OFFSHORE & INVISIBLE - ATLANTIC OCEAN CROSSING Sailing South Africa to St Helena ... Ep 4466/19/2026 With our first night at sea behind us and the fatigue of offshore sailing already beginning to settle in, our mornings move slowly. We relieve each other from watch, trying to find our rhythm and slowly adjust to life offshore. Resetting our body clocks to match our new watch schedule, is one of the most important parts early on of a long passage. The calm conditions are helping for now, but in reality, only time at sea can truly make the routine feel natural. The nerves need to settle and we need to get sleep At 32 degrees south, we are still a long way from where we need to be. Thousands of miles of open ocean lie ahead, before we reach our first landfall — the remote island of St Helena at 15 degrees south. This opening stretch of the Atlantic crossing we expect to be the most challenging, whilst calm now, we need to work our way north out of the shifting high and low pressure systems to reach the more settled and predictable trade winds. And this is only the beginning… By the time we arrive in the Caribbean, we will have sailed more than 7000 nautical miles, crossing from 32 degrees south all the way to 12 degrees north. It is an enormous piece of ocean to cross…
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To learn more about Keane Insurance and to seek your bespoke boat policy check them out here 👉https://keanespecialty.com/get-a-quote?pid=YSN 🫡 For months, Nandji 2 sat still, held fast to the dock while we tore her apart and brought her back to life. But now, she’s moving again. The lines are off, the engine is purring, and we’re finally back where we belong, out here on the open ocean, with nothing but horizon ahead and miles disappearing beneath the keel. This is the beginning of a 7,000 plus, nautical mile journey across the Southern Atlantic, bound for the Caribbean. After not sailing for so long, it is A distance that feels almost too big to comprehend, unless we break it down, one passage at a time. And it all begins with this first step, 50 miles north to a small island off the coast of South Africa. Know the weather before you go! Check out WeatherPro here - https://weatherapp.sng.link/D5ay0/ooix?_smtype=3 For months, Nandji 2 sat still, held fast to the dock while we tore her apart and brought her back to life. But now, she’s moving again. The lines are off, the engine is purring, and we’re finally back where we belong, out here on the open ocean, with nothing but horizon ahead and miles disappearing beneath the keel. This is the beginning of a 7,000 plus, nautical mile journey across the Southern Atlantic, bound for the Caribbean. After not sailing for so long, it is A distance that feels almost too big to comprehend, unless we break it down, one passage at a time. And it all begins with this first step, 50 miles north to a small island off the coast of South Africa. To learn more about Keane Insurance and to seek your bespoke boat policy check them out here - https://keanespecialty.com/get-a-quote?pid=YSN After nine months tied up to the dock in Hout Bay, our new Yanmar engine is in and we are back out on the water for our second sea trial. Everything feels a little different now. The way the boat handles and lets be honest, It’s been a while since we’ve sailed... so before taking on the miles ahead, we just want time with Nandji 2 and getting a feel for it all once again. Cape Town weather isn’t something to take lightly. During summer, the high-pressure systems can bring strong relentless south east wind and 50 knots is not uncommon. Then in winter, the lows bring a South west wind and massive ground swells hammering the coastline. With a strong south-easter building and no easy way back into Hout Bay, we had to change plans, head north and find shelter. Which is how we’ve ended up right in the middle of Cape Town city. WE HAVE BEEN KEEPING A SECRET!! We have some EXCITING NEWS.... If we wind back the clock and look at everything that’s unfolded over the past 12 months… it’s been one hell of a ride...What started as a simple need to extend our visas and leave South Africa, quickly turned into a challenging chain of events. Instead of flying out of SA, we bought an iconic Land Rover Defender and set off to overland Africa. After all, what’s the point in sailing all this way and not going on our own safari? But It didn’t exactly go to plan. Between breakdowns, roadside repairs, and more time befriending mechanics, we didn’t get to travel as far and eventually in Namibia, installing a brand-new engine just to drive back to South Africa and Nandji 2. When we finally made it to the South African border, and a new unexpected hurdle. We were granted just a seven-day visa, which meant dropping everything and flying back to our home country of Australia to reset our tourist visa. What was meant to be a return to sailing, turned into an unexpected family visit back on the Sunny Coast of Australia. We have been trying to grow our family for years, so whilst we were in oz we decided to take a big step and try IVF. Months of appointments followed. Emotions ran high. Our Savings dropped fast. And