I once had a boat in Africa!

Moroccan fishing boat

Four days is not a long time to be at sea, in fact, you are just starting to get into a comfortable rhythm when all too soon you are back near the coast weaving your way through yet another maze of fisherman’s pots and missing out on much needed sleep so as to keep clear of myriad other small craft. (Boats without active AIS or radar are invisible to my current array of electronic anti-collision sensors so it’s old fashioned eyeball power that’s needed for coastal watch keeping).

It took all of “day one” to find sufficient force in the forecast easterlies to switch off my engine, but better late than never… yes…no… maybe?

Below is an extract of the wind forecasts showing how easterlies accelerate through the strait of Gibraltar and on into the Atlantic. It was in this same acceleration zone that I tore my mainsail eight months earlier, so I know that what looks rather benign in a forecast can be quite severe in reality.

Winds accelerate through strait of Gibraltar

By “day two”, with two reefs in the mainsail and both foresails set, I made excellent progress (100 NM plus) due south. While shipping traffic was heavy, I had plenty of advance warning from my AIS receiver, so sleeping for several hours at a time was not overly risky.

It's not easy being green...

Lucky for me, because the cross-swell was causing me to turn a ‘whiter shade of pale’, and getting out of my bunk is always more difficult when I’m feeling sorry for myself.

So much for my newly formulated curry and beer seasickness cure theory! Still, I can’t complain too much because compared with others I’m only very mildly effected by motion sickness, but it still takes much of the fun out of sailing when you are not feeling 100%.

By “day three” the sea and my stomach had settled, but I was forced to switch back to fossil fuel power to encourage any significant forward momentum. By now I was following the northwestern coast of Morocco well clear of any shipping lanes, but that didn’t stop one behemoth from attempting to ram my little blue boat. Nothing that a timely call over the VHF couldn’t fix:

“Hello SKS Tiete, this is the small sailing boat Eileen of Avoca one mile off your starboard bow… Just calling to check whether you have seen me?”

Silence…., The AIS and my radar detector are now beeping incessantly. A few second later….

“Err Motor vessel SKS Tiete, I’m the sailing boat with the red sails right under your bow…”

“Yes sailing vessel… I see you now and am adjusting my course to pass by your stern…”

Large vessels must only keep a close watch on their radar screens, because the radio operator seemed completely surprised to see me with his own eyes. He even felt the need to advise me to be extra cautious around traffic lanes because I was almost invisible to his equipment.

How about that! Eileen of Avoca operates in stealth mode. So much for the fancy looking tubular radar reflector fixed to the top of my shroud line. No wonder I’ve been constantly forced to play dodgems with so many commercial vessels. I’m going to have to purchase one of the old fashioned bulky tetrahedral types when I return to civilization. No big deal, especially since I’m also going to have to lower the mast to fix my tri-light wiring. Grrr. Just what I need, not only am I invisible to radar, I’m without my sailing lights. Good thing the steaming lights are still functioning.

By “day four” the wind had returned (15 to 18kts) and Eileen was racing downwind at an impressive 6 knots. I had the whisker pole out on the stay-sail, two reefs in the tethered main, and the jib sail goose-winged. As the swell increased, Eileen of Avoca showed me how much she likes to surf and my GPS recorded speeds in excess of 8 knots! I didn’t get much rest.

A Moroccan dawn near Agadir

Just 15 miles off the western coast of Morocco near Cape Ghir, I decide to modify my planned itinerary and turn Eileen toward Agadir. Lanzarote can wait… Why? No real reason… Perhaps because it’s just another 8 hours away, or because I’ve never been to Morocco. Just looking at my chart is making me increasingly curious. So why not go and have a look? Agadir it is.

By 9:15am I’ve arrived in Africa and entered another world. This was definitely a good move and I’m looking forward to exploring this exotic town . I’m sure to dig up something interesting to photograph so stay tuned for my next report.

