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Maverick in St.Lucia and on

Timing one's arrival at chosen spot is sometimes a wee bit tricky. Easy
enough to slow down, speeding up not so easy. We arrived at St.Lucia just
after midnight. On previous occasions I would run up to Marigot Bay anyway
and do a night entry. Not recommended if you are not familiar with the
place. Sailing into St.Lucia after three weeks at sea always takes your
breath away. The lush green, the pitons, the soft rain at times, the
rainbows that follow. I have had many magical moments arriving at this most
beautiful island of the Caribbean. I think it is the most beautiful one
anyway. The owner on board and my crew member have never seen St.Lucia,
and I wanted them to see the pitons which are south of Marigot Bay. On the
southern tip is Vieux Fort Bay and we dropped anchor in the lee of the
Moule Achique Promontory and had a good night's rest there. I find it hard
to sleep on a boat that is not moving after being at sea for weeks. The
quietness, the gentle rocking, and the excitement of going on land in a
few hours adds to this bout of insomnia :-)))

Early up and kettle on the gas stove, coffee anyone? Weighed anchor and
slowly motor sailed towards Marigot Bay. The pitons showed spectacular as
usual, and everywhere sail boats were appearing out of the anchorages and
marinas. First of course were the local fishing boats out to sea and waving
as the fishermen waving at us. Something that boaters do everywhere, wave
at each other as they pass each other. Just yesterday a sportfishing boat
motored passed us from astern, I waved and got no wave back. I threw both
my hands in the air, like wtf, and they waved back at us :-))) We arrived
at Marigot a few hours later and tied up to a mooring buoy. An incredibly
beautiful little hideaway as you will see if you look at our footage posed.
We cleared in, paid our dues, arranged for a taxi to the airport, and at
noon Joe and Peter was on the way to the airport to fetch Joe's son Mike
who flew in from the States to join our adventure. When they returned, we
went for some of the best pizza you will ever find, a few beers, and then
meandered across the bay to another establishment with a few pool tables.
Shot a few games and turned out Joe was quite the hustler. At 72 years old
he showed us youngsters:-))) a thing or two and walked away the champ.
These little stops also allows us to catch up a bit on our emails and
social media, and best of all, time to catch up with our families a bit.
Having wifi is wonderful after extended periods at sea.

The next morning at first light we slipped the mooring buoy and pointed our
bows in the direction of St.Thomas. I googled where the best place would be
to clear into the US, as our boat is US flagged, and St.Thomas and St.Johns
were mentioned. As St.Thomas is a rather big and busy port, we opted for
St.Johns, just a few miles east of St.Thomas. We had a wonderful sail up
with the wind on our beam, but once again arrived at night. Very shallow
anchorage, checked the tide, and tentatively made our way in and dropped
anchor in less than two metres of water. The Maverick is known for it's
shallow draught, and even if you touch bottom, you won't damage the props or
rudders. In fact, you can beach the Maverick, but be sure the bottom is sand
:-))) I just recently learned that Maverick Yachts is now also building a
Hybrid model as well. Fantastic news!!! Long overdue. Check their website at
maverickyachts.co.za. The next morning early we moved to a slightly deeper
anchorage, as the tide left us with us with just over a metre of water
where we were. We got our paperwork and passports together, dropped the
dinghy and proceeded to the Customs and Immigration offices. My First Mate
Peter has an ESTA visa, which one applies for online if you want to enter
the US. Turned out you either have to enter on a commercial plane or boat
and we were given a few options. Motor into twenty knots of wind and choppy
seas back to Tortola. Clear in there, get Peter on a ferry back to St.John,
and then they can legally clear him in. Or pay a heavty $3000 fine. Jokingly
I informed the immigration officer "No speaky da English, non comprehendo"
and we made or way back to our yacht. Going back to Tortola would be very
unpleasant, take a long time and burn a lot of diesel, thus not an option. I
have a friend, Christian, in Vieques, part of Puerto Rico, which falls under
the US. On a previous occasion we cleared into the US in Vieques at the
airport, and rather opted for this possible option. Just forty miles away,
and we arrived at Vieques just before dark and tied onto a mooring buoy. I
was in coms with Christian who followed our tracker, and we arranged to meet
at seven thirty the next morning. He took us to the airport and the
immigration officer arrived just after eight. He was also happy with all our
visas, except Peter's. In his own words, "I don't make the rules, I just
enforce them" Christian offered to fly us to Puerto Rico in his Cessna 205
to go sort out our problem there, and we excepted gratefully and thankfully.
Just a short flight and once we were airborne, Christian told me to take
over the control. I shook my head vehemently, but he just smiled and guided
me how to keep the plane flying at an even level. I was seriously nervous
and totally focused, but what an amazing experience. A pirate being a pilot,
pilots of the Caribbean :-))) He sailed with me about six months ago with
our friend Nathan from Vieques to Fort Lauderdale, and I showed him the
ropes. Ten days at sea and he was a natural, a quick learner and excellent
company. Now he was teaching me his favourite mode of transport. In Puerto
Rico the official issued Peter a visa waiver for a fee of $585, and Joe had
to pay import duties into the US on his boat which costed him over $8000.
And no, they don't except credit cards. Cash or a personal cheque. We could
also work through a broker, which would take at least three days and cost
even more. Our only option was for Joe to find a bank and draw the cash,
which was also quite tricky and understandably so. I sent Nicolas, our crew
member with Joe and Christian, as Joe's body guard, just in case. Nicolas is
a big boy, which always comes in handy under certain circumstances :-))) It
too us a couple of hours, but we got it all sorted, and flew back to Vieques
at about five pm, hungry, tired and thirsty :-))) Went back to the yacht,
freshened up, and went to Duffy's for some food and a few beers. Christian
brought his family down a little bit later to introduce us, wonderful
wonderful.

At Duffy's I checked the weather and it looked like a good run ahead from
there to Annapolis. I checked on Windy.com, and Fastseas to see what the
recommended route would be. The next morning, just to make double sure, we
went ashore one last time to check the weather forecast and get a few final
provisions, which we could not do the day before. We had about eight days of
fuel in our tanks left and set of confidently that we will make Annapolis
based on the weather predicted. Four days later the weather predicted did
not materialise and I had to make a different plan. When I took watch over
from Joe at six am, I discussed with him our situation, and our only hope
was to make a ninety degree turn and head for the Bahamas to get fuel. He
was in total agreement and without further adieu, changed course. Annapolis
was about eight hundred miles away, the Bahamas about four hundred. And no
wind. You don't want to run out of fuel in the middle of the ocean, for very
many reasons. The water turned glassy, the fuel gauge kept dropping, and I
was stressing somewhat. I could not sleep and one morning at about four I
decided to unscrew one of the covers on one of our fuel tanks to see how
much fuel we really have, and to see what type of gauge the Maverick has. It
turned out the gauges were very accurate and we sill had some distance to
cover before we will get to the Bahamas. I guessed we had about sixty litres
left which gives us about thirty hours of motoring. The last hundred miles
was really stressful as we got some counter current and were making slow
progress. A ship passed us close by and I considered asking them for fuel if
possible, but decided not to. They mostly run on crude oil and highly unlike
that they will have diesel. It was a massive relief when we made the Bahamas
with probably ten litres of fuel in each tank, the gauges were deep in the
red. None of the crew stressed, they all trusted me completely. Instead of
stressing, we stopped the boat every day for half an hour or so, dived into
the deep blue and had loads of fun. These are stresses that captains often
have to carry alone. But with a huge reserve of luck, I somehow manage not
to get into deep trouble.

I have been to the Bahamas twice before. Once running in with six metre
swell behind me caused by a hurricane close by. I was lucky then too, and
like then, very relieved to be there. We moored against the fuel dock at
about five in the afternoon, announced our arrival at the marina office.
Marcel, the manager there sorted us out quickly. What excellent service we
received at Harbour View Marina in Marsh harbour. We went for a snack and
some beers a Snappas, great food, and as it was Friday night, great lively
live music too. And as usual, got onto wifi and caught up with the world at
large. Saturday morning we took on 120 gallons of fuel, or in my terms 456
litres of diesel, cleared Customs and Immigration, paid our dues, did some
provisioning and departed for Annapolis just after noon. We will now
optimize the Gulf Stream, a solid current that runs up the east coast of
North America, which will expediate our progress greatly. Pacing ourselves a
bit, again, to not run too fast and get the headwinds predicted further up.
If we time it perfectly, we will get most wind from behind, and some just
aft of the beam. Wind against current is not a pleasant experience, and we
try to avoid that. We should be in Annapolis in about five days time. It is
hot out here, a few cumulus nimbus clouds forming every day now. Those big
towering anvil shaped clouds that flattens out at the top as it hits the
colder stratosphere. Powerful clouds with lots of thunder and lightning and
rain. Spectacular to say the least.

