Ooga Chaka on the run

Ooga Chaka, a Majestic 530 Royal Cape Catamaran.... I made her acquaintance
on a rainy day in Durban; just pitched up with my Princess daughter love of my
life Maryna on a Sunday a few days before handover and had a quick look
around. The following week the boat builders were doing a last few odds and
ends and it was the first time I boarded one of their vessels with the
flybridge up and the galley below. A flybridge is another deck they build on
top of the boat, with the helming station, instruments and winches all moved
up. Lots of seating, a day bed, and a small bar fridge. This whole area is
covered with strong clear plastic and fine netting. Some of these panels can
be zipped open and rolled up to allow more airflow. Great protection against
the elements. We tested it's strength going through a short but intensive
storm on the Wild Coast with the wind whipping up to 60kts. We knew it would
last only a few hours and was a calculated risk we took. Average wind speed we
normally sail in is 15kts. We removed the covers yesterday, the days are
becoming balmy, and the nights as well.

The galley below ... great idea! The galley is normally in the saloon, and
moving it below opens up a lot of space in the saloon. Port forward we
have the master cabin with en suite shower, basin, toilet and sauna. Yes,
you read it right, and sauna! Midships on the port side we have the galley.
Gas stove and oven, fridge and freezer, wash basin and lots working surfaces,
shelving, cupboards and a walk in pantry. Read that again, walk in pantry, on
a boat :-) Two port lights or small windows we can open in calm conditions,
great for easy disposal of organic matter and lots of daylight keeping the
galley bright. Port aft we have a double cabin also with an en suite head. Up
the stairs into the saloon, with a serving hatch between the galley and
saloon. Starboard forward we have a double cabin, midships another double
cabin and separate heads shared by the two cabins. Starboard aft a double
cabin with en suite heads. Heads in a nutshell is your toilet, shower and wash
basin. The word heads is an old nautical term from the days of big old sailing
ships. The long bowsprits up front had netting on the sides coming back to the
deck and it was a relatively safe place to be. These ships mostly followed the
trade winds on their long voyages, running before the wind. Up on the bowsprit
was thus the ideal place to do a number one or two. A bucket of water could
also easily be hoisted up to rinse. The bowsprit is thus right up ahead of the
boat, and a crew member would say that he/she? is going to the heads. The name
floated ever since.

The interior of Ooga Chaka is grey. The protective laserfilm we cover the
Corian working surfaces with for the crossing, is also grey. The boat
builder asked if we could show a potential owner the boat while we were in
Cape Town, and whether the boat looked ok. I mentioned that the laser film
matches the interior and that we now have 50 shades of grey :-))) Mosaic
tiles, panelling, trimmings, leather seating, all in different shades of
grey. Very calming effect and very practical and beautiful. I wonder what
colour or colours or shades you would choose :-))) Maybe . . . . . . m m m m m
. . . . . soft . . . . . and the saloon I would like to . . . . . . and the
cabins I will . . . . . . . . yes, a whole floating home to decorate and fit
out from scratch . . . . . . . yes mam, you can use proper ceramic cups and
plates and saucers, it is a 36 ton catamaran .....HEY!!!!!!!!!!! come
back.....stop dreaming :-)))))) Beware, dreams do come true! You may have to
sell your house and your car and maybe your hubby as well to buy one :-))))
Yes, you can keep your dog! Oh....you want to buy one with Bitcoins.....now
let me see :-)))

Nathan, the owner of Ooga Chaka, sailed with me a year ago on the same type of
catamaran, and had lots of time to formulate his ideas to meet his specific
requirements. Him and his family will be living aboard Ooga Chaka and explore
all the horizons that comes with it. Our first order of business is to reach
Fort Lauderdale late Jan early Feb and get her ready for the Miami boat show
mid February. This is thus Ooga Chaka's maiden voyage. The usual few snags
here and there pops up as one can always expect from a brand new boat. Mostly
hose clamps that needs to be tightened here and there. In Durban where she
was built she went for a few short sea trials, but crossing an ocean is the
real test, the shake down run as it is also called. But we are fully equipped
with tools and spares to maintain and fix most of the systems on the boat.
Walking out of the saloon you walk into the cockpit. Fridge, ice maker, walk
in closet for cleaning materials and equipment, locker for washing machine
already plumbed which will be fitted in the States. The cockpit table top
folds up on hinges and hydraulic struts to reveal a big camper freezer
underneath, keeping our goods frozen at -27*C. Lots of seating all around and
the stairway to the flybridge. At the back of the cockpit a big gas griller,
washbasin, working surfaces and lockers adds a lot of safety and convenience.
Behind this structure a swimming platform that can be lowered into and out of
the water. Our tender or rubber duck gets fastened onto this platform when you
are on a long passage.

Once everything was ready we departed from Durban and two days later sailed
into Port Elizabeth. The South African coast is considered the most
dangerous coast in the world. Many reasons for this, mostly the strongest and
biggest current in the world runs down the coast from east to west, or
more accurately, north east to south west. The amount of water the Benguela
current move is 90% more than the next strongest current which runs up the
north coast of Brazil. At times on the South African coast the wind blows
hard for two days from the north east, stops, and within an hour blows hard
from the south west, up against the current. Which, if the front is strong
enough, can whip up waves of 40 meters. Totally deadly. Relatively long
distances between ports makes it essential to get your timing right. Sometimes
a window is long enough to run from Durban to Cape Town in one go, normally
about five days. Nowadays we use computer generated weather models like
windy.com. Shows you all the possible elements you have to take into
consideration. Then fastseas.com an invaluable tool to do your passage
planning, also based on windy.com. Takes a lot of guess work and danger out of
a coastal passage. Shows you where you should be throughout the passage and
what weather conditions you can expect en route. In most rescues and fatal
instances in hindsight could have been prevented, and mostly boils down to
human error. The further you can look ahead and anticipate and prepare the
safer you will be. It gets rough at times, and then you have to trust your
boat, your experience, your crew and your destiny. We have a wonderful sea
rescue service, the NSRI. National Sea Rescue Institute. I make a monthly
donation towards their cause. They have to go out in the worst weather
conditions at times on search and rescue missions. Woman and men, volunteers,
all of them, ready to assist when the chips are down and you running out of
luck.

Our passage from Durban to Cape Town last year we did in one go, just under
5 days. This time round we had huge swell pushing up from the south and out of
respect for the elements and our coast decided it safer to run into PE for a
few days. I have a few close to my heart friends in PE, and on the odd
occasion, when Fortune favours us, we get to see each other. My good friend
Gert I met there about 12 years ago; Wim, my best buddy at school whom I lost
touch with for 35 years finally caught up again earlier this year, and
then Danny. Whenever I see a rainbow I think of her. Crazy and authentic to
the max. Bestest kinda crazy. When we left PE we had rainbows and whales all
around us. We had to make a quick run into Mossel Bay to get more fuel as we
got less wind and assistance from the current than expected. Two days later we
sailed around the most southern tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas, where the Indian
Ocean hands you over to the Atlantic Ocean. Once you have sailed into Cape
Town, you will have plenty more reasons to call this the most beautiful place
on the planet. Tavern of the Seas. Mother City. Table Mountain. The Cape of
Storms. Cape of Good Hope. Cape Point. One cannot deny the power and energy of
this place, the raw beauty, a beacon of strength and hope. It has been voted
once again as the nr.1 destination world wide, and an astronaut who has done
more than 100 space missions says that even from outer space the Cape
Escarpment is the most beautiful feature on the Blue Planet.

We arrived at our allocated berth in the V&A marina next to Cape Grace hotel
at about 3am on Saturday morning. Leading world class service we received from
Louis and Josh at the marina office. Josh allocated us a berth, and then
attached a google maps image pointing out exactly where our berth is via email.
Makes it so much easier to find your spot day or night. We requested permission
to enter port from Cape Town port control on Ch.14 as we closed it on the
entrance to the port. We then radioed bridge control on Ch.71 and waited for
them to open the swing bridge and the Bascule bridge before we glided through
into our marina straight to our berth. A most convenient spot we had for
provisioning etc. We had a lot to do an only a few days to do it in. My rental
car was delivered at 9am. Ran plenty of errands to get all our ducks in a row
for the following week. In my next blog I will go into more detail re Cape Town
and our passage from there. Adios.

