VIA THE GREAT SOUTHERN CAPES

Michael Johnson

(Continuing Mike's account of his circumnavigation with Aissa, his Westsail 32.)

The following is an update on Aissa's progress since she was rolled over and dismasted south of Stewart Island, New Zealand (reported in some detail in Flying Fish 1991/2). After repairs carried out in Dunedin's Otago Yacht Club (new mast, sails, rigging and dinghy were the major items), I eventually proceeded successfully around The Snares (south of Stewart Island and South West Cape) and across the Tasman Sea, rounding South East Cape, Tasmania before calling at Port Lincoln, South Australia.

With three of the southernmost capes behind me, I wondered how it would go sailing east-to-west across the bottom of a continent to round Cape Leeuwin, cape number four on the south-west corner of Australia. I got some advice from a retired schooner captain in Coffin Bay. He advised me simply to sail as directly for Albany as the winds would allow, playing the shifts. He assured me that I could tack across the Great Austalian Bight without fear that I would find myself in a lee shore situation if I stuck to a rhumb line from Cape Catastrophe to Albany. The captain told me the low pressure cells would move west-to-east too quickly to create a dangerous situation from this rhumb line -- alternatively one could tack northward and then southward until the Bight and its potentially hostile coast had been passed. As it turned out, this advice proved unnecessary as Aissa was caught up in a favourable easterly gale which allowed me to run almost due west across the Bight before stopping in Albany. From this old whaling station it was a short run around Cape Leeuwin to Fremantle. Even so, I was not to round this corner without the gales for which these southern capes are so well known. I stopped in Fremantle for several weeks at the Fremantle Sailing Club before sailing some miles north to the small fishing boat harbour of Two Rocks. I left Aissa there for a number of months while I returned return to the USA. Unfortunately she was broken into while there and a number of things stolen. However I had stowed much gear ashore, so this was not as disastrous as it might have been.

I returned from the USA with two novice crew, who wished to sail `to Africa via Asia'. After readying the boat we made a quick passage up Australia's west coast to Shark Bay. After a few days in Carnarvon, Aissa headed for the Cocos or Keeling Islands. This put us back in the tropics and we made a fast, pleasant passage. Cocos is a convenient stop. Most of the yachts there were making for the Red Sea route to the Mediterranean, with others heading around the bottom of Madagascar for South Africa. No other vessels were sailing to Sri Lanka and then back south of the equator. Many people I met in the Indian Ocean seemed to want to get across it quickly. The cyclone seasons do make careful planning necessary, but it seems a shame to rush, as the Indian Ocean has a great deal to offer. It is uncrowded, unspoiled and beautiful, as well as exotic.

After about a week I departed Cocos with Galle, Sri Lanka, as my destination. The passage took about two weeks and went well, although we did experience the squally weather typically found around the equator. Galle was uncrowded. A Canadian yacht arrived at the same time we did and our two vessels were the only yachts there for some time. My two crew members had decided that sailing oceans was not for them, and so departed. I replaced them with a British / Australian pair of backpackers. I very much enjoyed Sri Lanka was there about a month. I can speak very highly of the services, friendship and advice provided by Santosh Windsor, who has now taken over the yacht agency previously run by his deceased father, Don. I would recommend him highly to anyone calling at Galle. I left the boat in his care and travelled up to the hill country and to Columbo a number of times. Everything was well taken care of and Santosh always seemed to be able to have any small jobs done with dispatch the minimum of cost.

I left Galle thinking I might call at the Maldives, but this was not to be as the winds were strong and adverse and I decided the time needed to get there would be too great. Instead I headed due south until I had recrossed the equator where I picked up the south-east trades again and headed for the Chagos Archipelago. After twelve days I anchored in Solomons Lagoon. It was getting late in the season and there were only two vessels there apart from Aissa, one Australian and one New Zealander. We spent a few days exploring the overgrown ruins and then headed for Madagascar. Stories had circulated in the Solomons anchorage of an American yacht that had been stranded on Blenheim Reef just north of the Solomons Atoll. She had managed to finally get off and had headed for South Africa a short time before we arrived.

The passage to Cape d'Ambre at the north end of Madagascar took twelve days. I called at Nosy Mitsio and Nosy Komba before clearing in at Hell-ville on Nosy Be. We encountered no difficulties with officials, although my Australian and British crew had no visas. They were allowed to remedy this on arrival with no penalties. I had heard dire warnings about Madagascar a number of times in the Indian Ocean, but had no problems. On the contrary, I found it an interesting stop, with officials who were easy to deal with (though having a French-speaking person on board certainly helped). After Madagascar I stopped briefly in Mayotte, the French administered island in the Comoros, and found a good range of supplies which were also expensive.

From Mayotte I sailed directly, with a favourable current, for Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. I experienced no problems in Dar and the harbour was fascinating, with dhows sailing out in the early morning hours. I anchored just off what had been the yacht club and is now the police station. The yacht club itself has been moved a considerable distance from the city centre, but I found it enjoyable being in the city and in the middle of things for a while. I made my dinghy fast to the police `dock' and entered the city through the police station. For a small consideration my dinghy enjoyed a degree of security, unavailable elsewhere in the immediate surroundings. Aissa was the only yacht present among the dhows and commercial vessels. After several days in the commercial harbour I moved around to the first class yacht club, but it seemed somehow sterile by comparison although services were convenient.

