2012 Australia – Indonesia – Indian Ocean to South Africa Voyage

The Wind is in from Africa…..

The wind is in from Africa….. (Joni Mitchell) 24 November 2012 (Eastern Hemisphere) Dear F&F, Well…it\’s been 10,000 miles this season! Wow… Lots to reflect upon. We arrived here on the 20th in a blustery Northeaster of 20-25 knots. We did see a 38 knot gust here in the harbor at Richard\’s Bay on the …

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A little bit of stress for the end of the ride…..

A little bit of stress for the end of the ride….. 19 November 2012 (Eastern Hemisphere now on +2 UTC) Dear F&F, We left Linga Linga yesterday morning and had no trouble getting out of the estuary. We headed south into the SSW head wind, but it didn\’t seem too bad and we found the …

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Linga Linga, Mozambique……

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. …

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Getting busier around here……

Getting busier around here….. 16 November 2012 (Eastern Hemisphere) Dear F&F, We sailed all night and ran out of wind per usual by 9:30 a.m. BEFORE I would start the port engine, I wanted to check on my Rube Goldberg. Good thing too! I used one clear plastic hose OVER the main fuel tank hose …

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What a difference a day makes!…..

What a difference a day makes!….. 15 November 2012 (Eastern Hemisphere) Dear F&F, Yesterday\’s engine room antics were a great crest fall when the engine started and ran for 10 minutes and then failed. Ken Dickenson of Norfolk, UK and Dave Blanding of Shawnee Mission Kansas (\”Sunflower\’s home port) kept telling me about AIR and …

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What a day!…..

What a day!….. 14 November 2012 (Eastern Hemisphere) Dear F&F, Yesterday – we ran out of wind in the late afternoon and motored on our one operable starboard engine until 3:00 a.m. when the wind came back up from 13-18 knots. Prior to the arrival of the wind, it was calmest night at sea I …

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South Africa or bust?….

South Africa or bust?…. 12-13 November 2012 (Eastern Hemisphere) Dear F&F, Okay, did all the last minute checks…THE WEATHER looks good, we\’re off….sort of. First thing, the port engine won\’t start. It\’s a fuel starvation problem. The filters look awful, so does the fuel. The fuel we picked up in Indonesia and Hellville may be …

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Beach House – En route South Africa – Fuel Problem…

Paul, (Peri Peri Radio – South Africa) cc: my mini group Dear F&F, We left Baly Bay yesterday morning. We have also lost our port engine due to fuel starvation. I have not been able to sort it out with new filters and some other tricks. The engine\’s \”lift pump\” may have gone out? At …

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The best laid plans!…..Beach House update….

Dear F&F, We were 20 miles from Cape St. Andre and the wind abrupty shifted to SSW and blew 35 knots with lightening and a serious long term squall. We decided that descretion being the best part of valor to turn back to Baly Bay… The big concern is that once we past Cape St. …

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Majunga to Baly Bay!……

Majunga to Baly Bay!…… 12 November 2012 Dear F&F, We departed for Baly Bay early as it was a long trip. The weather was perfect for a crossing to South Africa even. In fact, it was so good, we decided to go! We set the reacher, the full main and set a waypoint for 5 …

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