Paul

Backwards, forwards and onwards

First a quick catch up since I last posted a blog. Second Wind, a Leopard
58 I delivered from Cape Town to Malta.....what an amazing experience that
was. Dedreich, the owner joined us in Madeira, one of my favourite spots
on the planet. Beautiful place, beautiful people. I made a new facebook
friend there, Susana Fernadez. We had a smooth sail on a broad reach from
Madeira to Cadiz in Spain. Came into a somewhat unknown marina in the early
and dark hours of the morning. The marina night manager directed us to a
berth that will fit us, and with great relief we made it in safe and were
soon fast asleep on a stationary yacht :-))) We were met there the next
morning by Jene, a great friend we met in Cape Town, a long time friend of
Dedreich. A few hours later Deon joined us, whom we also met in Cape Town. We
did a little bit of provisioning, and the next day made our way for
Gibraltar. Once again we arrived deep into the night. The wind was blasting
through the straights and we decided to anchor for the night in a fairly
protected area just behind the light house. Early the next morning we motored
through the straights and the wind died down to a breeze. Our next scheduled
stop was Ibiza, but en route ran into San Jose, a small village on the east
coast of Spain. There we took on 400ltrs of fuel, and once again did a bit of
provisioning. We arrived at about noon, and had to wait a few hours as it was
siesta time :-))) We did some footage with our drone, some of the crew were
swimming a bit, and once we were fuelled up we were on our merry way again.
Two days later we arrived in Ibiza, once again at night. Lots of ferries,
yachts, motor boats, tug boats and cargo ships were keeping us on our toes to
navigate this busy little port safely. Utterly delighted to see Ryan,
Dedreich's son, waiting for us and pointing us to our berth. $600 for the
night. Plenty of superyachts around. Ryan joined us the next day, he first
had to get his luggage from the hotel. He also took us to a famous night
club, 4000 people gyrating to the throbbing sounds. On stage at least four
professional dancers making sure everyone stays in the groove. Entry fee
was $70 per person, and drinks for the night $700. Dan, one of my crew
members flew back to SA from Ibiza, he had a prior commitment and we had
lots of bodies to crew. From Ibiza our next stop was Sardinia. We first
anchored outside the marina to explore and snorkel the reefs a bit and
sent some of our crew with our rubber duck to the marina to make
arrangements for our arrival. Once we had established where we could
berth, we made our way in. Once again we had a warm reception, paid our
dues and preparing for our last leg to Malta. It was a Tuesday night if I
recall correctly, and we requested a taxi driver to take us to a
restaurant. It was rather late, but we found a most amazing little place.
The owner of the house/restaurant was also the waiter, the chef, and she
was also the baker. I think it was the first time I tasted real Italian
cuisine. The dishes were very simple with just a few fresh ingredients.
Firstly a selection of home baked bread we feasted on. With a dash of
olive oil and a drop of balsamic vinegar, we were in heaven. I have never
tasted real pure free range organic virgin not blended olive oil :-))) And
what can I say, it was love at first bite. The pasta dishes as mentioned
before were deceptively simple, but perfectly proportioned fresh
ingredients. A bit of red wine here, a bit of white wine there, and
mineral water as usual, all adding to the magic of the moment. We were
seated outside on a verandah by choice as we were nine people. The
restaurant was empty inside due to the lateness of the hour, and a cool
breeze was welcoming after a really hot day. For dessert we had home made
ice cream and a few other sinfully delicious toppings. A most agreeable
evening was had by one and all :-))) I had a glimpse and a taste of how
food and art can be the same thing. The next morning we setted sail for
Malta and gently sailed in on a broad reach. Valetta, Second Wind's home
port appeared on the horizon, and as it often happens, a bag of mixed
emotions welled up inside of me. Happiness, sadness, gratefulness, relieve,
excitement and a string of other emotions there are no words for. I can try
and word them, and take you on a trip over oceans and mountains through
valleys and forests and rivers and sunshine and rain and rainbows and a
moonlight beam of rippling water. And we won't even scratch the surface yet
:-))) I often wonder at the work of sculptors, who finds and brings beauty
from a block of stone, chiselling away all that is between them and their
vision. As always, I take the warning to heart that it is not over until the
fat lady sings. I starved all these distractions and focused completely on
getting Second Wind safely to her home berth. We were welcomed and assisted
by the marina manager on a rubber duck and soon we were properly secured. On
the dock Dedreich's and Ryan's family was waiting for them. I could no longer
properly control the bottled up emotions, and quickly had to put on my
sunglasses to hide the tears. I also signalled thumbs up to everyone and
could not utter a word as I was swallowing hard to hold back more tears. I
went down to my cabin, splashed my face with cold water, and came out in
much better shape :-))) Cowboy up cupcake I kept saying to myself. Thanks
goes to so many people for this amazing experience. Daniel, sales agent for
Leopard Catamarans in Cape Town who afforded me the opportunity to quote on
this delivery, Dedreich who accepted my quote, Richard my First Mate,
Carey, crew member and partner to Richard, Dan their friend who also
crewed and is sailing with me at the moment, Tristan who was the youngest,
toughest, fittest and strongest of us all, Jene( to pieces), whom I met in
Cape Town doing the 2017 Mykonos race, Deon, who also raced with us and
have become a close and good friend, Ryan who joined us in Ibiza, and most
of all Louanne, Dedreichs wife. Without her, none of the above would have
happened. Eternal thanks to the Universe within and without for these
blessings. Second Wind cruised the Med for a season and sailed to the
Caribbean where she is currently. We hope to meet up with them that side for
a catch up.

Next was a Royal Cape Catamaran called Amazing Grace. A beautiful vessel
fully equipped with scuba gear, cylinders, a compressor, an arsenal of
fishing rods and reels and lures and spear guns, snorkelling masks and fins,
desalinator, generator, etc etc etc. She was on charter in the Seychelles
for a year, and the owner decided to move her to St Thomas in the Caribbean.
I met up with her in Durban and commanded the vessel from there to the
Caribbean. We had a wonderful sail, caught lots of fish, and it was great to
sail with Mark and Matthew, two youngsters who were in the same school. They
were very competent in all regards. Mark is the skipper of Amazing Grace in
the Caribbean. We could not deliver to St.Thomas, hurricane Irma and her
sister Maria caused some serious damage and we arrived in the Caribbean
about three weeks after the hurricanes came through. We sailed her to
Barbados where we encountered a problem with one of the motors, the gears
would not engage. We had it inspected and diagnosed, and it was decided that
it will be repaired in St.Lucia. They have all the spares and technicians
required and only 80 nautical miles, or an easy half day sail away. I flew
out from Barbados, Mark and Matt took her to St.Lucia and started to prepare
for charters that was busy filling up. We hope to catch up with Amazing
Grace once we get to the Caribbean as well.

And now on to Ooga Chaka, a brand new Royal Cape Catamaran with a fly bridge
and galley below. Are you not tired of reading yet :-))) I could not post
blogs recently as I left my usb to satphone cable at home and had one flown
in with a little help from my good friend Nicky in Cape Town, thanks Nix, you
rock. I will post a blog again soon and will keep it up, lots of things
behind and before us. For now it is the day before Christmas, and wishing you
and your family a most wonderful festive season. We will be spending it out
on the Big Blue. We do have a real Xmas cake on board, lovingly gifted to us
by our friends at Anne's Place on St. Helena where we departed a few days
ago.