From Dar I crossed the narrow channel to Zanzibar. This island seems to regard itself as still independent from mainland Tanzania, and Customs and Immigration treat you as if you had arrived from a foreign country instead of the capital. We enjoyed Zanzibar, but found it necessary to keep a close watch on the boat. From the tales circulating on the waterfront we were prudent to do so. I would consider Zanzibar a worthwhile stop but not for the unwary. The town is a crumbling ruin but it still retains, for me, some hint of the Arabian Nights. Basic supplies and fresh foods were available at both of these Tanzanian ports. Drinking water requires an extra degree of care along this coast, but we had no difficulties.

From Zanzibar Aissa continued northward to Kenya, stopping for an extended period at the hospitable Swynford Boat Yard in Kilifi and calling briefly at the old Swahili city of Lamu near the Somalia border, somewhat of a small version of Zanzibar. There is a luxury hotel near Lamu town, the Poponi Hotel, which will allow yacht crews to avail themselves of showers for a small fee. It also has an excellent bar in a Muslim area where there are few such amenities. Lamu is a place that has retained its uniqueness despite an airport and an increased number of tourists. It has become more accessible since I first visited in the early 70's and has changed somewhat, but not as much as might be expected. There are still no cars and transport is by dhow, foot or donkey. From Lamu I headed Aissa south by distancing myself from the coast and the strong north-flowing current. This allowed us to make a fairly quick, painless passage about 650 miles south to Moroni in the Comoros. From near the latitude of the Comoros we were helped south by the powerful Mozambique Current. We received a hospitable welcome in Moroni, replenished our supplies, and sailed for Ilha de Mozambique.

All over the Indian Ocean I had been hearing reports of Mozambique, mainly from South African vessels that had recently called there. After a lengthy civil war which resulted in a wide proliferation of firearms and numerous reported mined areas, some of these reports were positive (describing the natural beauty of the coast) and some were negative (concerned with corruption and violence compounded by extreme poverty and political instability). The stories I had heard interested me greatly and I decided to attempt to call at several ports en route to South Africa. Visas were not obtainable in Dar when I mentioned we would be arriving by yacht, but they were easily acquired in Nairobi, Kenya from a newly opened consulate. There are few Mozambique embassies or consulates in East Africa.

Our first port in Mozambique was the former capital of Portuguese East Africa. Ilha de Mozambique is a small fortified island with wonderful old ruined architecture. Most of the navigational aids marking the approach are gone, but I had no difficulty in eyeballing my way into the anchorage through the clear water. We anchored between Ilha de Mozambique and the mainland in Man of War anchorage. There was some initial confusion with the officials, but eventually we were cleared in and given papers for calling at the Bazaruto Archipelago and Maputo. There were no fees other than stamp duties. We wandered around this small island, just over a mile in length, for several days. Each turn seemed to bring new surprises of grand, ruined buildings and although very little was available in terms of fresh food or supplies we enjoyed our stay a great deal.

We sailed on south from Ilha de Mozambique to the Bazaruto Archipelago, where we had to anchor almost three miles off of Ilha de Bazaruto due to the extensive shoals. Ashore we enjoyed the recently opened Bazaruto Fishing Club and its facilities, as well as exploring the abandoned lighthouse and crocodile-infested freshwater lakes bounded by huge Saharan-like sand dunes. This is an island environment like none other I have visited. From Bazaruto we briefly visited the nearby island of Santa Carolina with its abandoned hotel, and then sailed southward to Maputo, weathering a gale en route. Maputo, the capital, had been the focus of a number of stories I had heard concerning corruption, bribery and harassment. Consequently we were prepared for just about anything when we rafted up alongside commercial vessels in the tight, small craft harbour but were pleasantly surprised to experience no difficulties with the officials. The city is in a dilapidated state, but there is a certain vitality which is appealing and the market is well stocked with produce, apparently much of it from South Africa. There is an elegant and beautifully restored old colonial hotel, the Polona, which stands in marked contrast to the ruined city around it. UN vehicles and peace-keeping personnel were prominent. After several days we departed for Durban, glad we had called in Mozambique and with no negative personal experiences to report. However I would suggest that anyone sailing to this area keep alert for any changes as the situation does not seem stable at present. In addition I would suggest that they definitely obtain a visa before they arrive.

Aissa was in Durban for almost two months and some much needed maintenance took place. We were hospitably received at both the Point and the Royal Natal Yacht Clubs. From Durban Aissa continued on around Cape Agulhas and the Cape of Good Hope in an unremarkable passage which completed her east-to-west rounding of the last of the five southernmost capes. It is March as I write this and Aissa is presently in Capetown. I plan to sail her north to Namibia and then to Brazil, arriving in the West Indies by June.