We enjoyed a couple of weeks in Hout Bay. Especially the yacht club where we met several friendly locals. High hills surround Hout Bay and make it very scenic but katabatic winds can come racing down and make it incredibly windy.

We have been busy touring around and can highly recommend Cape Town''s double decker hop on hop off bus. As well as getting to know the city we have enjoyed lovely scenic drives along the coast and through nearby forest . One of our favourite stops was the botanical gardens.

We have moved to the V&A Marina in the downtown area of Cape Town. We are deep inside the harbour, past a swinging bridge then a bascule bridge and next to a surprisingly quiet residential area. Heaps of restaurants and shops and activities nearby to keep us entertained.

Hurray!! We have arrived into Cape Town. Well just about. It's in there somewhere behind the fog and clouds. Darn - I was hoping to get a picture of Table Mountain upon arrival.

Some big events for us the past few days as we passed by Cape Agulhas, the southern most tip of Africa. This also meant we left the Indian Ocean and are now in the South Atlantic Ocean. Last night we passed by the Cape of Good Hope aka Cape of Storms on a fairly pleasant moonlit night. A few days ago between Durban and East London we passed the same degree of longitude that was our most easterly point in the Mediterranean near Marmaris, Turkey back in July 2013. Officially our circumnavigation will not be complete until we cross our path - perhaps in Barbados in a few months time.

We are just a few miles out of Hout Bay Marina where we plan to give Icaros a rest for a couple of months while we do some land travel.

Brother Brian arrives next week and then we shall meet Bill & Nancy in Johannesburg and catch a Safari in Kruger. Really looking forward to it.

TGIF!! We had a really windy SW blow yesterday which eased overnight. We'll wait a few more hours for the swell out there to calm down and the wind to shift more to the east and we'll be on our way.

We had a nice day out on the town. After the obligatory visit to the two local chandleries, we went to a seabird rescue/rehab center and spent some time with their African penguins and Cape Gannets. Then off to a local museum which was also good - well except for the local ship wreck memorabilia!

We had a good overnight sail from East London. The wind freshened up to 25+ but we ran downwind with just a reefed headsail and were quite comfortable.

Port Elizabeth, aka The Windy City, is not looking like its going to be one of our favourite stops. There is a lot of surge in the marina with the easterly breeze and the lines on the boat are creaking something awful. I have never seen so many unloved forlorn looking boats as in this marina. There is a coal terminal loading a ship not far from us and the fine black coal dust is everywhere. Later tonight the wind will switch to the SW and we can expect manganese dust blowing on us for the next couple of days. Bad news is this area is in drought and there are water restrictions. Forecast looks the wind will switch back to the east on Friday and we can be on our way again. Can hardly wait till I can say -TGIF.

East London has been a pleasant stop. There is a small welcoming yacht club where we were able to join a few of the locals for a braai (BBQ). We also found a fish market/restaurant/bar just up the river where we were able to watch South Africa win the rugby world cup.

A huge car carrier arrived into the port just next to where we were anchored. Turns out there is a Daimler car manufacturing plant here and the wharf was full of new Mercedes waiting to be loaded.

The weather is looking good today for us to move to our next stop - Port Elizabeth - about 135 miles along the coast

I had several interesting touristy things lined up to do in Durban - but we got a note from Des to say the conditions were suitable to move along the coast.

Even though we had already checked in with Customs, Immigration, Police, Port Control in Richards Bay, we had to repeat the procedure in Durban. So we quickly visited the various offices and filled out the multitude of forms and at first light the next day we cast off from Durban marina.

The whole morning was spent fighting an adverse current as well as a southerly breeze and hardly making any headway. About midday we finally found a couple knots of current and the wind became more favourable. The Agulhus current runa along the south east coast of Africa and can move along at a few knots. Fine when the wind is coming from the NE along with it but very dangerous when the wind changes to a strong SW. We had 48 hours to cover the 250 mile distance before the NE breeze was forecast to switch to SW 25-30. With the help of the current and NE winds increasing to 25+ we found ourselves sailing along at 9 and 10 knots for much of the way and we arrived into East London in plenty of time.

We took advantage of a bit of a lull between weather systems and moved ourselves down 80 miles to Durban. It was a pretty calm overnight passage with more motoring than sailing.

The marina is in the middle of the city but unfortunately the local advice is not to walk around the downtown area - day or night. We can easily grab a taxi or Uber to shopping centres and tourist attractions.

The wind is forecast to come in strong from the SW tonight but we feel pretty snug and secure here.

We are tucked into the Zululand Yacht Club Marina. Great bar and restaurant and welcoming people. The past few days we have seen some nasty changeable weather. First the wind came in strong from the south and covered us in some coal dust from the port. Then the next day it changed to the north and blew like stink. This weather is delaying our hopes of moving down the coast.

Our weather guru, Des, says that there is a succession of intense low pressure systems passing along the S coast over the next week and we may as well sit back and have another glass of champagne and watch it happen!

In the meantime, we are enjoying Richards Bay. Today we went on a safari at Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve which is just an hour drive away. Saw heaps of animals - elephants, rhinos, zebra, giraffe, buffalo, wart hogs, baboons, nyala, bush buck but unfortunately - no big cats.

