Mauritius to Richard's Bay, South Africa - Day 2
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Wed 23 May 2012 08:15
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23:11.034S 53:39.518E
May 23, 2012
Still doing well.
After receiving Bruce's update yesterday, we changed to a more
westerly course that will take us fairly close (~50 miles) to Madagascar's
southern coast. When planning this passage, we plotted a course well south
of Madagascar (~150-200 miles) because nasty seas can sometimes be
generated along its southern coast. However, Bruce has assured us the
benign weather we are experiencing means it is safe to cut the corner
and pass Madagascar closer than planned. All good in that the
shortcut past Madagascar will save us 60 miles. No argument here
- shorter is better.
We spent most of yesterday and all of last night motoring
in light wind blowing mostly from behind. We didn't love
listening to the drone of the engine, but given the choice between that and
listening to a howling 30 knot wind, we decided the droning and breathing in a
bit of diesel exhaust was a small price to pay for calm seas. This morning
the wind picked up and moved slightly north, allowing us to sail at a pleasant
5.5-6 knots. I should point out that this is exactly what Bruce said would
happen today. He also said we will see some unsettled weather tonight
(rain squalls and changeable wind), and no wind tomorrow. It looks like
we'll have at least one more day of motoring before the ESE winds kick in just
as we pass Madagascar's southern tip on Friday. Ah well, by the time the
wind picks up on Friday, the batteries should be fully charged and the
water tank full so we'll be well prepared for hopefully more than a few days of
sailing.
Harmonie's crew is thriving (as much as you can thrive on a
boat at sea). Don and I are still delighted with the concept of six full
hours of sleep after just one three hour night watch. Experiencing a
3-person crew for the first time since the nine-day passage from Norfolk, VA to
St. Thomas in 2007 when our friend Bill Maloney joined us, has been
enlightening. We had forgotten how nice it is to have an extra person on
board (and not just any person! John and Bill may be perfect
additions to Harmonie's crew, but the same can't be said for everyone - that's
why we've always been reluctant to take on individuals we don't already
know). John claims to have only one complaint about life on Harmonie so
far - the helm seat is too hard on his delicate tush ('delicate tush' are my
words, not his). We've promised to try and rectify the
situation.
Anne
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