April 28, 2024
114/137 Days; 23 days remaining
Cruising the Atlantic Ocean
Off the coast of South Africa and Namibia
It is an at sea day as we make are way up the western coast of Africa on the Benguela Current. The Benguela current is an oceanic current that is a branch of the west wind drift of the southern hemisphere. Why do we care? Well, it comes off of Antarctica. This means our temperatures are much cooler. In fact, it has actually dropped below 16 degrees (60F). It is a nice change. There is also considerable less humidity, if any at all.
We will continue this for several days, until May 6th or 7th, when we reach San Tome or Benin and equator. The Benguela current flows all the way northward along the South western African where is then meets with westward-0flowing Atlantic South equatorial current. Along the way we will stop at Namibia and Angola.
The African continent is clearly characterized by diverse landscapes. On the westerly side we will see some of Africa’s vast deserts. On the port side of the ship is the Namib Desert. The Namib is a coastal desert which stretches from the Oilfants River in Wsestern Cape South Africa to the Carunjamba River in Angola. Right now we are opposite a portion called the Kalahari Desert. Namibia is basically all coast desert. From the coast it reaches inland about 120 miles (200 kilometers).
The Namib gets an annual 2 millimeters (0.079 inches) or rain in the driest regions and goes all the way up to 200 millimeters (7.9 inches) where it is the wettest. This condition as remained unchanged for roughly 55 to 80 million years, also making the Namib desert the oldest desert in the world. It is also the only true desert in Southern Africa and contains some of the world’s driest regions.
Not sure exactly what we will see, but it is known for towering sand dunes and stark rocky terrain. It is also known for it’s coastal fog, which provides much-need moisture for its inhabitants. Terry’s lecture today covered much of this. He is particularly fond of the desert and says the sights are stark but very beautiful. Looking forward to finding out he is right.
Other than that it has been a relaxing day. Maria has a slight cold. Changing from hot and humid to cooler weather will do that to you. So Until tomorrow,
Buonanotte e Ciao, Enrico e Maria
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