We arrived into Richards Bay late Wed night. Conditions the last couple of days were mostly light and involved a bit of motoring. Great to be here!!

Immigration and customs were quick and easy. Sorted out a new SIM card for our phone to get us back online. Also managed to fit in some grocery shopping for some fresh stuff. The cupboards were getting a bit bare and the meals inventive!!

We'll move off the International Check-in Wharf today and move over to the Zululand Yacht Club Marina. Hope to be here just a few days and then start making our way around to Cape Town.

We are on our way to Richard's Bay and hope to arrive Thursday. All is going well with friendly seas and a full moon to brighten our nights. We passed south of the Tropic of Capricorn and it's getting a bit cooler at night. A few things to sort out upon arrival - a fridge that stops going when the ride gets rough, a radar that has given up the ghost, and a wind speed indicator that dances to its own tune! That's it for now. Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.

Tucked in behind some massive sand dunes here at Bazaruto with Adiejewah. Jaga2 will arrive today and Neptune's Highway on Thursday. Stormy weather will be passing by Richard's Bay today and tomorrow. Hopefully we won't have to wait too many days for favorable weather to continue on.

Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.

A lot of motoring the first couple of days. Now sailing with assistance of favorable current. Will stop tomorrow at Bazaruto Island, Mozambique.

Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.

Have just received word from Des, our weather router, that the weather conditions are looking favourable. So we shall head off with the outgoing tide this evening.

We will be in company with another boat - a Dutch couple - Maril & Harry on S/V AdiejeWah. AdiejeWah means 'See you later' in some obscure Dutch dialect. We first met them way back in New Caledonia and have traveled similar routes since then.

A bit of a hiccup we have discovered today. We are having problems sending and receiving Emails with our satellite phone/modem/iPad setup. This means we will not be able to send updates to this website. Shall keep working on the problem - but please don't be alarmed if there isn't any activity on this website until we get to South Africa in a couple of weeks and get an internet connection again.

In the meantime - we can use our satellite phone to send and receive SMS. We also have a SSB radio that we can use to talk to other boats and get weather forecasts.

Talk to you from South Africa if not before!!

We arrived into Baly Bay yesterday afternoon after a pleasant sail down the coast. We shall wait here until the weather looks right to start making our way to South Africa. What was looking like a possible weather window for early next week is being complicated by a low pressure system at the south end of the channel.

We keep studying the weather downloads but will rely on the advice of our weather router. Des has a better grasp of the big picture as well as years of experience sailing in these waters.

Baly Bay is a big ole bay and a good anchorage but the murky water is not conducive to swimming or making water. The other BIG problem is the very slow internet here. I may have to resort to doing some of my polishing that I keep putting off.

The days have slipped by and we are just about at the end of our 60 day visa for Madagascar. We have truly enjoyed our time here and this area of Madagascar is a lovely cruising ground.

The past few days were spent in Russian Bay just south of Nosy Be. It is a large well-protected bay and the story goes that it once harboured a Russian warship. It used to base itself there and pirate passing freighters. At some point the warship ran out of fuel and the sailors were happy to pass the rest of their days with the local people in the bay.

We employed a local guide to take us sailing across the bay on his traditional boat and then on a walk to a local village. Our half day tour finished with his wife cooking us a pleasant lunch which we enjoyed on the beach near his home.

Another highlight of our stop in Russian Bay was a visit from a group of Manta Rays that we watched fishing just next to our boat. I was even able to briefly swim with them - but couldn't keep up!!

We have been studying the forecasts and there is a possible weather window for crossing the Mozambique Channel at the beginning of next week. The plan over the next few days is to make our way about 200 miles south along the west coast of Madagascar. When the weather looks favourable, we shall jump off from Madagascar and head west across the Mozambique Channel. It is about 200 miles across and once we get to the other side we hope to find a favourable south flowing current. If the weather deteriorates, there are some islands along the Mozambique coast that we can shelter behind. As the weather permits, we shall make our way to Richards Bay, South Africa.

We arrived back into Crater Bay a bit late for the Sunday pig on a spit BBQ. We spent the past couple of days about 40 miles north at Nosy Mitsio. Nice spot but no phone signal/internet... We awoke this morning to a favourable breeze and were able to sail most of the way back. Typically the morning land breeze is quite light and variable and the best sailing is with the afternoon sea breeze. As we left Nosy Mitsio this morning, the breeze was strong enough we put a reef in the main and had a terrific sail back.

We've been having a very social time the past couple of weeks. Lots of boats congregating here in preparation for the jump across the Mozambique Channel next month to South Africa.

Last week a dozen of us rented a van and driver and toured around Nosy Be. We enjoyed many scenic view points, a swim under a waterfall and lunch on a 'picture postcard' beach. The main crops on Nosy Be include ylang ylang, vanilla, coffee, and pepper.

Nosy Be is one of the main tourist destinations of Madagascar. There are several expensive resorts in the area and some gorgeous looking villas on the hillsides. In stark contrast, most of the local people live in poverty. Homes are small and built traditionally with locally acquired materials. Typically there is no running water and women can be seen carrying water in buckets on their heads. Clothes washing is done by hand in a nearby river or next to the village well. Some of the men are kept busy fishing in small dug out canoes with 'bedsheets' for sails. Heavily laden dhows carry building materials and supplies between islands and are loaded and unloaded by hand.

