We are somewhat becalmed and the weatherguru predicts the same for the next
few days. Sail fast live slow is how we would like it, but not just yet. In
order to maintain a decent speed in order to meet our ETA, we are motoring
and flying the gennekar at the same time. The wind is so light that the
gennekar backfills at times. To match the engine speed and keep the sail up
is the best we can do. To just motor drops our speed considerably. We have
got a bit of current as well, any little bit of assistance helps. Wind
predicted is 8 to 13kts. Travelling forward at 6kts brings this down to
almost nothing to 7kts in the sail, what we call the apparent wind. It will
change, and in the meantime we have keep on doing the best we can.
Yesterday we saw a big seaturtle, a sure sign of being in the current.
Earlier today a school of bonito followed us for a while. Overcast
conditions with high clouds. Bigger patches clearing up here and there as
the day progresses and the temperature rises. Once this happens early in
the day the wind will come through.
On watch last night I was wondering where the wind comes from, or what
causes the wind to blow. Cariolis effect as the earth spins causes wind,
The trade winds as they are called, the polar regions causes wind, jet
streams affect the wind hugely, hot and cold temperature causes wind, high
and low pressure systems causes wind. Indirectly I think tides and currents
also causes wind. Tides one can calculate exactly, currents are also fairly
constant.
In another way wind is symbolic of spirit, of freedom, of change. Now I
wonder if I look at the natural causes of wind and wonder how that relates
to the symbolic nature of wind. What causes our spirit to move and what
exactly is spirit. What is freedom and freedom from what, and how does one
deal with constant change. This is part of what one does when you are out
here, ponder these sometimes imponderable questions.
You may think to sail away is an escape from reality. I know out here is
the purest form of reality. So it is rather an escape from a perceived
reality created by the media, and evolving ever further into an infinite
reality. Where one feels that infinite part of you resonating with
Infinity. And that ones again opens other doors of perception. There is
always an answer to a question, but it may not be the right or wrong
answer. What is right for one is sometimes wrong for another. What is
universal is beauty. If the answer is beautiful, it is true.
This is another advantage of catamarans. One can sit and share one's
thoughts in utter comfort on a downwind run as we are :) And a 360* sea
view !!!. Our position currently 14h00 UTC is 23*27'S/006*14'E. We have
covered about a 1000nm in the last 6 days. Our C.O.G. is 306*T and we are
averaging 6kts at present. Temperature is a very pleasant 25*C.
Take care
Paul
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
Gennaker up and flying !!!!
What an awesome sight. After waiting patiently for the wind to drop a
bit and the swell to settle it was time to rig the gennaker. It has been
a few years since I've had the privilige and the stress and the
responsibility to fly this huge sail. Made for downwind sailing in
lighter conditions, it certainly gives a good turn of speed. On a
catamaran it is rather easy to set up such a sail. As the boat is fairly
wide, there is no need for a spinnaker pole. One of the many advantages
of sailing a catamaran. With a gennaker one can also sail in those very
difficult wind angles when the wind is not from the side or from behind.
It also gives you a wider option to choose in which direction you can
sail.
I first had to scratch my head a bit when we were setting this sail up.
Which lines go where etc. Took it up the first time to measure the
length of the sail. In a nutshell the sail is covered by what we call a
sock. Once the sail is up, you haul the sock up with the uphaul. The
downhaul is used to pull the sock back over the sail when you want to
bring it down. Running both motors we hoisted the sail and allowed the
sail to open up slowly and under control. We do this by tying the
downhaul around a cleat, and slowly letting the sail open. It is quite a
powerful sail, and some people try to hold the downhaul by hand. This
normally results in the sail powering open, rope burns on your hand, and
the sock also having little burn marks from the friction. The sock in a
way protects the gennaker, but the stitching on the sail can also be
damaged if you burn the sock. This all sound technical I guess, so I
will explain quickly that the uphaul and downhaul are ropes that are
attached to the sail to lift the sock up or pull the sock down.
On the tack of the sail, the corner is attached to the boat by two even
lenghts of rope. On the clew we attach a long rope which comes back to
the helming station and around a winch. This we all a sheet and it runs
through a snatchblock which we attach to a cleat or a deckring. I have
to explain that we don't ever call ropes ropes on a boat. Every rope has
a specific name, for a very good reason. They all serve a specific
function, and if I give an instruction, the crew knows exactly what or
which rope I am talking about. To pull the sail up we use a halyard, of
which there are normally two. One for the mainsail, and one for the
gennaker. Halyards are thus used to pull a sail up. Ok, enough sailing
lessons for today. Bwahahahahahaha!!! If you want to learn how to sail
there are many good books and very good sailing schools in South Africa.
