Passage from Seychelles to Madagascar
- Distance: ~600nm
- Days: 4 days
- Winds: 10-30 knots S-SE
- Current: 2-3 knots NW
- Average Speed: 8.1 knots
- Conditions: Mostly unpleasant with occasional bliss
- Team Happiness: Still living on Cloud 9 from our odyssey to Africa
- Fishing: Dropped a line for 2 hours and caught a lovely little Wahoo, which will feed us for the journey
- Done on Final Day: Partially fixed dinghy, cleaned the hull, fumigated the boat, full rig check up the mast, engine and generator fluids check, watermaker filters, and operational check
- Didn't Do on Final Day: No proper passage planning—didn't check for dangers or safe havens, or read up on the passage and potential anchorages
Normally, I would write a daily piece on a passage, but in this instance, I’m tired—very tired, in fact. So tired I probably shouldn’t have left at all.
The Africa trip had exhausted us, but when we returned, our friends on *Magic Dragon* were eager to move onward to Madagascar. They had been closely monitoring the weather and saw a window opening. They were leaving on Thursday, the 19th. We only arrived back on Wednesday, so there was no way we could join them. After further analysis, I realized that if we left on Friday, we could still catch the window, though it would be at the tail end, generally the less safe side of such things.
To make this happen, we had to accomplish a lot—and we needed no major issues. We decided to try and complete everything and make a decision by lunch on Friday. It was Wednesday evening when we arrived back on the boat from Tanzania. This is what we needed to do:
- Check out of the country
- Collect the speargun from the Marine Police, who had confiscated it upon entry to Seychelles
- Provision fresh and dry foods
- Prepare precooked meals for the passage
- Fill the boat with diesel
- Check all major mechanical systems: engines, generator, watermaker, navigation, steering hydraulics, bilge pumps, etc.
- Full rig check, which involved going up the mast
In addition to the normal preparations, we needed to clean the bottom of the boat, which had sat idle in the marina and accumulated a few barnacles. Lastly, we had to fumigate the boat for ants. Since we had been in a marina while away, we noticed an increasing number of ants and realized we probably had a colony that needed to be addressed before we set sail.
We had 36 hours. What could possibly go wrong?
On Thursday morning, we divided tasks and managed to get most of them done. Only two medium-sized problems arose: the dinghy steering had seized and needed a new cable and steering box, and the main starboard engine’s transmission fluid cap wouldn’t go back on.
Normally, I wouldn’t have left under these conditions, but for some reason, I felt that waiting another 10 days for the next weather window wasn’t a good idea. We were eager to move on, so we made the call and set off. We figured we could deal with most of the issues along the way. But it wasn’t going to be easy, especially since we decided to leave in the early evening, something we’d never done before. Typically, we leave at the crack of dawn, but with the window closing, we had to go.
Thankfully, Google helped me resolve the transmission cap issue, I vowed to fix the dinghy once we reached Madagascar, and Delphine reassured me that we’d survive without prepped meals. We got everything done and left, but the one thing we didn’t get was rest, which, incidentally, is the most important thing. So now, 100 nm from Madagascar, I’m absolutely knackered and dreaming of a quiet anchorage and a long sleep.
...Three Days Later
Now anchored in a beautiful, quiet spot, I can report that instead of a peaceful passage, we had one of the most challenging crossings yet. We were sailing close-hauled almost the entire way, with a nasty 2-3 knot current constantly pushing us away from Madagascar. The wind was inconsistent, and we found ourselves frequently adjusting the sails, putting reefs in and out as needed. The sea state was awful, and these conditions did not suit SV *Arabella*. To make matters worse, we were racing against the clock, with some very unpleasant weather expected to hit on Tuesday late morning. At that point, we were aiming to clear the tip of Madagascar a bit before midnight.
- 22:00: We reduced sail to two reefs in the main (we don’t have a third reef installed) and our storm jib. Wind was at 25 knots, around 65 degrees apparent.
- 22:30: We were hit with sustained winds of 40 knots. All hands on deck, bearing away and dropping most of the sails. We ended up with just half a storm jib.
- 23:00: The port engine failed due to some electrical issue. The alarm went off, and the engine stopped.
- 23:30: After bearing away and pointing mostly at the African coast, the wind began to ease.
- 00:00: The crew had calmed down, and the wind dropped to 20 knots. We decided to motor for the next few hours.
- 10:00: We arrived at our anchorage, bedraggled and exhausted.
We all know that most accidents happen in the final miles of a journey, and we constantly remind ourselves of this on the boat. The truth is, we were prepared for the sudden onslaught of wind. We knew it would be strong but only expected it to reach a maximum of 30 knots. One hour of 35-40 knots was unexpected. When you need to sail into the wind to escape it, you can’t run away. Facing such conditions when everyone is tired, especially in the dead of night, makes everything harder. Hindsight is 20/20, and I’d prefer to avoid these scenarios in the future. A good captain avoids trouble, and I’ll strive to be better at this going forward.
We’re all thrilled to be in Madagascar, anchored at Nosy Mitsio. We’re approximately 2,500 nm from Cape Town. It’s still a long way, but we feel closer every day.