Category Archives: Sejladsbeskrivelser

Crossing the Indian Ocean from Gan Maldives to Victoria Seychelles

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Time used 12 days 15h 29 min, Distant 1199.7 NM, avg. distant per day 75 NM, best distance per day 139 NM, SOG 4.23 kts. avg., 8.12 kts max, TWA 265.3 avg., TWS in kt. 12.06 avg., 25.4 max. kts

1/6 After changing oil on Yanmar we had to get into town because Ihthisham (we called him Indi) should have his last money for clearance from us and we should have our and Bonnies crew list with his stamp on. Lars fell badly when passing a road work and he got a bleeding wound on his leg. We were on or way to a net shop. They did not take card so Lars had to go to the ATM and back to the shop. Finally we could meet Indi after being able to communicate with him. Marina Monaco came by her diving shop and so Lars bleeding. She helped him, by washing the wound, while I was in the supermarket shopping for the last local money. When I came out of the supermarket eating an ice cream I was told by a local man that it was forbidden to eat outside. At 13 our we left Faydhoo Gan after 21 days of waiting for a “perfect weather window”. On the way out of the atoll Lars took of the canvas of the mainsail with some difficulty because of the waves. He took the first reef in the main. We sail 0.5 a knot faster than Bonnie but keep contact on the VHF at 19 hour.

2/6 We sail 6 knots. Bonnie is 17 NM behind us so we take another reef in the morning. Now both of us sail 5 knots. We got rain in the afternoon. The wind goes up and down and change direction during the day. We have guacamole on cracker and apple juice. Lars tried to get on with the satellite weather program with no success. Also he send SMS on SSB to the kids that everything is OK also with Bonnie. In the evening we had stars and clouds. We sailed 5.5 knots on wind 13-14 knots.

3/6 Lars woke me up at 03:30 because we had seen a thunder-storm on the radar. At 0:04 we manage to got the jib rolled in , with a lot of difficult. 20 knots of wind. We started motor and mainsail boom in to the mid ship at 04:50. Now wind from 213 and 9.4 knots. 07:30 we have a lot of dolphins around Alexandra. Some of them jumped very high. Tommy on VHF is 33 NM away from us. Suddenly our main B&G autopilot did not work. I found the Simrad autopilot and hand to steer for a couple of hours while Lars installed it. At 15:30 we could use the Simrad but not at all conditions, like with the B&G, so Lars had to hand steer quit some time. We had a lot of wind and high waves so a tough night. I fell down in the cockpit because of a large wave. Lars made up ropes to prevent me falling down when sleeping in the cockpit. We kept the lines up on the rest of the trip to Seychelles.

4/6 Storm with wind up to 60 knots in gusts and rain. We got seawater in the cockpit and that is the second time on our circumnavigation. We had only the stay-sail up and we had to take it down, with difficulty, because the sun-protecting sailcloth went lose. It filled the salon for the rest of the sailing to Seychelles.

5/6 During night we had rain, current against and wind in the nose. It could not be worst. In the morning 10 knots in the nose sail 1.8 knots for motor and reef in mainsail. Lots of rain. At 12 a clock we had no more current against. Nice chicken salad sandwich. In the afternoon the cockpit dried up and we could sit down. We sailed with wind on the quarter 4.9 knots with 8.4 knots wind. Nice chicken soup for dinner. More wind at 22 hour and we sail 6.2 knots with wind 13.7 knots and 0.3 knots of current with us.

6/6 We jibe to BB. I had the watch from 02-05. In the end of the watch we met a fishing-boat, Prasanna7-Net6. Before we got close I woke up Lars. They wanted cigarettes and alcohol and showed us a big fish. The boat smelled very much of fish when they came close by. There were a lot of boats from that firm around and you could see them on the AIS. They sailed with Sri Lanka flag. We got the storm sail rolled on to the stay-sail furler just in case we will need it. I wrote on winlink message to our sons and Lars send it on SSB. Lars talked to Tommy on SSB at 12 hour. I rinse Lars wound and I treated it with eosin read. We rolled in the jib, on butterfly, half way in. A seagull flew around Alexandra. It had one naughty habit using our dingy as a toilet. After cola sundowner we took the pole down and rolled in the jib for the night. Now we sail with main and storm sail over night. Beautiful evening with stars and new moon. On the radar there was squalls and one of them passed Alex with 25 knots of wind and some rain for a short time. Now we sailed for storm-sail alone and Lars got a nap. Also he send my mail on wind-link because there wore the right propagation. We could not set the main because of the halyard twisted around the top spreader. Also we can not set the jib because the rope for haling in and out is broken. So we sail with the storm-sail during night very slowly.

