wind direction

[Manie B]

A good buddy just asked me what is the best route to sail from Durban South Africa to Sydney Australia and do i have a chart / map of the global wind directions and / or trade winds.

So i search and check, and search and check, no way.

Gawd i cant find anything usefull

My dear members please bail me out here, my brain dont function today, i cant even come up with a decent suggestion. Inland and coastal sailing does not make a sailor after all

[TeddyDiver]

A bit SE and then it starts to blow all the way directly to OZ
http://winds.jpl.nasa.gov/imagesAnim/early.cfm

[Guest625101138]

This could help if he wants to make the investment:
http://www.digwave.com/products_weather.htm

Rick W.

[TeddyDiver]

And from here the winds as they are now..
http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/marin...T=afri&LANG=en

[Trevlyns]

Manie, This website has a lot of info and I find it very useful. Also, see if you can locate a copy of Jimmy Cornell's "World Cruising Routes" Lots of routes, maps, winds, best times to make the voyage etc. I picked up a copy on e-bay for only five quid. You can also try Amazon, libraries etc.

Good place to leave from - I miss it silly!

But why the hell would you want to go to Oz?

[Manie B]

Trevlyns and the folks that left south africa within the last five years - this place is a changing very fast (understatement). I dont want to come across as a whining old fart, my small business (plant hire to construction and building) has survived a world wide housing and building recession reasonably well. Still got bread - NO JAM? However the truth is - the place is sinking and my concern is with - Thabo and "Bob" being brothers (with a chinese ship in Durban harbour LOADED with arms and ammo for Zimbabwe???) and ZUMA as the next king kong, so time for me to piss off.

Oz is ok by me - southern hemisphere etc.
Just what is surprising is the talk at the yot clubs, jeez you aint heard nuttin yet, god bless their souls, they own yachts but many of them are dumb fuckers = clueless. So watch out when you see them on the ocean, give a wide berth.

[safewalrus]

Luckily Manie (from experience) most of the numpties that talk 5h1t in yacht clubs don't actually go to sea! and if they do it ain't for long! They soon get scared and run back to port! Just got to avoid the rush back to port is all!

[masalai]

Manie wait till winter (if you can) then the westerlies blow a bit further north - the water is warmer but the wind when she blows is BLOOOOODY cold sort of make a loop to arrive at Karratha Exmouth or Port Hedland on the NW of Western Australia... Make sure you notify customs/immigration of your arrival 96 hours before arrival or face the consequences of a legacy left by that bush lover & fellow ******** little Johnny (howard)... Read "The Coastal Passage website for the latest on this entry ********....

May I suggest, from Durban, to go, 1500 Nmiles, via Reunion & or Mauritius (-21.086 S & 55.545 E and -20.075 S & 57.465 E respectively) - I do not know the politics there - - thence, 1150Nmiles, to the British Owned American base of Diego Garcia (about -7.3549 degrees S and 72.4212 E )... The next LOOOONG leg to about NW cape (approx -21.5 S & 113.9 E) is about 2640 miles. Hang over there or with your boat till after "Cyclone season" or pray and make a dash with local charts bought on arrival for a coastal run DAY SAILING - dangerous - in early summer at latest...

Don't rely on me get LOTS of other advice...

[charmc]

Originally Posted by safewalrus

Luckily Manie (from experience) most of the numpties that talk 5h1t in yacht clubs don't actually go to sea! and if they do it ain't for long! They soon get scared and run back to port! Just got to avoid the rush back to port is all!

True enough, Safie & Manie. When I kept my small simple vessel at a marina, I had many a question as to why I was adding batteries and an isolator. I'd explain that I didn't have a generator, but wanted some minimal power available while anchored out in my favorite remote cove, then listen to them tell me how they really enjoyed cruising to a remote site too, but couldn't because ________________ (insert whatever lame excuse comes to mind). I'd take the family cruising for some communing with nature for a few days, returning to see the same yachts in the same slips, nothing changed except the dumpsters were full of empty booze bottles. The marina owner said he wished he had a liquor license instead of a fuel dock; some of the biggest motor yachts there only topped off their tanks before winter haulout.

[safewalrus]

Aye Charlie, it's a fact of boating the whole world over, the more you talk the less you do! So where does that put me? MMMMmmmmmmmmm I have an excuse tho' boatless and moneyless at the moment - primarily due to that other problem in most lives - wives!! (too many of them, never learned, see!!)

[Gypsie]

I am with Trevlyns, why go to Australia???

[safewalrus]

Why indeed? possibly because despite a little bit of bad press it's still a nice place? with nice people! Who don't take 5h1t!! From the self appointed..............

[Manie B]

Australia has a couple of strong points of interest for South Africans, the same language, drive on the same side of the road, southern hemisphere, european influenses and i suppose a couple of other interesting similarities.

Most important a WHITE GOVERNMENT.
Regardless of whether everybody wants to come and burn my house down tonight, fact is there never has been a succesful BLACK GOVERNMENT in Africa and NEVER WILL.

Time for the world to stop dreaming, they simply cant do it.
Do your home work and start reading, South Africa is on the downward slide, how long, how fast, how deep is anybodies guess. Please remember at some point South Africa was considered First World.

I am betting my bottom dollar on max. 15 to 20 years, then this place will be on a even keel with ALL OF THE REST OF AFRICA = Third World. The "brain drain" here is out of control, and this country wont be able to attract skilled AND experienced people easily, if at all. The shift of power and black empowerment has happened WAY TOO FAST. And they cant see that they are lagging further behind every day.

I have been in business now for 30 years, got the "T" shirt.
Been doing "forward planning" for the past 10 years, be warned!

[size="5"]So now if not OZ what do you suggest?[/SIZE]

It is lunch time here and the pub only opens at 6

[safewalrus]

Well said Manie - UK is to full, and soon we will also have a Black (semi) goverment! either that or all the 'white Philomons' will take over - some call 'em Eastern Europeans!