And there are also online courses. Nothing beats the real thing though.
Experience experience experience. Not position position position as with
real estate :) The colour of our gennaker is a deep azure blue,
absolutely beautiful. As you can imagine, Thibault, our French
crewmember, was out in a flash with his GoPro camera. We hope to share
some of our footage when we will have some time in Panama.
We will probably drop our sail before it gets dark as the weather is not
completely settled, we just couldn't wait to fly it.
And that is it for today. Oh wait. No. Another time. Next time.
Our current position is 26*24'S/10*33'E. Apparent wind is more or less
13kts south easterly. Take care and wishing you a great week ahead.
Paul
bit and the swell to settle it was time to rig the gennaker. It has been
a few years since I've had the privilige and the stress and the
responsibility to fly this huge sail. Made for downwind sailing in
lighter conditions, it certainly gives a good turn of speed. On a
catamaran it is rather easy to set up such a sail. As the boat is fairly
wide, there is no need for a spinnaker pole. One of the many advantages
of sailing a catamaran. With a gennaker one can also sail in those very
difficult wind angles when the wind is not from the side or from behind.
It also gives you a wider option to choose in which direction you can
sail.
I first had to scratch my head a bit when we were setting this sail up.
Which lines go where etc. Took it up the first time to measure the
length of the sail. In a nutshell the sail is covered by what we call a
sock. Once the sail is up, you haul the sock up with the uphaul. The
downhaul is used to pull the sock back over the sail when you want to
bring it down. Running both motors we hoisted the sail and allowed the
sail to open up slowly and under control. We do this by tying the
downhaul around a cleat, and slowly letting the sail open. It is quite a
powerful sail, and some people try to hold the downhaul by hand. This
normally results in the sail powering open, rope burns on your hand, and
the sock also having little burn marks from the friction. The sock in a
way protects the gennaker, but the stitching on the sail can also be
damaged if you burn the sock. This all sound technical I guess, so I
will explain quickly that the uphaul and downhaul are ropes that are
attached to the sail to lift the sock up or pull the sock down.
On the tack of the sail, the corner is attached to the boat by two even
lenghts of rope. On the clew we attach a long rope which comes back to
the helming station and around a winch. This we all a sheet and it runs
through a snatchblock which we attach to a cleat or a deckring. I have
to explain that we don't ever call ropes ropes on a boat. Every rope has
a specific name, for a very good reason. They all serve a specific
function, and if I give an instruction, the crew knows exactly what or
which rope I am talking about. To pull the sail up we use a halyard, of
which there are normally two. One for the mainsail, and one for the
gennaker. Halyards are thus used to pull a sail up. Ok, enough sailing
lessons for today. Bwahahahahahaha!!! If you want to learn how to sail
there are many good books and very good sailing schools in South Africa.
And there are also online courses. Nothing beats the real thing though.
Experience experience experience. Not position position position as with
real estate :) The colour of our gennaker is a deep azure blue,
absolutely beautiful. As you can imagine, Thibault, our French
crewmember, was out in a flash with his GoPro camera. We hope to share
some of our footage when we will have some time in Panama.
We will probably drop our sail before it gets dark as the weather is not
completely settled, we just couldn't wait to fly it.
And that is it for today. Oh wait. No. Another time. Next time.
Our current position is 26*24'S/10*33'E. Apparent wind is more or less
13kts south easterly. Take care and wishing you a great week ahead.
Paul
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Getting up to speed
What a pleasure it is being out here on the big blue. Our tight schedule
demands that we keep going as fast as conditions and safety will allow.
Yesterday we still had the wind on our beam from the SW. Main sail 1st
reef and full genoa kept our pace above 7 kts, and at about 4pm I
decided to take in a reef on the mainsail. The wind was building and
backing ever so slowly towards the south, making it increasingly
difficult to create speed with our sails. At about midnight we decided
to drop the main as we were now sitting on a 130* angle to the wind from
behind. We could turn a bit more west, but our grib weather files
clearly showed a mid-Atlantic high, sitting smack bang on a direct route
to the top of Brazil. With a full genoa and motoring we maintained 7
kts. Apparent wind speed stayed between 15 and 20 kts, and heading a bit
more north the current also favoured us. Our aim is to sail around the
mid- Atlantic high, which is an area of very light winds which moves up
and down as the seasons dictate.