Unlike Mayotte, where the women were fashionably dressed with lovely materials in traditional style, much of the clothing worn here is second hand donations from other countries.

Hopefully some of the tourist dollars are benefitting the local people.

Now on another island - Nosy Komba visiting their black lemurs. Groups of about a dozen have their own territory in the bush. Females dominate each group and get most of the food and attention. My love affair with lemurs was dampened a bit by one scruffy black male who left his smelly mark on me.

Several nice restaurants & cafes on this island catering to the tourists. Had planned on climbing a hill to a viewpoint - but maybe another day!.

We'll head back to Hell-ville today for some shopping. A few boats we know are on their way from Mayotte so shall meet up with them as well.

We anchored overnight off this idyllic spot. Two small islands - Nosy Iranja Be (big) and Nosy Iranja Kely (small) - joined together with a sand spit. The sand spit is covered at high tide and at low tide one can walk from one island to the other. We were lucky to be here during the full moon and the sand spit practically glowed in the moonlight at low tide.

These islands are a hawksbill turtle breeding site and as I paddled from the boat into shore I could see several turtles in the clear waters. Their nests on shore are marked and protected. The hawksbill turtles are classifed as critically endangered and have been exploited for their beautiful shells.

The smallest island has a private big buck resort that was out of bounds to us day trippers. The larger island caters to the tourists with restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, dive & snorkeling trips, etc. Top spot and quite nicely done. Hopefully the turtles don't mind sharing it with all us tourists.

We stopped for a few hours on Nosy Antsoha (aka Lemur Island). Had a fantastic experience with three types of lemur that have the run of the place. The guides put a bit mashed banana on our hands to feed them. They were very gentle - no claws, just cute little fingers. Amazing to watch them 'bounce' from tree to tree.

We returned to the Crater Bay anchorage for the Sunday afternoon pig roast at the yacht club. A nice afternoon spent catching up with friends last seen in Thailand and meeting several South African sailors. We also had a couple of games of boules with some local lads - who were quite serious and skillful and needless to say gave us a hiding.

Just down the road, the local dhows are unloading sand, wood, and palm fronds for use in their building industry. The young fellows work long and hard unloading the dhows and then loading onto waiting trucks. Not a fork lift to be seen.

We've spent the past couple of days at Nosy (island) Sakatia. We are anchored next to a turtle reserve where we snorkeled with some huge green turtles. Just missed swimming with the cows this morning! A couple of local boys brought a half dozen zebu (local hump backed cattle) down to the beach and coaxed them in for a swim.

The harbour at Hell-Ville where we had to go to check-in is kept quite busy with local ferries & cargo boats. So - we have moved a couple of miles west to Crater Bay. The Crater Bay anchorage currently has about 50 boats and there are at least a couple of boats here we met at Mayotte. There is a yacht club here with a secure dinghy dock. We'll check it out & see if we can discover a bit more about what to see and do in the area.

The weather is stunning. Lovely sunny warm calm days with a light afternoon sea breeze. The nights are a couple of degrees cooler than Mayotte getting down to about 21C.

This section of the NW coast of Madagascar is typically in a wind shadow. The wind accelerates up the NE coast of Madagascar and then there is an area to the south of here that usually receives more wind. I've attached a weather forecast and you can see the red area with 3 feathered wind barbs indicating 30kn SE winds along the N E coast. We are located at the blue circle with a cross in it by Ambanja with winds less than 5 kn and then stronger 25kn winds SW of us.

The light blue areas suggest rain.

We had a good trip over from Mayotte. As expected we sailed the first few hours and then motored the rest of the way. Still no whales...

Spent the afternoon checking in with the authorities. Not over yet and have to return today to collect our passports. Our new best friend, Jimmy, guided us around & helped smooth out the process.

Life looks a bit slower and more basic here. Hell-Ville, in spite of the name, looks a nice spot. Clean & tidy with plenty of old colonial buildings.

Looking forward to getting out and exploring the nearby islands. Security is more of an issue here, especially for our dinghy & outboard motor.

We have finally started to extricate ourselves from Mayotte. Hard to believe but we have been here more than six weeks. We checked out with the authorities today and that was extremely easy. You have to love the French - no charges and all done within about 20 min. We have moved a few miles south of the main anchorage and will spend the night next to a small island near the pass to exit the lagoon. First light should find us on our way to Madagascar. Not much wind in the forecast so we'll likely be motoring most of the way. Our destination, Hell-Ville on the island of Nosy Be, is about 190nm away so we should arrive on Monday.

We have returned to the main anchorage and are enjoying catching up with the other boats we know here. A couple of new boats have arrived today from Madagascar so will have to chat them up about where to go and what to see. We are starting to think about heading over that way.

There has been a bit of an exodus recently from Mayotte. A lot of the French people have returned to France for the summer holidays and some of the businesses have closed as well.

There is quite a police (gendarmerie) presence on the island as well as a French navy base. Apparently Mayotte has quite a problem with illegal immigration from the neighbouring Comoro islands. With all the police and military around we feel quite safe and secure here. There was even three young members of the French Foreign Legion at the yacht club the other night. Love their hats!!

