Posted by Graham Cox
The passage from Mauritius to Durban was always going to be a challenge for the MGR fleet – and it was – but it was also fast. Renaud, first home as usual, brought CAPUCINETTE into Durban on 06 November, a mere 12 days after departing Port Louis, with the rest following over the next four days.
These are remarkable passage times, although it is likely that access to wind and current data, especially with the advent of Starlink, gives contemporary voyagers significant advantages over earlier passage-makers. Even those who got caught up in the current gyre in the middle of the Mozambique Channel probably shaved days off their passage by hooking into favourable currents when they could.
Conditions were boisterous, with three vigorous fronts passing over the fleet, and the currents were a maelstrom, with a wide, counter-clockwise current gyre, running at 2-3 knots, taking up half of the Mozambique Channel. Everybody had to divert around it, some with difficulty. But it could be argued that the weather was moderate for this region. Nobody had to face a severe, prolonged storm, with wind blowing against the current, which accounts for the horror stories one hears about vessels sailing in these waters.
John Guzzwell took 20 days to sail this leg in 1958, aboard the original TREKKA (not to be confused with Ertan’s boat). He hove-to for a few hours south of Madagascar during a northerly blow, and later reduced sail to jib and mizzen just north of Durban, when a SW ‘buster’ blew quickly through.
He experienced no severe weather, but still worked hard for his supper. Looking back, he wrote, ‘…the wind was constantly changing direction, so that my sleep was frequently broken at night by having to go on deck and change sails… The currents in the Mozambique Channel are strong and quite unpredictable. One day would find us set 30 miles north of the course, and the next far to the south.’
In 1967, Robin Lee Graham took 17 days to sail this course from Reunion Island, so let’s say 18 from Port Louis. On his 7th day at sea, when about 200 miles SW of Madagascar, he survived a major northerly storm that lasted two days. The wind was possibly blowing against the current, because the seas quickly built up until they towered over 24ft DOVE, with heavy, breaking crests. One struck the boat so hard that it stove-in a portlight and cracked DOVE’s companionway doors. Things went flying across the cabin and water sloshed over the sole. Nearby, the 25ft sloop, OHRA, skippered by Laurie Harder, pitchpoled, suffering significant damage.
John Sowden, on the 25ft Yachting World 5-tonner, TARMIN, took 21 days from Port Louis in 1969. He weathered four SW gales, with calms in between, and described it as a tough trip, although it did not deter him from doing it twice again over the course of the next 20 years, all in TARMIN.
In 1971, after leaving Madagascar, Julio Villar took more than 40 days to reach Durban on the 23ft sloop, MISTRAL. He encountered endless, severe, SW gales, including one 10-day period when he made no progress. He was then swept past Durban by the Agulhas Current, and had to claw his way back in despair.
Renaud, as usual, made bold tactical decisions, and hit every gate exactly where he wanted to, skirting just over the top of the current gyre before diving south towards the rhumb line, and then turning NW to cut across the Agulhas Current. These tactics remind me of negotiating a busy interchange on a major freeway ashore, though of course, on the roads, the intersections don’t move around!
CAPUCINETTE carried a favourable current most of the way, but Renaud’s high average speeds indicate relentless deck work to keep the yacht sailing at its best day and night. At this stage of the MGR, I think it is reasonable to say that Renaud has cemented his reputation as one of the world’s great solo ocean-racing sailors.
After arriving in Durban, he said, “It was a really hard passage. I had a knot in my stomach all the way. We had three fronts, one northerly front when south of Madagascar, about 30 knots. Then we had the southwest front in the middle of the Mozambique Channel, about 45 knots, which was really hard. Then, two days before arriving, another southwest front, but this one was only 30 knots. So that one was like a holiday!
“But it is really, really hard to sail this part of the world. I did not have a lot of rest. By the time I arrived, it was difficult to keep my eyes open. Also, there were a lot of cargo ships. The night before arriving, I had up to 12 around me, all sailing different courses.”
The night before CAUCINETTE’s arrival, Renaud wrote, ‘One last night before Durban, alternating between calm and thunderstorms. Lots of maneuvers and sail changes to make the most of the light winds. Thirty miles or so to go.’