Catch you on the flip side :-)))

A slice of life on a yacht on an ocean crossing

St.Helena....always an immense pleasure to visit her shores. The remnants
of a volcanic eruption smack bang in the middle of the Southern Atlantic
ocean. Sometimes volcanoes erupt and settles back to sea level where the rim
is then in time covered with coral and attracts a huge variety of other
living organisms. Only a few volcanoes erupt and is big enough to not sink
back into the ocean. On the same ridge about 700nm away is Ascension island.
Huge underwater mountain ranges, with these two islands the peaks. From
5000 metres the seabed rises rapidly within a mile or two of St.Helena,
and on top, this magnificent rock. Sailing in from the south east the
volcanic cliffs shows many layers of different colours and density. I
always experience a sense of wonder, thinking that this rock goes right
down to the core of our planet. And if I hold my ear against this rock, I
imagine hearing the rumblings of the molten core far below. From the
centre of our blue planet. The outer parts of the island offers a huge
contrast to the inner hills and valleys where you find lush green forests.
The people who live on this island are also the friendliest people I have
met anywhere. I thought I may be a bit biased, but reading the reports of
others sailors that came ashore and filled the logbook at Anne's Place,
confirms that. People like me, who have sailed far and wide. It is a
unique place, in many ways, and so worth a visit for so many reasons.
Until very recently you could only get there by boat, but since October
last, you can now fly in. And for the very best experience of the history
of the island, none can beat the Consulate Hotel. If you can, make a plan,
and GO.

Our sail from Cape Town to St.Helena was average. From St.Helena to Brazil
we normally experience less wind, but this time round we had a fantastic
sail up. Sailed pass Fernando do Noronha at night, and the next day at
about noon we passed Atol do Rocas. Had some radio contact with the marine
biologists stationed on this amazing place before we pointed our bows
towards the Caribbean. The current running up the South American north
coast goes a long way in stretching our daily average of 150nm to 200+nm.
But just for a few days before you loose the current and hook in again a
few days later. The Amazon creates some counter currents close to the
coast, and we prefer to stay at least 200nm offshore from it's mouth. A
day or two after crossing the Amazon, the ocean water starts going brown
from the silt deposited by the Amazon and remains that way nearly to the
Caribbean. Lots of rain whenever we sail this area, for days. Refreshing
and invigorating. Huge amounts of sargasso, a floating seaweed that one
can apparently cook and eat, or dry and make a certain spice from it. A
few days ago I started smelling a very faint familiar smell, like clay.
The next day the sun was less bright which confirmed what my nose picked
up first. Sahara dust, powdery fine pinkish reddish dust being blown
nearly 3000nm over the North Atlantic ocean. It starts settling on the
boat in little nooks and crannies, hardly visible at first, but within a
few days evident everywhere. A good spell of rain and the exterior of our
yacht is clean, but inside the cockpit area, we have to hose and wipe it
off. Satellite images shows this massive yellow cloud over the North
Atlantic certain times of the year, and apparently not good for the coral
in the Caribbean either. I guess as the desert grows bigger, more and more
dust is being blown over.

Life on yacht....we get very close to nature out here, become an integral
part of the wild and untameable open ocean. The sun, the moon, the skies,
day and night, the ocean, all awe inspiring ever changing elements. And
when you have been out here long enough, a spirit of thankfulness, a soul
of gratefulness settles in you. I often sail with new crew and new owners,
who haven't been at sea long. Interesting how they, in the beginning,
always find a reason to complain. Too hot, to cold, too wet, too dry, too
much wind, too little wind. It is as if they cling onto these little rafts
of negativity left over from a life on land. Indoctrinated and programmed
to be like that ;-))) And they cling together, huddle together to exchange
there pains. They don't often express their complains to me. Reason being
that I normally pass them a toilet roll and a pen and ask them to write
their complains on it ;-))) At first they are shocked, but soon realize
that is my take on little negative chirps. Reporting a fault, that gets
recorded in our logbook, no problem with that, and we sort it out, now. If
you bump your head, or slip, I first ask if the boat is ok. It works a
charm. And they figure out quick that this is not a nursing home, here you
have to watch where you walk, and how you walk. I always urge the crew
to walk on their toes, cat foot like, quick short steps, stay low and
always hold with one hand onto something. And soon everyone knows how to
be and stay safe. First safety rule on a boat is to stay on the boat. If
you fall overboard and we can't find you it creates a lot of paperwork :-
000. That also shocks my new crew a bit when we do the safety briefing
before we start, not sure why. It's a fact :-))) And so we establish crew
dynamics. If someone does not pull their weight, it creates tension.
Therefore best to share all the duties equally, and make sure the duties
are performed properly. And no problem for me to sort out small little
problems like this. None of us keep grudges, we air our feelings, and get
on with the task at hand. Everyone knows what is expected from them, and
why. And soon we have positive comments in the logbook, which every crew
member completes after his/her watch. Beautiful sunrise, Meteor showers,
Dolphins came to visit, Great sailing, etc etc etc. When dolphins come
around, we all run out and spend time with them till the last one darts
away. When it rains we run outside and tribal dance like hooligans, when
the moon is full we howl at the moon.

Not that things are always easy going when you cross oceans on a yacht.
Mostly it is smooth beautiful sailing, but at times it gets a bit rough. We
go through periods of squalls and learn how to safely deal with them. And
in the wee dark hours of the night when the rain comes down hard and we get
soaked thoroughly, the sudden wind increase and change of direction tests us
thoroughly. I look around at these times, and everyone is smiling from ear to
ear, having lots of fun. Intensely focused, intensely in the present moment.
And we look at each other after we got things sorted and we burst out
laughing, thoroughly happy to be alive. And the cloud passes over, the wind
drops, and we carry on as before, ready for the next challenge. Mostly in a
squall you could bare off and get the wind behind you, or bare up straight
into the wind with the motors on and the main sail centred and te headsail
furled in. If you bear off you stay with the squall for a while as it blows
over you. If you point into the wind it blows over much quicker. Sounds
easy enough, and so it is, until you have a ship on either side of you
leaving you very little sea room to change direction. Then you heave to,
turn the boat through the wind with the head sail working against the main
sail and stalling the boat. This situation occurred a few nights ago. I am
thus not talking theory here, but sharing from practical experience.

Lots of duties we all share. Most importantly our watches. After many years
of rotating watches, I have now settled on fixed watches. It allows your
body to get used to a set pattern of sleeping, and I find it much more
conducive to staying well rested. I always do the 6-9 watches as most wind
changes takes place during these hours and we set our sail accordingly.
Next comes cooking duties. Everyone gets a turn to cook, and also do the
dishes on that day. One main meal a day at about 2pm. For breakfast we do
oatmeal, maizemeal, Nutrifix, Post Toasties, bacon and egg, muesli etc.
Afternoon or night time snacks we have lots of other nice goodies too, even
popcorn :-))) What makes it interesting is that everyone brings their own
recipes and as we are often from diverse nationalities, it makes for great
meals. And we also bake our own bread, muffins, scones, pizza etc. The
owner I am currently sailing with was concerned about the meals, saying he
has a fast metabolism and eats a lot :-))) I assure you, he is eating very
well, as we all are. Good food is essential for good crew dynamics. I have
heard there are skippers who seriously skimp on the food budget and corn
beef and bake beans is what you eat the whole trip, an average six weeks. We
live well. We catch fish, and have loads of vacuum packed ground beef,
cubed beef and chicken fillets in the freezer. And more spices and herbs
and tin foods than you will imagine. Never had anyone complain about food
on any of my deliveries :-)))

Maintaining the yacht and all the systems we have on board also takes quite
a bit of our time. A lot of preventative maintenance before we start, and
keeping a finger on everything while at sea. If it rains and we spring a
leak, we detect where the leak is from and fix it. When the motors needs to
be serviced we all assist and make sure it gets done properly. We have a
schedule to check all the hose clamps, bilges, signs of rust, whatever may
be required. We make sure there is no chafe on any lines or sails, and sail
conservatively, really looking well after the boat. We keep the fridges
clean, water our plants regularly :-))), and makes sure everything stays
shipshape. If you let things pile up, they get out of hand. We thus make sure
we are ready for any and every eventuality, to the best of our ability. If
we are then thoroughly tested by the elements, we know we are prepared as can
be. It's the only way I know. Procrastinate at your own peril, the ocean thus
not suffer fools gladly. She demands respect, and we give her just that, all
of that.

Much more to share, but some other time. In two days time we should arrive
in St.Lucia. Not much current to assist us, sometimes a bit of counter
current, but the wind is steady and we are doing better than expected. We
are stopping for a day or two, and the owner's son is also flying in and
joining us there for the last stretch. After St.Lucia, a quick stop at
St.Thomas to clear into the US and get our cruising permit. From there
another ten days or so up to Annapolis, via the Bermuda triangle.

