If you have not yet read Anne Lloyd’s (SV Sofia) Noonsite notes on the crossing from Reunion Island to South Africa, I would strongly suggest you do so before setting out, or even planning the trip.

In this report, Anne points out that the main issue is having to set out from Reunion Island based on a forecast, that is a minimum of, four days into the future, assuming you will reach a waypoint 600NM away (26S 47E) just in time to pick up favorable winds to drive you west across the bottom of Madagascar.

Madagascar

The Equatorial current which hits Madagascar at approximately 12 to 13 degrees South, splits in two and the southern-bound section runs down the Madagascar east coast. At the bottom of Madagascar, the continental shelf extends more or less 50NM offshore and SW winds against the current on this shallow section can generate some pretty nasty conditions and should be avoided at all costs, except in very calm conditions.

The east coast of Madagascar has very little by way of shelter and harbors and it would be suicide to rely on finding shelter anywhere along the east, south-east, south or south-west coasts.

Heading for Richards Bay

Assuming you arrive at the waypoint in time and you have a south easterly wind, you need to stay on latitude 26 degrees South and head due West. You are then 900NM from Richards Bay and need to be aware that the next SW gale could be coming up the coast.  If this is the case, then you need to know where you can find shelter in the event of not being able to make it safely into Richards Bay.

The two tried and tested options are:

St Augustine Bay – Nosy Ve [23° 38′ S, 43° 36′ E]
There are alternatives further north into the bay depending on wind direction.  Do not go to Toliara as the officials have elevated corruption to an art form.

Inhaca Island [25° 57’S,  32° 58’E]
Not perfect, but considering the alternative in the Mozambique current, is safe enough.

Mozambique Current

The Mozambique current is very concentrated (70NM wide) from Bazaruto to Zavora [24° 30S] on the Mozambique coast and runs at more than 3kts.

From Zavora it spreads out and reduces to approx. 2kts, which still results in horrendous conditions in sustained SW winds (6m breaking seas @ 6 seconds).  The current 
hits the South African coast just south of Jesser Pt, Sodwana Bay at 27° 30S, where it concentrates and more than 3kts of current is normal.

Unfortunately, there is no option but to deal with this current and the conditions it generates. It is a case of pick your poison as to where you encounter it.

Some ambitious yachties in the past have set their sights on Durban as their first stop (some delusional yachties even had illusions of getting to East London and even Port Elizabeth). In six years, I can recall only two yachts getting to Durban direct and they paid the price.

Once you have experienced the effects of the current, most sane yachties are pretty happy to make it into Richards Bay as their first port of call.

Des Cason
SY Gambit

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Related Reports

• The Challenge of Passage Planning in the SW Indian Ocean

Also for Noonsite by Des:

• Cruising the Coast from Richards Bay to Cape Town
• Tanzania Cruising Notes
• Madagascar Cruising Notes
• Madagascar and Mozambique Channel
• Mozambique Security Update
• Mozambique Channel Hideways
• A Guide to Crossing the Indian Ocean
• Cyclone Patterns in SW Indian Ocean

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.

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