Paul

Smoothsailing

Your pulse, can you feel it :)))

It's been a while since you've been out at sea with me....so here we go.
Once we were out of the tropical rain belt, the relentless north easterly
winds set in. The seas and swell were picking up a bit, and we had to take a
40 degree angle to the wind. Mainsail and headsail in tight, and one motor
at a time to assist. Cabo Verde is the birthplace of hurricanes. A few low
pressure systems form, get together and fuelled by the warm tropical water,
they start building momentum and making way towards America in the west,
across the North Atlantic. Causing havoc wherever they go. This is not the
hurricane season, and the winds were not so intense, averaging between 15
and 25 knots. In the winter the average wind speed is between 20 and 40 kts,
now and then getting really nauti and getting into the 50's. But this time
round it was more towards summer, and although it was not an easy sail, we
managed to maintain good speed.

The first sign of the Sahara desert dust is the faintest smell of soil in
the air. On the ocean the smell of land is quite distinct. Powdery fine
dust, pinkish reddish brownish. The sun rises but does not warm you,
the moon, the stars, all gets filtered by the dust. And soon you start
finding traces of it all over the boat. And it starts getting cold. All we
can do is to hang in there and look after the boat. We had a wave here
and there smashing into us and all over the boat, but in general, we were
doing just fine. Sailing into weather like this is what we call beating
into the wind, close hauled. Cabo Verde was our next stop and just no ways
we could sail straight in that direction. We did very well though, and
after two weeks from leaving St.Helena behind, the southernmost islands of
Cabo Verde came into view. It was very tempting to stop there as beating
is quite taxing on the body. We could have, but it would have made it
difficult in other ways for us. We preferred to push on another day or two
to get up north to Ilha De Sao Vicente where there is a proper marina with
proper facilities. Our reasons for wanting to stop a bit is to fuel up,
stretch our legs on land, get some fresh produce, wifi etc. We made good
time and arrived at Mindelo at first light. At about 8am we were closing
in on the marina, where some helping hands showed us where to tie up and
helped with our mooring lines. Big smiles all around and so very good to
set foot on terra firma. Next to us a small 36ft mono was tied up. The
occupants turned out to be Norwegian, the owner a 25 year old who is an
Olympic windsurfer. She had another lady on board and three dudes. Young
people just sailing for fun and exploring the world a bit.

The marina office staff was excellent and soon we paid our dues and proceeded
to clear Customs and Immigration which also turned out to be very efficient.
It was Thursday and we planned to depart on Sunday when they are closed. They
requested me to come back on Friday to clear out again which I duly did. We
could now go and enjoy the local culture. Cabo Verde is probably the most
successful African country. Petty crime here and there, but mostly very
peaceful and contend. Whenever I visit places like this I look for live music
venues, local cuisine and beverages. We had access to fresh water, and gave
Second Wind a proper wash down. Our guests next door joined us one evening
for card and drinking games, some wild tribal dancing and in general just
good fun. The morning after is always to be expected, a slight headache and a
dry throat. Part of what we do when we get to land. Lots of laughter and
chanter and making great memories. We fuelled up on Saturday, and after
having a more reserved evening, was on our way again by noon on Sunday. Next
stop hopefully Madeira. I estimated about ten days but you never know in
these waters. A rough exit from Cabo Verde, but soon things settled down. The
best we could do was at about a 90 degree angle to Madeira. Up north the
Azores would be another option if the weather did not turn for us. And even
aiming for the Azores proved futile.

On the second day after Cabo Verde we had a homing pigeon finding a safe
haven on our fly bridge. Carey named him Frank, after some tv series where
Frank wakes up every morning in a strange place without remembering how he
got there. One on one I called the birdie Frankie. We tried feeding him a
few different things, and in the end it seemed he preferred rice. A bowl of
water and a bowl of rice was placed in his digs every morning. If you walk
up too quickly or noisily he would fly off and stretch his wings a bit before
coming in for a landing again. Every second day or so we would also give
his place a quick wash to remove the pigeon poo while he was flying around
a bit. At times it was rather stormy with wind and rain making it quite
unpleasant to be out. But he found his spot where he was protected from the
elements. He stayed with us for a week or so, and once the desert dust was
behind us, he probably could work out his bearings again. What a pleasure
his company was, so long Frankie.

Eventually the weather changed in our favour and we could turn 90 degrees
to starboard and aim directly for Madeira. The wind was now from the north,
and once again we were sailing close hauled, but at least in the right
direction. Cooking under these conditions can be quite challenging. The
boat going up and down, back and forth, rocking from side to side. At times
we had to tie the pots down on the stove to prevent them from falling off. I
did not hear any complaints from any of the crew, and as long as I stayed
calm, they were calm. We kept on doing our best at all times, which is what
was required if we were to make Madeira in ten days. We've had the wonderful
privilege to sail with the owner in Cape Town a few times, and he was now
waiting for us in Madeira. The last few days were less intense, except for
the last night before we reached Madeira. The weather predicted was 15kts,
we had close to 30. Just to test us one more time, to teach us that it is
never over until it is over. We slowed down to about 3kts just maintaining.
A few hours later the weather settled, and once we were in the lee of
Madeira the water became flat and we made up some time. Just before noon we
arrived in Funchal, Madeira. Exactly ten days after leaving Cabo Verde.

I am not sure who was the happiest, the owner seeing his boat coming in, or
us seeing him and knowing that we have a few days to spend in Madeira. I
have had the privilege of visiting here a few times before, and will never
grow tired of this beautiful place. After we tied up I went to see the
marina office as well as Customs and Immigration, and an hour later we were
sorted. After such a long and thirsty passage a beer is always extra nice.
We had a beer at the Beerhouse, a spot right at the marina, and afterwards
proceeded to a restaurant the owner favoured, for some espetados. Not sure
about the spelling, but in short, skewered beef or chicken or seafood.
Wonderful meal we had, and before we knew it, it was quite late. Made our
way back to the boat, and great to fall into a deep sleep safely tied up in
a marina with hardly any movement. The next morning Richard, Dan and Tristan
stayed at the boat to give her a thorough wash while Dedreich, Carey and
myself went shopping for some fresh provisions. The quality of the fruit and
veggies here is as good as you can get. No one can produce fruit and veg
like the Portuguese. It was now Thursday night and the crew went to go and
enjoy some of the night life in Funchal. I stayed with Dedreich and
entertained a couple he met in Madeira while waiting for us. All of us had a
most enjoyable evening. Danny and Tristan returned to the boat in the early
hours of the morning, Carey and Richard were in a bit earlier. It was now
Friday and we had a few final things to do on Second Wind to have her ready
for departure on Saturday morning. At about noon we were done and the crew
went exploring the island a bit more, catching a bus and visiting some
interesting places. Dedreich and myself did some of final shopping and
stopped at a street café for a beer and some great live music. Afterwards we
made a turn at our favourite restaurant to enquire about a music event they
featured that night. We also decided to linger a bit longer and sampled their
grilled sardine. Scrumptious. It was about 6pm and we made our way back to
the boat. The crew were also back and it was decided that we will attend the
music event, just a very passionate and talented guitarist that came highly
recommended. Check his music at www.elianbittencourt.club. We reserved a table
for six on the outside for 8:30pm and enjoyed another lovely evening in great
company.

Saturday morning we were up early, and as it started getting light, we were
on our way. Motoring for a while to get out of the lee of the island, and as
soon as the wind came through, up went our beloved genikar, the big blue
sail. Wind from behind, we haven't had that feeling for quite some time. Our
next stop will be Cadiz in Spain where two more friends will join us. About
four days sail and we are halfway there. We are doing our utmost to catch
some fish, four rods out. Trying different lures at different lengths behind
the boat but thus far no luck.

In a previous post I posed the question of why people go sailing. I guess
there are as many reasons as there are sailors, but surely there are some
common reasons. Or perhaps it would be better to just speak for myself. I love
posing questions. One famous question is what came first, the chicken or the
egg. After many many moons of pondering this question, it dawned on me; they
were created simultaneously. Einstein said it does not matter whether an answer
is right or wrong, but whether it is beautiful. He also had a love for sailing,
and I guess he had his own reasons too. Why do you think people go sailing? Or
more direct, would you love to go sailing or not? Most people who wants to go
sailing just dream about it. Their present life circumstances does not allow
them to pursue their dreams. And then there are people who don't like sailing
at all. Fear of storms, fear of drowning, I have heard a few reasons. I
respect their reasons, and will never try to persuade them otherwise. The only
thing to really fear is fear itself. You may think people go sailing to
escape, and you would be spot on. But escape from what? What do you think?
Escape reality? Really?