Until next time, keep it real :-)))

The Magic and the Mystery

Once again I find myself out at sea, the deep sea, the big blue, into the
wild we go. This time round we are sailing a Maverick 400 Custom from Cape
Town to Annapolis, a 7800nm voyage, estimated to take about 9 weeks, stops
included. The Mavericks are hand built in Cape Town, and if you Google
Maverick Yachts, you will notice that they look very different from most
other yachts. They are also known as "Spacecraft", partly because of the
way they look, and partly due the optimized used of space inside and out.
Compared to motorcars I have always thought of the Maverick shape as the
Bentley of boats. You get slick, fast, hard lines, and then you get the
more curvy lines. This lady falls in the latter group. She has curves in
all the right places. It's all about that base :-)))

On board we have Joe, the owner, Peter, my First Mate, Nicolas, our crew
member, and myself as captain. I always select my crew carefully, based on
different criteria than what you may think. To start with I always look
for a strong First Mate, not physical strength, but in performance and
experience. I received more than a dozen applications, checked references
and Peter fitted the bill perfectly. Nicolas has been on smaller boats all
his life, and knows a bit about sailing a Hoby cat. No sailing
qualifications, but a lot of other interesting dynamics he brings to the
party. Joe was a complete unknown. We signed a contract about a year ago.
He paid 10% of my delivery fee upfront to make sure I would be available
for his boat. Just as he was very selective about his yacht and the
interior, the name also took a lot of consideration. Boat names
are sometimes fascinating. Eventually Joe had to decide what to name his
boat. On our contract where the boat's name is mentioned, I had to fill in
Boat with no name :-))) In the end, Joe named his boat No ETA. Which says a
lot about his intentions with his boat, no rush.

We all met in Cape Town mid April and started preparing for the voyage.
Keeping one eye on the punch list we had to go through, the other eye was
kept on weather reports. That way we could pace ourselves, and be
thoroughly prepared when the time came for us to cast off. We had to get
tools, equipment, spares, food and fuel, and go out for a sea trial before
we were absolutely ready. The weather was our main concern. We could speed
up our required purchases should the weather dictate. 28 April the weather
turned perfectly in our favour and found us ready, eager and
willing. We cleared out on Friday, got all our fresh produce, tied the
inflatable down properly and did a final few other odds and ends. At 8am
on Saturday I radioed Cape Town Port Control requesting permission to
depart from RCYC and exit port on route to Annapolis. Once they granted
permission we started the motors, prepared the mooring lines, and soon
were on our way. It was very foggy, visibility about 50mtrs. But with
radar and port control keeping an eye on ship movement, we slowly and
safely motored out and stayed outside of the shipping lanes. Soon we were
out of the fog, and looking back, Table Mountain was spectacular with a
rim of fog covering the base.

An incredible feeling of sadness wells up in me at these times, and an
incredible feeling of happiness as well. To experience both these feelings
simultaneously could probably be considered a special type of madness. An
all pervasive experience of thankfulness and gratefulness. For what is
behind us, what is ahead of us, but mostly for an awareness of exactly who
we are, what we are, and where we are at any given time and place. It is an
ever evolving experience. That of living in the moment. Catching a glimpse of
eternity now and then. Timelessness.

The conditions were great for a first day out at sea, and none of the crew
suffered seasickness. We set our course in a north westerly direction. The
wind were at first from the SW and we hoisted our main sail and unfurled our
head sail. The wind slowly backed to S, and by the next morning it settled
on SE. We dropped our sails and up went the gennaker catching the wind
straight from behind. I assembled two fishing lines and soon we had a nice
size yellowtail on board. Showed the crew how to fillet a fish properly, and
soon after we sat down to some sushimi with soya sauce, pickled ginger and
wasabi. What a treat. For supper we had yellowtail fillets and we were well
on our way. The next morning we ran through a school of longfin tuna, lost
one and managed to get two aboard. We could have caught a few more, but
decided we have enough for now. A flock of various kinds of sea birds were
following us as I processed the two tuna. T'was so much fun dropping the
cut-offs in the water and watching the birds feeding and making a big noise
around our boat.

We have set watches on our yacht. I do the 6-9 watches, Nicolas 9-12, Peter
12-3 and Joe 3-6, night and day. The wind settled on SE. The first day the
wind was fairly strong, about 25kts, and the wind in our sail was on the edge
at 16kts. I decided to bring the gennaker down just before sunset and
unfurled the genoa again. We lost some miles, but we were comfortable and
safe. The next morning the gennaker went up again, and we went a few times
through the drill of snuffing the gennaker quickly. The gennaker stayed up
for a few days and nights and we made excellent miles. The wind eventually
faded on us, and we had to use our motors one at a time to keep going at a
reasonable speed. We motored for nearly three days before we got some wind
again. First from the NE and backed to N, NW, W, SW, S and settled on SE
again. It was a bit uncomfortable as the sea state kept on following the wind
directions, and it took about 24 hrs for the wind to back to SE. It took
another few hours for the swell to follow suit.

Sunday we were still becalmed, expecting the weather to come in a bit later
in the day. Our motors were at 50hrs each and time to service them. Take the
oil out, replace the oil filter and fill up with oil again. Easy enough, and
a breeze with the right tools at hand. Unintentionally it always seems that
we rest for six days a week and on the 7th day we work. My darlig daughter
will dispute that her dad ever works. She claims that if you really love what
you do, it can't be called work. And I have this habit to love whatever I do.

Last night at 8, after days of motoring, the wind at last turned SW and I
made the call to raise the head and mainsail again. A bit of a process, even
more so at night, but being a sailing boat, we love to sail whenever we can.
We operate 24/7. One of my crew's mom asked me a few years ago if we anchor
every night and start again in the morning. I thought she was joking, but
no, she was serious. I realized then that not everybody knows that we keep
on moving out here. The wind was a gentle 13kts when we raised the main to
2nd reef, and as soon as the main was up it started gusting at 26kts. A bit
surprising, but 2nd reef is only about half of our mainsail, so we were
fine. We unfurled the genoa also to 2nd reef, and at last turned off the
motors, sailing over a somewhat bouncy sea throughout the night. The crew got
a bit wet in the process, but a quick warm shower afterwards sorted that out
quick. This morning at 7 I woke my crew to drop the sails and raise the
gennaker once again. Very much a waiting game at times. But when the time
arrives, the boat takes first priority. We have lots of time to rest, so I
never have any qualms to wake my crew whenever I need them.

After a day of flying the gennaker we are back to motoring. No wind, no
problem. After a period of no wind the sea becomes glassy, and all the stars
are reflected in a mirror like image. Stars all around, above and below, and
you become part of this infinite kaleidoscope of spiralling galaxies. You feel
infinitely small, and infinitely big at the same time. The complete
insignificance in a way, and the complete relevance in another way. This
experience we call life. No other planet, in all of the universe, manifests
life as Gaia, planet Earth, the Blue Planet, name it what you like. In order
to sustain life as we know it requires a perfect orchestration of elements.
Take the moon for example, orbiting in perfect harmony with the sun and earth.
Creating tides and currents all around the globe. Forces of life. Even our
atmosphere is a very finely balanced mixture of carbon and oxygen as the main
components. The magnetic fields of our planet, still a mystery to science as
to what exactly causes these magnetic fields. There are a few theories, as
there always is, but nothing absolutely conclusive. I will call it magic, as
that is what we call what we don't fully understand. A planet of mystery and
magic, for sure. It is inconceivable however, considering the utter vastness
of the universe, that there are no other forms of life out there, and perhaps
right here. New discoveries in the ocean are registered nearly daily, far to
many to be properly researched.

We will arrive at St.Helena in the next three to four days. A tiny pinnacle in
the middle of the South Atlantic ocean. From a depth of 5000m a volcano
erupted, surfaced above the ocean, cooled down and mostly sank back into the
ocean. The rocky outcrop that remained above the water through millennia gave
a foothold for life. Certain trees and birds, plants and fish you will find
nowhere else. Some of them already extinct, some on the brink of extinction.
There are on average 3500 Saints on the island, and at times up to 500
foreigners. A long and rich history that is closely connected to life on the
high seas. I love the morphic energy of this place. Since October 2017 you can
now fly to St.Helena. If you want to get off the beaten track a bit, check
this place out. I have just checked in my logbook, and I have visited
St.Helena 28 times before. I have some of the most wonderful friends on the
island, and it is always an immense pleasure to step ashore for a while.

Will catch up again further down the line.