We are aiming for a point between St.Helena and Ascension Island and the
wind settled this morning in a south easterly direction. The initial
shift started with a light 9 to 14 kts which tempted us to set up our
genikar, a light wind super sail. I did not feel comfortable yet and
will never just throw caution to the wind. Our weather data also clearly
showed 20 red coming through and I decided to rather rig our loose
headsail in conjunction with our genoa. We had to keep on motoring, but
an hour later the predicted stronger winds came through. The genikar is
good for up to 17 kts, and it also prefers fair winds and following
seas. The swell follows the wind but it does take some time to settle. I
was glad we did not set up the genikar, as we would have been in a bit
of trouble with the wind gusting at 25 kts at times. It is still early
in the trip and to blow the genikar so early would certainly not make
for a happy ending. We are now doing a pleasant 8 kts and should be able
to keep up our speed with our current sail setting till tomorrow
morning. The wind is then predicted to drop to 15 kts which will be
perfect for the genikar as the swell would by then also have lined up
with the south easterly winds.
Last night I cooked our first proper meal on board, pasta shells
and mince, with a bit of this and a bit of that to add some flavour.
Very nice for the next day as well. My watch started from midnight to
3am, and once again I was mesmerized by the glittering night skies out
here. All the flickering little stars sending their message of love and
life into infinity. The grande constellations slowly moving through the
air. Being new moon or dark moon amplified the spectacular beauty
above and around us. Stardust........all of us. Planet Earth is not
turning around and around as we have been taught, but moving in a spiral
in harmony with all the other planets and stars. Slowly moving back
towards the centre of the Milky Way. The 21/12/2012 Mayan day marked the
point where we have moved the furtherest from the centre, and we are now
on our way back. In the same fashion we as a human race are also moving
back to what and who we really are.
It was fun on my watch to see a faint light in the distance, power up
the radar, and spot a ship moving straight at us from 12nm away. I
altered course 10* to starboard and watched as the ship slowly moved by
on our port side and turned 10* to port again. This morning there were
streaks of brown in the water, and on closer observation saw krill and
jellyfish floating on the current. The skies are blue at the moment, and
we are leaving long white lines in our wake, surfing down the swells at
speed. Our GoPro camera is also capturing these special moments, but it
will be quite a while before we can post them on the blog. We are
looking at going non-stop for Panama, and should we make a quick stop on
the way, it will be just that, a very quick stop.
Our current position is 29*03'S/17*34'E at 13h00 SA time. We are about
200nm west from the Orange River mouth which forms the border between
South Africa and Namibia. We are about 3 days out of Cape Town and have
covered over 500nm which gives us an average of +- 7 kts. There were some
quiet spells but we are now up to speed. Catamarans are like that. They
can sail fast. One of their many advantages. One stays with the good
weather longer and easier to outrun bad weather. Much more about this in
future postings.
I hope your week ahead will be filled with wonderful moments.
Paul
demands that we keep going as fast as conditions and safety will allow.
Yesterday we still had the wind on our beam from the SW. Main sail 1st
reef and full genoa kept our pace above 7 kts, and at about 4pm I
decided to take in a reef on the mainsail. The wind was building and
backing ever so slowly towards the south, making it increasingly
difficult to create speed with our sails. At about midnight we decided
to drop the main as we were now sitting on a 130* angle to the wind from
behind. We could turn a bit more west, but our grib weather files
clearly showed a mid-Atlantic high, sitting smack bang on a direct route
to the top of Brazil. With a full genoa and motoring we maintained 7
kts. Apparent wind speed stayed between 15 and 20 kts, and heading a bit
more north the current also favoured us. Our aim is to sail around the
mid- Atlantic high, which is an area of very light winds which moves up
and down as the seasons dictate.
