South of Africa
Starcharger
Thu 23 Jan 2020 05:32
We left Port Elizabeth yesterday morning at 06:00hrs, bound for Cape Town. Unfortunately due to the fickle nature of the winds round here we need to be in by 08:00hrs Saturday. That means averaging 6 knots, no mean feat for us. We were doing fine but then came out of the current so are motor sailing to compensate.
Last night I managed to sail for the whole of my watch and was rewarded by dolphins. Most sailors will know of the effect of phosphorescence on the wake, a few will have seen dolphins swimming in these conditions. It is truly magical, they come towards the boat like torpedoes on fire... you get a different sense of their movement. It is without question one of the great sights that we see
We have also had our fair share of sleeping seals, they lie on their backs with their flippers and tail stuck up! Most comical.
Fair winds
Alasdair and Gill