One Life, One Love, Live It

With Fortaleza disappearing in the background we went in search of good
winds and currents. Studied Windy.com for currents predicted up the
Brazilian coast, and also did a Fastseas.com route plan to optimize our
passage. We patiently kept hunting and eventually our patience paid
dividends. Our route was quite a bit wider than I have done previously, but
I am not known for doing things the same time every time. It was the 21st
time I have done this route and always open to try something new. One day
flowed into the next and a week or so later we were closing in on the
string of Caribbean islands. We planned a rendezvous with S/V Second Wind,
a Leopard 58 I delivered last year to Malta. The owner, his wife and a few
friends were aboard, as well as Richard who was my 1st Mate on Second Wind.
I recommended him highly to the owner as a skipper which he has since
fulfilled with great success. They sailed the boat from Malta across the
Atlantic to the Caribbean and were now island hopping in the Caribbean. Our
plan was to meet in St.Vincent as they were tied to a mooring buoy in the
lagoon there. The night before we arrived at St.Vincent was slightly
uncomfortable. The sea state was lumpy and coming onto the continental
shelf just accentuated the unsettled pattern and rhythm. Only 15kts of
wind on the beam but not pleasant. We were approaching St.Vincent a bit
earlier than anticipated and decided to bear off for a while waiting for
day light. That placed us on a broad reach and every one got a few hours
of good rest in. Early the next morning we sailed into the lee of
St.Vincent and once we were close enough, motored straight into slight
headwinds and flat seas. At 7am we were close to the lagoon when Second
wind spotted us. They radioed in and informed us that stronger winds are
expected later the day and for the next few days. The lagoon was not such
a good place to be and they were looking at anchoring a Bequia, a small
island about nine miles south of St.Vincent. We on the spot altered our
course and went straight for the anchorage at Bequia. It saved us
navigating through a very narrow channel into the lagoon in quite windy
conditions. Second Wind followed an hour later and soon we were safely
anchored in a sheltered bay with lots of other yachts there as well. On
catamarans you can anchor in really shallow waters which often gives you
quite a bit of space as the mono hulls have to anchor in deeper waters and
normally flog together. It was so exciting seeing Second Wind coming into
the anchorage and I was jumping up and down and waving my arms at them,
being a hooligan at times. And being very happy to see some familiar faces
again after many miles at sea. Spending time at sea with people creates a
special bond. Mostly. There are a few, a very few I should add, I have
sailed with before and couldn't care less whether I ever see them again or
not.

We were invited to Second Wind and soon were rowing across in our rubber
duck. No need to attach the outboard as they were really close. I
introduced the people on Second Wind to Nathan and Jaryd, Dan they knew
well as he was also crew on Second Wind. Dan and Richard are long time
friends and were also happy to see each other again. Nathan and Richard
also know each other well. They were both crew on Come What May, a Royal
Cape Catamaran we delivered a year earlier. Richard showed Nathan and
Jaryd around on the Leopard 58, while Dedreich, his wife Louanne, Eric and
his wife Michelle, and myself sat up on the flybridge enjoying some
refreshments and snacks and sharing our experiences since we all saw each
other just under a year ago. Wonderful to catch up, kick back and just
relax a bit. Lots of laughs all around. Dedreich earlier requested to have
a look at Ooga Chaka, and after a few hours of catching up I asked Richard
to take Dedreich, Eric, Nathan and Jaryd to Ooga Chaka. Nathan could show
Dedreich what his boat looks like. Second Wind has a bigger tender with a
fixed outboard and there was no need to row across. We decided to have
supper on shore and better to have a look round now while the sun was
still up.

Once Dedreich and co returned we radioed the water taxi and they took us
ashore. We walked around a bit and soon decided that a place called Maria's
would be where we have supper. Nothing elaborate, just a cheese burger and
fries, and a few few beers. It is what us sailors mostly enjoy when we get
on land after a long passage. The burgers were great, the beers were cold
and the company was excellent. At about 9pm we decided to head back to our
respective boats, Richard and Dan decided to stay behind for a while. We
said our farewells as we were planning to depart again early in the
morning. As usual I was awake first and started doing a few odds and ends
getting ready to raise the anchor. Fortunately I checked if everyone was
aboard before we raised anchor, and saw Dan was missing. Dedreich was also
up already, and we enquired from him whether Dan perhaps slept over on his
boat for the night. He only found and woke Richard up. In a few minutes
Richard was dressed and came over on their tender to take us ashore to go
and look for Dan. Jaryd, Richard and myself went ashore. We all asked
Richard how he could leave Dan behind, but being long time friends have
done this before. Richard was however concerned and said Dan would always
make sure he is back at the boat and that something must have happened. We
walked and asked around a bit, it was still quite early. Soon we found that
Dan was in hospital. Richard and Jaryd went looking for Dan at the hospital
and found him still asleep with his head bandaged. Apparently he slipped
and cut his head on a rock and the police brought him to hospital. Richard
woke Dan who was quite confused as to where he was and how he got there.
The nurse explained to Richard what happened, and after calling the doctor
who came in to check on Dan, removed the drip in his arm. Dan had someone
else's undies on and someone else's shirt as well. The nurse explained that
his clothes was full of vomit and handed the package to Richard. Richard
made a donation to the hospital, thanked them, and he and Jaryd and Dan
started the walk back to the dock where the tender was tied up. The whole
mission took about three hours and quite embarrassing for Dan to walk
through town in undies. The people apparently had a good laugh at him. I
drove the tender back to the boats, dropped Dan and Jaryd on our boat, and
went back to Second Wind to go and say our final good byes and wished them
a great time in the Caribbean. They wished us a safe passage and Richard
dropped me back at Ooga Chaka. Dan was man down, and fortunately for
him Jaryd is a qualified medical practitioner. Nathan, Jaryd and myself
raised the main sail, lifted our anchor and set our course to Vieques, our
next stop which was only three days away. We had about 25kts of wind on the
beam and made a fast passage to Vieques. Nathan, Jaryd and myself did an
hour longer watch to stand in for Dan which gave him 24 hours to recover.
Afterwards he was still in pain but no longer dizzy spells Jaryd declared
him no fit yet, Nathan and myself declared him fit for watches :-))) If you
want to run with the wolfs you cant want to pee like a puppy Dan as fully
recovered since and a nice little scar on his head which will be with him
for life.

We arrived at Vieques where Nathan lived before and wanted to collect some
stuff he left there. His friend Christian also joined us for the hop to Fort
Lauderdale. Christian owns a ranch on Vieques and him and Nathan co-owns a
Cessna 210-5, a six seater light aircraft. Our plan of action was to stay
for two days. Day one Dan and myself serviced both motors and tidied the
boat up a bit. Nathan and Jaryd had to fill some jerry cans with diesel. We
had 20 cans and filling each one with 20 ltrs made it easier to handle. We
were at anchor and everything had to be tendered ashore. Later the day
Nathan had some friends over while Dan and myself were doing lunch at a
place called Duffy's, which also had good wifi. The whole island was in
recovery mode after hurricane Maria caused havoc during September last year.
Scary listening to the accounts of the people we spoke to who were left
stranded on the island. After the 250kts of wind ran through, two weeks of
torrential rain followed, madness in highest degree. But one picks up the
pieces and start over again, that's the nature of our human spirit. What
else can one do. Thursday morning we went to Christian's ranch to get
Nathan's goods he left there. Both of them were there when the hurricane
came through. We also met a mad dog called Blue Bell there and had lots of
fun with this friendly loving dog running circles around me and Dan. Endless
energy. At about 10am we left for the small airport and boarded the Cessna
210-5 after all he safety checks were done. Took off and made a bee line for
Puerto Rico and circled the largest radio telescope in the world. What a
blast that was, my first flight in a small fixed wing aircraft. On our way
back we landed in Puerto Rico to take on some fuel, and half an hour later
we were on our way again back to Vieques. A last bit of provisioning was
done, all aboard, lifted anchor and started our last leg to Fort Lauderdale.
At Duffy's I checked the weather again and also consulted Fastseas for a
passage plan. I decided not to follow the recommended passage as it would
take us through strings of small island, rocks, and cays that the Bahamas is
known for. Difficult and dangerous to navigate at night, and with the strong
winds predicted opted to follow the southern part of Bahama Banks. Shallow
water as well, but not to many obstacles. 25kts of NNE for a day or so, and
gradually veering to NE all the way to East. We set 3rd reef on the main,
and third reef on the genoa, and set the auto pilot on windhold at 85
degrees to the wind. The wind would thus determine the direction we sail in,
and amazing how we followed the southern edge of the banks. On our track you
will see what I am talking about. A bit of rough weather we had, especially
for Christian as it was his first time on a yacht. He held up well though
and was soon into the swing of things. A fast learner he was tying bowlines
etc soon, a natural :-))) No passengers on a delivery vessel and he made a
great contribution, assisting with watches and helping whenever we made sail
changes.

Just before we went onto the shallow banks we sailed across a thick floating
line that got caught in our rudders and props. As we could not use our
rudders or engines and had to slow the boat down to figure a way out of our
predicament, I furled in the genoa and let the main sheet loose. We had
about 20kts of wind at the time and 2mtr waves. The boat slowed down
completely and we managed to lift part of the thick rope with our boat hook
and three guys pulling it up and around the cleat, and the 4th person
cutting it loose. We also hauled probably about 20mtrs of the thick orange
line aboard and kept it. Once we had most of the line cut loose, we tied Dan
to a line with a bowline, gave him a mask and a knife, and he went in to cut
the last bit of line from the rudders and props. Not an easy task I can
assure you, but he did exceedingly well and within ten minutes we were on
our way again. I was shouting orders left right and centre. There was no
time to sit around and contemplate. We had to do what we had to do and do it
quick. his has happened to e a few ties before and I knew exactly what we had
to do. This is what I really get paid for, to draw on my experience when the
paw paw strikes the fan. I have also learned not to slack off when we are
close to our final destination. It is not over until it is over. Instead of
slacking off, we become even more cautious, and it is this what keeps us out
of trouble and keep me at the top of my game. Always thankful and grateful
and at the mercy of the elements.

