Forward Planning

A few days ago I took some time to consult "Ocean Passages for the World" to do some forward planning for my return to Australia. I kept running into this problem of clawing my way through prevailing west and south winds hundreds of miles off the Chilean coast in order to make my run for the Horn. "Passages" clearly states that faster passages will be made if a ship of sail proceeds to 600 miles off the coast. I have no doubt that this boat will do this but I have learned to beat to weather because even though it can do 6.5 knots it is hard on the rigging and the cabin gets very damp, making it hard on me. Because of this, because I want to minimize my anchor and port work while sailing solo, and because I feel that I will have done enough touring and will want to return to Australia as quickly and safely as possible, I've done some preliminary planning for sailing non-stop from the Galapagos to Cape Town. This will allow me to utilize the great advantage of being so far west in the Galapagos to make the classical fast and safe approach to the Horn.

The data below outlines my proposal. Cocos and Galapagos would be minor stops where I could expect little provisioning except water, so I would require food for 89 days (plus a safety margin) which should not be a problem, given that Brenda, Arnold, and I ate very well during our 42-day passage between New Zealand to Tahiti, though we managed to get some fish, bread, and fruit during our 11 day stay at Raivavae. I can carry enough water for 90 days but would be confident of capturing rain water along the way. The passage from the Galapagos to Cape Town would take 73 days under the conservative assumption of making only 100 miles per day. Once I am past the Horn I would expect to do much better than that.

The solitude of 73 days at sea? No problem. In fact it is an experience that I would look forward to. And as Arnold has pointed out, I can always stop at the Falklands if the need arises. A visit to the Falklands would present no major deviation from my track to Cape Town, but I would avoid it if possible because from what I've heard it offers a wind-swept anchorage with lots of kelp on the bottom, though I have no doubt that my 50 lb Swarbrick anchor can deal with the kelp. Having said that, things may look much different to me from the other side of the Horn than they do from warm and cozy Mexico.

I have allocated 30 days for the layover at Cape Town. I figure that I would arrive tired and in need of R&R and possibly need of repairs (minor ones, I hope). I would expect Cape Town to offer good and secure marina facilities and I would take my time to explore the area.

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FROM TO DISTANCE NM SAILING DAYS STOPOVER TRAVEL DAYS DEPARTURE DATE ARRIVAL DATE

Costa Rica Cocos 290 4 3 7 09-Nov-01 13-Nov-10
Cocos Galapagos 430 6 3 9 16-Nov-10 22-Nov-10
Galapagos Horn 3600 36 0 36 25-Nov-10 01-Jan-11
Horn Cape Town 3700 37 30 67 01-Jan-11 06-Feb-11
Cape Town Fremantle 4500 45 45 08-Mar-11 22-Apr-11

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