# Scotland to Cape Town



## SEAHORSES (May 17, 2020)

Hi All,

I am fairly new to sailing but I have done a lot of Ski boating in Cape Town.

I hope to find a strong Beneteau Evasion 32 or similar motor sailer for under £15,000.

1/ Does anyone have anything to say against the Evasion 32?

2/ Does anyone have a 30ft plus for sale?

3/ Has anyone got any tips for sailing down Africa from Glasgow to Cape Town, apart from can you swim?

Many thanks in advance.

Regards
Peter


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

That is a really challenging trip to make even for an experienced sailor. The southern part of Africa can have truly nasty weather. (An acquaintance described the first 10 days a delivery from Cape Town to the Caribbean as having winds in the 30 to 50 knot range, and waves in the 12-14 meter range. Pitchpoling and broaching and getting rolled are a real possibility in those conditions with that type of boat.) Then you need to get past the doldrums, which is a mix of light wind punctuated by squalls. And then there is a tough leg to Scotland in an area of heavy winds and heavy shipping. It is not a trip for someone who describes themselves as fairly new to sailing. 

The Evasion was a lightly built, value oriented, coastal oriented motor sailor. The last one was made roughly 40 years ago. Putting one in shape for a trip like this would require replacing pretty much all of the systems. I would also be concerned whether the hull itself still retained enough strength for a trip like that. The large cabin windows would need to be replaced with heavier duty material or have protective coverings added over the top.

The original Renault diesels were a little under powered, not all that reliable, and parts are becoming hard to come by. Many of these boats have been re-powered so that may be a moot point. 

The Evasion is a very slow boat and so if done in a single leap would be a 60 to 90 day trip, and the Evasion does not have the carrying capacity for that length passage. Similarly the Evasion neither has the fuel or water capacity for that trip. You can break the trip into smaller hops but that means ducking in along the way. 

I would never think to ask if you can swim. That's pretty much irrelevant. I might ask if you had a good life insurance policy. 

Jeff


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

Jeff_H said:


> That is a really challenging trip to make even for an experienced sailor. The southern part of Africa can have truly nasty weather. (An acquaintance described the first 10 days a delivery from Cape Town to the Caribbean as having winds in the 30 to 50 knot range, and waves in the 12-14 meter range. Pitchpoling and broaching and getting rolled are a real possibility in those conditions with that type of boat.) Then you need to get past the doldrums, which is a mix of light wind punctuated by squalls. And then there is a tough leg to Scotland in an area of heavy winds and heavy shipping. It is not a trip for someone who describes themselves as fairly new to sailing.
> 
> The Evasion was a lightly built, value oriented, coastal oriented motor sailor. The last one was made roughly 40 years ago. Putting one in shape for a trip like this would require replacing pretty much all of the systems. I would also be concerned whether the hull itself still retained enough strength for a trip like that. The large cabin windows would need to be replaced with heavier duty material or have protective coverings added over the top.
> 
> ...


Hey Jeff, tell us how you really feel.lol
And let us not forget that the piracy so prevalent on the East Coast of Africa has shifted to the central eastern coast, precluding the possibility of getting water or provisions for at least a thousand miles on that portion of your voyage. That would turn your route from coastal hopping to a rather lengthy run from CapeTown to C-19 infested Brazil and then back across the Atlantic to the Azores or somewhere else on the east.
Yeah, like Jeff, I wasn't at all curious about your swimming ability.


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## SEAHORSES (May 17, 2020)

Dear Jeff,

That is exactly the kind of info that i need.

I intend to do the trip in short hops.

What make/vessel should I start looking for?

Pirate areas did cross my mind.

Your input is very much appreciated.

Thanks again.

SEAHORSES


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

SEAHORSES said:


> Dear Jeff,
> 
> That is exactly the kind of info that i need.
> 
> ...


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

SEAHORSES said:


> Dear Jeff,
> 
> That is exactly the kind of info that i need.
> 
> ...


Last night I started looking for boats in South Africa that would be a good choice for the passage that you are proposing, and then I noticed for the first time that you are not proposing to sail from South Africa to Scotland but the opposite Scotland to South Africa. While the trip from South Africa to Scotland is a brutal trip, going the opposite direction is in many ways worse. This is true because the prevailing winds and currents along the lower African coast run from South to North and are typically very strong. So there isn't a coast hopping route that makes sense in that direction.

If you timed the trip to avoid hurricane season and the North Atlantic winter storms, you would want a very carefully chosen routing. Probably the best routing would be to jump from Scotland and make some serious westing to avoid the Bay of Biscay, before heading south with the prevailing winds and currents for the Canary Islands. From the Canaries you would then make a jump to Brazil riding the prevailing winds and currents and staying north of the convergence zone (Doldrums). The next leg would be the longest, heading south along the South American coast on the Brazil current until well south below the convergence zone. It would only be at that point you would be able to head east across the South Atlantic with the strong prevailing winds and currents in that area.

The first leg would be roughly 3,000 miles, the second leg roughly 3,800 miles, and the last leg would be roughly 4,500 to 5,000 miles. Those are very long legs, especially shorthanded. For a reasonably quick 35 footer, the last leg is roughly 60-70 days at sea. Minimally that means carrying something like 60-120 gallons of water per person plus enough food for that passage. The net result is that if you plan to make the passage in a boat under 35 feet, it needs to be a boat that sails pretty well since you can't carry enough fuel to make that passage if you need to run the engine for any more than keeping the batteries charged up, and ideally you will be very conservative with energy use and have solar to assist with keeping the systems powered up. Then there is the trade offs that a faster boat will have shorter passage times and may be easier to handle, but will require more sailing skills and in your price range may not be as robust as a more traditional heavier displacement cruiser.

But beyond all of that, the whole plan is bringing coal to New Castle or trying to sell ice to the Eskimos. South Africa is known for having a robust, high quality boat building community. (My own boat was built in Cape Town, S.A.) S.A. used boat prices are normally much lower compared to Europe or the US. So much so that when I was shopping for my boat it was economically viable for me to buy a boat in South Africa and ship it to the US and still have less money in that boat than I would if I had bought the same boat in the US.

So the right vessel for this trip is a commercial jet liner one way from Scotland to Cape Town. Then buy a cheap boat in South Africa, sail the living daylights out of her until you became a good sailor and boat maintainer and then buy whatever boat appeals to you and sail that boat wherever seems fit.

Respectfully,
Jeff


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## SEAHORSES (May 17, 2020)

Hey Jeff,
All points noted.
Will keep you updated.
Covid has grounded my flight to CT, with no refund from Ethiopian.

Best Regards
Seahorses


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## SEAHORSES (May 17, 2020)

Hey Jeff,
I have just read one of your opinions about S-J Morgan 45's and you have saved me a LOT of money including air fares.
I almost bought one from a dealer in Boston , but thought about researching and finding reviews first.
Many thanks again ADMIRAL.
Best regards
Peter


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

SEAHORSES said:


> Hey Jeff,
> I have just read one of your opinions about S-J Morgan 45's and you have saved me a LOT of money including air fares.
> I almost bought one from a dealer in Boston , but thought about researching and finding reviews first.
> Many thanks again ADMIRAL.
> ...


You are very welcome.....


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## warren9mm (Jun 14, 2020)

> What make/vessel should I start looking for?
> 
> Pirate areas did cross my mind.


I would also bother about the pirates...


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