Madagascar

[Steven UK]

As part of this year’s itinerary I’ll be sailing down to South Africa and if weather and time allow may push on to Madagascar. However noonsite and the https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-ad...security#Crime suggest a less than ideal security situation. Does anyone have recent first hand experience? If I make it there I would very likely need long term storage, I.e. six month ish. Does anyone have experience sailing these waters later in the year. My plan is to head south from the canneries at the end of June towards Brazil then east to Cape Town. I may or may not stop in Brazil or South America. As usual any help is much appreciated.

Regards Steven (Khensu)

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Steven UK

As part of this year’s itinerary I’ll be sailing down to South Africa and if weather and time allow may push on to Madagascar. However noonsite and the https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-ad...security#Crime suggest a less than ideal security situation. Does anyone have recent first hand experience? If I make it there I would very likely need long term storage, I.e. six month ish. Does anyone have experience sailing these waters later in the year. My plan is to head south from the canneries at the end of June towards Brazil then east to Cape Town. I may or may not stop in Brazil or South America. As usual any help is much appreciated.

Regards Steven (Khensu)

You will be sailing in the Southern Atlantic in the middle of winter, and generally against the grain on a very long voyage. You have a well designed boat but it will still be a bit of a tough trip. Once you reach Africa you'll have to deal with the Agulhas Current, which will be against you, to round the Cape and head north, and it is the stormy time of the year.

My advice is to reschedule so that you depart the equator in Sept or October, stop for a rest in St Helena, then work to Namibia, and choose your weather windows carefully for rounding Africa.

If you proceed up the Mozambique Channel to Madagascar be aware that the east coast cities there have some crime issues, use a lot of caution. The west coast is less populated and may be less stressful. If you have to leave your boat I recommend Richard's Bay in S. Africa rather than Madagascar.

[atoll]

i would not leave an un -attended boat in mada,but you could in mayotte on a mooring with guardianage in dzoudzi fairly safely,apart from the risk of cyclones,nov-april

if i were to do the trip starting in june ,i would head N to the med in june transit the suez canal in november,stop in seyschells or east africa till april,then head south to madagasgar to arrive in richards bay in sept-oct.

southern ocean is no place for a small boat in winter!

[AiniA]

I think Atoll has it pretty much right. The kind of boats we sail work best when we don't fight nature - temperature, prevailing winds, currents.

[Steven UK]

My boat is in Madeira and I plan to have the boat in the water 1st June. From there maybe a month in canneries. Then July start working my way towards Brazil maybe stopping there… maybe not. But I expect I will be well into august before I start heading East towards South Africa. If Madagascar is not safe to leave my boat I may consider bypassing it. I quite fancy India… ideas?

[Steven UK]

Originally Posted by atoll

i would not leave an un -attended boat in mada,but you could in mayotte on a mooring with guardianage in dzoudzi fairly safely,apart from the risk of cyclones,nov-april

if i were to do the trip starting in june ,i would head N to the med in june transit the suez canal in november,stop in seyschells or east africa till april,then head south to madagasgar to arrive in richards bay in sept-oct.

southern ocean is no place for a small boat in winter!

What would you consider an earliest safe time to start moving south of Canaries, to SOuth America then across to SOuth Africa?

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Steven UK

What would you consider an earliest safe time to start moving south of Canaries, to SOuth America then across to SOuth Africa?

people generally want to be in brazil by june to avoid the risk of early hurricanes that can form near to the cape verdes and aprox 10 degree north after june,however the risk is still low till about august.

once you reach fernando de noronha,and or the mainland,with your 6 month brazil visa in hand,work your way south in brazil coast hopping till about the lattitude of cape town,ideally setting off from south america for cape town in nov,dec,jan.

once cape town is reached,ideally earlier in the year better sail up the coast,not many stops though refit,reprovision then aim to leave richards bay after april,at the end of cyclone season,and before the winter gales start in the mozambique channel,quite a few stops in mozambique,then mayotte,and nose'be area in mada are cyclone free untill the start of november.

as i said before mayotte is safe out of cyclone season and has daily flights to france via reunion.

mozambique channel today,why you want to get your seasons right!

https://on.windy.com/68s3n

[atoll]

edited for clarity!
people generally want to be in brazil by june to avoid the risk of early hurricanes that can form near to the cape verdes and aprox 10 degree north after june,however the risk is still low till about august.

once you reach fernando de noronha,and or the brazil mainland,with your 6 month brazil visa in hand,work your way south on the brazil coast,coast hopping till about the lattitude of uraguay,ideally setting off from south america for cape town in nov,dec,jan.

once cape town is reached,ideally to leave in january,the earlier in the year the better for your sail up the coast to richards bay,not many places for stops on the way to RD,then, refit,reprovision haul out ,paint. in RB
then aim to leave richards bay after april,at the end of cyclone season,and before the winter gales start in the mozambique channel,quite a few stops in mozambique,then mayotte,and nose'be area in mada are cyclone free untill the start of november.

as i said before mayotte is safe out of cyclone season and has daily flights to france via reunion.

mozambique channel today,why you want to get your seasons right!

https://on.windy.com/68s3n

[psk125]

French forums have stories agreeing with Atoll about the travails (French word, btw) of leaving boats on the hard or moored in Madagascar. Problems getting things done, or conversely, making sure nothing happens to the boat. Underpaid officials with expensive habits who are reluctant to sign required paperwork. Maybe they just resent the French colonial oppressors and would find a Brit refreshing. Or maybe not.

[Steven UK]

Originally Posted by psk125

French forums have stories agreeing with Atoll about the travails (French word, btw) of leaving boats on the hard or moored in Madagascar. Problems getting things done, or conversely, making sure nothing happens to the boat. Underpaid officials with expensive habits who are reluctant to sign required paperwork. Maybe they just resent the French colonial oppressors and would find a Brit refreshing. Or maybe not.

Thanks for the heads up… I may just sail past…