The Agulhas Current is a powerful ocean current that flows south along the east coast of Africa. It's known for its strong currents, which can make sailing through the Mozambique Channel a challenging experience, especially during the winter months when the south-easterly fronts are prevalent.

Having put that out, we decided to sail in groups to have a few boats around us. Leaving DYC, we had Dario on Black Swan, Ian and Em of Adamant 2 and Jordan of Alphene Gypsy. We planned to do day sailing along the coast of Tanzania and then head out away from the coast of Tanzania when entering Mozambique.

The reason for this is that sailing along the coast of Tanzania at night poses risks due to unmarked nets and reefs. In Mozambique, the northern tip is an area where piracy attacks are common. Surprisingly, we did not sail as quickly as the other boats; I suspect this was due to our sail plan, as we were heavily reefed. We made stops at Mikindani and Mtwara. The Agulhas Current is a powerful ocean current that flows south along the east coast of Africa. It is known for its strong currents, which can make sailing through the Mozambique Channel a challenging experience, particularly during the winter months when south-easterly fronts are common.

With that in mind, we decided to sail in groups to ensure that we had a few boats around us. Departing from DYC, our fleet included Dario on Black Swan, Ian and Em on Adamant 2, and Jordan on Alphene Gypsy. Our plan was to sail along the coast of Tanzania during the day and then head out into deeper waters when entering Mozambique.

We chose this route because sailing along the coast of Tanzania at night poses risks due to unmarked nets and reefs. Additionally, the northern tip of Mozambique has areas where piracy attacks are known to occur. Surprisingly, we didn’t sail as fast as the others, which I suspect was due to our heavily reefed sail plan. We made stops at Mikindani and Mtwara during our journey.

Meeting in anchorage discussing plans - two additional boats were here. We were joined by Kjell ( Norway) and Sean (USA)

This part of the journey was relatively uneventful, except for the incident where Destiny lost her dinghy because I didn’t tie it properly to the stern. We managed to retrieve it, but I must admit I was quite nervous for a while. Dinghies are important since they serve a similar purpose to cars on land, while the boat acts as our house.

After leaving Tanzania, we would fully experience the Agulhas Current, a south-flowing current that hugs the coast. This current is strongest between the continental shelf and the shallower inshore regions. All the boats began planning and discussing their routes and possible stops. We conducted daily checks with my router, Des Cason, as well as with the PredictWind weather app.

There were a couple of impending low-pressure systems approaching from the southeast or the South Pole, which worried us. We decided to seek shelter in Linga Linga, Mozambique. There were cruisers ahead of us who provided directions for our entry, and we found a lodge run by a South African( Johann) that offered cooked meals. Additionally, we didn’t have to check in to Mozambique.

The plan for our sail was to wait for the southeast winds to gradually shift counterclockwise toward the north-northwest, after which we would head south-southwest toward Richards Bay. The current typically flows in that direction as well, which allows for some fast sailing. During this passage, we reached speeds of 14 knots while riding down a swell. The sail down the channel is definitely an exhilarating experience!

In this part of East Africa, the winds follow a distinct pattern, starting from the south and gradually shifting to the north-northwest. This pattern repeats every 3 to 5 days and can be observed for planning purposes using routing maps provided by PredictWind.

The sail south

Ethiopia