We are aiming for a point between St.Helena and Ascension Island and the
wind settled this morning in a south easterly direction. The initial
shift started with a light 9 to 14 kts which tempted us to set up our
genikar, a light wind super sail. I did not feel comfortable yet and
will never just throw caution to the wind. Our weather data also clearly
showed 20 red coming through and I decided to rather rig our loose
headsail in conjunction with our genoa. We had to keep on motoring, but
an hour later the predicted stronger winds came through. The genikar is
good for up to 17 kts, and it also prefers fair winds and following
seas. The swell follows the wind but it does take some time to settle. I
was glad we did not set up the genikar, as we would have been in a bit
of trouble with the wind gusting at 25 kts at times. It is still early
in the trip and to blow the genikar so early would certainly not make
for a happy ending. We are now doing a pleasant 8 kts and should be able
to keep up our speed with our current sail setting till tomorrow
morning. The wind is then predicted to drop to 15 kts which will be
perfect for the genikar as the swell would by then also have lined up
with the south easterly winds.
Last night I cooked our first proper meal on board, pasta shells
and mince, with a bit of this and a bit of that to add some flavour.
Very nice for the next day as well. My watch started from midnight to
3am, and once again I was mesmerized by the glittering night skies out
here. All the flickering little stars sending their message of love and
life into infinity. The grande constellations slowly moving through the
air. Being new moon or dark moon amplified the spectacular beauty
above and around us. Stardust........all of us. Planet Earth is not
turning around and around as we have been taught, but moving in a spiral
in harmony with all the other planets and stars. Slowly moving back
towards the centre of the Milky Way. The 21/12/2012 Mayan day marked the
point where we have moved the furtherest from the centre, and we are now
on our way back. In the same fashion we as a human race are also moving
back to what and who we really are.
It was fun on my watch to see a faint light in the distance, power up
the radar, and spot a ship moving straight at us from 12nm away. I
altered course 10* to starboard and watched as the ship slowly moved by
on our port side and turned 10* to port again. This morning there were
streaks of brown in the water, and on closer observation saw krill and
jellyfish floating on the current. The skies are blue at the moment, and
we are leaving long white lines in our wake, surfing down the swells at
speed. Our GoPro camera is also capturing these special moments, but it
will be quite a while before we can post them on the blog. We are
looking at going non-stop for Panama, and should we make a quick stop on
the way, it will be just that, a very quick stop.
Our current position is 29*03'S/17*34'E at 13h00 SA time. We are about
200nm west from the Orange River mouth which forms the border between
South Africa and Namibia. We are about 3 days out of Cape Town and have
covered over 500nm which gives us an average of +- 7 kts. There were some
quiet spells but we are now up to speed. Catamarans are like that. They
can sail fast. One of their many advantages. One stays with the good
weather longer and easier to outrun bad weather. Much more about this in
future postings.
I hope your week ahead will be filled with wonderful moments.
Paul
Friday, January 31, 2014
Cape Town to San Francisco
Once again I have the wonderful privilige to be out on the big blue.
Mission is to get to the Oakland Boatshow on time. The boat we are
sailing is a Leopard 44, and we will have to focus all the time to sail
as fast and as safe as possible if we want any chance to make the
boatshow. From Cape Town to Panama non-stop, a run of about 6500nm.Hoe
to crack that in 30 days or so. We can more or less determine how long
that should take us. The unknown factors are how long it will take us to
get through the Panama Canal, and then how long it will take us to get
up to San Francisco.
I am also fortunate enough to have very experienced sailors on board.
Myself we named the " Flying Dutchman ", Thibault whom I have done two
very tough deliveries before is now the " French Rocket ", and as 1st
Mate Stuart, the " Scary Scotchman ". Thibault flew in from France a few
days ago, and as a team we are going to give it our best shot.
Our team in Cape Town made huge efforts to get us out as early as
possible, and they did so in great fashion. Good to have the best team
in the world behind you. Our departure on Wednesday was abandoned an
hour or two out of Cape Town. We just passed Robben Island when I
decided to check my laptop......and it wouldn't boot. Start it and off
it goes, start again, and off it goes. I phoned Cape Town and made it
back in time to purchase a new laptop, have the data from my old one
transferred to the new one, and had to wait till the next day for Imtech
to load skyfile on my new laptop. Skyfile is the program we use to send
and receive emails via satphone. Thursday afternoon late all was set to
depart again, and at about 7pm we casted off. There was still an hour or
so daylight left, and wonderful to have radar on board. We had to dodge
a few ships on our way out, with an aggressive blow from behind, the
wind gusting up to 53kts. Once we were on our way I decided to send my
crew to bed and took watch from 7pm till midnight. Just to make sure we
are clear of any obstruction on our way out. Our watches are four hours
per day and three hour night watches.