7/6 Nice sky with a lot of stars 03:30-06:30 Maria watch. There were cargo ships and fishing boats to watch out for. When Lars came up we began to remove part of the outer lining on the rope for furling and unfurling the jib. Lars sat main and jib and things were good. After dinner we took a reef and rolled in the jib a little. Now we sail good around 6 knots with wind 11-15 knots. At 21:40 the belt on the steering wheel for the Simrad autopilot was broken. We had to hand steer the whole night, 2 hours each and shift. Also Lars managed to send a mail to our sons.

8/6 Lars took the wheel of and mounted a new belt. Now we could use the Simrat autopilot again. Not much wind. We sailed slowly with reef in main and motor. Now we have time to get stay-sail down and move to the salon. Bonnie have sailed south and now close to Chagos to get some more wind. We relaxed, slept in turns and study the clouds in hope for wind. For dinner we had chicken legs with carrot and red onion cocked in my mothers old pressure cooker and spiced with curry from market at Trincomale Sri Lanka. It tasted so good. Lars tried to get grib file on SSB 3 times. They said it was to big. Clouded night so no moon or stars.

9/6 07:05 jib sat give 0.4 knots. Tommy call on VHF at 8 a clock. They have wind 14-18 knots when we have 6-8 knots so we continue to go south. We got no wind so sail haled in and start motor on overdrive. We sailed 5.5 knots. Later on we get 9 knots of wind and can sail for sail alone 5.2 knots. Very nice sky with a lot of stars. The moon is almost half and light white clouds. We got two mails from Kristoffer and telling us that he bought car and Lars got a grib-file finally! Unfortunately lesser wind later on so down to 3 knots.

10/6 Today our grandson Oskar turn 4 years old. We had hoped to be in Denmark but the delay of 20 days waiting for a weather window in Maldives made it impossible. We call him on the satellite phone and so nice to here his lovely voice. We set sail and stop the motor and sail 6 knots on 12 knots of wind. Bonnie is behind sailing with the asymmetric spinnaker. The wind drop during evening and we sail 3 knots. In with the sail and start motor. We sailed 6 knots on overdrive. Nice moon and stars.

11/6 For motor and main during beautiful night with moon and stars. We transfer the last diesel in BB tank to the day-tank. Lars talk with Tommy on the new grib file on VHF. We take main down when a squalls came closer. It passed without any effect. Later on we had several squalls seen on radar with no effect. Boring motor sailing. Filling the rest of diesel from SB tank to day-tank. Left is 20 liter in a jerrycan. We save it for entering Seychelles. Very nice buffalo meat goulash for dinner. The wind is unstable, 5 to 10 knots, from varies direction.

12/6 For motor during night because still very unstable. I woke up Lars in the morning at 05 because we got wind up to 20 knots. We sat storm-sail and after one our when it was light we sat main sail, jib and turn of the motor. Bonnie is south west of us. Sunny morning with wind 12 knots and speed 4.7. The swells, on the bow, are still very large. We jibe and now we sail better. Lars make very nice rotti. At 14 hour we steer directly towards Victoria. I and then Lars got a rest. Lots of wind so I have to wake up Lars. We roll in the jib. Collect a lot of water. No wind so sail slowly, Wind again, 15 knots, sail 5.4 knots. Fiery Squall up to 25 knots passes quickly19 hour but the wind and rain stays. For a short time we sail 6.5 and then the wind dies to 8.7 knots. We sail slowly, 3-4 knots, during night with wind 8-9 knots Socks and shall on for the night.

13/6 Lars woke me up at 01:00 because a squall came close to us with winds 36.5 to 39.7 knots. We drop the main and sail for the rig alone. 2-3 knots. At 02:30 Lars turned of the Simrat and toke the steering wheel because very high waves and swells. We talked, on the VHF, with Tommy on Bonnie and Michael on Ostrika and exchanged position. They were close by. We started motor 03:20. We had only diesel for 2 hours, except for the 20 liter, in a jerrycan, we saved for sailing into Victoria. At 07:00 we unfurl jib and kept main with two reefs, after just having a squall, and sail 1 knots on the quarter. We reefed out. After curing a headache I am fresh and making pancakes using the last eggs. At last we got 17 knots of wind. We took to reef and sail good on the quarter. Reef out 13.50. We sailed 7.1 knots with 13 knots of wind. Tommy on VHF have 29 NM and sail with full speed for motor towards Victoria. We have to go on sail. In the evening we sail good on the beam 6.1 knots with 14 knots of wind.