A report from the Point Yacht Club (PYC), who went out in a local boat to welcome Renaud in, said, ‘A wet and drizzly welcome for the first competitor into Durban in the Mini Globe Race. Bienvenue à Durban to Swiss sailor, Renaud Stitelmann. Congrats on leading the fleet into Durban. A long and frustrating finish, as the wind completely evaporated as you neared land.
‘It was wonderful sharing the joyous occasion with your sister, Magali. We hope you enjoy our Durban hospitality. Thank you to Jacques Kruger and Chris Peens from PYT (Professional Yachtmaster Training) for taking us offshore to glide in with Renaud. We look forward to the rest of the fleet arriving, and hearing all the tales of their grand adventure.’
Dan, who had chased Renaud all the way from Port Louis, often in sight of him in the early days, and rarely more than 20 miles astern, had the misfortune to lose the wind a few miles from the finish line, drifting in thunder storms and lightning, and did not finish until 0400 the following day, arriving in the marina at dawn. He also sailed a magnificent race, keeping up the pressure on Renaud all the way.
The day after he arrived, Dan wrote, ‘Yesterday was perhaps one the most challenging days to date, after being becalmed in electrical storms, hail and rain. It also included being stuck in adverse current, messy weather and waves, as well as being required to divert course by Port Control due to marine traffic. Finally, in the early hours of the morning, I arrived in Durban, and I feel an overwhelming sense of achievement having now crossed the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
‘Despite the frustration of losing hours after having a good race up until the final moments, I am now feeling very happy to be here, and looking forward to some R & R. Today I have cleared customs and immigration with Renaud, and have now been enjoying a feed and a beer together with his sister, Magali.’
He is enjoying the Durban sailing community’s historically-famous hospitality. ‘I’ve been enjoying buffets, beers, and meeting the locals here. The locals have been fantastic. They’re sort of treating us like celebrities. Today, the yacht club is making us a bunny chow, which is supposed to be a ‘must-do’ whilst here in South Africa. Looking forward to fattening myself up.’
For the benefit of those who think ‘bunny chow’ has something to do with rabbits, the filling for Durban’s famous dish, served in a scooped-out half-loaf of bread, is a spicy curry, typically made with meat like mutton, beef, or chicken, and can also include vegetables like potatoes and chickpeas, cooked in a thick, gravy-like sauce.
Speaking after arrival, Dan said, “It was a tough trip – it wasn’t comfortable, and there was a lot of wind at times. The currents weren’t really what they were showing on WINDY, and the wind was also all over the place. It was very difficult to rest, because I always needed to be changing sails or doing something. I won’t put my hand up to do it again any time soon.”
Asked about lessons learned, he said, “I sailed a really good race, tactically. A few small things probably put me a few hours behind Renaud, like I accidentally overslept a couple of hours one time, and another time I should have gybed a little earlier. That added up to a few hours over a couple of weeks – not much – but that couple of hours at the end made the difference between being able to finish before the wind died out, and getting stuck there for 10 hours.”
Keri was third over the line. He also had a successful tactical race, despite the handicap of frequently not having enough power to get updates about weather and currents. As a result of missing the main current stream SE of Madagascar, he was lying in 9th place on 30 October, but staged a remarkable comeback.
He also dove over the top of the current gyre, but chose to head further west than Renaud and Dan. This possibly saved him from getting caught up in the gyre when the winds eased, as happened to several boats behind ORIGAMI. Although sailing slower than the first two skippers, Keri managed to hook into the Agulhas Current and make a textbook approach to the African coast. He was only 140 miles behind Renaud when the latter finished on 06 November.
Shortly after ORIGAMI arrived in Durban, Keri posted, ‘Batteries have been low, and it’s been overcast. The last 24 hours were quite taxing. Only 40nm from Durban, a big electrical storm sucked up all the breeze, then gave me 12 hours of gale-force headwinds in poor visibility. It really felt like UK sailing (cold and wet)… More light winds today, still on the nose, but I saw a thermal front along the shore and picked up a nice lift into the finish. Just as well: tacking angles were abysmal at times – and some tacks were just to avoid the scariest lightning strikes. The Durban crowd offered amazing hospitality on arrival, so it was worth the extra 24 hours at sea.’