all the while, our sailboat sat waiting on the other side of the world. So I made the call to head back to South Africa ahead of Bonita, to get everything organised onboard for when the ladies return… only to arrive to Nandji 2 to discover the engine had backfilled with seawater. Another engine toast. Another setback. While I was buried in boat work, thousands of miles apart, we got the news… the IVF hadn’t worked. And just like that, the plan life changes again. The best decision was for Bonita and Tallula to come back to the boat and for all of us to be together again as a family and, make the most of an unexpected summer in Cape Town whilst we repowered Nandji 2. As the last of the boat work wraps up, the adventure is soon to begin again. We will leave South Africa behind and set sail on a 7,000 nautical mile journey across the southern Atlantic Ocean, chasing new horizons in the Caribbean. To learn more about Keane Insurance and to seek your bespoke boat policy check them out here - https://keanespecialty.com/get-a-quote?pid=YSN With the final checks complete and with forward and reverse tested and engaging, Nandji 2 finally glides free from her pen, moving under her own power for the first time in nine long months. It’s a monumental achievement in what we have managed to get done. This journey hasn’t been easy. It’s been a relentless road of problem-solving, patience, persistence and hard work. But this… this is the side of sailing people don’t always see, its the part that makes the ocean crossings, the new horizons, and the distant landfalls feel so deeply rewarding when they finally come. Because one day soon, when we set off across the Atlantic ocean toward a new country, it’s the satisfaction in knowing the work and preparation has been done, which makes the sailing and the future arrival mean everything. For now though, let’s keep it simple stupid. Baby steps. Our first sea trial out into Hout Bay, putting the engine through a series of controlled tests, building a clear picture of how everything is working, and whether it’s all truly in sync. Starting by motoring directly upwind: 1,000 RPM… 2,000… 3,000… and then full throttle, logging speed and performance. Then we turn, repeating it all downwind, gathering the data that will tell the real story. Whilst it is great to be out on the water, every element matters in a perfect installation. The engine, the gearbox, the propeller, they all have to work in perfect harmony. These tests will reveal the load, the balance and whether everything is dialled in just right. But sometimes, you don’t need the numbers to know the outcome. As from the very first movement of leaving the pen… I already knew. Something wasn’t right.... Learn more about Yanmar, check out this link - https://yanmar.link/Nandji How important is an engine alignment and how do you do it? https://www.sailingnandji.com I couldn’t be happier with how this engine refit has come together. What was once a tired old engine room has been completely transformed. Fresh white bilge, crisp shiny new insulation, a refurbished generator and at the heart of it all, the new Yanmar 4JH110, bedded into her new home and ready to rumble. To make the engine work though, the shaft must be connected to the gearbox. This requires microscopic accuracy to protect the gearbox, engine mounts, cutlass bearing and importantly to remove vibration. With the experts laser aligning for perfect accuracy to meet warranty purposes, the next best thing to prevent all of the above and ensure years of reliability and protection, is to use a Sigma drive coupling by Brunton's. To learn more about Keane Insurance and to seek your bespoke boat policy check them out here - https://keanespecialty.com/get-a-quote?pid=YSN When we first begun this project, of re-powering Nandji 2 many big decisions had to be made. The biggest of them all of course is — what engine do we trust for the next 10 years of sailing? For us, it was simple. We never like to do jobs half arsed, so lets Go all in.The Yanmar 4JH110, more power, better efficiency, and the kind of reliability you want when its 50 knots and your a lee to shore. But before we could install our new Yanmar… the engine room needed a complete refit. The old seized engine had to come out but blocking its removal… was our generator. An ageing Cummins Onan 6.5kW generator and whilst it is Still running, still useful… that is debateable . So the question is, Should it stay? Or is it time to let it go? Should we put the generator back in? Because the real question is do you actually need a generator on a cruising boat? And more importantly… do we? Learn more about Yanmar, check out this link - https://yanmar.link/Nandji For South Africa, check out Seascape Marine at the following links:: Website: https://seascapemarine.co.za/ FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/seascapemarineservices/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seascape_marine_services/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seascape-marine-services-pty-ltd/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/seascape_marine_services |
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