We departed the main anchorage/mooring field a few days ago to explore Mayotte's lagoon. Hard to believe we have been here almost a month now and we still have so much of the place to see. Have been too busy socialising and enjoying the shopping.

July is the beginning of the humpback whale season but we haven't spotted any yet. Have had a few dolphins visit us while at anchor.

It has been a bit windy and cool for snorkeling so we have been enjoying some walks. The local people have banana, papaya, mango, coconut, orange trees and probably various other plants we don't recognize planted in amongst the native trees on the hillsides. They are all interconnected with trails. We followed a trail up to a look-out one day but then had trouble finding our way back down again. Nice to know they have no poisonous critters here.

We spotted our first lemurs!! Locally on Mayotte they are known as maki. We came across a half dozen up a baobab tree and then we saw a few more traveling along a power line. It was late afternoon and unfortunately we couldn't get any good pictures. They were wonderful to watch moving effortlessly about the trees and making soft snorting noises.

We have been getting settled into our new surroundings and finding our way around. The grocery stores have a wonderful selection of food and drink thanks to the French influence. Lots of cafes & bars.

I am fascinated by the local women and their beautiful dresses. Vivid colours and elaborate patterned fabrics wrapped around themselves. A sandalwood and crushed coral powdery paste on their faces. Traditional make-up and sun protection

We’re here!! Tried to check in but the port captain wasn’t in his office. Tried to get a SIM for our phone to get internet - but the phone service retailer’s computer was down. Tomorrow!! In the meantime at a bar enjoying a wine and reading our email via their WiFi. Place looks awesome. Busy bustling mix of French folk and colorful Africans.

We had a lovely sail yesterday afternoon and then lost the wind. It?s been pleasant motoring along on a calm sea doing a few jobs. Hoping for a passing shower to rinse off all the salt spray. We expect to arrive into Mayotte early tomorrow morning.

We have just rounded Cap D'Ambre and I can report that Madagascar looks beautiful.

After a rough and bouncy night, the sea flattened out as we approached the coast at sun rise. A favourable current and good breeze has us flying around the top at 10+kt. But now that we are here - we have decided to go to Mayotte, a French island about 240nm south west of here. Upon entry into Madagascar, we are only allowed a 90 day visa. We wish to leave Madagascar towards the end of October for South Africa. So we shall hang out in Mayotte for a month or two before going to Madagascar. It's supposed to be quite nice. (Inspite of the French, he says) 3114 NM from Padang - 18.5 days

The wind and seas have eased a bit for our final leg to the top of Madagascar. We should round Cap D'Ambre tomorrow during daylight hours. Looking forward to getting off this magic carpet (aka roller coaster!!) ride and into the calm protected waters in the lee of Madagascar.

185nm to Cap d'Ambre, north Madagascar

We had a rainy night but plenty of sunshine so far today for the solar panels. Since coming through the gap on Tues we have been angling south. Today we head west and tomorrow north west along the coast of Madagascar and then over the top Sat morning. 2782nm fromPadang, 357nm to the north end of Madagascar What was it you used to say Patricia? We can almost smell the barn!?

Yesterday afternoon we navigated our way through the Mascarene Gap, an area between two large banks or shallow areas. Not a great feat as it?s about 65 miles wide! Now we are on a more southwesterly course making our way over to the NW coast of Madagascar. The plan is to try and get as much south as we can before we reach the coast so that we have the wind and swell behind us as we go up and over the top end of Madagascar. But- in the meantime for the next couple of days we are on a more rocky rolling point of sail. With any luck and the forecast is correct, the wind and swell will start easing soon.

Still moving along quite nicely downwind with just the headsail. Hurry Up, Slow down, Hurry up!! The latest weather forecast shows the winds easing around the top end of Madagascar in time for our arrival in a few days. Hurray! Now - wouldn?t it be nice if we could get there during daylight hours. Looks like it might be time to speed up our magic carpet ride.

2415 miles from Padang, 712 miles to the top end of Madagascar

Still moving along comfortably downwind with just the headsail. We had quite a bit of rain and wind last night but things have settled down today. Heavy clouds fill the sky so the solar panels are struggling.

We expect to be at the north end of Madagascar about Fri or Sat. Currently the forecast has a lot of wind there so we have reduced our headsail in size and are trying to slow down a bit so that the weather has a chance to improve by the time we get there. Yea right!!

Still moving along quite nicely downwind with just the headsail. Have shut the freezer off today. We just have a couple of frozen made-ahead meals left. Time to get inventive with the dry stores. The freezer consumes a lot of power and with these cloudy days our solar input just isn?t enough to keep the batteries happy. Happy batteries are important to keep the Captain happy!! 2115 miles from Padang, 1029 miles to the top end of Madagascar

Still moving along quite nicely downwind with just the headsail. Saw several cargo ships on AIS last night. Now today - nothing. Maybe we passed through a shipping lane.

Chatting twice daily on our SSB radio with several other boats.

Neptune Highway at Rodrigues, AdiejeWah & Nauti Nauti at Chagos, Althea & Jaga II a couple hundred miles behind us.

We are moving along quite nicely downwind with just the headsail. The big excitement for the day has been our first AIS target since leaving Sumatra - a cargo ship heading east bound for Singapore. It was 16 miles away and too far to actually see - even when looking out while on the crest of a big wave. Maybe we'll start seeing more shipping now as we approach the north end of Madagascar.

