Cape of Good Hope

A promising forecast arrived. We cast the dock lines at 3am under the rays of a full moon and motored our of the Durban harbor. Yeah... motored. Day one was the way modern cruising is designed. We located the mighty Agulhas current approximately 10 miles off the coast. With a Northeasterly wind at our stern, we adjusted the auto-helm, trimmed our sails and simply watched the boat sail herself at 8-9 knots. She typically does not sail so swiftly, however, the Agulhas current is strong. At the strongest point, the current clocks 6 knots. We tossed a line in the water and hooked a skipjack for lunch. Pods of dolphin frequented the boat to wish good luck rounding the cape. A record day and we rarely touched the steering wheel.
Day 2 is the way modern sailing is not designed. The alarm clock rang at 2:30 am. The wind died rendering the sails useless. We fired up the motor. The less time spent on this coast the better. At 4am, the wind switched to Southwest and increased. At 6am, the wind picked up to 20 knots and the waves followed. The motor was useless. The strong Agulhas current has one deadly weakness, a strong southwesterly. The current moves quickly in one direction and when introduced to head on waves the effect is what you may see on the north shore of Hawaii. These waters are the birthplace for the term “Freak Wave.” We decided to bail and sail close to land. Our auto-helm is useless in such conditions. We grabbed the steering wheel and sailed toward shore. We may have made a mile before the steering cable snapped. It is important to recognize a big problem from a little one. No steering, 30 knots, 20ft waves and a heavy counter current. Big Problem. We bobbed like apples waiting to be a Halloween snack. By now, we know every rusty tool and scrap material on the boat. The inventory presented a solution. We hack-sawed the old cable and fabricated a replacement with a old lifeline, a few shackles and a cable clamp. The altercation ended in 3 hours and we emerged with steerage. We sailed toward shallow water and calmer seas. On the way to safety, the wind picked up again ripping through our head sail. Laziness and fatigue may have played a larger role in the death of this sail. Crippled again, we took stock of our condition. Under no power we still logged southwestern progress. The Agulhas current proved stronger than 30 knots of wind and 20 foot seas! We took the hint and drifted for a few hours before pulling the last from our scanty sail supply. We flew a recently bartered storm sail capable of weathering 60 knots in addition to the mizzen. That worked. We spent the remainder of the day and half of the next pounding upwind for bonus miles until the unexpected southwesterly winds decided to pass.
Day 3 Another favorable wind switch. We hugged close to shore. The mild wind and current carried us past Port Elisabeth, a safety checkpoint. In reading weather, important indicators include pressure and temperature. We pulled the warm clothes from the lockers and in 24 hours the barometer dropped from 1022 to 1007. My interpretation of weather: we were F#@*ed! Luckily I am no weather expert. The wind died to a whisper and the only thing that burnt was diesel.
The next three days granted light wind and slow miles. The wind and waves were kind. We said farewell to the Indian ocean and entered our final challenge, the atlantic. The seals, dolphins, whales, penguins were curious and welcoming. As the sun set on the 6th day, the light pierced the cloudy sky from one of my favorite cities in the world. Cape Town.