You may think that what is real is what you see on the tv, read in magazines
and newspapers, hear on the radio. I refuse to write tv in capital letters :)
My own spelling rules :) In which case you would be quite right thinking
people go sailing to escape reality. I have got news for you, bad news. What
we often think is real is mostly an illusion. And the sole purpose of that
illusion is to enslave you, to pollute your mind, to steal your time. To blind
you to your soul purpose, to deviate you from your soul journey, and to make
you deaf to your inner voice. To ensnare your spirit, to rob you of your
dream.

When you are born into this world, you are named, numbered, classed, sexed;
labelled in short. As soon as you are old enough to think for yourself, you
are schooled to not think for yourself. Don't ask questions, just listen and
learn the "facts". Just follow the rules, never ever question them. Never ask
who made these rules and why. Do you really think the history you learned at
school is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I hope not.
History is always biased in favour of the victors. Their history is recorded
and the history of the conquered simply wiped out. You are taught what is
right and wrong. Yet, you always knew what is right and what is wrong. You are
taught national anthems that breeds patriotism and teaches you to die for your
country. To kill other people who differ in colour, in language, in culture,
in race, in ethnicity, in religion. You are taught how to hate and how to
judge. Have you ever wondered why? Don't ask why, just do as you are told.
Ever heard that before? What do we really know about our planet and how many
civilizations have come and gone, perhaps some far more advanced than what we
can imagine.

At the same time you are taught about God. In all his/her different shapes,
sizes and flavours....with respect. Correction, God is mostly portrayed as
male. Got a bit ahead of myself there. You are taught that you are born evil.
Full of sin. And that only the church can save you. Save you from what?
Eternal damnation in the fiery pits of hell? Yes, God is love. And if you
don't follow his rules and pay your tithes and offerings, God will no longer
love you. We are children of God? Will you do that to your child? Nothing in
or out of this world will ever stop me loving my child, and nothing will ever
make me condemn her to eternal damnation. Conditional love.....thanks but no
thanks. I wonder what God thinks about religion. Yes, there is a bit of truth
in every religion. And a bit of truth is the most dangerous thing you will
ever find. You know the truth, you were born knowing it. To get back to what
and who you really are, what you really know, that is your soul journey. To
find answers that ring true. With religion comes politics and economics. Which
leads to war. Flamed by fear and greed. And exactly where does love fit into
this picture I wonder. Read a true saying the other day. If the power of love
overcomes the love of power, we will all live in peace.

And, speaking for myself, that is why I go sailing. To unlearn all the crap
that was shoved down my throat in an attempt to indoctrinate me. To escape all
the mental pollution that is thrown at us. To get in touch and get to know
that part of me that is timeless, eternal, infinite. Nature does not deceive.
Instead, it teaches one, if you are willing to look and listen, to ask. My big
question is what am I really. What is a human being really? What I believe
does not matter at all. Believes can change and does so all the time. All that
matters is what you know. That which cannot change. I have looked wide and
far, and the only constant factor I could find was change. I have now probed a
bit deeper, taken the plunge, to look for that which cannot change. Universal
truths. To go and find the real God. Not all that we see and hear and made to
believe is bad, but if there is no love, shake it.

We as humans have divided the oceans and named them, and I have sailed all of
them. There really is just one ocean, and the more we understand about the
ocean, the more we understand about ourselves. If you cut your finger, your
whole body reacts. The pain is not isolated just to your finger. So it is with
oceans, it all interconnects. If you pollute one area, it spreads to all the
other areas. The nuclear disaster in Japan is clear evidence of that. Fukijima?
We are very closely connected to the ocean, we cannot escape the fact that life
as we know it started in the ocean. The same percentage of salt you find in the
ocean on average is the same amount of salt in your blood, your urine, your
sweat and your tears. 70+ percent of our bodies consist of water. It is thus
not surprising that as the moon orbits around planet earth and creates great
tides and currents, so the moon also affects us as human beings, and all other
living things on our blue planet. We learn more and more about how it all fits
together and works as a whole. The earth spinning around an around in an oval
shape creates the winds that also brings life to our planet. The sun, without
the sun there also would be no life. The sun was once worshipped as the source
of life, as it was obvious to see the effect of the sun. The moon, well, she
moves in far more mysterious ways. Have you ever thought what planet earth
would be like without sister moon? I haven't, the thought just came up now. The
sun can shine all it likes, if there was no moon, there would be no life as we
know it. The one therefore in my books is just as vitally important as the
other. An incredibly fine balancing act to sustain life. We were once told that
the earth is flat. Heaven above, and hell below. Complete consternation when
that presumption was proven to be completely false. Many other presumptions
will also fall by the wayside. We think we are alone in the universe, no other
life exists anywhere else. This tiny little speck we call earth. Part of one
galaxy, and the further we probe, the more galaxies we find. I think it absurd
to think we are the only forms of life in the whole of the universe.

So yes, in search of the ultimate truth. You are born, you live, you die. End
of the story. So not true. You cannot die. Yes, your body will perish, but
you, the real you, cannot die. Ever. Please don't think of this as heavy stuff,
or deep. Please don't think of this as airy fairy stuff either. Yes, the truth
lies buried deep beneath all the crap that is heaped upon it. What is the
purpose of life I often wonder. I like to think that each of us has a very
specific purpose in life. Shakespeare penned to be or not to be, that is the
question. And a rose by any other name is still a rose. Wonder what he was
musing about. If I have to choose one ultimate purpose in life, it would
be total awareness. Out here on the big blue it is easier to become more and
more aware. Lots of time, very little distraction. And every now and then we
get a glimpse of it, that complete feeling of oneness, of completeness, of
knowing. When I experience how insignificantly small I am on the one side, and
how infinitely vast on the other side. Nothing and everything.

Most of the crap in my life is my little friend ego :))) Hallo ego, how are
you ? And what exactly is ego? Wherever I go, ego :))) Playing with words.
Wherever I go, there I am. I cannot escape me. I looked for God under a
microscope, and I found a whole new world. I looked for God through a
telescope, and found a whole new world. I donned some scuba gear and looked for
God under the water, and found a whole new world. I looked for God on the
mountain tops, and found a whole new world. In the valleys, in the forests, on
the ocean wide, and found whole new worlds. Everywhere I looked, I found God. I
haven't looked in the deserts yet, should put that on my to do list. But I
know, also there I will find God. Then it dawned on me, again, a little bit of
God is a little bit of me. And you. Life equals death equals life. On and on.
To see eternity in a grain of sand.

And still here I am. Having a certain experience in a certain form at a
certain time. As with every living that vibrates. Rocks also vibrate, yes, they
are also alive. And just as the moon and the sun and everything else has a
right and a purpose for existing, so have we. Yes, you are as important as the
moon. And the sun.

Until we meet again

Paul

St.Helena Anchorage

Rainbow welcoming us

Closing in on St.Helena

High 5

Sunset

Sunrise

MOB on the equator

The last few days have been quite hectic. After not having had any fish
take our lures, a massive wahoo smashed one of our lures. Taking line at
an alarming rate there were a few lessons to be learned. Our trace was
nylon, and I knew only a matter of time before the wahoo's razor sharp
teeth would cut through the nylon. We were also going at quite some speed
with the gennikar up, and just about no time to drop it and turn the boat
around. After making some noise with the boat's horn, Tristan came up to
see what is going on. Helplessly we stood and watch the wahoo thrashing
and splashing and then our line went slack. We worked on a plan of action
should a big fish take one of our lures again. All hands on deck, drop the
gennikar and turn the boat around, as quick as possible. We replaced the
nylon traces with steel wire traces should a wahoo be lured into striking
again. The night before we had a fishing boat or two in the distance, we
had some dolphins and were expecting tuna, big tuna. Dolphins at night is an
amazing sight. The bioluminescence outlining there torpedo shaped bodies
perfectly.

