many miles to our passage. The goal was to catch any possible northbound current and stay in more stable wind patterns as it looked like the closer to shore the less wind and less stable (coastal low pressures) the weather.
But lets get underway…Hennie and Nicole on board the night before we untied the lines….we were all up early to secure the last few things and off we go on Tuesday, February 11th and made the 9:15 am bridge through the Waterfront in Cape Town.
Leaving V&A Waterfront marina…Hennie and Nicole getting a few photos and internet before it’s gone.
Of course what is a passage without a few issues…up first was our autopilot needed to be re-calibrated since Trevor had disconnected all the power supply to install the backup hydraulic pump. No problem…we just did circles in the harbor…but made my nerves rise with the prospect that we could be hand steering with new crew (ekks)…I don’t even know if I could do it! All went well and we headed out the harbor, escorted by a small pod of dolphins….lucky us!
But it got better…we all were just getting our sea legs on when we heard a huge “blow”…looked to port and saw a small humpback whale about 15 feet from our boat….and as it dived down waved with it’s tail….We have never been that close to a whale before and it was exhilarating!!!
As cruising goes…the good comes with the bad….was we were setting our main sail, the main sheet jam cleat handle broke off…well we are off to a good start huh…?!
One should look like the other….hummm…
That’s ok…didn’t phase Hennie…he was already getting the new gaff pole set up and lines in the water.
Trevor purchased a “hook” to replace our gaff that would click into this pole However, there was no mechanism to “click” it in…just a blunt end to the hook….so Hennie and Trevor fashioned it on our old pole…he is ready to go!
We were making great time and engine off at 1:30pm with wind 10-15 knots at 120 degrees to port. By the late afternoon, it was time to reef as the winds picked up to 20-25….Hennie, earning his keep, went out on deck to help Trevor set the pole out for the jib and reef the main sail…should of done this an hour ago… opps!
Hennie learning the “ropes” the “Slow Flight” way…..
Nicole is a serious trooper….first night she hopped into the galley without questions asked. Chicken wings, baked kale chips and corn on the cob…man..there goes the “passage diet”!!!
First night watch, Hennie and Nicole shared the 9-midnight shift. Trevor on from midnight to 3am, then me at 3-7am. repeat…..
Generally what each morning looked liked…lots of fog… 
…but eventually it would burn off mid afternoon…or not in this case.
The next few days the wind died down and we motor sailed. We all got settled into our routine, coffee, snack, lunch, naps, fishing, card playing, music listening, fishing, a few sail changes, and of course a fabulous dinners Nicole produced….this girl can COOK!!!!
Happy Valentine’s Day!!! Things started to get interesting….not in that way…get yur minds out of the gutter (LOL)! The wind picked up to about 15 knots on a downwind sail so wing on wing was our sail configuration. We saw a 1 meter sunfish at the surface of the water, lots of huge red jellyfish, albatross flying, and crossed the boarder into Namibia. Trevor gave Nicole a break in the galley and made an Asian salad with a baked spaghetti dish….with a dash of champagne… : )
Lovely set sails….great job Trevor and Hennie. 
Crossed into Namibia…our first new country for 2020.
As the wind died late in the evening, Trevor woke up to the battery monitor was displaying 15.1 volts…?!!! I didn’t know that was possible! So Trevor disconnected our alternator so our batteries wouldn’t “cook”. More boat projects….! On this note, we had been in touch with others either underway across the Atlantic or still in Cape Town via our Iridium Go and the SSB radio. There must of been reports of 5 other boats with mechanical issues, pieces and parts breaking, or worse, a snapped shaft and the vessel was taking on water. It is of my opinion that the Indian Ocean has taken it’s toll on all the boats and all these issues is for sure evidence….or it’s just the lucky vs. the unlucky….
The next day, motor sailing, we were all entertained by the sea life and it was a HUGE fish on day… which of course was followed by incredible meals.
Almost every one got to reel in a fish…thankfully not me as I was sleeping after my night watch. But I was told seals tried to get a “free meal” with the yellow fin jack…? Can you see the missing bit of tail and the scratches…? Never seen a snook fish before with it’s long dorsal fin and mouth….but it was good eating…. Hennie and Nicole prepared their recipe while Trevor contributed by making sushi rolls….I am being spoiled!!!!
And we were making friends over the radio….it started with a 7 am call over the VHF from a fishing vessel 1/2 mile off our bow. He told me about his breakfast he just ate, offered tours of the area, and overall just wanted to chat. A few minutes later, he radioed back and Trevor responded…..no answer…so I got back on the radio and immediately got a reply form him…I guess they rather speak with women? In the afternoon, our vessel was hailed by another fishing vessel. This time Trevor let me do all the talking. His name was Quinton on Tiger Reef. He also liked to chat it up and we learned he liked whiskey at the yacht club and we promised to look out for him when we arrive at port. He did a “drive by” with his vessel and we all got big waves of welcome. He had been at sea for 2 weeks headed home to Walvis Bay….maybe we will meet them?
Fishing Vessel Tiger Reef and skipper Quinton and crew.
After all that excitement, I think we all slept well that night and ready to make land fall the next morning. Nicole made a satellite phone call to arrange their flights back home to South Africa, Trevor had the “crew” wash down the boat while making water to top up our tanks, and I was ….. sleeping : )
Up Next: Sunday “Fun-day” and Clearance into Namibia