Doesn't take much to amuse us!!

Well, what a difference another day can make!! We are now heading for Madagascar.

A weather forecast of 30+kt breezes and high seas around Rodrigues in the upcoming days made us consider our options. A special thank you to Des in South Africa and Ashley in Townsville, both with first hand experience in the area, for their advice and insights on the weather.

So Plan B is to head to the north end of Madagascar and spend the next few months exploring the NW coast. This area has been quite popular with cruisers visiting in recent years. We have tucked the mainsail away and are now just flying the headsail. We aren't going as fast as we were when the wind was on the beam but it's a nice comfortable run downwind.

1623 miles from Padang 1565 miles to the north end of Madagascar

Well, what a difference a day can make!! We have rather boisterous conditions today.

Last evening the wind picked up from the NW and we were able to sail through the night. This morning after sunrise, thank goodness, the wind dropped off as we headed into a bunch of rain clouds. A couple of hours later we were breaking our way through and starting to see blue sky ahead. Now the wind has filled in from the SE but the seas are quite confused and choppy. The wind is forecast to move more easterly and once it does things should settle down.

1572 miles from Padang 872 miles to Rodrigues

The wind dropped out and we have been motoring since midnight. We have a long lazy swell and a favourable current helping us along. The forecast has a change coming tomorrow or the next day. We will pass through a trough with some squally rain and then should find some stronger favourable SE breezes on the other side.

But in the meantime, having a pleasant relaxing birthday gazing out into the blue and we will enjoy a glass of champagne a little later.

It was a starry starry night and now it's a blue sky day. The wind and waves have eased a bit and it's lovely smooth sailing. The temperature is very pleasant and we've started to wear T-shirts instead of just swim wear. Gone are the hot humid SE Asian days. There's a pot of soup on the stove and some fresh bread in the oven!! We have today passed the half way point between Padang and Rodrigues. The second half of the journey is likely to be a mix of light and strong winds.

Had a couple of passing showers this morning. The past couple of days have been overcast with lumpy seas in the morning and then the afternoons have brightened up to make the solar panels happy. The forecast suggests lighter conditions the next couple of days. It will be disheartening to slow down but the trade off will be a little smoother ride.

The boobie birds continue to accompany us. At cocktail hour a couple tend to circle the boat and come close to the stern to look in at us. Last night we noticed one hitching a ride on the port bow. Not a problem though as he seems to be toilet trained and kept his tail feathers over the edge.

Yet another good night and no fish died on deck.

We are in SSB radio contact with several other boats we know in the area. Unfortunately propagation has not been good the past couple of days. Fortunately most also have satellite phones so we can still send emails and SMS messages and report our positions and discuss any problems.

We are in daily contact via our satellite phone with Des Cason who is in Durban, South Africa. Des is a retired yachtsman with many years and miles of sailing in this part of the world. He is very generous in sharing his experience and local weather knowledge. We send him a daily position report and within a couple of hours he sends back a two to three day outlook specific to us. He has been providing this service free of charge the past four years. Last year he guided more than a hundred boats across to South Africa and down the coast to Cape Town.

Today we are 860 miles from Padang with 1586 miles to go to Rodrigues.

Yet another good night. We had a small early morning shower which I thought might be nice to rinse the salt off the deck - but we keep getting broad sided and splashed by the occasional big wave. Today the wind has moved back of the beam so the ride is getting smoother. We are now on a rhumb line course for Rodrigues. I had a flying fish come join me on my watch last night. He landed in the cockpit and flip flopped his way to the doorway of the cabin. I was able to grab him with my silicone oven mitt and toss him overboard. Unfortunately two other flying fish were not so lucky and died on deck overnight.

We had another good night. Nice steady breeze and no rain. The wind has lessened a bit today but we are now on a beam reach and still making good time. 498 miles from Padang and 1954 miles to go to Rodrigues !! Yesterday we noticed a couple of boobie birds flying around us and today we have seen dozens. There are a few flying fish around which must be attracting them. So far no fishes or bird poop on deck- all is well on board.

We had a very good night. Nice steady breeze and no rain. AND best of all - no other boats. After the last couple of years in SE Asia maneuvering at times amongst hundreds of boats, it is awesome not to see anyone else out here.

We are still beating into the breeze and the sea is a bit lumpy but we are making good progress. 185 miles for the day. Hoping the wind turns a bit more easterly.

There are a few other boats out here that we are talking to on the SSB radio and satellite Phone. AdiejeWah at Chagos, Nauti Nauti is 700m E of Chagos, Althea and Jaga II are 400m in front of us, Starcharger left Darwin Mon, Melimila still in Phuket awaiting new sail.

We were surprised to find ourselves sailing not long after leaving Padang last evening. Had expected to spend the first couple of days motoring south to find some wind. Had several squalls through the night so we are a bit sleep deprived today. The sea is quite lumpy and we are punching into it to make as many miles south as we can. Will probably take a couple of days to get through the ITCZ and the squalls. Then hopefully we'll have the wind over our shoulder and some friendlier sea conditions.

In amongst the squalls last night we also had to dodge several brightly lit squid boats. Hoping that will be the last we see of the local fishing fleet and any boats we come across now will show up on AIS.