Led out some line again, and not long before a massive fish, a tuna I
think, got hooked. This time we were ready, and in a flash the gennikar
was down, and we could turn the boat around to chase after this big fish.
Feeling supremely confident that we've got it, it swam in under the boat
and our line got stuck on one of the rudders :( Another fish, another
lure. We raised the gennikar again and carried on sailing, slightly
dismayed. But as conditions were perfect for fishing, I quickly tied
another lure on, led out some line, and before I could place the rod in
the rod holder, I had a fish on again. The guys thought I was just joking.
On a previous occasion, after many days of nothing, I let a rag slide down
the line, and when it reached the lure it got hooked and caused enough
drag to make the reel scream in delight. I passed the rod to Tristan and
he started reeling in. I knowingly looked to Carey and told her, rag fish.
As the rag and lure popped over a wave it jumped out of the water a bit,
which made it look even more legit. We were on the flybridge and below us
Richard and Dan had the gaff out and ready, a knife, and great was he
disappointment when it turned out to be a rag. Tristan said it was one of
the most disappointing moments of his life. The guys though the rag must
have blown off and somehow got snagged by the lure. As I have already told
Carey it was a rag fish, I told the boyz it was just a practise run to see
how quick our reaction time would be. Which is why the guys were thinking
I might be joking when they saw me reeling in a fish, having just let the
line out. I could feel it was not very big and no need to drop the sail
and turn the boat around. I passed the rod to Tristan and he reeled the
fish in. Richard and Dan handled the gaff and knife, and soon we had our
first fish on S/V Second Wind. A medium size bonito, not my favourite fish
by a long shot, but it was filleted and the fillets placed in a container
in one our outside fridges. Tristan had tohave a piece if the bonny's heart,
a law us mariners live by. The next day it was spiced and fried and we
all enjoyed our first taste of fresh fish for the trip.

Yesterday we were closing in on the equator, and at about 10:00 we were
getting ready for the initiation. Three of my crew have never crossed the
equator, and it is a very special occasion in any mariner's life. Normally
we break an egg on the person's head, with some flour and syrup etc etc
etc. A sticky messy situation, but lots of fun nevertheless. A more
thrilling experience I think is to swim or be dragged behind the boat
across this imaginary line, crossing from the southern to the northern
hemisphere. The wind was just strong enough to hold the gennikar up and we
were going at about 4kts with the engines off. 4kts is the maximum you
want to be dragged behind a boat, after that it becomes very hard to pull
yourself back to the boat. Dan and myself tied two log mooring lines
together and attached the ends to the cleats at the back. We often do this
to slow the boat down a bit, forming a big loop in the water. I asked
Carey if she could lift twice her body weight jokingly, as that is what
she might have to do to pull herself in. I also told her to rather wear a
t-shirt as the drag might pull her swimming costume off. I thought that
once the two boyz were in, it would slow us down even more making it easier
for Carey to hold on. Three minutes before we got to the equator, everything
was set in place. GoPro fixed to the flybridge to record the event. I
started the counting from 20, 19, 18......and at 10 seconds to go Dan and
Tristan jumped in first holding onto the mooring line. Carey followed and
all three of them were dragged across the equator. Carey started moving
further back to the loop of the line, and unexpectedly she got dragged
under the water with the line at her back. The only thing she could do was
to let go. I shouted at Dan from the flybridge to let go and stay with
Carey which he did. He had to swim a bit back to get to her, but soon he
was with her. I needed him to give her moral support and two people are also
easier to find than one person. I shouted at Richard to get to the gennikar
and get ready to get it down. At the same time I started both engines and
got ready to turn the boat around. Tristan was still holding on but could
not get back on the boat as we were going just a tad to fast. Richard was
ready to snuff the gennikar, and as I turned the boat around and the sail
back filled, he pulled it down in a flash. By this time we were already half
a mile away from Carey and Dan and Tristan could get on as we slowed to turn
around. The wind was straight from behind when we left Carey and Dan, and it
was thus fairly easy to point in their direction by turning straight back
into the breeze. From the high flybridge it was fairly easy to keep a visual
on them. Now and then though they would disappear in the glare of the sun
and the swell. A moment of panic for me, but trusting my experience and
going straight back on our track I stayed completely calm and focused.
Incredibly relieved and thankful and we were all very happy to have crossed
the equator in such an unforgettable manner. Happy to be alive, happy having
each other on board, great for crew dynamics. Do not try this at home :)))
All and all it took less than six minutes from crossing the equator, shaking
two of our crew, dropping the sail and picking them up again. We all had
full confidence in each other. I also think we were all slightly shaken and
stirred :))) Carey baked some scrumptious loafs of bread and at lunch time
we were all sitting upstairs with big smiles each sharing our own experience
of the event. We should have dropped the sail before we crossed the equator.
Lesson learned. Sometimes we live on the edge of the edge. Totally absorbed
in the moment.

Last night there was some distant lightning on the horizon. I think so.
Richard said on his watch he saw four flashes far off. Could have been
flares too. A few fishing boats operating in the area. At about ten this
morning we had a huge pod of dolphins visiting us, showing us some
boisterous somersaulting and beautiful in sync swimming. The sun was bright
with a bank of clouds slowly moving in on us. There was hardly a breeze and
we were motoring smoothly up and down the long swells maintaining good
speed. So many dolphins....no wind.....turned the motor off and jumped into
the water. You could clearly hear their excited clicking noises and could
see them with goggles on. They circled us a bit but kept a fair distance.
Being in the water with all these wild dolphins in close proximity,
sigh....no words...just blessings. Carey also jumped in, a brave step after
the ordeal the day before. Tough cookie. She is now a true sailor with tales
to tell and like us all, have gained a new respect and appreciation for
life, for the ocean. And then the rain came.....buckets and buckets of rain.
First good rains we've had in 26 days since we left Cape Town. Like tribal
hooligans we ran out and dancing in the rain we also grabbed brooms and rags
and gave Second Wind a good boat wash. Also filled some bottles with fresh
free range organic ocean rain water :)))

A small black sea bird came fluttering around the boat and having seen this
a few times before, informed my crew that the bird is looking for a place to
come and sit on the boat. I also informed them that when you see these birds
there are always tuna in the area. A minute later the bird found a place
just in front of the helming station to land. He must have been exhausted
from the rain all around and needed to rest and dry his wings. Two minutes
later our one reel started sounding and we had a fish on. We also saw
something floating in the water a short distance away and were on our way to
have a closer look when the fish took the lure. The floating object looked
like a whale carcass from afar, but turned out to be a fairly big float with
a fishing net around it. Obviously one of the fishing boats are using this
device to catch fish. We just landed the yellow fin tuna when our hand line
also hooked a fish, a bonito. This time it was Dan's turn to take a bite out
of the tuna's heart. It is a tribal thing. In a weird upside down sort of
way this is our way of giving thanks to the spirit of the fish, heart to
heart. Richard and Tristan filleted the fish, laid it on some ice for half
an hour, and then out come the long awaited wasabi, pickled ginger and soya
sauce. Sushimi, really fresh from the ocean. Add to that some fresh
rainwater to drink, and once again we were grateful and thankful and humbled
by this beautiful experience we call life. Our spirits are soaring.

The northern hemisphere is turning out to be quite a number. Following winds
and seas are over for now as we start facing the headwinds towards Cape
Verde. At the moment we are going through the tropical rain belt, and yes,
it is still raining :))) Not much wind here, but a little higher north we
can expect a bit more wind. The little webbed footed black bird is still
with us. Moved position a bit and now comfortably protected from the wind
and rain under our table on the flybridge. Thanks for sharing a bit of your
time with us. Will post again soon.