Keri is mourning the loss of his mother, Val, a wonderful character, who played a supportive role in his life. Attached to a montage tribute to her, posted on Instagram, Keri wrote, ‘A simple tribute to Val, my mother, as we prepare to lay her to rest on 17 November. My thoughts and prayers will be with that small Devon churchyard, even as ORIGAMI turns her bow towards the Southern Ocean and Cape of Good Hope. My mother was a remarkable and talented woman, and I shall miss her very deeply.’
There are many sacrifices, some unexpected, that one has to make when embarking on a voyage like the MGR.
Jakub came in 4th, which was an amazing achievement, since he chose to try and break through the current gyre to the south, and got stuck in a strong adverse current for days. He may not have gone backwards (as did quite a few others) but BIBI was barely making a knot of boat speed on 05 November. In a video call to Don McIntyre, he was philosophical, saying he’d delighted in the calm conditions at first, though admitted the longer it went on the less he enjoyed it!
Then a SW change filled in and he charged off NW, making remarkably consistent speeds. Having dropped down to 6th position, he soon clawed his way back up to 4th, chased by Adam, on LITTLE WREN, and Pilar on PETER PUNK, who’d both felt the wrath of the current gods.
Speaking of his choices, he said, “I knew if I followed Renaud (up over the top of the current-gyre), I was going to hit the southerly winds in three days. They seem to be quite solid. So, I was thinking I need to cut the current in the weakest spot. But WINDY does not show the currents in the place that they are in reality – I had to learn this the hard way. For two and a half days, I was beating against a very strong current. Even though I was sailing at something like six and a half knots, my velocity made good (VMG) was below two.”
Although tempted to turn back, he chose finally to analyze the currents and see how he could best cut through. He was helped in this decision by advice from Renaud to stick to the tactic he had chosen, and work its advantages. One ingenious way he did this was by logging the course and speed of passing ships, using AIS data. It was easy to see when they were riding with or stemming the currents, and thus he could discern the best course to take. It worked, and soon he was speeding on his way NW, helped by the SW change that finally put wings under BIBI.
Once he hooked into the Agulhas Current when NE of Durban, and with a rising wind astern, BIBI flew down the coast. Jakub was keen to get into Durban Harbour before the NE wind built up too much, but Vince Nel, the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) port officer for Durban, and rear-commodore of the PYC, who has been very helpful to the MGR fleet, assured him it would be OK, giving him advice about how to make the best approach.
Crossing the finish line proved to be the trickiest part. “I was really afraid, because it was too close to the beach, and the waves were rolling in there. As soon as I was over the line, I started beating against the wind and waves to get further out, to a spot where I could line up the entry to the harbor. It was very hard to keep the course, but finally I made it, and then, deep inside the harbour, there was a motorboat waiting to show us the way to the marina.”
Speaking of the weather enroute, he said, “There was quite heavy weather down the Madagascar coast, big, breaking waves, and very uncomfortable sailing. And then we were all preparing for the big gale to hit. When the gale came, it wasn’t so bad – I managed to be in the place where there was no rain, in between two hard centers.
“I got maybe 45 knots wind. There was about a two-minute development from very gentle breeze to very hard-blowing gale. My jib, with reefing points tied in, was lying on deck, and just my storm jib was hoisted. The wind put BIBI sideways to the wind and the waves, and I could not turn the boat.
“I said, okay, let’s deploy the storm warp, but it didn’t help. Obviously, I had no boat-speed, thus no maneuverability. So, I put the reefed jib up, and it started turning BIBI with the wind. I did a few miles’ run, but then I saw that the weather was not getting worse. It looked like it was sailable, so I put the wind on the beam and started heading towards Durban.
He still had the storm jib up, and sheeted its clew to weather, which stopped BIBI from broaching. He says that hoisting the storm jib from the tip of the bowsprit, and sheeting it flat, might be more effective, certainly faster, but rigging it up there seemed too problematic.
