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More info can be found at Update March 11, 2008 Iron Mistress Update: In our last e-mail to the PYC membership we had left St. Helena on our way to Antigua with a planned brief stop in Fernando De Noronha (a small island group off of Brazil). In the last e-mail I noted that we were experiencing very light air with spinnaker and wing and wing drills every day to keep her moving. We made it to Fernando in 14 days and 21 hours--Ellen Mc Arthur does not have to worry (no speed record here). But it was all under sail so good for our limited fuel supplies. Fernando was a disappointment due to policy and the officials. Although they were very nice, we had to pay $138 US per day just to anchor in the harbor. With out question the highest fees we have paid anywhere in the world. Since there is no bank to exchange money, the (Port Captain) loaned us bus fare to go to the airport where the only ATM machine is so we could get money to pay the fees. They do take credit cards--but only mastercard--we only have Visa. Plus Immigration (armed with 21 shot semi automatic pistols) told us our cruising info was incorrect and we needed a advance visa! But after some scrambled communications--we did not speak Portuguese and they did not speak English, they said we could stay for 3 days. So by the time we got to the airport and came back--"Day One was gone"---so we went back to the boat without fuel or provisions and left the next day after some boat work. For a place that is extremely hot, humid and with mediocre scenery and water, they should reconsider how they treat cruisers. At least the women on vacation from Brazil all wore thong bikinis!! We then sailed and motored to the ITCZ which we encountered at 00.20.00 South and 034.57.56 West. We used the NOAA tropical Atlantic chart to monitor it's(ITCZ) position. Since that point we have been dealing with torrential rains, sunshine, 40 knot + squalls that seem to stay with you forever even though you are using avoidance tactics, light wind and no wind. A hellish place to spend one's time. But we expect to encounter the North East trades with the next couple of degrees of North Latitude. Iron Mistress and crew have finally entered the Northern hemisphere once again. Next stop--Antigua, Jolly Harbor--1822 nm away which will end our circumnavigation as we close our circle and put an end to this very long 5600 nm passage. Out for now, Crew of Iron Mistress Robert and Elyse Brown ------------------------------------------------- To our friends at PYC: This is an update from the yacht Iron Mistress (home port Portsmouth) and crew -- Robert and Elyse Brown. We left the PYC docks in Sept 2003 to start our 5 year circumnavigation. We have lived on board since that time and initially cruised to Virginia for the Caribbean 1500. We won our class and cruised the Eastern Caribbean before returning to Florida briefly to watch the final stages of our new house being built. The problem was that we were in Punta Gorda, Florida and suffered a direct hit from Hurricane Charley (cat 4 with gusts over 175 mph). It destroyed the town but our house was not too bad as it was built to the new hurricane standards. We stayed on Iron Mistress at the local Marina and watched in horror as boats were dismasted, sunk in their slips and generally being destroyed by the million of tiles that came off the surrounding buildings and were flying through the air. Our boat being made of steel (a custom Ted Brewer one off) was tied to the docks in a big spider web of lines and other than breaking through the dock we were attached to and collapsing pilings on top of us, we fared pretty well. None the less, it delayed our trip by 7 months as we made repairs (we understand the town is still rebuilding). With Iron Mistress ready to go again, we sailed directly over the top of Cuba to the Panama canal. Since that time we have cruised to the Galapagos, Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Palmerston Island, Niue, Tonga, Fiji and New Zealand where we spent 18 months. We then left in April 2007 and went to New Caledonia, Darwin Australia via the Torres Strait, crossing the notorious Arafura Sea to get there. Then we went to Ashmore Reef and Cocos Keeling where we started our big push to Africa through the southern Indian ocean and the Mascarene Islands. Then direct to South Africa around the bottom of Madagascar from Reunion Island (the southern most Mascarene island)--- Note on the Arafura Sea which borders the North coast of Australia--it is only about 180 to 200 feet deep. To it's west is the Indian Ocean and to the east is the Coral Sea joined by the Torres Strait. So there is alot of water movement in different directions and when it blows 35 knots plus it creates a seaway that nightmares are made of. We spent 72 hours in gale force conditions there during our 2600 nm nonstop passage from New Caledonia to Darwin and had six waves completely wash over the boat. It was impossible to heave to so you just had to keep going--without question, the worst weather we had for this whole trip!! This route(the Southern Indian Ocean) has the advantage of the strong south east trades and the South east equatorial current is with you, but it is known for alot of wind and the potential for freak waves and heavy weather off of the southern tip of Madagascar due to the cold fronts one can encounter from the lows that march constantly across the southern ocean in the roaring forties. We did not shake our 3rd reef out for over 3 thousand miles!!! We did encounter a gale off of Madagascar and broached one night (always happens at night) when a wave came on board and caused the auto pilot to disengage for a moment. But she came right back up and we spent the next hour running down wind and going to the third reef which should have been put in long ago (we always reef down wind). After that we made it to Richards Bay South Africa unscathed and crossed the infamous Agulhas current in the process--no problem. We spent 3 months in Africa and did get caught in a north east gale in the Agulhas Current on our way to East London from Richards Bay--this was not that much of a surprise so we were prepared and we had a best ever 24 hour run of 243 nm!!! That's fast for a 41 foot loaded cruising boat. It is the only place in the world with those conditions where you can do that kind of speed. We were to endure one more gale (sustained 43 knots gusting in the fifties) on our way to Simonstown while rounding Cape Agulhas. To say the least, the African coast and currents/weather lived up to it's reputation, but the good thing is all of that weather was mostly from behind--if it wasn't, I would not be talking to you now. We left Africa on Jan 31st 2008 and stopped briefly at St Helena (1792 nm away) and are on our way home--currently 3000 nm out in the South Atlantic which is totally benign sailing--have sailed the last 1000 nm with a cruising chute up in 10 to 11 knots of true wind. So the worst is over and we are enjoying life. All the best Crew of Iron Mistress -------------------------------------------------
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