We have a genikar as well. A genikar is a huge sail we fly when the wind
is not too strong, and a fantastic sail to make good miles. For stronger
winds we have an extra headsail. We use this sail in unison with our
genoa to create a safe twin headsail configuration that will spill some
wind if a strong gust or squall come through. On board we also have
1200ltrs of diesel to keep up the pace should we encounter some quiet
spells. As weather guru I once again have the honor of having my mom
sending me updated weather gribfiles every few days. She has been doing
it for many years, and at 75 years old this year, she rocks. Thanks Mom.
Currently our position is 32*31'S/16*13'E at 17h40 SA time. Our COG is
295*T or said in another way, we are sailing in a north westerly
direction. More west, expecting the wind to back a bit. Wind is a
steady 15kts South Westerly and on a close reach we are doing 7.5 to 8
kts. Full genoa and first reef in the main, not a cloud in the sky here
by us, good current, sailing smooth and fast enough for now. Total
distance we have to cover is just over 10 000nm.
We haven't cooked a meal yet, first finishing our bread and cold meats
on board. We normally do this for the first day or two at sea while our
sealegs settle. I'm not prone to seasickness and glad to see my crew are
also not to bleak in this department. Hope you have a nice weekend, and
will post our experiences out here as often as I can. Lots of miles
still to go, lots of fun ahead and lots of challenges.
Take care
Mission is to get to the Oakland Boatshow on time. The boat we are
sailing is a Leopard 44, and we will have to focus all the time to sail
as fast and as safe as possible if we want any chance to make the
boatshow. From Cape Town to Panama non-stop, a run of about 6500nm.Hoe
to crack that in 30 days or so. We can more or less determine how long
that should take us. The unknown factors are how long it will take us to
get through the Panama Canal, and then how long it will take us to get
up to San Francisco.
I am also fortunate enough to have very experienced sailors on board.
Myself we named the " Flying Dutchman ", Thibault whom I have done two
very tough deliveries before is now the " French Rocket ", and as 1st
Mate Stuart, the " Scary Scotchman ". Thibault flew in from France a few
days ago, and as a team we are going to give it our best shot.
Our team in Cape Town made huge efforts to get us out as early as
possible, and they did so in great fashion. Good to have the best team
in the world behind you. Our departure on Wednesday was abandoned an
hour or two out of Cape Town. We just passed Robben Island when I
decided to check my laptop......and it wouldn't boot. Start it and off
it goes, start again, and off it goes. I phoned Cape Town and made it
back in time to purchase a new laptop, have the data from my old one
transferred to the new one, and had to wait till the next day for Imtech
to load skyfile on my new laptop. Skyfile is the program we use to send
and receive emails via satphone. Thursday afternoon late all was set to
depart again, and at about 7pm we casted off. There was still an hour or
so daylight left, and wonderful to have radar on board. We had to dodge
a few ships on our way out, with an aggressive blow from behind, the
wind gusting up to 53kts. Once we were on our way I decided to send my
crew to bed and took watch from 7pm till midnight. Just to make sure we
are clear of any obstruction on our way out. Our watches are four hours
per day and three hour night watches.
We have a genikar as well. A genikar is a huge sail we fly when the wind
is not too strong, and a fantastic sail to make good miles. For stronger
winds we have an extra headsail. We use this sail in unison with our
genoa to create a safe twin headsail configuration that will spill some
wind if a strong gust or squall come through. On board we also have
1200ltrs of diesel to keep up the pace should we encounter some quiet
spells. As weather guru I once again have the honor of having my mom
sending me updated weather gribfiles every few days. She has been doing
it for many years, and at 75 years old this year, she rocks. Thanks Mom.
Currently our position is 32*31'S/16*13'E at 17h40 SA time. Our COG is
295*T or said in another way, we are sailing in a north westerly
direction. More west, expecting the wind to back a bit. Wind is a
steady 15kts South Westerly and on a close reach we are doing 7.5 to 8
kts. Full genoa and first reef in the main, not a cloud in the sky here
by us, good current, sailing smooth and fast enough for now. Total
distance we have to cover is just over 10 000nm.