The azure blue of the Bahama Banks, the bright full moon, gentle but fast
sailing, and soon into the Gulf Stream. And life, as usual is exceedingly
well. Great crew dynamics, lots of fun and good times, fantastic meals. All
now busy coming to an end. Unforgettable times and memories. I will post some
video footage and pictures of our adventure within the next few days to add
some colour to these word.

We expect to arrive at Fort Lauderdale within the next 24 hrs. A quick and
thorough cleaning of the boat, and then fly back to SA. Spend six weeks at
home with my darling daughter, and then get ready for my next delivery. This
time a Maverick 400 with the owner aboard from Cape Town to Annapolis. We
should get the boat 1st of April and the trip should take about two months.
Lots of things I plan to do when I get home. The adventure never ends.

Once again thank you for taking some interest in our adventures. Live life.
Love life.

Paul

Making some new moves on Ooga Chaka

As usual our stay in St.Helena was magic and much too short. They begged
us to stay for Christmas but with more than 5000nm to go and the Miami boat
show to attend, we had to decline :-((( The weather from there to the coast of
Brazil was predicted to be fairly light winds, which it was. We have two motors
and lots of fuel to assist in keeping our required average, but being sailors,
we will do anything to rather sail than motor. Such a thrill to switch the
motors off and just sail. Pure bliss. We have four sails, the mainsail, the
head sail, a gennikar and a screecher. Screechers are notorious for being
complicated for various reasons. I joked with Nathan and told him our screecher
is bipolar, and gave her two names, "Full of Shit" and "Halleluja" When she is
happy we are all happy, when she is moody, it gets complicated and can get
downright dangerous. The screecher and gennikar are made from much thinner
material than the main or head sails are designed for lighter winds. One can
sail the screecher with the main sail or by itself. The gennikar I named
Morning Glory. Easy to raise anytime, easy to drop, no problem here.

Nathan and myself were pondering how great it would be to be able to fly both
the screecher and the gennikar together. Having only one halyard made this
"impossible". Unheard of to fly both these sails together anyway. You will not
find it in any sailing book or being taught at any sailing academy. Uncharted
waters in a manner of speaking. It took me a couple of days to figure out how
we could safely do it, and a couple more days to build up the courage to give
it a go. I looked at it from all angles, slept on it, weighed up all the pros
and cons, and were certainly not rushing in. In the meantime we were
maintaining our required speed and burning a lot of fuel. One morning early I
woke up and decided, it is time. Today is the day. A dream without action just
stays a dream. I hoisted Dan up the mast with a 2m length of line, a long
length of spectra line, a block and two shackles. Gave him clear instructions
of where to tie every thing and hoped for the best. The wind was coming dead
from behind. Dan being an avid rock-climber, enjoys these type of activities.
He safely ascended and tied the 2m line with a shackle to the genoa uphaul, and
on the other end of the 2m rope tied the block. He threaded the long length of
spectra line through the block and tied the end to himself. As he descended
from the mast he brought the one end of the spectra line down with him. He
reported that he attached everything as explained and could now see what I had
in mind. We raised the screecher first on the fitted halyard and unfurled it.
Next we raised the gennikar with the halyard we just rigged and gently opened
her up. And there it was!!! Two big sails flying happily together wing on wing,
catching the light breezes and giving us great propulsion. High 5's and big
smiles all around when I turned the motors off and we were sailing smooth and
fast. From 10kts of apparent wind at 180* we were doing 7kts SOG. Yay!!!! A
spectacular sight to behold. A feeling of Morning Glory Halleluja :-))) In my
own little world we made a bit of sailing history. As per my previous blog, I
don't do content, always looking for a better way to do something. We sailed
like this for about 10 days before the wind gradually shifted to 120* in
relationship to where we needed to go. And again we did something I have never
done before. Raised the mainsail to 2nd reef and tied the boom down as wide as
it could go, the sail just not touching the shrouds. We were on a starboard
tack and tied the gennikar tack lines down as close as possible to our
starboard bow. And again we were amazed at the results. The main did not shadow
the gennikar and again both these sails happily farmed the light breezes for
miles and miles day in and day out. Another little trick I use is to tie a
length of bungee cord to the slings we tie to our headsails, whether genoa,
screecher or gennikar. It gives the sails a more gentle action and also pumps
them all the time adding extra power.

We were dragging our fishing lures behind us since St. Helena but no luck. For
fishing line we us 2mm flat braided line, breaking strength 1500kg. Lure on one
end and the other end tied to the boat. We then also tie a meter or so of
bungee cord to the boat, pull it out as far as it will go, and tie a loop in
the fishing line which we attach to the loose end of the bungee. When a fish
takes the lure, the bungee absorbs the shock of the fishing line, pulls tight
and the hook sets properly without ripping the fish apart. We use No.9 double
hooks and for lures mostly blue or pink squid like lures with a shiny head with
small holes that creates a jet stream behind the lure. Blue is best nine out of
ten times. Pink for when it is overcast. We also use a metre or so of trace
wire in case we pick up a wahoo. We normally start getting fish as we reach the
Brazilian coast, and it one again proved true. But we do try our luck before
the time as well, just in case. We thus use hand lines most of the times. Some
of the guys try a fishing rod and reel, and really struggle to get a fish in as
we are moving forward all the time. It is possible to stop the boat but it
takes quite a bit of time when you are sailing downwind. If we are sailing on a
beam reach we can stop the boat in a flash, just turn the bow through the wind
into a hove to position. Also the best manoeuvre to pull should someone fall
over board. Sailing schools will teach you a figure of eight manoeuvre with one
person allocated to watch the person in the water and counting 10, 9, 8, 7, all
the way to zero as you sail away from the person. You then tack the boat and
sail back to the person, counting from zero back to ten. You have to be able to
this when you do your Yachtmaster exams. Very convenient to have someone ready
to point at the person and counting, another person at the helm, and a third
person to control the sails. All good in a perfect world. So make sure before
you fall overboard you have all these people ready to assist :-))) Sorry to say
but doing it by the book is neither the fastest nor the best way in my book. By
turning my boat immediately through the wind I protect the person overboard
from the swell and wind, and don't stand any change of sailing over the person.
And I won't need two other people to make it work. On both manoeuvres you
should also hit the man overboard button on your chartplotter. It will make a
mark at exactly where the person went overboard. You press the same button
should a woman fall overboard :-))) Fortunately I have never had a person fall
overboard, but we do the hove to manoeuvre for various other reasons. In rough
seas you can use it to prepare a quick meal and eat before you go back on the
beat, or perhaps a line caught around the prop, sometimes to show my crew how
to do it in case they need to, or to reel in a fish on a rod and reel. We have
caught and released marlin this way as well. The number one safety rule on a
boat is to stay on the boat.

On a catamaran landing a fish is quite easy. If it is big dorado for example
one person will pull the fish on the hand line just past the sugar scoop, and
another person will slip a noose around the tail, and the other end of the
noose line
will be tied to the boat, about 5 metres will do. You let go of the the fishing
line and lure and drag the fish backwards through the water drowning the fish.
If you have a gaff you can use that to get the fish aboard, but normally you
can just pull the fish onto the sugar scoop. You can then either use a knife or
a baton to kill the fish, quite a bloody and messy process, and you can damage
the boat. The quickest and best way is to spray some alcohol into the gills of
the fish. Takes less than a minute before the fish no longer moves. No slapping
around spraying blood everywhere. Surgical alcohol works very well too. I hear
it is called rubbing alcohol in the States. A knife sharpener and a good
filleting knife also comes in handy. Once the fish is filleted and the skin
removed I prefer to wrap the fillets in paper towel and place it on a paper
plate. The plate is then placed in a jiffy bag and the air sucked out with a
straw. Recently I have used cling wrap instead of a jiffy bag and works just as
well. A section often goes straight to the pan, and the rest to the freezer. We
always have wasabi, pickled ginger and soya sauce and the freshest sushimi you
can wish for. A dash of lemon juice for those who like the fish slightly
cooked. For the more adventurous one can make proper sushi. Nathan is getting
quite good at it. Another factor when fishing is the moon. Time and again I
have seen that if the moon is right above you fishing is best. Right below you
is also good, and an hour before and after the moon rises or sets also not too
bad. As expected we started getting fish once we passed the corner of the
Brazilian coast. Two yellowfin tuna in short succession that Nathan and Jaryd
pulled in. It was a first time for Jaryd. A day later I caught a nice size
dorado, and after weeks of eating red meat and chicken, it was great to have
some fresh fish aboard. Our last six meals were fish :-))) Today I broke the
trend by making some beef stew.