There were lots of ships, but he found their deck officers were alert. “Because of the amount of traffic, the officers were not sleeping or playing video games on the bridge. They were watching what was going on. I use the AIS all the time. My Echomax is on, to show the signal from me, but I switch off its alarm because otherwise it would be on all the time. But I have two AIS units. One is the normal Class B transponder, and I have another receiver in my VHF radio. The latter gives me the proper alarm if the CPA is too close.
“Sometimes I switch on the chart plotter as well, because it shows me a better picture, much easier to read than the one in the VHF. But I’m fully confident to go with the VHF only. If you know where the ship is, and you know how close it’s going to come to you, plus what course it’s sailing, then I think you’ve got it under control. The VHF unit gives me the distance and bearing. If the bearing is changing, we’re going to miss each other. If it’s not changing, you need to monitor the situation and react early.”
He frequently takes bearings when in sight of land, to check compass deviation etc, and to remain oriented. “At sea, I take notice of what the angles of waves are in relation to the boat, and if there are any marks anywhere, like clouds, sun, moon, stars, etc, I always note where they are in relation to BIBI’s course.”
In conclusion, Jakub said, “This was the first passage where I had no stress about my safety or the boat’s durability. I’m fully confident with the boat, and feel very calm.” Perhaps this is why BIBI’s pirate, last seen upon arrival in Antigua, if I remember correctly, put in another appearance as Jakub sailed across Durban Harbour to the yacht basin.
Another report from the PYC reads, ‘A busy day welcoming more Mini Globe Race competitors today. Four arrived in a building north-easterly breeze, with a short, sharp swell making conditions very lumpy outside of the breakwaters.
‘First in this morning was Irish lad, Jakub Ziemkiewicz, from Cork. He ran out of cigarettes yesterday, so was delighted to be welcomed with a gift from Cape Smoke’s Richard – a precious box of ciggies. Next was Adam Waugh, from the UK, on LITTLE WREN. After they were all tied up, there was a gap in the arrivals before the first lady crossed the line. The leading lady, an adventurous Pilar Pasanau from Spain, was all smiles as she entered Durban. Finally, a super-chilled Jasmine Harrison cruised in, with a massive big containership on her stern. She cheerfully greeted the tug pilots and various other boats as she meandered her way into the marina.’
On 06 November, Adam’s partner and manager, Kerry Waugh, posted,
‘After the passage of the front, Adam has taken the northern loop to take advantage of the wind and favourable currents. He’s now waiting in calm conditions for southerly winds to fill in this afternoon, which will hopefully get him sailing west. Still plenty of navigational decisions to be worked out to cross the Agulhas current. Praying for fair winds.’
Before the wind filled in, LITTLE WREN had been sucked back east at a rate of 2.3 knots. Adam has always said how much he hates calms, and he would have hated this one with a particular vengeance! He arrived in Durban on Saturday morning, shortly after 10:30 local time. He’s now looking forward to spending some time with Kerry, and catching up with his fellow entrants. He noted, ‘A big thank-you to the Royal Natal Yacht Club for their wonderful assistance and hospitality!’
Pilar had an interesting race. On 03 November, she was lying in 3rd position, but made the decision to try and break through the southern sector of the gyre with unfortunate consequences. Once she realised that PETER PUNK was being slowed by the current, she turned back, sailing due north for some 30 miles, which puzzled followers, as the obvious course would have been NW. Then, possibly seeing that her nearest rival, Jakub, had turned BIBI’s bows SW, she altered course to the south again and began chasing him!
BIBI was now in 4th position while PETER PUNK was in 5th. Going nowhere fast, Pilar then dove south of the rhumb line, and ended up drifting SE in a wind hole, falling back rapidly to 9th position in the fleet. As Jakub said in his video call, it looked like it might take her another two weeks to get to Durban! Then the fresh SW change came to her rescue, and PETER PUNK beam-reached back NW, crossed the Agulhas Current, and, sailing furiously, crossed the finish line in 6th place.
