|
Passing through the heads was once rated as the most difficult harbor entrance in the world by the British Navy and it is described as that gnarly, that insurance companies won’t insure your vessel fro the trip. Leaving the city of East London and the Wild coast now officially behind us, we set off for a new destination that we have been excited to reach for a long time, a little lagoon based town called Knysna. To enter into this harbour we must pass over a sand bar, through potentially breaking waves, between 2x 200 ft high cliffs with rocks either side and then to make it more challenging, a reef in the middle of the channel… of course there is… This challenging entrance has proven too difficult for thousands of other vessels over the years as their remains are littered across the seabed floor. With all this information firmly in our heads, we still decided to try and enter as the reward for our efforts will be well worth it. A calm all weather clear water lagoon and after marina hopping our way around this treacherous coastline, being at anchor in the lagoon sounds like exactly what we need.
0 Comments
Sailing the south coast of South Africa where the current runs at 6 knots, the waves are huge, the fish are ON and the boat is flying!!! The South African coastline is not your average cruisers idea of fun sailing. The coast being too wild and rugged for anchoring, exploring by land is the next best thing. It is crazy for us to think that people rush through this area and not explore what it has on offer. If we remained in the marina then we may have been put off of this area, but hiring a car and exploring a little further made our stop over in East London our favorite so far in South Africa. After a couple of weeks of enjoying the wild coast by land, we have a great weather window to set sail to a destination we have wanted to visit for a long time. A beautiful coastal town called Knysna. This place looks stunning but it is no easy entrance into the lagoon, with thousands of ship wrecks littering the coast and entrance. It is has been nominated as one of the most dangerous harbour entrances in the world where one small mistake could leave us a wreck like the thousands of others… After successfully navigating the Wild coast of South Africa and having the tee shirts to prove it… This area by land is what excites us next. So many international sailors are always in a rush to sail the coast of South Africa and get as fast as they can to Cape Town, where people hang and spend their time. For us, we see every place as a destination and arriving into East London, we then wanted to check out the wild coast by land. South Africa is not a friendly coastline for cruisers, With the Wild coast too rugged, raw and extreme to anchor, to me that means cliffs, surf beaches, waves and exposed coastline to the southern ocean. All magnificent in their own right and worth the effort to go search! For us, We really enjoy the smaller coastal towns than the big city life, and not being able to explore these places on Nandji, a hire car is the next best thing.. Arriving to East London is a HUGE achievement for any around the world having conquered the WILD COAST!... We had an amazing stop over in the city of Durban where we were lucky to meet so many Nandji fans, it is so cool to mingle with people that have been following our journey for years. With Christmas now behind us, we tackled the infamous Wild coast sailing 250 miles from Durban to the city of East London. This passage is infamous for being one of the most challenging sails for around the world sailors. With a rough and rugged coastline meaning there is no where to stop and hide if needed, then the Aghullus current running at speeds up to 6 knots, it is a fast and exciting ride south. The wind is known to rip through this area and change directions within an hour. The South west fronts known as busters, move up the coast and create dangerous wind against current conditions, resulting in wave heights recorded off this coast at over 10 meters. Not a place we want to be! Therefore, we had waited for the perfect weather window to depart the port of Durban and begin this trip. Lucky for us, the Wild coast was gentle on us and we had a terrific sail arriving in the early morning hours to the city of East London, amped and ready to explore this new destination. Sailing the Wild coast of South Africa. This passage is known to be one of the hardest passages on a circumnavigating sailor. With a strong current that can run up to 6 knots, it is a fast and wild roller coaster ride south. With a rugged coastline littered with ship wrecks, you are committed to sailing the 250 nautical miles to reach the next safe port. Timing is everything... We sailed into our entrance port of Richards bay with a boat in desperate need of repairs. But with such a warm and friendly welcome from the zululand yacht club, they had us in high spirits. We had a snapped dinghy davits, no charger inverter meaning no AC power onboard and a wind vang that was ripped off the mast… You could say there has been some challenging sailing conditions to reach South Africa but here we are! Excited and in love with this new country! South Africa is truly something else and we are excited to see what the coming months bring in this fascinating country. We have only been here a week yet experienced, 60 knots at sea, been given more tequila shots then I ever drank in my youth, got up close and personal with some of the most dangerous animals on the planet and experienced a rhino road block where a herd of rhinos wouldn’t let us pass. Now I told you this place was wild hey! But we are here in harbour and need to begin repairs so we can continue on down the coast, the most important thing is to make the boat strong again. This means repairing the broken davits. Wild, Raw, Rugged and SCARY. Up close and personal with a Rhino... South Africa you are special. Let's go on SAFARI! We have been in South Africa for a week and already going on safari! Together with another sailing family, we hire a car and self drive safari through the Hluhluwe Imfolozi game reserve in hope to spy the big 5. Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo. We get up close and personal with so many wild African animals, it was a truly magical day full of excitement and astonishment with the magnificent and terrifying wild animals. South Africa! Let's Go! Here we are in a place we have dreamed of sailing to for years. Let's go on SAFARI! We have arrived into South Africa and made our way around to the marina from the quarantine dock. We waved good bye to the crew members that helped us sail from Madagascar and ate our first Bunny chow. the South African dish that all sailors must try. After a few days in South Africa we knew the first thing we wanted to do was go on Safari! We hired a car with another sailing family and set out to a small town in a swamp called St Lucia. This small town is known for its Hippopotamus and the fact that in the might they can walk through the streets.... Hippopotamus may be made out to be cute and cuddly but they are responsible for more human deaths than any other animal.... |
PATRONS ONLY
Gain access to the treasure chest by becoming a Patron!
Archives
October 2025
Categories
All
 |
RSS Feed
|
Please don't hesitate to contact us. We are always
keen on feedback and other human insights. www.facebook.com/Sailingnandji Instagram-sailing_nandji [email protected] www.sailingnandji.com www.sailingnandji-shop.com © 2015 Frothlyfe. All Rights Reserved. |
|