Linga Linga, Mozambique…..
17 November 2012 (Eastern Hemisphere), now UTC+2
Dear F&F,
Ah the best laid plans! We thought it would be easy to anchor at the Light House anchorage here in Inhambane Bay, but no such luck. The NNE at 25 knots makes the anchorage a lee shore and it would be horribly uncomfortable. We have come inside the bay and are anchored here at Linga Linga (which I suspect means long or big tongue). The peninsula we are on looks just like a long tongue. This spot would not be good for a SWesterly, but we\’re tucked in close and the winds are supposed to be Southeasterly which we should be okay with. We came in on the rising tide with Des\’s waypoints which were spot on. We never saw less than 10 feet (3.1 meters) under the hulls and that was only briefly.
We\’re here due to the expected strong Southeastly tonight. It will have solid 25 knots and going directly against the Mozambique current which was 1.5-2 knots outside Inhambane Bay. This same current will give us a great sleigh ride once we get going tomorrow early. The rising tide will be about 1.5 hours before high as we leave this river estuary. We\’ve a good track on the chart plotter and expect no dramas… That\’s saying a lot on this trip!
Yesterday, we had the STARBOARD engine\’s \”V\” belt brake. No drama replacement and away we went. We still have 3/4th of our fuel tanks full too and 66 liters in reserve.
Once we get going tomorrow, we will make BEST TIME to Richard\’s Bay directly and will hopefully be there by the end of Tuesday the 20th. There is expected a much stronger SWesterly on the afternoon of the 21st at Richard\’s Bay and we want to be tied to the dock by then!
Hopefully, a nice night\’s rest and away we go!
KIT, Scott and Nikki (Welcome to Africa!)