Nice to finally be out on the open sea and on our way.

Goodbye Indonesia, Wonderful Indonesia, Goodbye SE Asia. Lots of good times & great people we've met along the way. Looking forward to getting out there & doing some sailing & exploring new countries.

Took the better part of two days to complete the check out procedure in Padang. Incredible the paperwork!! Smiling friendly people everywhere just trying to do their job so couldn't complain.

Will probably do an update every day or two with our satellite phone - just so I can get my technology fix.

We arrived into Padang this morning after an overnight motor. Next to no wind and what there was always seemed on the nose. It was a nice moonlit night with just one passing shower. Not a real good test - but a silicone repair job on a leaky salon window may have worked.

We shall spend a couple of days here doing a bit of shopping and having a look around before checking out of Indonesia with the authorities.

Left Nias Island yesterday morning and spent last night at Sipika Island. On our way there we crossed the equator and now we find ourselves in the Southern Hemisphere again. This was our third crossing of the equator. First time was between Panama and French Polynesia. Second time was between Indonesia and Singapore. Tonight we are anchored inside of the surf break on Tanahbala Island. There is a Telkomsel tower at the head of the bay with a strong phone signal but sadly no internet. Next stop - the bright lights of Padang.

Last day of the Nias Yacht Rally and we are looking forward to a 'Farewell Party' tonight with all our guides. This was the first time they have hosted such an event and have done a great job. A lot of effort went into the preparation of the tours and dancing. For example, hundreds of children prepared for several days to show us their traditional dancing on a visit to their school. Friendly smiling people everywhere we turned. Interesting traditional villages. A big highlight was watching the stone jumping - traditionally part of the training of young men for battle. Nias Island is predominantly Christian with approximately 10% of the population Muslim. Our visit coincided with Ramadan so Nias was a good choice - food & beer available throughout the day !

Day 1 - Nias Yacht Rally - Teluk Dalam city tour - highlights included seeing the stone jumping monument, a visit to a Catholic church adorned with local wood carvings & in traditional architecture style, a cool drink with the delightful Sister Yustina Hondrö, tea & coffee with the Regent of South Nias and then a cold Bintang to complete an enjoyable day.

We moved to Lagundri Bay on the south end of Nias Island. Another world class surf location with huge surf breaking at the entrance to the bay. Unfortunately there is a lot of swell invading the bay and it's a bit rocky and rolly. Not so bad for us in our catamaran but the two monohulls anchored with us are not enjoying it. The swell is up enough throughout the bay to make it very difficult to land the dinghy on the beach and there are no piers. So tomorrow we'll probably move a few miles east to another bay and the town of Teluk Dalam. There will be five days of festival activities for us there next week.

Enjoying a pleasant stop at a small island - Pulau Asu- off the west coast of Nias Island. We spent a couple of hours walking around the island and visited three surf orientated accommodation businesses. There are also about 50 indigenous people living on the island who help support the surfing industry.

Surfers - a whole new culture of people to us. We met an interesting bunch yesterday. Professional men from all over the world travelling the world to surf. This part of Indonesia is apparently 'world renowned' in surfing circles.

We had a good trip down to Nias Island from Sabang. The first night we had a squall with 25kn breezes to liven things up between 1 and 2 am. The rest of the time there was a long gentle ocean swell with a light breeze which was NOT on the nose for a change. We even managed to turn the motor off and sail for a few hours.

Typically there is not much sailing in these equatorial waters. The other nice feature of this trip was the near absence of fishing boats and shipping - such a contrast from Malacca Strait on the east side of Sumatra.

The little black box (MDI - mechanical diesel interface) has gone on the port engine again. The Volvo guys in KL will try to get their Indonesian colleagues to come to Nias Island or Padang to replace it for us. It is still under warranty. In the meantime, Bob has attached a starter switch so that we can still use the engine. The instruments (rev counter, temp gauge, battery indicator) do not work without the MDI. Also - it seems the alternator on port engine is no longer charging. Something else for him to fix !!

In the meantime, we have anchored in behind a surf break in a nicely protected anchorage complete with communications tower. What more could a girl want!! Time for a swim and then a nap.

Just testing - sending an email via sat phone to YIT.

Our current plan is to leave Sabang tomorrow morning and make our way down the west coast of Sumatra to Nias Island. Total distance approx 400 miles.

Our five days of activities during the Sabang Marine Festival included much more than just enjoying the local food, touring the island and watching traditional dancing. The crews from twenty boats were invited to participate in many interactive experiences – joining in a parade with local children and a marching band down the main street of town, planting bougainvillea on the boulevard outside a school, wearing Acehnese traditional clothing, making mats from coconut palm fronds, line fishing in a pond stocked with an assortment of fish, picking up plastic off a section of beach, playing traditional drums made of goat skin and jackfruit wood after receiving instruction on how to ‘slap and tap’, making coffee in the Acehnese traditional manner. Kopi tarik (pulled coffee) is where the freshly brewed coffee is repeatedly poured and filtered through a cotton strainer from one container to another to enhance the flavour.