Paul

St.Helena onwards

The weather was really kind to us from Cape Town to St>helena, and as you can
see in the pics I posted, we were sailing in under our big blue gennikar. I
have no problem arriving at any time at St.Helena, day or night. Just much
easier if you arrive while it is still light. A few massive dolphins welcomed
us, and as we turned the first headland, a beautiful rainbow was also smiling
at us. An hour before we arrived I radioed St.Helena Radio on VHF Ch 16 to
announce our imminent arrival. As usual they requested us to call in again
when we are 1nm from James Bay which we did. Port Control then called
us and requested us to go down to channel 14. They required some information
instructed us to tie onto one of the red mooring buoys as our boat is rather
big and heavy. We arrived at about 6pm and as expected Port Control informed
us that they will clear us in the next morning. I know the drill having been
here a few times before, but we patiently follow procedure as if it was our
first time at the island. It affords Radio St.Helena and Port Control an
opportunity to do their thing properly.

Once we were safely tied up to our mooring buoy the crew all dived into the
calm, relatively warm water. We also untied our rubber duck and took it for
a spin to make sure everything is working as it should. The sun was just
setting, perfect timing for us. We all marvelled at the colours that was being
painted across the skies. Afterwards we all sat down for dinner and had a
restful evening sleeping on a quiet boat with hardly any movement. After
nearly two weeks of sailing it was good to relax a bit, not that sailing is
not relaxing. But slightly more relaxing nestled in James Bay. Early Saturday
morning and it was wonderful to wake up next to these towering cliffs and lots
of fairy terns flying around. There were a few other yachts on the mooring
buoys as well. More yachts arrived during the course of the day, and it was
great to see a few of the boats that departed from Cape Town the same day as
us. At 9am Port Control radioed us and invited us to come ashore from where we
will clear in. The ferry boat collected us at 10am and soon afterwards we were
free to roam the island. The landing steps at the wharf were quite hectic.
Close to new moon, the equinox and a big swell still running from the week
before made landing a rather precarious exercise.

Our plan of action was first to move 20 bags of charcoal and a few other
things from our boat to Anne's Place, a standing order for whenever we
arrive at St.Helena. It was wonderful to walk into Anne's Place and be
welcomed back like a long lost son. Jessica was the first to spot us and
after a big hug and introducing my crew to her, Jane also made an
appearance. The warm hearted greetings we always receive there always makes
us feel so very welcome, a home away from home. Love my family there dearly.
I recommended to my crew to first do Jacob's Ladder before we order burgers
and beers, easier that way. They are a fit bunch, working out on the boat
every day. Even so, the ladder did not disappoint. Tristan was leading, Dan
followed shortly behind, and Richard stayed with Carey. Carey wanted to stop
every now and then to take in the scenery and take some pics :) After they
reached the top they walked through a forest all the way to the Governor's
House, quite a distance. From there they hitch-hiked back to town. The first
car that came past gave them a lift, typically of these most friendly Saints,
as the people of St.Helena is called. We had a burger and a beer or two and
made some plans for the rest of our time there. We asked Jessica to join us
later in the evening and show us around a bit. We went back to the boat, had a
quick swim and a shower, and at 8pm made our way back to the wharf on our
rubber duck.

We fetched Jess at Anne's Place and went up the road to the White Horse Inn
to shoot some pool with the locals there. Lots of fun and laughter and at
10pm were ready to go and enjoy some life music. We danced through a few of
the band's songs and at about midnight went to Donny's. Carey was looking
forward to an early morning and we took her back to the boat. Back at
Donny's we were jiving to the vibes from the DJ until they closed at 2am.
The place was jam packed and great to see so many familiar faces there. We
made our way back to the boat after saying bye to Jessi and went to bed
feeling well and truly exhausted.

The next morning up early and a quick dive into the ocean to shake off any
cobwebs from the night before. It was now Sunday and we had a few plans for
the day. A little tlc for Second Wind first, and a bbq at 2pm at Anne's
Place was on the to do list. Legendary bbq's we always have at Anne's Place.
We took about 3kgs of beef sausage/boerewors with us, and Jane supplied
chicken, steak, salads, chips, garlic bread etc, and afterwards spoiled us
with desert. Every time I visit the island, we have a bbq at Anne's Place
with Richard and his family. The other yachties are always also invited, and
it unfailingly turns into a great event sharing our experiences and catching
up on the latest developments on St.Helena. At half five as they call it, half
past five as I call it, we made our way back to the wharf to catch the last
ferry at 6pm. Although we had our rubber duck tied up safely, there were
quite a few yachties and easier to catch the ferry than risk getting on the
rubber duck from the steps. I instructed Dan and Tristan to swim out to our
rubber duck, untie her, and we will meet them at the boat. Young guns as
they are they were soon on their way. We waited a few more minutes for the
ferry and we all made it safely back to our boats.

Monday morning, and before we arrived at St.Helena, we have arranged for
700ltrs of diesel which was scheduled for Monday 10am. At 10am our fuel
arrived. We filled both tanks and drums, and were now ready for the long haul
to Cape Verde. We tied our rubber duck down solid, packed our drone, and made
our last visit to the island on the ferry boat. We had to have our passports
stamped in and out as immigration is not open on weekends. Once we were
stamped in and out, we had a final bit of shopping and had a burger and soda
drink at Anne's Place before we bid them farewell. Our final mission was to
take some footage of Jacob's Ladder and Jamestown with our drone. Not sure if
we were allowed to, but we did it quick stix and should we had a run in with
the law I could honestly plead ignorance. No signs anywhere that we need
permission to fly our drone. Got some great footage, packed our drone in our
bags and made our way for the 2pm ferry. We paid the ferryman his dues, got on
and got ready before casted off. Usually we would head straight out, but this
time decided to follow the island contour up to Egg Island. There were rumours
that we could catch some wahoo there. We tried but no luck. We then set our
course roughly for Cape Verde. As the wind sometimes blow from the east and at
times south east, we keep our sail at about 150 degrees to the wind. Which in
short means we don't always sail the straightest line, but hopefully the
fastest line.

The cherry on the cake whenever I visit St.Helena is that I can chat to my
daughter Maryna from a call box. She is turning 14 on the 1st of July. Clear
lines, unlike on a satphone where the signal and delays makes it sometimes
very frustrating to call from. We sms each other, an email now and then, but
nothing as satisfying as hearing her voice clear as daylight. She follows her
dad on the tracker as well. She knows what it is like to be out here on the
big blue. She was 5 when she sailed with me from Cape Town to Belize, 7000
nautical miles. We visited St.Helena, and her name is engraved on one of the
steps on Jacob's Ladder. I often engrave it again when I visit to keep it
fresh and visible. After St.Helena we had a quick stop in Fortaleza, Brazil,
St. Vincent, St.Lucia and spent a bit of time in Belize. We explored some of
the Mayan ruins and she made quite an impact on the local kids there. They
loved braiding her long blond hair and we learned that if you invite a friend
for some cold drinks and cookies, expect 15 to turn up :))) Loved every moment
of it.

Two days ago one of our lures was attacked by a wahoo. I watched it jump and
fight taking out line at an alarming rate. As we had a nylon trace on I knew
it was simply a matter of time before we loose the teethy wahoo. On a yacht
unlike on a ski boat, we can't turn around in an instant and chase the fish
down. Yes, I can can turn the boat around in an instant when we have a man
overboard, but this situation did not call for such drastic action and stress
on the rigging. We decided to rig two of our bigger rods and reels and made
some steel wire traces for our lures. Since Cape Town we've had no luck with
fish. Not even a strike, except for the one mentioned above. I have never been
so well equipped to catch fish either. We also have loads of pickled ginger,
wasabi and soya sauce, for just in case we land a fish. Fresh sushimi and
sushi and fish strips and fillets, we have all the tools and the ingredients.
Now we are trolling three lures behind us, and waiting :)))

From St. Helena to Cape Verde is about 2200nm. The first bit is easy enough
with the SE trade winds assisting us tremendously. For a while, even past the
equator. Then we expect a period of no wind, known as the doldrums. Which is
why we are delighted to have a full supplement of diesel. After the doldrums
we can expect wind mostly from the NE, headwinds. Nothing to hectic this time
of year, but sailing into the wind is a different dynamic than running with
the wind as we mostly have done so far. We will take it as it comes, as the
weather dictates. From Cape Verde we will be heading on a close haul for
Madeira, where the owner will be joining us to share in the fun. A few days
from there we will be stopping in Cadiz where we will take on a few more crew
before we head into the Med. Lots of fun ahead, some of the guys joining us in
Cadiz also did the Mykonos race with us, and looking greatly forward to seeing
them again.

