Year 3 -21 June 2026 -Port de Plaissance --La Reunion

Peter rang me about midnight and I went to meet him from his cab. I showed him on board and to his bunk which was the bunk cabin which he was sharing with Hisham. He said he would go straight to bed and so did I.

The front had hit the island by then and the wind was howling and there was chop even in the harbour. Stormbird was moving around and I think we had 30-40kt winds. I had been liaising with Des our weather man and I was pondering leaving at 5.00pm the next day -the 21st or 6.00am on the 22nd. It just depended on how quickly this front came through and when it would be comfortable enough to leave. The swell was about 5.00metres at 5.00pm (wind 25kts) and about 4.6 the following morning with winds at 20kts. The reason for trying to leave as early as possible was because there was a Southerly buster coming up from the Cape on about the 1-2 July and if we could get in a safe harbour before that it would not be great. I decided not to make a decision until the morning when I could look at the weather and see what Des was saying. We certainly had a rocky night but we were safe.     

Some work early but I woke around 7.00am and we got up and had breakfast with our last pieces of fruit.  Hisham, Keith and John went off to do the last bits of provisioning – which was mainly fruit and vegetables.

Jenny and I waited but Peter was still sleeping – he must be tired. However, by 8.30am I thought we ought to get Peter up which we did. He did not have breakfast and so once he was settled we started our general briefing about the boat and how things work. I then went through the outside the boat with them and then the inside of the boat. As we were checking the engine room I noticed that the workman clearing the blocked heads had knocked the hot water tank off its brackets and the engine fan was not working. John and I fixed hopefully the water tank and we got it back on to its brackets but we could not fix the engine fan so I will have to leave it until South Africa.  

As we finished Hisham, Keith and John returned with all the fruit and veg and they then set about packing it all away. The customs man arrived and I explained the options about leaving and he said if we leave after 8.00am we would have to fill in another form for departure.

It seemed clear after reflection that leaving at 5.00pm would be quite challenging so I thought with new crew etc that it would be more prudent to leave at first light on the 22nd.  As it happens during the day I heard from Des and I concluded this was the right decision as although the swell would still be 4+ metres it calms down quickly after that. We shall see when we start.

Hisham went to take the car back and unfortunately a man had hit him when shopping. There was very little damage but he still reported it.

We had lunch when he returned and then after lunch we went through our emergency procedures and the passage we were about to undertake and the challenges. The main one being after Madagascar not approaching the African coast and the Agulhas current when the wind is from the South.

After all this some had a rest and others did jobs etc.

There was an anticipation feeling amongst us.

We had our last sundowner and then Hisham had prepared a beef strip supper with ginger and soy sauce and rice and salad. It was a good supper.

We plan to get up at 5.15am tomorrow and then to leave at first light -roughly 6.00am. We have over 1400nm minimum to go to Richards Bay and a bit further to Durham. Our first plan is to get round the South of Madagascar before a Southerly comes up. We will then head to the African coast unless there is a problem in which case there is an option to go behind an island off the West coast of Madagascar called St Augustins Bay. The next option is Inacha Island up the African coast which has an anchorage which we can hide behind if necessary.  We hope to be able to sail to the African coast North of Richards Bay and either go in there to check in or if we can make it to go to Durban direct but we need to be in by about the 1 July as there is a Southerly buster coming up which we do not want to be caught in. It is too early to say at this stage so we just need to make good progress and then make the right decisions depending on the weather.

The picture of the day is me up the mast trying to fix the deck light.

 Need/Opportunity Year Three

I am now in Mauritius and will be going to Reunion, Cape Town, St Helena, Azores and back to the UK. 

I have now found additional crew for Mauritius to Durban. There may be space from Durban to Cape Town from about the beginning of July and we should arrive in Cape Town on about 25-30 July 2026. If at all interested contact me on my email below or WhatsApp +44 7931360372.

The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com