Pilar loves a challenge, and she never lost her sense of humour. In the middle of this debacle, she wrote, ‘There’s a universal law that says you have to give to receive. I’m giving miles to receive wind. My strategy isn’t always clear. I can listen to both intuition and reason… and sometimes I get lost. I have to choose one of the two… and I already have. Now…Alea iacta est (Latin for, ‘The dice has been cast.’).
To which, Jakub responded, ‘Navigare necesse est. Salve, soror.’ (It is necessary to sail. Hello, sister.)
Jasmine’s performance on this passage is certainly the best she has achieved so far. Between 07-8 November, she was holding onto 4th place, until a wind shift favoured those further south. She became notorious for flying her A7 in half a gale, while the others had all reduced to reefed white sails. She remained well positioned despite the calms and headwinds, with NUMBATOU coming in 7th, not far behind Pilar.
A few days before her arrived, she posted, ‘All good on board, enjoying the light wind today to sort the boat out after the recent weather. Navigating the currents and trying to make the right decisions, but hopefully will make landfall at the weekend to a whole new continent, and the first time on mainland since Panama! All very exciting stuff!
‘Unfortunately, I’m not close enough to chat with anyone on the radio anymore, but I am finally having some sleep, and the weird dreams are proving it… Keri, I may need confirmation that you don’t walk round supermarkets carrying a dead cat?’
On 09 November, Jasmine’s mum and manager, Susan Harrison, reported, ‘The last 200 miles were a full mix of headwinds, waves in the face, good currents and counter currents, low winds and strong winds, high waves, squalls, and far too many cargo ships for comfort. Much of the time, the boat was fully heeled-over, and it was a very bumpy ride.
Jasmine crossed the finish line just before 2pm local time (12 noon UTC), and radioed for permission to enter the channel. Once she received that clearance, she was able to sail rather than motor in.
‘Unfortunately, they also let a huge cargo ship follow her into the channel, which was doing its best to run her down. The Royal Natal Yacht Club came out to meet her and helped her navigate to their pontoon safely, where they are hosting all the Mini Globe Race boats. They then invited her into the club house, where she had two full meals within a few hours, before heading to bed. It’s going to feel strange sleeping in the calm marina on a horizontal bed!
‘Jasmine is happy with the route she took from Mauritius. It was always going to be a very challenging leg, with a notorious reputation, and she started it with trepidation because of the lack of time to repair and recover. Huge thanks to Dean Frost for supporting with the navigation over this passage.’
Jasmine wrote, ‘Early bed now with the alarm set for 2am, to help Skooks come in.’ (That’s Josh Kali on SKOOKUM. As always, the fleet are looking after each other.) Jasmine is one of those staying aboard in Durban, both for economic reasons and through choice. She likes living aboard NUMBATOU, among the other MGR skippers.
Asked how the boat was, she said, “Not clean, but dry – at least my bed’s dry.” As for the trip from Mauritius, she said, “I really enjoyed it. I thought it was brilliant. It was exciting – there was lots to think about, lots to be doing all the time. It was sort of tactical, and it was made a million times better for not being at the back!
“And I beat ARGO. Christian came in this morning, and he’s just standing on the dock now, talking to Scooges (Josh). I cannot wait to go and ask him what he’s been waiting for, or where he’s been, because he says that to me every time, and I think it’s hilarious that he came in at the back this time.”
Asked what she was planning to do while in Duban, she said, “I wanna find a swimming pool. There’s two really close, so I’m gonna go swimming today.” She then added, “It’s been catch-up with people, do customs today. I’ll do a little bit of provisioning, a bit of exploring, go and see a couple of the recommended sites, and then we’re talking about potentially doing a safari later on in the week.”
Asked about her welcome in Durban, she said, “Everybody is so friendly. And everybody knows who we are. They have been following us for ages.”
Josh, who is usually at the back of the fleet, sailing his own race, and making what he considers to be the best decisions to keep SKOOKUM safe, rather than those which might give him a tactical advantage, finally saw a positive result for his efforts (though one could say crossing three oceans counts for something). He decided to stay well north after clearing the southern tip of Madagascar, and as a result, avoided the worst of the SW front, only experiencing 25 knots, as well as the calms that sucked other boats into the current gyre. As a result, SKOOKUM moved up from 11th to 8th place, crossing the finish line in the early hours of 09 November.
