Island Spirit”s hull # 2 was delivered to her home port of Durban recently by the Fortuna delivery skipper Michel and her new owner Randall. The trip up the South African coast is a notoriously difficult passage with the Aghullas current running at up to 3+ Knots in a Southerly direction but experienced crew knows to sail close inshore to stay out of the main current while trying to catch any counter currents.  

Weather is always a factor on this passage and wind against current can create some challenging sea conditions.The area off the “Wild Coast” is acknowledged as one of the most dangerous areas in the world for shipping because of the huge rogue waves that have done serious damage to many ships off this coastline.

Michel managed to catch a weather window which enabled him to leave with favorable wind conditions. The first part of the trip was done under spinnaker with the yacht reaching a recorded top speed of 19.5 Knots while surfing down a wave.

The boat tracked effortlessly and maintained good speed on all points of sail during the trip. When they got close to Durban the wind finally clocked around to the North and the “Iron Genoa” (engine) had to be employed for the last 100 miles.

The trip of approximately 800 NM was done in 5 days and 3 hours at an average speed of 6.5 knots which is exceptional for this trip. Randall was suitably impressed with the performance of his new Island Spirit and we wish him many happy years of sailing.