We haven't cooked a meal yet, first finishing our bread and cold meats
on board. We normally do this for the first day or two at sea while our
sealegs settle. I'm not prone to seasickness and glad to see my crew are
also not to bleak in this department. Hope you have a nice weekend, and
will post our experiences out here as often as I can. Lots of miles
still to go, lots of fun ahead and lots of challenges.
Take care
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
First crossing on a Leopard 44
We left Cape Town just over a week ago. What a pleasure to be on a Leopard
44. I have crossed oceans in the Leopard 38,39,40,43,46,48 and the
Leopard 58, and for some reason never did a 44. What a well balanced boat
she is, a unique character as all the Leopards are. I sailed one from Cape
Town to Durban in 2009. Really well appointed catamaran, excellent usage
of space and spacious living areas. We are having lots of fun taking her
through all types of conditions, or rather she taking us through it all,
safely and securely, building huge confidence in her abilities. And like
the other Leopards she is really easy to sail. One person can set the
sails without a spilling a drop of sweat, due to electric winches and well
placed winches, sheets and lines. There is a reason why the Leopards are
one of the top selling catamarans in the world, or rather, there are many.
Into slight headwinds and 3m swells we started, taking it gently and
getting our sealegs tested early on in the journey. The wind started
backing as predicted and soon the northwesterlies turned into westerlies
before she faded three days out. We got completely becalmed, the sea
turning into a huge shining mirror with not even a ripple on the surface.
The sun was out and we were out in our shorts and t-shirts, enjoying the
great weather. That night we ran into thick fog, with visibilty down to 10
meters max.
Eerie, scary situation, in a busy shipping lane and fishing boats
around. All we could do was give our position on the VHF every 15
minutes,, the direction which we were moving in and the speed we
maintained. A few ships altered course for us. First Mate Malcolm
contrived a radar reflector from heavy duty aluminium foil which he
mounted on the helming station. It was a deadly situation. No ways we
would have time to take avertive action should we see a ship coming
straight at us. Strange that such danger can lurk in such extreme calm and
serene conditions. We had our epirb ready in case we were taken out. We
reckoned that if we wear life jackets it will just take longer to die in
this cold grey water, it will just prolong our suffering, and hence we did
not wear them.
I have weathered some seriously scary storms out here, but none compares
to this sitting duck scenario. In a storm it is one on one, you are given
a change to fight for your life. Sailors of old did not learn to swim for
this very reason. In a stormy sea nobody can fight and win should you fall
overboard, and swimming will just prolong the inevitable. Nowadays though
there are personal epirbs, self inflating life jackets you can wear all
the time, and if the water is not too cold and you have a sharp crew on
board, the changes of finding a person that fell overboard, day or night,
is much better than years ago. Death we do not fear, but freezing to death
is not our idea of dying pleasantly out here. The fog moved in at about
8pm and only lifted at 10am the next morning. We did not speak much during
this period, as our thoughts were far away.
But we lived to tell the tale, and no sailing school or establishment or
book for that matter will tell you to use your VHF in such conditions. Or
how to stay calm, and how to keep your crew calm. Under any and all
conditions. Out here we deal with real situations, not theoretical
situations. I stand to be corrected on this, and will be pleasantly
surprised if I am proven wrong. No amount of theory can substitute
experience. There is always room for improvement though.
As the fog lifted the wind softly started building from the south. We
could now let out our headsail to assist the motor. The next day we
turned the motor off and at last we were doing what we love doing most,
sailing. we have now been sailing on the trot for four days, and our
weather prospects looks good for another few days. We expect to arrive at
St.Helena on Saturday the 10th of August. We will spend a day or two there
and then the long run to the Caribbean.
We are having regular visits from various species of dolphins which is
always a great blessing. Came up for watch one morning and on my steps a
seabird was sitting. my crew informed me that he flew in but they do not
want to disturb him, suspecting he may be injured. Creatures out here are
not scared of humans. I folded my hands around the bird's body and softly
placed him on the table outside. He spread his wings and the breeze from
behind lifted him, and off he went. Made a few circles around the boat and
dissapeared into the blue horizon. What an awesome blessing it was, leaving
one elated yet humble.
If you secretly think that sailing is an escape from reality, then you are
wrong. It depends ofcourse what you consider reality to be. In the most
universal sense of the word, we are not escaping reality at all, but
moving closer to it all the time. You think that what you see daily on tv
is reality and you are right. There is a much bigger reality though,
beyond life and death, and this is the reality we experience out here. An
eternal, infinite reality. Hope to share some glimpses of it.