We are expecting sligtly stronger winds for the next few days. We just dropped
the gennikar to make sure the shackles and knots are all secure and raised her
again. Making excellent miles we are well ahead of schedule, good for the
slower times ahead. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend and will catch
up soon again.

Paul

Gennikar

Screecher and Main

Genoa

Closing in on St.Helena

Arriving at St.Helena is always an outstanding event for us. It is a slow
pleasure that dawns on you, and wells up inside of you. Preparing for
departure in Cape Town has a similar feeling. Slowly get everything in
place, and once the weather says go there is that last minute hollow
feeling in your stomach. A mixed bag of emotions that you have to deal
with as best as you can. There is always this gnawing sadness leaving the
people and places you love behind. It never goes away and you learn to
live with and manage it. Add to that a dash of worry that you have
everything you may need for the trip, that all the systems are working and
keep on working, and that you are prepared for any eventuality. A little
bit of fear just to keep it real and keep you alive. Simmering excitement
for the adventure you are about to embark on. Some fresh free range
organic madness :))), and then the day arrives after a sleepless night and
it is time to go. What is it that we are really looking for, and what is
it that we find out here?

The first few days, often a bit rough out of Cape Town. You really get to
know the boat and the crew, and learn to trust each other. The boat, well,
she gets to know that you are gentle on her. If not, she will let you know
very soon if she is not happy. Second Wind is a lot of boat, and we love
every bit of her. The day flows into the night and Nature in all her glory
fills all grows on you. The rainbows, the sunsets, the moon magic, the
clouds.........endless tales unfolding. And then the ocean ..... vast
expanses of seemingly nothingness. At times smooth as a mirror, when the
horizon disappears and heaven and earth becomes one and you a silent
witness. An incredible moment of silence and inexpressible awe. When all
the stars above reflect below and you are floating out here in space....you
feel big, you feel small, and then you feel nothing at all. Just the pulse
of One throbbing through you.

On the other side the ocean can become wild and downright scary. Long thin
tails of clouds fill the skies, a big swell starts rolling in, the horizon
behind you becomes black, the wind starts getting excited, thunder and
lightning and a strong smell of rain. You prepare your drogue lines, long
lines you drag behind you to steady the direction and speed of your boat
running down the swells, you reef your sails and latch everything down,
making sure everything inside is stored secure. When he storm hits with big
raindrops that stings your face and then add hail for good measure :))) I
love the storms........long afterwards :))) There are times when you are
fighting for your very life against the elements. When you become dead
calm, confident in your boat, your preparations, your experience, and most
of all your unwavering respect for the elements. Most of the time though
sailing the oceans is nothing but a breeze. In the ten years that I have
averaged thirty thousand nautical miles per year crossing oceans and seas
all over the world, I can count the scary storms on one hand. Technology
nowadays also enable us to optimize weather conditions and stay safe.

We are less than a hundred miles from St.Helena. One of the most remote
places on earth. A volcanic island roughly in the middle of the South
Atlantic ocean. A powerful monument to the forces of nature. It certainly is
a place like no other in many ways. Rising up from the ocean floor in a
pinnacle five thousand metres high to the surface and nearly another thousand
metres marks the highest point on St.Helena, Diana's Peak. I have been there
a few times, a lonely really wind blown conifer tree clinging on. I have
visited perhaps thirty times or more and have made great friends there. The
slow anticipation of seeing my rock star friends again always brings a big
smile to my face. We are also stopping to take on fuel, to stretch our legs a
bit on a piece of solid land. Three of my crew haven't been there before, and
they will also experience the easy going hospitality that the Saints are
known for. While on the island as mentioned before we will try and post some
pics of our experiences thus far. Monday we will be on our way again, making
way for Cape Verde. Just keep on sailing :)))

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. And that the beauty we find out here, that
same source of wonder and amazement you can also find, where ever you are, if
you just look and listen :-)))

Up up and away......

Easter Sunday surprised me with a bowl containing a Lindt Easter bunny
with a bell, and various sizes and colours of Easter eggs next to my bed
when I woke up :))) It set the tone for the day. We have lots of sliced
bread and egg and should be used before we loose it. Tristan offered me a
sarmy and I suggested he makes a pile of french toast with bacon. He said
he has never made french toast before but he will give it a go. I gave him
a few basic pointers and soon he was producing perfectly fried slices of
french toast. The smell of the french toast drifted into the cabins and a
few enquiry rounds were made past the galley. Once the toast was done it
was placed in the oven to stay warm and then the smell of bacon started
filling the saloon down into the cabins and up to the helming station on
the flybridge. Not long after we all sat down to a delectable breakfast.

The wind has been dying a bit on us with little spells of air here and
there. One of our missions on this voyage is to take some footage with a
drone and it was time to do our maiden flight. We were motor sailing with
the full genoa and Richard was the first on the drone controls. He made a
three minute flight away from Second Wind and back in again. Nervous
moments for all of us but high 5's all around after Danny caught the drone
mid air. Difficult enough to fly a drone with hardly any practise on land,
let alone out at sea. Moving platform that you take off from and have to
come in and land on as well. One little mistake and the drone goes to Davy
Jones's locker. On Richard's first attempt to land and he bounced slightly
off the deck before he got it under control again. It really is not so
easy with the wind blowing you off course.

An hour or so later the conditions were good to raise the gennikar which
would make excellent footage with the drone. This time Danny was at the
controls and circled Second Wind a few times from afar, getting some great
footage. The landing was a bit hectic, but Richard saved the day by
grabbing the drone after Danny half crash landed. We all uttered a great
sigh of relieve and a few out at sea expressions too. The footage on both
flights was eagerly awaited as Carey loaded it on her Mac. She will be
editing all the drone and GoPro and cell phone footage we capture. Just
the other morning I called Danny to come and look at a spectacular rainbow
right behind us. Captured it on my cell phone, both ends of the rainbow in
sight. Amazing what perspective a drone can give you. Looks like we are
out in space, which I guess we really are. Seeing the curve of the horizon
in the background also lends to the outer space feeling. And Second Wind
looks stunning with her blue gennikar up front leaving two long white
lines in our wake. What a feeling, what a sight!

Today we also sailed our first 1000 nautical miles. And New Moon as well
today. And we rigged two rods with reels and lures and trolling for wish.
A few flying fish have also made an appearance and soon we should have
some ultra fresh sushi and sushimi :) We have loads of pickled ginger,
wasabi and soya sauce for these occasions or blessings I should more
correctly say. The previous few days we were going a bit to fast to fish,
at one point surfing at 14.5kts. 6kts is ideal and on rod and reel one
preferably also want to the able to slow the boat down when we get hooked
up.

For supper I used our steamer magodi for the first time to steam some
spuds. Looks like a metal flower that opens to fit most size pots
perfectly. Fried some sausage all the way from Ladysmith in KZN and with
some whole kernel corn and various condiments we had a most agreeable meal
:) For desert we had some tea with banana bread that Carey baked the day
before. She baked two loaves, the first one was devoured in minutes.
Torture to sit and wait for it to cool down. Only once the baker gives the
thumbs up we got stuck into it.

The water temperature is rising steadily as is the weather. The nights are
warmer and the cold misty rainy stormy nights are over for a while. Not
long before we cross into the western hemisphere. We expect to arrive at
St.Helena within the next five days and will try to post some footage and
pics. Hopefully the internet is fast enough. Trust that you had a blessed
Easter as well and will keep you posted on our adventures.

