On the Water

Should cruise boats attempt the eclipse in the waters of the Mozambique Channel, it appears from inspection of the satellite images from 1998 that the Madagascar side of the channel tends to have less cloud than the Mozambican side. On no occasion was the sky obscured from coast to coast, so a nautical eclipse venue should have a decent chance at sunny skies if forecasts can be obtained a day ahead in time to permit sailing to sunnier areas. Skies off of the Angolan coast tended to be slightly cloudier than off of Mozambique, but with numerous breaks that would permit easy relocation for a successful view of the Sun.

Wave heights average 1 to 1.5 meters on both the Angolan and Mozambique coasts, about half a meter lower than the average for Caribbean waters during the 1998 February eclipse. Sites close to the coast, particularly near Madagascar, should be able to find flatter seas.

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