I am currently planning a turn around Mauritius (Indian Ocean) with a group of 3 cats. The total distance will be around 120nm and we are planning to do an overnight stop after about half the trip (no sailing at night). We will have a safety rib with us, in case things get difficult.
I have got a few questions; maybe someone can share hands-on experience:
* What would be a good estimate for the average boat speed to use as a basis for planning? The slowest boat in the group will be an H16 with gennaker. We expect wind in the range of 12-16kn. We plan to go "fast but safe", which means not in "high-risk race mode".
* At a few times we will have to change from inside the reef to outside, sometimes using quite narrow channels. Some of them are not found in standard sea maps (BA711). I used satellite images (google maps) to check for these gaps in the reef. It seems to be quite clear, where a beach cat might fit through and where not. Any experience on how reliable these images are?
* Has anyone tried that before ?
* Any other specific advice that we should consider?
I have been on similar trips, and roughly know what I am doing, but I did not yet plan a whole trip on my own. So, I hope that there are cat-sailors out there who might help.