On the last day of the Marine Festival we took a ferry across to the city of Banda Aceh where we visited the Tsunami Museum. The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake was of a magnitude greater than 9M and the epicentre was located just off the NW coast of Sumatra. It set off a series of tsunamis with a maximum height of 30 meters reported and claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people in several countries across the region. The city of Banda Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra was one of the hardest hit losing 90,000 people. Almost fifteen years after the event, driving around the rebuilt areas of Banda Aceh, it was difficult to imagine the destruction and devastation that took place. Local guides described their first hand experiences. Monuments and memorials noted the names of the dead. Pictures and video clips in the museum helped to re-enact the event. Seeing a 2600 ton barge that had been swept 5 km inland into a residential area helped to make one better appreciate the power and destruction of the tsunamis.

While at Banda Aceh, we were also treated to some more traditional dancing. The ‘Saman’ or ‘dance of a thousand hands’ is a sitting dance performed without musical instruments. The young men sit in a kneeling position, singing and clapping and slapping their hands on their shoulders and laps and swaying their torsos and heads in an ever-increasing fast paced rhythm. Quite spectacular to watch.

Still in the same place (between Pulau Rubiah & Pulau Weh) and we’ve been enjoying some lazy days. The good news is we also found some nice coral. Our daily schedule includes a leisurely breakfast, a snorkel or two – maybe a dive, reading and planning for our next few months of travel, some boat jobs, happy hour get togethers and dinners ashore.

We are sitting at anchor with four other boats that we sailed through Indonesia with in 2017. We shall all continue this year across the Indian Ocean towards South Africa. It’s been great to get together again and discuss our upcoming travel plans. We won’t all go the same way or leave at the same time but we shall continue to talk via SSB radio as we cross the Indian Ocean and meet up again in Madagascar or South Africa. We are also meeting other boats here that will transit the Indian Ocean this year. Several boats we know are taking a more northern route stopping at Sri Lanka and the Maldives and we’ll meet them again on the other side later in the year.

The weather has been rather benign - the occasional shower, mostly sunny skies and light breezes. The temperature ranges from about 33C during the day to 27C at night with high humidity. It doesn’t take much physical activity during the day to break a sweat. The best place to be is in the water!! The water temperature is about 30C so not real refreshing but very easy to soak in during the heat of the day. We often sleep the first half of the night on deck as it is just that little bit cooler than inside the boat.

We’ve been doing some diving with a local dive operation. They load up their boat with all the dive gear, pick us up from our boat and we are at a dive site within 10-20 minutes. Too easy!! Not fantastic coral or spectacular visibility but a pretty nice selection of fish and assorted sea critters. We are often diving in current making it more challenging but also beautiful with fan corals and feather stars.

There is a good selection of small restaurants onshore serving local and western food. The meals are very reasonably priced at about $3 or $4. Typically there is no alcohol served although we have found a couple that do. A few local tricks we’ve learned such as ordering ‘apple juice’ (nudge/nudge/wink/wink) and receiving an icy cold amber yeasty smelling beverage.

Several more boats will be arriving over the next few days in anticipation for a local ‘Marine Festival’ this coming weekend. We’ll be treated to local tours, dinners and sporting activities. Looking forward to it.

We changed anchorage and have moved a few miles west to Pulau (Island) Rubiah. A more touristy area with several dive shops, small hotels/guesthouses and restaurants. The water is lovely & clear with lots of fish. Haven't seen much for coral yet - will keep looking.

Forecast is for rain tomorrow but then the weather looks good for the next few days

The prices are pretty reasonable for diving here so may get the locals to take us out for a few dives.

We have arrived into Sabang after a slow motor with just a bit of sailing. Quite a steady stream of big ships coming over the top of Sumatra entering & leaving the Malacca Strait.

Two dinghy loads of officials to greet us with plenty of paperwork & smiles. Then we had to visit them in their offices to collect our paperwork & pasports. The whole check in process took about 4 hours.

Our arrival has coincided with a local festival with events & food galore.. But first we must check out the water & snorkeling. Water looks marvelous!!

Electrical and chart plotter problems sorted. A loose wire and a faulty update seemed to be the culprits.

Time to leave Malaysia and what a send off we received. Military ships galore as well as jet aircraft circling us in the sky. Or perhaps our departure just coincided with LIMA'19 (Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibiton)

So... we decide to motor over to Kuah which is the main town on Langkawi. We'll do a last grocery shop for fresh fruit & veg and then check out of Malaysia at the Harbour Master, Customs & Immigration. Right? Wrong...

First thing we notice is our one year old chart plotter/multi-function display at the navigation table doesn't want to turn on. Keeps trying, flickering and going off. No problem - we have another one at the helm station. No - it doesn't work because it is the slave and the nav table chartplotter is the master. No problem - we can navigate by eye and use the navigation programs on our ipad and iphone.

Hmmm the autopilot isn't working - it seems it can't find the GPS. No problem - we have a spare autopilot. Strange,,, there doesn't seem to be any power getting to it. Or for that matter to any of the pumps on port side (watermaker, galley sink, port head).

Well Eric - this is the cruising life at its finest - think we'll be here a few more days...

We booked Icaros into Rebak Marina for a few days and we took advantage of some cheap Air Asia flights to Penang. Bob & I visited the Indonesian Consulate to get a long stay visa. The rest of the time we enjoyed touring Penang, sampling the food and walking around historic George Town. We introduced Eric to some of the local favourites such as Cendol - an iced sweet dessert that contains worm-like green rice flour jelly, red beans, coconut milk and palm sugar.