After clearing the southern tip of Madagascar, he wrote, ‘Finally moving again after spending the day becalmed. Heading WSW a bit towards the coast to find some favourable current. Speaking of weird dreams, last night I dreamt Adam was riding around on the ground in a giant, motorized tortilla, cleaning up roadkill with a green scotch-brite pad, and I was terrorizing him by jumping back and forth over him and shouting, Mayonnaise!’
This prompted Adam to post a photo of himself with a scotch-brite pad over his eyes, wedged behind his sunglasses. Jakub retorted, ‘Yeah, that’s the stage we are at after solo sailing for 10 months!’
After his arrival, Josh posted, ‘SKOOKUM and I arrived safely after a speedy ride down the Agulhas Current in 20-25 knots of breeze, with 2m following seas. Approximately one mile from the finish line and
harbour entrance, I was contacted by Port Control regarding an incoming vessel, and told that I was to stay clear of the shipping lane and entrance channel.
‘I then had to tack back and forth along the shark nets protecting the beach, while I waited for the pilot boat to rendezvous with the tanker and guide it in. After that, I received clearance to enter the harbour and arrived at the dock around 0200. Altogether, it was a fantastic passage with many challenges, and I am so happy that all of us made it safely.”
Ertan also had the misfortune to get caught up in the current gyre for some time, drifting backwards. He had earlier maintained a good position in the middle of the fleet, being keen to stay with the pack. Between 28-29 October, he was sitting in 4th place, but then his Hydrovane broke, and he had to resort to hand-steering when the winds were strong. Inevitably, when he had to sleep, TREKKA lost ground.
Then came the current-gyre and light winds, which saw TREKKA going backwards. On 06 November, TREKKA was drifting ESE at 1.9 knots. Ertan wrote, ‘Becalmed whole day, cleaning and relaxing. Waiting for the wind tonight. 350 miles to Durban.’
A couple of days later, he posted, ‘TREKKA moving once again in the right direction. It is best to forget the last few days. Using the tiller pilot mostly, though if there is lots of wind, the Hydrovane can keep a good-enough course. Looking forward to fixing it at Durban. Life without it is not easy. In 12 years, this is the first breakdown, excluding the time I lost one in the North Atlantic, when a wave took it away. Looking forward to getting nearer to Durban every day.’
He was looking forwards to a decent sleep in a proper bed, the delights of a real city, and some delicious food. He mentioned that he’d been eating nothing but biscuits and dehydrated food for a few days, perhaps to use them up, or, as Don McIntyre, race founder, suggested, in order to sharpen his appetite for the good stiff to come! In video posts, he looked to be his usual, clean-shaven, well-scrubbed, cheerful self. TREKKA crossed the finish line close to midnight on 09 November, in 9th place.
After cleaning up TREKKA early the next morning (he does not need much sleep), clearing customs and organising a laundry run for those who wanted it, he booked into a hotel mid-afternoon, then joined other MGR skippers for one of Durban’s famous steak dinners at an Umhlanga Rocks eatery.
Talking of his passage, he said, “The last few days before I arrived were wonderful, nice and sunny, beautiful sailing. The 1000 miles without the Hydrovane was the most inconvenient part, although I used the tiller-pilot about 80% of the time, because the weather wasn’t so terrible. I managed to rig the windvane for the storm. When the wind blew 20-25 knots or more, it sort-of kept the boat in one direction. But when the wind was lighter, it was no good.
“To be honest with you, with all the worry we’ve had, it was completely unwarranted in the end, because the weather was really super nice. Nobody can complain about the weather. I guess the biggest change for all of us was that you cannot go against the current, it’s that strong. Last night, the last four hours, I was doing about three and a half knots, despite the fact that there wasn’t much wind. We were still going in the right direction with the waves.
