30 degrees, 35 minutes south ànd east

24 May 2013

We have just passed the special GPS coordinates: 30 degrees, 35 minutes south and the same degrees and minutes east. The question to you is: how often are we having this again on this voyage around the world?
After a beautiful night anchored in front of the beach of Mneyameni, we set sail again today for the final part towards Durban. All three ships were anchored around 500 metres from the beach. There was no wind at all, and we could hear the huge waves breaking on the shore. The serene calmness in which we all woke up was only interfered when a group of dolphins curiously came along to have a look at us, those weird intruders.
We lifted the anchor under sail, with a blue sky and a beautiful sunrise. Again the wind is from a north-easterly direction, so we have to motor-sail for some hours. We hope to catch some wind from the southeast tonight. The patterns in and around the Agulhas current are very interesting. We have done some experiments and have found that the reverse current starts when the depth decreases to 25 metres. As soon as you sail out of that area, there is a current that sets you back by 2 to 2,5 knots. This only gives us a small space to sail, the pilot tells us it is only possible in extreme calm weather. This is the case right now, so we are lucky!
The swell of more than 3 metres that we experienced around the southern tip is almost gone now. That makes life so much easier on board. We slowly sway and look at the immense surf at the shore. The coast changes its scenery every few hours, from Dutch-like dunes to steep cliffs to spacious and wide fields. Now, only a few miles before Durban, we see the impact of the big city: more villages, lights and fisherman’s boats. Tomorrow we will arrive in Durban and discover the big city!