Year 3 -26 June 2026 -Route to South Africa – record breaking day
John and I were on watch between 5.00am and 8.00am. We were doing well but were still under staysail and reefed main. I decided to do nothing until it got light and to then assess the situation. Once it got light and as conditions looked good we put in the staysail and got out the genoa and we also shook out a reef in the main. We then put on the preventer and we went on to 130 degrees to port off the wind. I knew that the wind was going to go more East which would push us more South so we should make the best of what we could to keep more West. I reported our position to Des and thought we could be on for a record 24 hour run.
When we came off watch I cooked bacon and egg as I had got the bacon out of the freezer earlier. This was enjoyed by all except Hisham as he does not eat bacon but he enjoyed his eggs and toast.
I heard from Des
Thanks for latest 0400UTC 26\6 at 27 01S 44 26E - 182nm last 24hrs! - Richards Bay 660nm\260T. Next "current" wpt - 27 34S 40 42E centre of clockwise gyro - 196nm 260T. Gribs for today show wind E18 gusts 25 - swell SE2.5m@10seconds - cloud - sat shows very light cover - scattered - outside chance of a light passing shower - current WSW2.1kts. Tomorrow wind E16 gusts 22 - swell SE2.5m@9seconds - cloud f\cast <25% - maybe light rain passing - current W1.4kts - next current wpt +- 28 00S 37 43E. Gribs show Richards Bay turns S15- 25 gusts 45 on Fri morning 3\7 You have max 7 days for 660nm - can do? Have a great day.
I replied -Thanks Des - I understand the proposed route and still hope to get to Durban direct on the 30 June which is doable I think in relation to the progress we are making. You keep referring to RB but if we wanted to go to Durban when would you suggest we head there direct? I see on the 29/30 June the wind does a 360 off Durban before going back to the North. I am not sure that will affect us too much as we will not be in the A current then. I await your thoughts when you have time to consider.
Des replied Durban shows 2 small coastal low-pressure troughs forming and dying but unpredictable. If you look further south these 2 trough have no backing from anything substantial and expect them to be no problem BUT Let's play safe and assume they become a problem and see what happens.
In other words he suggested we continue as is and make the decision later. We continued to sail well and fast and on course for the waypoint Des had given us for the best current assist. It was a pleasant day once the sun came out and it warmed up. We were excited about our 12.00noon run and we all made our guesses. It turned out to be 204nm – a new record for Stormbird as the last record was 201nm on our route from Chagos to Mauritius. This new record meant we had averaged 8.5 kts over the 24-hour period which was a good result and was helping us get to the African coast before potential trouble.
We had prawns in garlic butter for lunch with salad which we enjoyed and after it was time to get some rest. The afternoon passed quickly and I did some admin and also watched the weather as things change so fast here. John and I were on again at 4.00pm and we began to creep away from our desired course as the wind began to move more East. There was nothing we can do really about this and will make it up when the wind changes again in a day’s time.
Peter cooked a chicken casserole dish which was delicious and we settled down for another night. John and I went to bed at 8.00pm when we got off as we had the 2.00am-5.00am slot – called the red eye slot. Keith and Hisham took over and I heard at some stage them putting in a reef in the genoa. Jenny woke me at 12midnight to say we were 10nm now off course. I thanked her but there was nothing we could do about it at present until the wind changed.
I got up at 1.00am and looked at the weather and the wind is going to change on the evening of the 27th (tonight) and we would then tack then toward the East African coast toward Richards Bay. Jenny said when we took over that the log distance at midnight on the plotter for the day was 206nm- another new record. I decided to look at the logbook and although we do 12.00noon run to 12.00noon run it is wise to look at other 24-hour periods around it. I discovered that in the last 24 hours
9.00am -9.00am – we did 199nm
10.00am -10.00am – 200nm
11.00am-11.00am- 203nm
14.00-14.00- 204nm – equals the record
15.00-15.00 – 205nm - a new record
16.00-16.00- 204nm
17.00-17.00 -205nm
18.00-18.00-204nm
It continued like this until
01.00-01.00am -207nm
02.00-02.00-208nm
03.00-03.00am 208nm – both new records!!
At about 3.30am we were called up by a tanker King Quest who asked to pass down our port side to which I agreed. We then got a little drizzle and the wind died for half an hour before starting again. There was also a wind shift of 50 degrees which helped us for a while. We get off at 5.00am so let’s see what the day brings.
The picture of the day is of the speed log showing our speed over ground at 10.4 kts. The highest I saw today was 12.5kts.
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