(Richard Carpenter, John Bettis: Top of the world)

Unlimited possibilities

We like to sail down wind where the sun shines and the water is warm. Because of these preferences the trade winds and NE monsoon have now carried us west across the North Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean all the way to the Indian Ocean. But it has taken us 14 years (not counting our previous four-year journey to the Caribbean in the early 1990s) and we still haven't circumnavigated the globe. There has been so much to see and explore. Almost every year we have found ourselves extending our voyage by yet another year or too.

Our plans for crossing the Indian Ocean are best explained by the map below.

Later on this page you can read about the geographical, political and climatological considerations that have made us make these conclusions. There you can also find a more in-depth explanation of the routes indicated on the map.

We have come to the conclusion, that which ever alternative we chose, we have to do the trip between Mauritius (or Reunion) and South Africa. And weather systems dictate that this trip should only be attempted with a departure in October.

As we see it, we have two alternatives:

1) Departure from Phuket (Thailand) or Langkawi (Malaysia) in January/February along the yellow route via the Maldives. We would arrive in Mauritius at the end of May and try to find a secure place for the yacht for three months while we (the crew) fly home to Finland on our annual vacation. We would return in September to prepare for the crossing to Durban.

2) Departure from Thailand or Malaysia in February back-tracking to Singapore and in Indonesia to Jakarta, where we would leave the yacht in Jakarta Marina from early May to early August. We would have to continue the trip before mid-August in order to have an enjoyable trip across the Indian Ocean with an arrival in Mauritius before the end of September. The crossing to Durban would be identical to that of alternative 1.

At present we think alternative 1 looks more interesting than alternative 2.

Why did we choose these two alternatives?

There are two traditional routes across the Indian Ocean, depending on your departure point.

Geographical and political considerations

A. Southern route. Yachts leaving from Australia, without visiting South East Asia, usually depart from Darwin and head for South Africa, a distance of roughly 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km for landlubbers). Stops can be made at Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Island, Mauritius (and/or Reunion).

B. Northern route. Yachts in SE Asia heading for Europe have usually taken the route across the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and finally the Suez Canal. Stops can be made for instance in Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives, Oman and Yemen before arriving in the Red Sea.

These two main alternatives can be combined or modified in many ways, but today Somali piracy is limiting the options:

C. Yachts in East Asia and South East Asia wanting to sail via South Africa have traditionally either a) joined the southern route from Bali or from the Sunda Strait (between Java and Sumatra near Djakarta) or b) followed the northern route to the Maldives and then sailed first to the Seychelles and through the Mozambique Channel towards South Africa making stops in Madagascar and/or the African mainland (Kenya, Tanzania), a route roughly indicated by the light-blue broken line on the map. Because of the spreading piracy, this Seychelles and Eastern Africa route is now off limits.

D. When sailing from Australia to Europe without rounding the Cape of Good Hope, yachts have usually followed the southern route to Cocos Keeling,then joining the northern route in the Maldives.

E. Today, the northern route from the Maldives onwards is not an option anymore. Somali piracy has made this route too risky. In February 2011 we went as far as Uligan in the northern Maldives where we realized it wasn’t prudent to carry on. We made a U-turn and returned to Thailand to make new plans. This situation is indicated by the green broken line across the Arabian Sea.

Therefore, these days, as you should avoid the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa, any logical route from Thailand or Malaysia to Europe has to include the Mauritius to South Africa part. Unfortunately that area is considered to be maybe the roughest on a traditional circumnavigation.

Climatological considerations

The weather of the North Indian Ocean is dominated by the monsoons, which also have some effect in the southern half of the ocean. NE winds blow in most of the northern part between November and March. They are strongest and steadiest in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea diminishing closer to the Equator. In general, this monsoon generates ideal sailing conditions (if you are sailing in a westerly direction) and winds seldom reach gale force. There are some areas where the weather pattern is affected by the passage of depressions to the north of the area. One of interest for us lies south east of Sri Lanka, where a major storm in early January this year delayed our departure from Phuket last time.

The SW monsoon blows strongest from June to September. It is a consistent wind blowing an average of 20 knots and frequently reaching gale force. The weather of the SW monsoon is overcast and often unsettled with heavy rainfall.

The monsoons are preceded and followed by a transitional period of 1-2 months before the next monsoon takes over. During these transitions the weather is often squally with gale force winds.

Tropical storms occur in the North Indian Ocean with highest frequency in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal during the transitional periods between the monsoons, namely mid-May to mid-June and late October to mid-November. Most of these storms form between 5N and 15N. In the Bay of Bengal there are on average more cyclones than anywhere else in the world.

The currents of the North Indian Ocean reverse their direction under the influence of the monsoons. The west setting NE Monsoon Current reaches its peak in February and is located between the Equator and 6N. Its counterpart, the SW Monsoon Current occurs from May to September.

The east setting Equatorial Counter Current is the only current in the North Indian Ocean that doesn’t reverse its direction. However, its strength is reinforced during the transitional months. This current lies to the north of the west setting Equatorial Current. At the height of the NE Monsoon the counter current flows very close to the NE Monsoon Current, which means that by moving slightly to the north or south one could shift from a west setting to an east setting current. During our passage from the Maldives back to Thailand in late March 2011 we kept this fact in mind, should we encounter strong adverse currents and therefore we stayed on a southerly (5N) latitude for as long as possible (see our report Against All Odds, and find out more about the weather in the North Indian Ocean).

The South Indian Ocean lies, for most parts that are of interest to us, in the SE trade wind belt, although the monsoons to the north have considerable impact causing NE winds during the winter monsoon and SE winds during the summer monsoon. However, for the purpose of this study where we are interested only in the weather between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn (22.5S) it is sufficient to note only that the wind directions at these latitudes are favourable all year for a westbound trip. Also, the Equatorial current, which always lies south of the Equator is westbound.

The cyclone season of the South Indian Ocean lasts from November to May, with the highest frequency of storms in January.

The above summary of the weather in the Indian Ocean (north of the Tropic of Capricorn) does not include weather in the area between Mauritius and South Africa because that’s another story as we have to cross that area anyway, regardless of which route we choose to get to Mauritius. Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.

For a source of condensed data about the Indian Ocean, see THIS page at Cruisers Wiki.

Looking at this animation I wonder how we would ever get back home if the continents hadn't separated. With all these changes of our plans I wouldn't be surprised if the "gap" closes again!
(Source: geomaps.wr.usgs.gov)