“If there was a normal wind, I would have made it in daylight. Christian and Eric were only a few hours behind me, and they sat there all night, so they were really unlucky. When I arrived, the only person that was awake was Keri, and he came and said hello. There was no fanfare, which was great. I couldn’t sleep very much, just a couple of hours. I wanted to get the boat cleaned up, get sorted, get the rubbish out.”
As usual, there is not much work to do aboard TREKKA, though Ertan is going to get his sails overhauled here, mostly due to UV exposure, and replace some of the running rigging. “I normally have very long lines, and I chop a meter off every few weeks, so I don’t have to change lines very often. I changed a couple in Fiji, and I’ll change a few more this time as well.” TREKKA has Dyform stainless-steel standing rigging, which is much stronger and longer-lasting than standard 1 X 19 wire. It was replaced in Fiji.
The Hydrovane will be repaired here, so Ertan can go back to staying in bed all night, watching Netflix during the day, and letting TREKKA steer itself over the horizon. He jokes that the other MGR skippers can stop worrying about his increased performance since he started hand-steering!
Christian is another entrant who was dealt a blow by the current gyre. On the 28th and 29th of October, he was in 3rd place, but slipped back to 7th on 01 November, after being becalmed the previous night. He mentioned that when the wind came back, conditions were wet and uncomfortable, with lots of shipping around and no time for rest.
He then gambled on skooting through the middle of the gyre, taking a shortcut to the western side, which may have worked if the infamous calm had not wrapped him in its sticky embrace. On 06 November, the day Renaud finished, ARGO was drifting SE at 1.5 knots. He then slipped to 9th position, and later 10th, after Ertan got the wind ahead of him.
Like the others, he remained cheerful, however, perhaps aware that things could be worse! He posted, ‘As you might have seen on the tracker, I was sailing back eastwards for 36 hours. There is more than one possible explanation for this:
– I liked Mauritius and Rodriguez a lot and can’t wait to get back there.
– I read too much of Bernard Moitessier, and South Africa seems to be way too much civilization after we only visited islands since March.
– I was stuck in a swirly current with absolutely no wind at all.’
(Author’s note: Choose the option you prefer, but there are no prizes for guessing correctly.)
Christian continued, ‘Maybe it was a bit of everything, but I’m back on track now, since the wind picked up again last night, which is good news. In the morning, we had about 25+ knots of wind from the south, which built up the sea quite nicely.
‘Other good news is that I didn’t break anything during the last three days. Still more than 300 miles to go, as we can’t sail a straight course towards Durban because of the currents, but I hope they will work in my favour from tomorrow morning.
‘Can’t wait to get there to meet the MGR family, and have some fresh stuff to eat. I have also run out of protein bars and dried fruits, etc, and I’m so badly craving for sugar that I already asked Chat GPT to see if Okumé plywood or Teak contains more sugar. For those in a similar situation, it’s Okumé.’
At dawn on 10 November, local time, ARGO and SUNBEAR passed through the breakwaters of Durban Harbour, and crossed the lagoon to the yacht basin, sailing side by side. Eric had also been caught up in the gyre and slid back to 11th place overall.
On Friday, 07 November, Eric had posted, ‘After 48 hours going nowhere, we have finally made 60nm overnight. The last few days have been very frustrating, with no wind, and current taking me backwards 50nm. We are still battling adverse current, but pushing through it in 20-knot winds.’
Once SUNBEAR broke through, and Eric headed NW on the favourable current, he began to fly along. Soon, SUNBEAR was neck and neck with ARGO. Earlier, Eric had said he was no longer worried about his position in the race – he just wanted to get into Durban, and eventually Cape Town, in one piece!
Sometime next week, the fleet will leave Durban and head south for another classic passage on the trade-wind route around the world, rounding first Cape Agulhas, then the Cape of Good Hope, and into Cape Town Harbour, which nestles at the foot of Table Mountain. When the tablecloth cloaks the mountain, the SE wind, gusting down the slopes, has been known to knock people off their feet. “Pity them that be ashore,” as old sailors quip. There is every reason to believe that the MGR fleet, seasoned by crossing three oceans in less than a year, will handle the conditions with aplomb.
