Location: Agulhas Current
Yesterday wrapped up with the start of our passage to East London. Charlotte from Eco Laundry in Richards Bay managed a buzzer-beater delivery of the ships laundry at 1730, and fifteen minutes later, we were making our way toward the busy commercial channel. I had the VHF tuned to channel 12 to get a sense of vessel traffic before we cast off. I was astonished by the amount of attitude and lack of clarity coming from Port Control. Their transmissions were quiet, choppy, and often cut off mid-sentence because theyd release the key too early or start speaking before keying at all. And whenever someone asked them to repeat a message, they would practically yell it. At that point, I dont think they even needed a VHF!
Im not sure if they were just having a bad day, but I made sure to sound as polite and innocent as possible when asking for permission to leave the port. After a few bizarre questions, they finally granted clearance, as long as we exited quickly, since an inbound 239-meter bulk carrier was only about a mile out.
Outside the port limits, we wove through a maze of sleeping giants in the cargo ship anchorage and set our staysails to pull us south with the wind. The next morning, we found the infamous Agulhas Current, which immediately boosted our speed. We began the day averaging around 7.2 knots, and by the afternoon, we were holding steady at 11!
Durban was a critical decision point for us. Wed been watching the weather window to get into East London, and we wanted the most up-to-date forecast before committing past Durban. The same current that pushed us along so nicely can produce some very unfriendly conditions if the wind turns against it. With the final forecast outside Durban looking favorable, we made the call to continue on.
Shortly after, the boat phone rang. It was one of Sea|mesters former captains, Calum, saying he could see us. I knew he lived in Durban, but we were 15 miles offshore. How could he possibly spot Vela? Moments later, he sent a photo from the plane he was flying along the coast, and way off in the distance, you can just make out Vela (or so Calum claims!). I had hoped to have dinner with him while we were in his neck of the woods, but the weather window opened too soon, and we had to keep moving. Im glad he at least got a glimpse of us from the sky.
The day carried on with terrific conditions as we sped down South Africas ominous coastline. We wrapped up with a beautiful sunset and, of course, the question of the day at Squeeze: What would you be doing right now if you hadnt come on Vela this fall? The answers varied wildly and definitely made everyone think.
Thats all for today, East London tomorrow!
Capt. Mac
P.S. To my family, the LaBarges: I love and miss you all so much. I cant wait to see you at Christmas!