Monday morning today, and as we always joke, for six days we rest and on
the 7th day we work :) We have covered just over 1100nm in our first week,
averaging about 6,5kts. We are hoping to maintain a 6kt average and thus
have a few miles in credit. We did however had great wind which helped a
lot. For the next few days we expect very light winds which will bring our
average down a bit, but 6kts should be within our reach. Today we are
servicing both motors. Just an oil and filter change really, and we are
well equipped to make this an easy task. We will also decant 250ltrs of
diesel into both port and starboard tanks. We prefer to keep the tanks as
full as possible to reduce the change of condensation forming inside the
tanks which in turn will create water. We have got special ceramic magnetic
fuel filters that will remove any diesel bugs before the fuel goes into the
engine. We also do the daily maintenance checks all around the boat. Great
to have so many able and willing hands on deck. Makes light work of any
task.

Wishing you a wonderful day. We hope to make St.Helena in the next four to
five days, Friday or Saturday.

Second Wind

Interesting name......Second Wind, a Leopard 58 catamaran destined for
Malta. Prior to getting ready for departure, Second Wind was entered in
the Mykonos race. When the owner expressed his wish that we should enter I
thought it crazy, a week before the race. But in good time we completed
all the paperwork, paid all our dues, and had our vessel rated. The day of
the race we were up bright and early and were bobbing around the starting
line with a fleet of other boats. There was precious little wind, and the
little there was, was also from the wrong direction :-) But we tried.
Tacking this way and that way and slowly making progress forward. Our boat
was by quite a margin the biggest boat in the fleet, and we do need a bit
of wind to get us going. After an hour of getting nowhere slowly we decided
to start a motor and motorsail the rest of the way, in racing terms it
means we retired from the race. The Mykonos race is an annual event
starting in Cape Town and ending at Mykonos in the Langebaan lagoon. At
once stage much to our amusement we were leading the multihull class,
competing against fast racing trimarans. If I recall correctly there were
over 100 yachts competing. Due to our rating we were doing exceptionally
well. Our aim was to take part in the event for the fun of it, and also to
test our brand new boat properly before we take her on the long voyage to
Malta.

We arrived just before midnight and tried to anchor where the race
organisers allocated a spot for us. It was inside the Mykonos marina, and
very cramped for space on a big vessel such as ours. All the moorings were
full, and we did not feel safe at our anchorage. We thus decided to rather
anchor just outside the marina and wait for the morning to make a better
plan. At 8am we made contact with the race organisers again and were
allocated a mooring buoy at Yachtport on the other side of the lagoon. 10
out of ten for the race organisers. They exceeded our wildest expectations.
They also had a shuttle arranged for us and we thoroughly enjoyed a lovely
day at Mykonos. Later the afternoon the prize giving proceeded in very
windy conditions and we all filled the pubs and restaurants after the
event. It was me and my crew's first Mykonos race. Taken all the funds and
time and effort that goes into the race, I was surprised that a year's hard
work for most participants was rewarded so low key. No media was present,
no speeches made by the winners or the second places. The trophies were
minute. IT IS A GREAT EVENT !!! Massive amounts of fun, and hardcore
sailing too. Share the fun !!!

Probably around ten pm we were shuttled back to Yachtport. To get to our
yacht on the mooring buoy was an interesting challenge. There was a small
dinghy that we could use to row over. Two needed to row and only space for
one passenger. With the wind pumping we had to row quite hard at an acute
angle to not get blown into the lagoon but made it safely to our yacht.
The other three saw that we struggled somewhat and woke up another yachtie
with a bigger dinghy and he kindly rowed them over and stayed for some
refreshments. Sunday morning we were allocated a berth in the Mykonos
marina and made our way over. We dwarfed all the other vessels there but
managed to squeeze in and tie the mooring lines down. Lovely place to sit
and socialize a bit, lots of friends and passers-by who stopped to have a
chat and a few were invited to have a tour of the boat. A most agreeable
day was had by all. Monday morning early we were on our way motoring back
to Cape Town, again against the wind :))) Light winds fortunately and just
before sunset we were back at our berth at the V&A marina.

The next event we prepared for was the christening of Second Wind. The
date was set for 12 March, the day of the Argus race. The cyclists that
trained all year for the event and made their way to Cape Town was shocked
that the race was cancelled, the first time in 40 years if I recall
correctly. The wind was blowing so hard that the cyclist could make no
progress. I saw some footage of bicycles being held on like kites being so
light. A few contestants were some of our guests and it was inspiring to
hear how they felt about the race on the day. After the race was officially
cancelled a few cyclist still tried to unofficially complete the race, but
it was really impossible. Back to the christening event. My crew were given
the opportunity to host the event and worked closely with the owner to
create a wow event. Wearing Second Wind specific uniforms we not only
looked the part, I am sure everyone will agree that the crew makes a dream
team. Sushi platters, cocktails and champagne was enjoyed by all and at 7pm
Second Wind was officially christened.

During the course of the above events we also enjoyed a couple of day sails.
The last day sail we had before we started to prepare for the long voyage to
Malta was truly magic. We decided on a leisurely sail around Robben Island.
Halfway there we saw a thick bank of fog crawling in between Lion's Head and
Table Mountain. An hour after we were totally surrounded by fog, and all we
coud hear was the fog horn on Mouille Point sounding every so often. A whale
or two also made an appearance and a seal also lazily waved into the air.
Fortunately we have radar and AIS on board and could see exactly where we
were in relation to land and other vessels. A surreal experience, cocooned
like that. I have sailed in heavy fog without radar once before, probably one
of the most tense experiences I've had on the ocean. As we motored back to
Cape Town the fog lifted just before we entered the harbour.

It was now time to get ready for our voyage and final provisioning was done.
We are five on board and later will be joined in Madeira and then in Cadiz we
have three more crew joining us. We thus provisioned accordingly, loads and
loads of groceries. We did a few final preventative maintenance and sorted a
final few snags. I have been keeping an eye on the weather for a few days and
on Monday 10 April a window opened up for us. A few other yachts departed at
the same time. The first few hours we motored into light winds, and as was
predicted, the wind direction turned from NW to SW to S and settled at SSE.
Tuesday morning it was still light SW and we rigged our screecher and
mainsail on 1st reef, getting an angle just aft of the beam. Soon we were
leaving a long white track behind us sailing along at a steady 10kts. The
wind speed gradually increased and backed to S. Time to furl the screecher
and tried with the main and genoa to run on a broad reach. We did well for a
while but us the wind was coming more and more from behind us we decided to
drop the main and just sail with the genoa opened out wide. Wednesday morning
we hoisted the gennikar and made excellent miles. As the wind velocity
increased we dropped the gennikar and could sail with the genoa alone. We
could anticipate the changes in weather and work our sails accordingly. Great
to have all these options available. Thursday we expected the wind to get
fairly strong and stay strong until Saturday, which is exactly what it did.
Strongest wind we had was 35kts and the swell about 4mtrs. Following winds
and seas as the saying goes. Well done to the crew for trusting the boat and
not getting to scared when it got just slightly wild :) Through Friday night
the wind very slowly started easing off, and Saturday morning we could fly
the gennikar again. Smooth and fast.

Our watches are somewhat shorter than usual, nice to have 5 crew on board.
3hr watches gives us all lots of time to rest and read and do all the other
things we do when sailing. The days are started to flow one into the other
and we are getting into the motion of the ocean. We are relaxed yet always
stay alert. Do the daily routine maintenance to make sure all is well and
stay well. I have done a crossing with Richard, my 1st Mate before, and we
have definitely got a dream team on board. More about them later.

We are also doing a little documentary on our voyage. The owner has made a
drone available, and we have two gopros on board as well. On top of that a
professional to edit and sort all the footage with background music. The boyz
have not really started fishing yet, we have been goin a bit too fast the
last few days, but I hear tomorrow they will make a serious effort.

We are exactly 900nm from St.Helena and already looking forward to touching
base with some long time friends there again. Hope you are having a great
weekend and blessed Easter to one and all.

Paul

Photo from sailwithpaul

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