44. I have crossed oceans in the Leopard 38,39,40,43,46,48 and the
Leopard 58, and for some reason never did a 44. What a well balanced boat
she is, a unique character as all the Leopards are. I sailed one from Cape
Town to Durban in 2009. Really well appointed catamaran, excellent usage
of space and spacious living areas. We are having lots of fun taking her
through all types of conditions, or rather she taking us through it all,
safely and securely, building huge confidence in her abilities. And like
the other Leopards she is really easy to sail. One person can set the
sails without a spilling a drop of sweat, due to electric winches and well
placed winches, sheets and lines. There is a reason why the Leopards are
one of the top selling catamarans in the world, or rather, there are many.
Into slight headwinds and 3m swells we started, taking it gently and
getting our sealegs tested early on in the journey. The wind started
backing as predicted and soon the northwesterlies turned into westerlies
before she faded three days out. We got completely becalmed, the sea
turning into a huge shining mirror with not even a ripple on the surface.
The sun was out and we were out in our shorts and t-shirts, enjoying the
great weather. That night we ran into thick fog, with visibilty down to 10
meters max.
Eerie, scary situation, in a busy shipping lane and fishing boats
around. All we could do was give our position on the VHF every 15
minutes,, the direction which we were moving in and the speed we
maintained. A few ships altered course for us. First Mate Malcolm
contrived a radar reflector from heavy duty aluminium foil which he
mounted on the helming station. It was a deadly situation. No ways we
would have time to take avertive action should we see a ship coming
straight at us. Strange that such danger can lurk in such extreme calm and
serene conditions. We had our epirb ready in case we were taken out. We
reckoned that if we wear life jackets it will just take longer to die in
this cold grey water, it will just prolong our suffering, and hence we did
not wear them.
I have weathered some seriously scary storms out here, but none compares
to this sitting duck scenario. In a storm it is one on one, you are given
a change to fight for your life. Sailors of old did not learn to swim for
this very reason. In a stormy sea nobody can fight and win should you fall
overboard, and swimming will just prolong the inevitable. Nowadays though
there are personal epirbs, self inflating life jackets you can wear all
the time, and if the water is not too cold and you have a sharp crew on
board, the changes of finding a person that fell overboard, day or night,
is much better than years ago. Death we do not fear, but freezing to death
is not our idea of dying pleasantly out here. The fog moved in at about
8pm and only lifted at 10am the next morning. We did not speak much during
this period, as our thoughts were far away.
But we lived to tell the tale, and no sailing school or establishment or
book for that matter will tell you to use your VHF in such conditions. Or
how to stay calm, and how to keep your crew calm. Under any and all
conditions. Out here we deal with real situations, not theoretical
situations. I stand to be corrected on this, and will be pleasantly
surprised if I am proven wrong. No amount of theory can substitute
experience. There is always room for improvement though.
As the fog lifted the wind softly started building from the south. We
could now let out our headsail to assist the motor. The next day we
turned the motor off and at last we were doing what we love doing most,
sailing. we have now been sailing on the trot for four days, and our
weather prospects looks good for another few days. We expect to arrive at
St.Helena on Saturday the 10th of August. We will spend a day or two there
and then the long run to the Caribbean.
We are having regular visits from various species of dolphins which is
always a great blessing. Came up for watch one morning and on my steps a
seabird was sitting. my crew informed me that he flew in but they do not
want to disturb him, suspecting he may be injured. Creatures out here are
not scared of humans. I folded my hands around the bird's body and softly
placed him on the table outside. He spread his wings and the breeze from
behind lifted him, and off he went. Made a few circles around the boat and
dissapeared into the blue horizon. What an awesome blessing it was, leaving
one elated yet humble.
If you secretly think that sailing is an escape from reality, then you are
wrong. It depends ofcourse what you consider reality to be. In the most
universal sense of the word, we are not escaping reality at all, but
moving closer to it all the time. You think that what you see daily on tv
is reality and you are right. There is a much bigger reality though,
beyond life and death, and this is the reality we experience out here. An
eternal, infinite reality. Hope to share some glimpses of it.