To keep morale high I like to make a quick stop every two weeks if possible.
The crew can then catch up properly with their families via cell or wifi, we
can get some fresh fruit and veggies, and just basically good to touch land,
even just for a day. I decided to make a quick stop in Fortaleza as I have done
many times before. We anchored just outside the Marina Park Hotel, a 5 star
establishment. Was super eager to have a nice long chat with my daughter, have
a buffet breakfast at the hotel, and just laze around the pool sipping on
capharinhas with some tasty snacks on the menu. Normally we don't clear in.
This time they however insisted that we clear in and the hotel clerk assured me
it will just take ten minutes with the taxi, a quick visit to immigration,
customs and port control, and I should be back in an hour. It was a Sunday and
should go really quick. Nathan and Jaryd went shopping, Dan stayed at the pool
to keep an eye on the boat and I caught a taxi to go and do the necessary paper
work. South Africans don't need visas for Brazil, US citizens do. Nathan and
Jaryd are US citizens so I knew there would be a little problem, besides the
obvious language problem as I don't speak much Portuguese and they don't speak
much English. I asked the taxi driver to stay with me, I will pay him for his
time, as I thought he may speak a bit more English than I can speak Portuguese.
Arriving at immigration half an hour later was still ok. The hotel clerk said
ten minutes, but not so bad. I handed our passports to the immigration officer
who could speak no English. He was just pointing at the US passports and
shaking his head and waving his hands quite vehemently. He made a few phone
calls to try and find someone that could speak some English. The taxi driver
eventually called someone who could translate for us a bit. I showed the
immigration officer my South African passport again, pointing at the picture
and pointing to myself. Only then he realized I am South African and relaxed a
bit. This took about an hour. I then had to complete some forms, he made copies
of our boat papers and proceeded to enter the same information on his computer,
really struggling. I was then informed that the US citizens will have to stay
on the boat, and I assured him as Captain of the vessel that that is exactly
what will happen. I first pleaded ignorance about US citizens requiring visas,
then explained that we never planned to stop in Brazil, we are here just for a
day to get some fresh provisions, and that maritime law the world over allows
24 hrs for cases like this. I understood his reluctance. The US will not allow
me in without a visa, neither anyone from Brazil. So why should he. I
concurred, agreed with him, anything just to get out of there. After three
hours I had two passports stamped in and out,and shook his hand in a most
friendly manner. They were really friendly chaps just doing their job. I was
super frustrated but even happier to go. At one point I even told him to hand
me back the passports and boat papers, I will get on the boat now and go. I had
enough of this shit. I am not here to fight or talk politics, I just stopped to
get some fresh food. If I am not welcome he must tell me. We departed as
friends. Then customs, forms to fill in, same information on my boat papers
they made copies off, then transferring all this to their computer, another
hour. At last port control. I walked in and popped them a left handed salute.
They all jumped up and saluted me back. Right handed salutes :-))) The taxi
driver explained to them how much time it took to get us this far, and yet
again I had to fill in papers, they made copies of my boat papers containing
exactly the same information, and the gruelling process of duplicating all this
info onto their papers and computers. When at last they were done I now
extremely frustrated popped them a left handed salute again and once again they
all jumped up and saluted me back :-))) Including the taxi drive the whole
process took me six hours. I could hardly breath on our way back to the marina.
I was dying to speak to my daughter and with the time difference I was running
out of time. Arrived back at the hotel and found Dan. He told me the security
asked him to bring me to the reception desk so they can make copies of the
documents I obtained. I told the hotel clerk who could speak English and told
me the whole process would just take an hour, in clear and no uncertain terms,
that he must get his facts straight and not give out false information. If it
takes 5 hours, tell me so!!! He profusely apologised. He could probably see the
smoke coming out of my nose and ears :-))) I walked out of the hotel lobby with
Dan and had to let out a loud as possible swearword and sustain it for as long
as possible :-))) Felt slightly better after that. And the whole purpose of all
this bullshit I don't understand. If they came and checked the boat's papers
and searched the boat for drugs or arms or contraband etc, no problem, be my
guest. I didn't enjoy it, the officers didn't enjoy it, the hotel clerk didn't
enjoy it. I got to the pool, connected on the wifi with my daughter and for the
first time ever sent her 5 angry emoji faces saying I just wasted 5 hrs to
clear in. I have never even sent her one before. She send me a few smileys back
and said if life gives me lemons, I must think of her :-))) We then video
called and soon life was exceedingly good again. Spend a lovely afternoon next
to the pool catching up on my emails etc. And send my one and only 4eva friendy
Dianne the usual wish you were here 360 degree video :-))) Decided to not
depart that night, but do breakfast at the hotel again the next morning before
we depart. Also wanted to do a final check on the weather, send Dan up the mast
again to make sure everything is fine and check the motors before we set off.
As I walked into the hotel another gentleman approached me and requested copies
of my port clearance papers. My stomach jolted for a moment, but I calmly went
with him to reception where they made copies of the required papers. Don't
think I will visit Fortaleza again. I also told Nathan who will soon be setting
sail with his family that clearing in and out is probably the thing yachties
hate most. I understand that people can't just come and go, but damn, it is
2018. Speed up the process dudes !!! Breath...................:-)))

Catch up with you soon again, apologies for the sometimes crude language :-)))

Paul

While my guitar gently weeps

A little bit off the beat I know, but as I mentioned in my previous blog,
perhaps time for some confessions :-))) If you were hoping for some saucy
story of some island girl on the beach, sorry, not today :-))). Before we left
Cape Town, Jaryd noticed I had my guitar on board. He said he wanted to learn
how to play the guitar. In my sometimes brutally honest way of speaking, I
told him I really don't expect him to share his wife with anyone, and likewise
I also don't share my guitar with anyone. I recommended he goes shopping for a
nice second hand guitar at a pawn shop and he should come right for less than
$50's. I thought he and Nathan may think it nice, buy a cheap nylon string
guitar to learn on, and the guitar can stay on the boat once we have delivered
her to the States. Nathan's kids may find use for it. Instead, Jaryd went to a
proper musical instrument store and came back with a beautiful steel string
guitar for $160. He also got some instructional books etc. Great travelling
guitar, a bit shorter than the normal size guitar, but excellent quality,
heavy, digital tuner built into the guitar and padded bag to keep the guitar
in. I told Jaryd my guitar's name is Angelique, Angy for short.

I had a few guitar lessons from a legend in SA, Ricardo Bornman, nearly
forty years ago. Spent hours every day learning how to play, earned proper
callouses on my finger tips and probably drove my parents a bit mad with
the twang twang twang coming from my room :-))) I practised hard, and once a
week went for my guitar lesson. Ricardo soon told me that I am playing the
guitar technically perfect, but that I now have to add some feeling to my
playing. I grew up in the days when Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, David
Bowie, Neil Young, JJ Cale, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin,
Pink Floyd etc were making music. I had a burning desire to learn how to
play the guitar, and to learn how to express something inside I could not put
in words. I learned to read music, learned to play classical guitar, and
would get lost in my inner world. I was fortunate that there was no tv when I
grew up which only came to SA in '76. I consider tv the biggest waste of
time, the greatest soul destroyer of all time. I know to be grammatically
correct I should write tv in capital letters, I would much rather write the f
word in capital letters. My blog, my rules :-))) In short, I escaped the mind
numbing and soul destroying effect of growing up in front of a tv. Instead I
grew up playing outside in the streets, the parks; the biggest evil of the
day being pinball, which I was also a wizard at :-))) Loved my chopper
bicycle as well, my first real taste of travelling and freedom.

Misspent youth you may cry. Really !!! In my teen years I enjoyed playing
rugby, cricket, and also had a professional tennis coach. My idol was Bjorn
Borg. I read just about all the non- fiction books at our local library.
Fascinating journey of one book leading me to the next. Autobiographies,
philosophies, how to books, travel books, my interests were wide and varied.
The librarian limited me to three books at a time. I pleaded my case with my
mom, she joined, and I could take out six books at a time. At school I
excelled in the subjects I enjoyed, like biology and geography. Took Latin as
a subject, sucked at maths :-))) Would stare out of the window looking at the
clouds drifting by. At night I studied theology at Hebron Theological College
and was a fully ordained minister of the Pentecostal Holiness Church when I
was 18. Gave the lecturers much grief, asking questions that should not be
asked :-))) Think I drove my parents mad with all my why's as well, following
every answer with another why, a genuine why, I really wanted to know and
understand. Unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Beat my uncle at chess at 7,
he was the best chess player in the family. Also read my first book at 7, The
Troubadour. Life in the fairest Cape 300 years ago. Narrow cobbled streets,
horse and cart carriages, sword fights and so on. I was 14 when my dad one
day arrived home from work with an F hole hollow body electrical Ibanez
guitar, with an amp that still worked with valves !!! They first had to warm
up before one could play. Now I could bend strings and sustain notes and make
a lot of noise. Learned to play lead guitar, bass and rhythm. Love you Dad,
love you too Mom :-)))

They allowed me to just be myself, and I could sit up till 2am or whatever
time studying or reading whenever I wanted to. They supported me in all my
endeavours. I was a bit of a free child, a wild child. 4 hours sleep a day
was enough for me. I also read a lot about sailing those days, dreamed of the
day I could get on a boat and float on the water and go where the Wind blows.
Back to my guitar :-))) Life went on, did my compulsory military service, got
married to a Lebanese lady. I was happy and content but the Higher Hand had
other plans for my life. She passed away in '99. Contentment is so contentious
and dangerous. I started my sailing courses in 2000 and sailed from SA to
Madagascar, still my favourite island in the world, extraordinary place that
is. Got married again a year later and became a dad at 38 on 01/07/2003. In
2006 I started my full time sailing career. I carried my late wife's ashes
with me wherever I sailed and for two years sprinkled her ashes all over the
world until there was no more. None of my crew ever knew about this, just
doing my own thing, as usual.