  • PS Just as an aside, I was surprised to find that I had mobile phone reception more than 20 miles off the Moroccan coast. Handy to know for anyone else wandering down this way.

Free weather forecasts for sailors by SMS

 

GRIB data points

GRIB data points for the Mediterranean

I have been keeping myself busy while Eileen of Avoca has been out of the water by setting up my own weather by mobile phone service for the Mediterranean.

See photo for current coverage.

Why?

Because when the weather turns, setting the computer up for a quick weather check can be somewhat of a challenge. I wanted something much simpler, and weather forecast  (text messages) by mobile phone fit the bill.

With a satellite phone I can even use the system mid Atlantic! (Except that I have no Atlantic GRIB data as yet, and no satellite phone).

The system uploads Mediterranean GRIB data (at 1 degree resolution) 4 times a day. You access it by sending a text message giving your latitude and longitude to the nearest degree.

 

Example 36N 25E for the sea between Crete and Kos

36N 13E for Malta

36N 05W for the straights of Gibraltar

 

You compose an SMS message with the following content (make sure it is all lower case):

 

wf:36,25

 

and send it to +32 498327494

 

and a few seconds later you have the 24hr forecast for those coordinates.

Note that west of the meridian you use a negative number, so for the straights of Gibraltar you need to send:

wf:36,-05

 

Simple!

Best of all I offer it to my loyal blog followers for free (all 3 of you). At least while the pre-paid credit lasts.

 

Enjoy

 

The journey begins

Day 4

With the wind blowing steadily from the direction of my intended destination, I stubbornly motored out of Gouvia Marina and made my leisurely way South at 4kts. Four knots was all Eileen would give me until I could find a quiet anchorage and scrape away at the cornucopia of sea life clinging to her propeller.

Receiving NAVTEX

Receiving NAVTEX

It was such a perfect evening that I could not contemplate stopping for the night. Mesmerized by the photoluminescent plankton (which in Greece is very different from what I had seen in Italy) the hours passed quickly. Near Paxoi, I switched off the motor and set up my short-wave receiver for NAVTEX updates. I can’t use the receiver when the engine is running because the alternator produces too much interference. I was so thrilled that this new acquisition of mine worked that I’ve appended the results of one of my first NAVTEX receptions:

ZCZC KA04

KERKYRA RADIO NAVWARN 0259/
MAN OVER BOARD
AT SEA AREA-N IONIO SEA
KERKYRA ISLAND – GLYFADA BAY
SHIPS IN VICINITY REQUESTED
TO KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT
REPORTING TO JRCC/PIRAEUS
NNNN

ZCZC KA01

KERKYRA RADIO NAVWARN 0256/

NORTH IONIO SEA – LEFKADA ISLAND
DOUKATO POINT LIGHT
38-34N 020-33E UNLIT
UNDERWATER EXERCISE BY
HELLENIC NAVY TEAM IN PROGRESS
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
IN SEA AREA PATRAIKOS GULF CENTERED
ON 38-13,38N 021-42,12E
AND RADIOUS 0,25 MILE
CAUTION ADVISED
KERKYRA RADIO/WEATHER FORECAST
PART 1
GALE WARNING
VALID FM 041600 UTC UP TO 050400 UTC
SYNOPSIS OF SURFACE WEATHER CHART
040900 UTC
THE COMBINATION OF HIGH PRESSURES
1026 OF BLACK SEA WITH LOW 1007 OF W
MEDITERRANEAN SEA IS AFFECTING:
CENTRAL ADRIATIC AND NORTH ADRIATIC
WITH SE GALE 8 LOC STRG GALE 9
NORTH IONIO W OF 19.30 S ADRIATIC AND
BOOT WITH S SE NEAR GALE 7 LOC GALE 8

OUTLOOK FOR 12 HOURS
FM 051600 UTC UP TO 060400 UTC
NO SIG CHANGE IS EXP
NNNN

What was a little disconcerting were the gales blowing in the Northwest and some poor fellow had fallen overboard. I wonder if he was ever found?