[Public-List] Salsa's Indian Ocean Passage Report

[Kirk Little]

I apologize for so many long postings monopolizing the public list here however I just updated my website with a fairly comprehensive report on my passage from Cocos Keeling to Madagascar, 28 days and 3000 miles in mostly moderate to rough conditions.  Anyone who wants to know what it 'feels' like sailing an Alberg 30 in these conditions solo might enjoy the long report, as I wrote a good part of it underway and 'in the moment'. I think it makes a good read if I may say so myself, but a bit lengthy to post here (5 pages on MS word).  So I'll just post part of the first paragraph and the link below if you want to read the full report.  As always, happy to hear any feedback or questions as I finally am enjoying a reliable internet connection on the boat for the first time in years!  Cheers -Kirk


          

            
          
        
              
      
                        
          LONG INDIAN OCEAN PASSAGE REPORT COCOS KEELING TO MADAGASCAR.
Aug 13 2011, 930 am departing Cocos keeling.   The weather was 
borderline “sailable” at the time I left, being very light winds and 
somewhat variable, most boats deemed it to be ‘unsailable’ and it 
probably was in their bigger yachts which require a bit more of a breeze
 than little Salsa.  Then again as I write this, 48 hours into the trip 
the wind and seas are so big I would consider it ‘barely sailable’ in 
Salsa and the other boats would be flying along having a ball, albeit I 
suspect with at least a bit of discomfort.  Right now the seas are 
around 10 to 15 feet high, and the winds 25 to 35kts.  It’s just pure 
crap out here.  It’s been so cloudy and rainy I haven’t seen the moon or
 sun since the day I departed until now.  When I left there was a slight
 breeze from the north and as I was sailing west, it was perfect; just 
barely enough wind to fill the sails and keep them from slapping around 
in the big but gentle southerly swell that just never goes away, even 
when there is no wind.  This Northerly breeze (a bit unusual as we 
should have SE trade winds around 20kts or so I thought) kept going 
until around 9PM when it just got too light, I was only sailing at 3kts 
and the sails started to bang around too much to make any headway.  So I
 prepared to just drift a while, well actually we kept sailing more or 
less west but only at about 1 to 2 kts since I put 3 reefs in the main 
and nearly took down the Jib to protect the sails from all the banging 
around with no wind, however there was just enough wind to keep moving 
under reefed sail, and I went to sleep for a while.  After midnight I 
awoke to the GPS alarm telling me that I was off course and turns out 
the winds had finally gone back to the SE, but still at a miserly 10kts.
  Even with the main deeply reefed I let out most of the genoa and we 
were making 4kts again, not bad, and then it started building, the wind 
and seas.  By morning conditions were very uncomfortable..... <more at SailingSalsa.com or the link below>

http://www.sailingsalsa.com/long-indian-ocean-passage-report-cocos-keeling-to-madagscar#more-474

Kirk Little, Salsa, #504, Cape Town South Africa.