14/6 00:25 Arrived in Victoria Seychelles at four o’clock in the morning and dropped anchor at the way-point we had bean told to use from the port officials. We were fast asleep, at 8 hour, when the custom, immigration, bio-security and harbour officials came on board Alexandra to clear us in. They left after an hour and everything was in place. We sailed in to the bay of Victoria and dropped the anchor.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

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The sailing leg to Tenerife, one of the Canaries island,  was not ideal from the start because the Grib file sad there will not be much wind. It did not fit in with our plan to stay longer on Madeira and there were no chance for getting better winds the next days. We had some wind though in the beginning, so we could sail fast with asymmetric spinnaker and main. After passing the islands outside Madeira the good wind disappeared but we kept on sailing for sail during the first night. After that we tried once in a while combining motor sailing with sails until we reached the coast of Tenerife and got some wind to sail on for a a couple of hours. We had sailed about 22 hour for sail and 27 for the engine. When mooring at the pontoon bridge we realised that it was a long time since we arrived to a marina during daytime and found that it was very nice. We had sailed for about 50 hours and 264.7 Nm on 14-16/9-2015.

After relaxing the first day we rented a car and took a tour up the mountain Teide, 3900 meter. The last volcanic eruption was in 1906. It was a fabulous nature experience we would not have missed. The pine-tree forest and the different colours of the earth, cliffs, and fauna al the way up the mountain.

The last day was spent waking around the city Santa Cruz.

Saturday the 19/9 we stated of for Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, our final destination on the first part of, what we hope will be our, around the world sailing tour.

 

 

 

Ilha da Madeira

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Next challenge, and the longest jet, was to sail from Lagos Algarve to “Ilha da Madeira” the Portuguese rocky island, famous for its many flowers and good temperature all year long, far out in the Atlantic ocean,  situated 510 Nm away. The ZyGrib file said that we would have NW winds and not to much, for the next three days,that was 8-10 September, so perfect for us. We started out of Lagos with absolutely no wind at all, so we had to go out for motor until wind and swells turned up. We sat sail after 1½ hour, main and asymmetric spinnaker, and sailed for half an hour so. Not enough wind but large swells.

We did not see any other ships but a cargo-ship but luckily a lot of dolphins visited us. Finally at 16:30 we got wind and sat main and asymmetric spinnaker until 17:00 upwind so jib instead of spinnaker. We got the best 24 h measurement jet, 192 Nm , obtained between first and second night sailing with main and asymmetric spinnaker.

A lot of stars in the sky and sometimes, late night, a beautiful tiny moon made the long nights easy to overcome. The threatening black clouds, together with the sundown, were amazing and happily for us they did not give any rain or to much wind. From now we sailed for sail until we were close to land and on the third day we pooled out the asymmetric spinnaker to windward with the spinnaker pool.

On The fourth day sailing Lars caught the first Gould Mackerel ever, after changing blink. The fish tasted great in the evening! It was quit comfortable sailing so we could start the gen-set and bake some Danish rye-bread. We sailed 510 Nm on three days and 14 hours and 40 minutes.

In the middle of the night we got sight of the black rocky island Madeira with fabulous light cascades along the coast. After a few hours we were moored at an empty pontoon in the Marina da Quinta Lorde. We were woken up next morning at 9 a clock by three harbour attendees helping us to move to a better place to moor.

After having bought very nice bred at the bar for breakfast, we relaxed and got some more sleep. It was a rainy day so relaxing the rest of the day.

We took the local bus next morning to Funchal city and it was a very exiting road trip on the mountain op and down in frightening speed. Getting of the bus on the avenida along the harbour we met a Swedish sailor couple, Ann-Marie and Micke,  We had coffee with them and a nice talk about sailing around the world. They did that a few years ago in there Najad sailing boat, Ellos.  A tour uptown for lunch and shopping at the big supermarket was on the program before the bus took us back to the beautiful but remote Marina da Quinta Lorde.

Next morning we took of for España and The Canarian Island Teneriffe and the city Santa Cruz. We were leaving Portugal after sailing around there for three weeks and three days enjoying it immensely.