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 and hose clamped (Jubilee Clamped for our UK friends). This was good. This clear hose had a plastic reducer to a smaller hose which I clamped to the priming pump. When I looked at my \”Goldberg\”, I saw the plastic reducer had melted in the diesel fuel!
So, I had to re-do it with some bronze fittings. Just as \”Rube\”, but more durable. We\’re back in the port engine business!
We\’re beginning to close the coast of Mozambique and are starting to see several cargo ships on the AIS. As we go by Inhambane, we expect to see lots more vessels. About 10:30 this morning, I got a little nervous when we were on a reciprocal heading with a 50 meter rust bucket fishing type vessel. He was 3 miles abeam of me and suddenly turned toward me. I immediately made a 140 degree turn to starboard to keep our distance and pass as quickly as possible, port to port. He then turned back to his original course. He did this again. I responded as above, he turned back to his original course again. He did this a third time and I did not respond. He turned back to his original course and we both proceeded away from each other. This was in a current area and this could be some fishing technique (most likely?), but it did get my attention for awhile. I\’m sure it was nothing and we\’re all a bit jumpy since the \”Quest\” incident last year…. There have been no bad guy reports this far south that I\’m even aware of.
We did use both motors to go away faster and we still are with 148 miles to Inhambane, Mozambique. This may be a stop for us tomorrow? We\’ll let you know re: weather. It\’s the second of three \”Hidey Holes\” on the coast. We would be in a remote area and not go to the mainland of Mozambique. It\’s about 350 miles north of Richard\’s Bay. We\’ll let you know…. A brief Southerly may effect us if we proceeded directly. Not sure until tomorrow\’s weather report. Checking with Paul from Peri Peri Radio to get his opinion as well.
It\’s a lovely day, motoring away! Should be in a fast current pushing us, anytime soon. Now it\’s just a bit positive. We\’re still 80 miles offshore, so it\’s strength will be closer in.
No wind now, and I mean NONE! The pattern is, wind in the late afternoon and all night, not much during the day…. This will start to change a bit as we get south of Inhambane and the South African weather pattern starts to take hold.
KIT, Scott and Nikki the Navagatrix