Having gone the full circle with my guitar playing, I am back where I started
again, classical nylon string guitar. Never really stopped playing but played
much less than in my younger days. The last few deliveries I have started
bringing my guitar along and really getting to enjoy her more than ever
before. Maestro Ricardo's words of feeling what you play is only now starting
to happen to me. I feel the vibrations of the strings against my body, I hear
and feel every note, feel the vibrations in my fingers as well. I always
wished that I could sing. My darling daughter expressed the same wish a few
months ago, and super duper uber dad :-))), got on the net, and
found some amazing vocal tutorials available. I paid my dues and joined the
songbirdtree group. And learned that one can actually learn how to sing!!!
An absolute beginner as with most things in life, I can now feel my voice
resonate with the notes I play on my guitar. Never played guitar for show,
and never will. It is like meditating so people can see how in tune you
are, or doing yoga poses in a busy shopping centre .... imagine :-))) Very
few people have heard me play, I only play with and for my daughter really.
Yes, she's also got a guitar. She's much more into dancing and such though,
following her own beautiful journey. And doing exceedingly well at whatever
she does.

Since very young I have been gifted at writing. Whether it was poetry,
advertising, stories, whatever. In primary school my teachers always said
they want to read my books when I grow up. Oops.....vouched never to grow
up :-))) Peter Pan :-((( Seriously though, in high school for example we had
to write a poem for homework. I just sat and let it flow, a long ode, and then
just for kicks, another short poem. I smiled when I saw my marks on both
poems. The teacher first gave me 8/10, then scribbled the marks out and gave
me 9/10, scribbled it out again and gave me 10/10 for both. She thus read both
poems three times! I was looking down and smiling shyly the next day when she
enquired where I got the poems from, that it was impossible for me to have
written those poems. I could have felt insulted, but I understood where she
came from. I also sat back after the poems were penned, read it, covered
my face with my hands and said wow. I thus took her comment as a compliment
and said thanks.

To say just let it flow....yes and no. I often write, rewrite, rewrite, and
rewrite again until it feels just right. A touch of inspiration and buckets of
perspiration. Just that I never really knew what to write about. I like to
keep things real, authentic. Lately I've realised I have tons to write about,
and it is bubbling up inside of me, a fountain or a volcano that is bursting
to explode. So much to be thankful for. So much to be grateful for. So very
blessed. And as I play more and more guitar, and learning to play all my
favourite songs, new songs are starting to take shape. I would wake up from a
dream, and capture the essence in a song. My notebook and pencil and guitar
always next to me in my cabin. Songs about love lost, some crazy fun songs as
well. One of these, translated, "Come let's dance a little more".

Just yesterday, 11/01, I decided it was time to re string my guitar. Got a set
of coloured strings a while ago, six strings, six different colours. Why would
one string your guitar with coloured strings? Why not? Never knew they
existed, never even thought of it. From the bottom up, pink, blue, green,
gold, copper and red. It will take a day or two until the strings are properly
stretched and will stay in tune. I removed all the old strings, cleaned my
guitar thoroughly, oiled the turnkeys, gave her some TLC. Now she is like a
rainbow :-)))

Please. Please please please. Do not think I am special and you are not. We
are most special, each in our own unique way, each with our own contribution
to make to this life. On that note I will sign off today.

Paul

P.S In my next blog I will share our run from St. Helena to Fortaleza, Brazil.
It will be much more about sailing, and much less about playing. We did some
very interesting things with our sails, and with spectacular results. We are
currently sailing 350nm off the Amazon River mouth. Lots and lots of rain and
squalls. Fun times.

Cape Town to St.Helena on the run

Visiting Cape Town is always a most wonderful experience. We had a few
days to get a lot done for our passage to the Americas. A few adjustments
here and there, a replacement or two, and with the technical support from
Royal Cape Catamarans, things were running like clockwork. I consider them
to be the best when it comes to technical support. I also have the most
wonderful friends in Cape Town who I try to spend time with every time I am
there. In no particular order, there is Nicky. She used to run the Leopard
Catamarans delivery operations before they started shipping them. Having twenty
boats with at least three crew on each all over the world at any time, she had
to be ready to jump into action 24/7/365. A lot can go wrong on one boat, at
any time, you have no idea. Twenty boats, a whole different level of potential
trouble. She had to allocate skippers, approve of crew, organise flight
tickets, skipper's payments, deal with family queries, girlfriends and
boyfriends of the skippers and crew, take and compile position and condition
reports twice a week, unhappy crew, unhappy skippers, breakdowns and the list
goes on and on, and on :-))). She managed more than a thousand deliveries,
nobody else in the world can lay claim to that. Skippers can be another breed,
and crew as well. She ruled with an iron fist as there was no other way to
control a bunch of hooligans at times. She never got the credit she deserved.
How she managed I have no idea, but she did. I visit her often when I am in
Cape Town.

Then there is Chevonne. Fatally attractive :-))), I met her when I started
delivering yachts twelve years ago. Wild as the wind, we always make a plan
to have a night or two, or three out on town. Shooting pool, pub crawling,
open mike evenings, live music events, watching sunsets and sunrises, we
get on like a house on fire. Tons of fun, always running around and
carrying on like there is no tomorrow. She works hard and plays hard like
you won't believe. On the ball real estate agent, action netball superstar.
We will at times party real hard till three am, and at five she will get up to
go and lead a strenuous boot camping session on the promenade. I have often
asked her what her secret is, and her answer, give yourself no choice. I
love spoiling her, expensive perfumes from abroad, bikinis from Brazil, we
just have a crazy wonderful relationship, and in case you were wondering,
no, we don't have a physical relationship :-))). We rock each other's
worlds. And everybody around us can see that we have a most special kind of
magic. Vonny Love :-)))

And then Goddess Dianne. Divine, beautiful, classy, elegant, sophisticated,
a lady through and through. Fiercely independent, highly disciplined, super
intelligent, well travelled, she makes a most wonderful companion. We can
sit and chat for hours about all kinds of weird and wonderful things. We
enjoy frequenting the best sushi venues in Cape Town. At times we get take
away sushi and enjoy it on whichever boat I am on. Sometimes we do lunch,
sometimes dins as we call it. One of our most memorable evenings was on
Second Wind, a Leopard 58. We got us a choice selection of sushi, pink Moet
champagne on ice, and had a wonderful feast as the fog slowly rolled into
the V&A Marina next to Cape Grace hotel. In the distance the fog horn was
blasting every now and then. Thought I died and gone to heaven :-))) She was
also one of the VIP guests when Second Wind was initiated. One cold rainy
winters evening we had some lovely food at Rick's Cafe where we were seated
next to a fire place. Many more secret little eating places I would love to
explore with her. Recently, we had to take Ooga Chaka for a sea trial. I had a
dinner date with Dianne, and fitting two new props took a bit longer than
expected. Instead of her having to wait for us to return, I invited her for a
sunset cruise/sea trial. We have previously also been out on a Leopard
Powercat. They needed a skipper to take some guests out one morning, and I was
available. Life is mostly wonderful ;-))) Wherever I travel all over the
world, I always send Dianne a 360 degree video of where I am. It takes us
sometimes weeks, sometimes months to get to one or other exotic destination,
and it pleases me immensely to share these moments with her. She is in the
travel business, 1st class floating holidays to be exact. Whether it be on
luxury yachts at top locations around the world, or canal boats in Europe,
she is numero uno. I call her my one and only 4eva friendy :-))). So very
good to have real close friends with no expectations, no complications. So if
you wonder why I love Cape Town so very much, besides the scenery, above
are a few reasons.