Eric has come to visit. Most of the jobs on the 'To Do List' are done, the boat is laden with food and grog and now it's time to do some touristy fun things. Spent a few enjoyable days anchored off Cenang Beach. Nice beach to walk along with a great choice of bars and restaurants.

Painted & polished & ready to get back in the water. Looking pretty nice!!

We'll spend the next three weeks around Langkawi preparing for our next passage. Still a few more jobs on the 'To Do' list and lots of provisioning. Langkawi is a duty free island & they have some pretty good liquor prices. The waterline is going to be quite a bit lower...

Currently up out of the water at Rebak Island Marina to repaint the bottom & a few other jobs. Situated on a small island off of Langkawi Island. A nice resort next door complete with pool & swim up bar that we can use. A pleasant reward after a hard days work. We expect to be here about ten days.

Our last stop in Thailand was spent on Koh Lanta. Lovely beach full of restaurants & bars and best of all - no noisy long-tail boats. Could have spent more time here but shall take advantage of a favourable breeze & make our way to Langkawi.

A fun day yesterday. Started with a dinghy parade. Drone footage will likely appear on the Sail Thailand facebook page in a day or so.

A local boatyard hosted the day and we were treated to traditional Thai food, cocktails & beer, batik painting, vegetable carving and rope splicing. Several local boat related businesses were on hand with displays and info.

We're at a well protected anchorage/river but the murky water isn't conducive to swimming. Tomorrow night is the big finale for the rally and then we'll check out of Thailand and make our way back to Langkawi.

Spent a couple of days visiting a few hongs in Phang Na Bay, paddling around several islands and enjoying the scenery.

One of the Sail Thailand Rally activities was a beach clean up. We were joined by 20+ school children and about a dozen adults from a nearby resort. Only took an hour to fill several bags and this was quite a clean beach.

Exploring the islands near Krabi - along with hundreds - no thousands of incredibly noisy long tail boats.

We are in Port Takola Marina near Krabi with its lovely karst landscape in the background. Have spent a bit of time enjoying their new restaurant/bar complete with live entertainment.

Ventured into Krabi town to find a shop to check that our main sail winch motor was OK. Have replaced a control box for the winches & so far so good.

Another day we rented a long tail boat with several other Rally members and visited a Muslim village community living on a nearby island. We checked out their rice farming, fish & crab farming, model boat building, wood carving, batik printing as well as one of their Seafood restaurants.

The past couple of days in Nai Harn Bay were spent socializing & saying goodbye to many. Thailand is a crossroads for our cruising friends. Some will remain in SE Asia for awhile, some will head to the Med, some will return to Australia & some like us will head across the Indian Ocean towards South Africa.

Yesterday we sailed from Nai Harn Bay towards Krabi which is the next stop on our rally schedule. We are currently anchored below one of the King's palaces. So far - no invite.

An interesting day of sailing yesterday... When raising the main sail, the electric winch struggled to get it to the top of the mast and then died - along with all the electrics. Not sure why it just didn't trip a breaker? We could get all the electrics going again but had to avoid using any of the electric winches (head sail & anchor) or they would knock out the electrics. Fun & games. Shall have to use man power until we get this winch motor sorted.

We headed back to Nai Harn Bay yesterday so we could join a bunch of our Aussie mates and celebrate Australia Day.

Day 2 of the Rally saw us visiting a Pearl farm in a nearby bay. About 1500 oysters hanging around in cages for 1.5 years. They don't have to feed them but they do have to clean off the barnacles & other sea growth each month. Then we were off to a rum factory... Need I say anything more !! Up to the highest point on Phuket Island to see Big Buddha and enjoy the views. The day was topped off with a terrific buffet dinner & excellent cultural theatre show at Siam Niramit.

We've come back into Ao Chalong to join up with the Sail Thailand Rally. Had a very nice lunch with everyone at the Phuket Yacht Club. There's only about a dozen boats in this Rally . We already know three of the boats. So nice to catch up with them as well as meet several others.

We have settled back into Nai Harn Bay at the South end of Phuket Island. A nice protected bay in this NE season. We're trying to have our days start with an early morning walk up to the lookout with sometimes a stop at a French Boulangerie on the way back. Lots of restaurants & fresh fruit vendors ashore to keep us happy. There's even a couple of reasonable snorkeling spots in the bay.

The Big Buddha is having a bit of trouble watching us through the clouds. An uneventful past 24 hours with not much wind or rain. The storm has passed us by but we may see a day or two of rainy conditions. We have our rain collection gear in place to try and catch some !!

Anchored at the top end of Ao Chalong under the watchful eyes of Big Buddha. The calm before the storm? Eerily quiet this morning. This bay is usually a hive of boating activity but there has been a ban placed on all boats leaving port until Tropical Storm Pabuk passes by. The eastern coast of this part of Thailand will bear the brunt of the storm & we should only feel the after effects - fingers crossed !!

We took advantage of some favourable breezes and have returned to Nai Harn Bay at Phuket. The weather forecast has a tropical storm moving into the area in the next couple of days. We shall move up the east coast of Phuket and find a snug anchorage.