The Volvo Ocean race was also in Cape Town with the start on 10 December. I
looked at the weather and realized that we will have to depart 7 December,
the day after the sea trial. There was a black South Easter coming through
and hitting Cape Town on 9-10 December with rough seas till Tuesday. Suddenly
it was time to go. We had to fill 2200 ltrs of diesel into tanks and jerry
cans, clear out, do the last bit of fresh provisioning and go. Otherwise we
will be in Cape Town for another week, and as we have to make it in time for
the Miami boat show mid February, we could not afford to hang around. Tough to
do all we had to do in one day, but when the going gets tough, the tough gets
going. Nathan also enquired about the possibility of leaving on Thursday as he
was quite eager to get going. I informed him I will give him an answer soon.
Just before midnight on Wednesday I had a final look a the weather and made the
call. I messaged him as well as my other crew to be ready to leave Thursday.
His reply - " I will await your orders Captain!" I wanted to get out before the
storms hits, and fortunately the wind was in our favour, although we expected
some heavy seas and strong winds.

Thursday morning the crew were amped and ready. We worked hard the whole
day, fuelling up, clearing out, provisioning etc. 9pm we were all set to go,
switched on the instruments, started the motors and by 10pm we requested
permission from Cape Town port control to exit the harbour. It was going to
be a tough test for the boat and for the crew, but we did have Friday and
part of Saturday to get some distance between us and land. We motored mostly
on Friday, the quiet before the storm. On Saturday the clouds loomed ominous
behind us and the sea state also started building rapidly. I learned from my
good friend Paul Rackstraw, also from Cape Town, to always add 10kts to the
predicted weather, and again it turned out to be spot on. 30kts was predicted
with 4.5 meter waves every 8 seconds, bad enough. We got 40 kts with 6 meter
waves close on each other. Saturday night the storm reached us and the roller
coaster ride began. As we have a heavy boat I had the full genoa out. Not a
big genoa, but also not a storm jib. With the waves in close succession we
started surfing down one wave, slowed down as the wave rolled through under us,
and the next wave would crash into us from behind. The nautical term is getting
pooped, when the waves smash into and onto the boat from behind. It was pitch
dark and quite scary as the back of the boat would be lifted up, pushed
forward at speed and the bows nearly getting buried in the water boiling up
front. Up on the fly bridge the motion was amplified somewhat, causing one to
lean back and with abated breath hold on tightly. I started both motors and
ran them at 2000rpm to keep our motion going forward. As usual it worked a
charm and we were no longer getting pooped. Exhilarating yes, but really not
my idea of fun. If anything had to go wrong with the rudders we would be in
very serious trouble. But I also knew we checked and double checked all the
systems before we left. We ploughed like this through the night and the boat
held up extremely well. Sunday the storm intensified. Always interesting to
watch the wind speed drop from 30kts to 20kts and then blows to 35kts, drop to
20kts and maxing out at 40kts. As if the wind is inhaling deeply, and then
blowing out harder. Our average speed is 6kts. During the storm we surfed
and maxed at 18.6kts. Closer to land it would have been far worse and I was
thinking about the Volvo Ocean race contestants. They had to go the other
way down south and to Australia. The wind was right against them and I wondered
how they navigated this storm. Monday things started to settle a bit and we
were well on our way. Once again a calculated risk we took which worked in our
favour. Nathan and Dan was fine, Jaryd was suffering a bad bout of seasickness,
again :-))) Why do I smile ? :-))) This is how you learn respect for the ocean.
She can wipe you out in a moment, or she can take you in and look after you. No
compromise here, just pure unadulterated reality. A massive amount of respect,
a bit of luck and thorough preparation is essential. Mwuhahahahaha !!! After a
few days Jaryd started coming around. Before that he was mostly hanging like a
bat on the safety rails with his head down and feeding the fish. He once lifted
his head and I uttered - "What !!! Are you still alive ???" :-))) The number
one safety rule aboard a yacht is to stay aboard the yacht. I always tell my
crew that there is a lot of paper work involved should one of them go missing
at sea :-))) If one of my crew bumps their head or toe or any other mishap the
first question I ask is whether the boat is ok :-))) It somehow shocks them
into forgetting about their injury for a moment, and soon they realize they can
manage their pain. The next time they injure themselves the first thing they do
is to assure me the boat is ok :-))) We then attend to whatever injury they
suffered. We had a splendid sail from Cape Town to St.Helena and made it under
twelve days, a very good time for a cat this size.

We had precious little sun on our passage from Cape Town to St. Helena. Not
much rain either. We are four crew and I changed my usual rotating watch
system to fixed hours every day and night. I tried it on my previous delivery
and it worked well for us. I took the 6 to 9 watch in the mornings and the
evenings. Most wind changes occur during these periods. I told my crew they
can divide the rest of the shifts as they choose. Jaryd follows my watch from
9 to 12, then Nathan takes over from there, and Dan does the 3 to 6 watches
every day. I found this system to work very well and we are all well rested. I
make breakfast most mornings, and lunch/dinner we do around 2pm. Every one gets
a turn to prepare our main meal for the day. Whilst in Cape Town we also got
two sprouting kits, a few packets of alfalfa seeds, mung beans etc. Jaryd is in
charge of this. I gave him a few pointers and soon we were having great
success. I have done this a few times before on crossings and always great to
have some fresh, healthy greens aboard.

One day rolled into the next and before we knew it St. Helena loomed on the
horizon. We had fair winds from behind most of the time and was using our
screecher and genoa wing on wing and maintained an above average speed. We
arrived on 20th December at about 6pm and could only clear in the next day at
11am as RMS St.Helena was in, and they had to be cleared first. We took time to
do some preventative maintenance, Dan went up the mast to check the rigging. At
11am we were ready and the ferry boat took us ashore. Clearing in was quick, we
exchanged some $'s at the bank, did some provisioning, and arranged with
Richard and Jane at Anne's Place for a bbq the next afternoon. The annual
Festival of Lights was happening the day we went ashore. Richard informed me
that it is a huge procession that is attended by everyone on the island. All
types of vehicles made up with colourful lights, everyone was wearing some
colourful flashing lights, and music and dancing as the procession moves down
the main street. The festival is in aid of raising funds for the primary
school. It was a wonderful event and went on late into the night.

The next day we did some more provisioning, and as usual I went to pay a visit
to my very good friend Hazel who owns The Consulate Hotel. A most amazing hotel
with an astounding collection of mostly maritime antiques. She hails from
Botswana where she owns quite a bit of commercial property. Her partner Peter,
who hails from the UK but also lived and farmed in SA, used to be a physics
professor, and many years ago sailed from SA to St.Helena single-handedly.
Besides the hotel they also farm on St.Helena. Busy getting off the grid, they
are planning to get the hotel also under solar panels. Currently Peter is
constructing a dam on the farm as well. Besides having a few pet cows :-))),
chickens for eggs, and a variety of veggies etc., Peter is now also growing
tobacco using no herbicides or pesticides. Since the airport at last opened
less than a year ago, he will be exporting his tobacco soon. He gave me a
portion to sample and I wish him the best with his endeavours. The battles
these two had to endure to keep afloat, what can I say. Legendary. Hazel is
probably one of the most enlightened people I have ever met, and does not
suffer fools gladly. I know perhaps 0.1% of her life, and that already leaves
me in awe. If ever you feel an urge to visit a place way off the beaten track,
this is where you should come. The most remotest inhabited place on the planet.
A new hotel has been constructed, Mantis, St.Helena. If you like cold, clinical
and boring accommodation, it will suit you fine. If you prefer a place with
heart and soul, character and so much more, The Consulate is where you will
feel right at home. Google Consulate Hotel, St.Helena, you should find their
website and perhaps get a glimpse of what I am talking about. As usual, I just
popped in to say hi quick, and ended up staying hours :-))). I had arranged for
a bbq at 6pm at Anne's Place as mentioned before and had to drag myself away
from these two wonderful characters.

Was just thinking if I blog a bit more often I wouldn't have to bore you for so
long at one time :-((( Also excuse my use of symbols and perhaps incorrect
words and tenses etc. I am not trying to impress anyone with my perfect command
of English. It is my second language, I am only trying to express and share
some experiences with you. Let me try and scribble a few more words :-)))

At Anne's Place we had as we always do another gastronomical experience. I have
known the Sim family who started the establishment in the 70's for 12 years
now, and we have become best of friends. It started off as a small place in the
Company Gardens, and has expanded substantially. Every time I visit something
new has been added, and it has a worldwide reputation with sailors around the
globe. Always an immense gathering around the fireplace. All the visiting
yachties are invited as well as a few locals. I bring lots of charcoal and some
meat, Jane adds more meat, makes a great bowl or two of salad, some potato
fries, and dessert at the end. And of course a few cold beers, but all in
moderation. We normally do lunch there as well, they have a new big coffee
machine, a choice selection of cakes etc., and wifi. Great to spend the day
there after exploring the island a bit. This time round we met Dawn, a real
warm character from St.Lucia in the Caribbean. Her hubby has a two year
contract on the island and instead of just sitting around, she serves behind
the bar. She adds an amazing vibe to an already amazing place.

So very much more I want to share with you, so many places I've been.
Experiences, close calls, confessions.... I probably should get a thesaurus and
not use the word wonderful so often. Would'nt that be awesome :-))) Have to at
least say awesome once. Well, I will end for now, and will catch up soon again.

Adios

Paul