First crossing on a Leopard 44
We left Cape Town just over a week ago. What a pleasure to be on a Leopard
44. I have crossed oceans in the Leopard 38,39,40,43,46,48 and the
Leopard 58, and for some reason never did a 44. What a well balanced boat
she is, a unique character as all the Leopards are. I sailed one from Cape
Town to Durban in 2009. Really well appointed catamaran, excellent usage
of space and spacious living areas. We are having lots of fun taking her
through all types of conditions, or rather she taking us through it all,
safely and securely, building huge confidence in her abilities. And like
the other Leopards she is really easy to sail. One person can set the
sails without a spilling a drop of sweat, due to electric winches and well
placed winches, sheets and lines. There is a reason why the Leopards are
one of the top selling catamarans in the world, or rather, there are many.
Into slight headwinds and 3m swells we started, taking it gently and
getting our sealegs tested early on in the journey. The wind started
backing as predicted and soon the northwesterlies turned into westerlies
before she faded three days out. We got completely becalmed, the sea
turning into a huge shining mirror with not even a ripple on the surface.
The sun was out and we were out in our shorts and t-shirts, enjoying the
great weather. That night we ran into thick fog, with visibilty down to 10
meters max.
Eerie, scary situation, in a busy shipping lane and fishing boats
around. All we could do was give our position on the VHF every 15
minutes,, the direction which we were moving in and the speed we
maintained. A few ships altered course for us. First Mate Malcolm
contrived a radar reflector from heavy duty aluminium foil which he
mounted on the helming station. It was a deadly situation. No ways we
would have time to take avertive action should we see a ship coming
straight at us. Strange that such danger can lurk in such extreme calm and
serene conditions. We had our epirb ready in case we were taken out. We
reckoned that if we wear life jackets it will just take longer to die in
this cold grey water, it will just prolong our suffering, and hence we did
not wear them.
I have weathered some seriously scary storms out here, but none compares
to this sitting duck scenario. In a storm it is one on one, you are given
a change to fight for your life. Sailors of old did not learn to swim for
this very reason. In a stormy sea nobody can fight and win should you fall
overboard, and swimming will just prolong the inevitable. Nowadays though
there are personal epirbs, self inflating life jackets you can wear all
the time, and if the water is not too cold and you have a sharp crew on
board, the changes of finding a person that fell overboard, day or night,
is much better than years ago. Death we do not fear, but freezing to death
is not our idea of dying pleasantly out here. The fog moved in at about
8pm and only lifted at 10am the next morning. We did not speak much during
this period, as our thoughts were far away.
But we lived to tell the tale, and no sailing school or establishment or
book for that matter will tell you to use your VHF in such conditions. Or
how to stay calm, and how to keep your crew calm. Under any and all
conditions. Out here we deal with real situations, not theoretical
situations. I stand to be corrected on this, and will be pleasantly
surprised if I am proven wrong. No amount of theory can substitute
experience. There is always room for improvement though.
As the fog lifted the wind softly started building from the south. We
could now let out our headsail to assist the motor. The next day we
turned the motor off and at last we were doing what we love doing most,
sailing. we have now been sailing on the trot for four days, and our
weather prospects looks good for another few days. We expect to arrive at
St.Helena on Saturday the 10th of August. We will spend a day or two there
and then the long run to the Caribbean.
We are having regular visits from various species of dolphins which is
always a great blessing. Came up for watch one morning and on my steps a
seabird was sitting. my crew informed me that he flew in but they do not
want to disturb him, suspecting he may be injured. Creatures out here are
not scared of humans. I folded my hands around the bird's body and softly
placed him on the table outside. He spread his wings and the breeze from
behind lifted him, and off he went. Made a few circles around the boat and
dissapeared into the blue horizon. What an awesome blessing it was, leaving
one elated yet humble.
If you secretly think that sailing is an escape from reality, then you are
wrong. It depends ofcourse what you consider reality to be. In the most
universal sense of the word, we are not escaping reality at all, but
moving closer to it all the time. You think that what you see daily on tv
is reality and you are right. There is a much bigger reality though,
beyond life and death, and this is the reality we experience out here. An
eternal, infinite reality. Hope to share some glimpses of it.
44. I have crossed oceans in the Leopard 38,39,40,43,46,48 and the
Leopard 58, and for some reason never did a 44. What a well balanced boat
she is, a unique character as all the Leopards are. I sailed one from Cape
Town to Durban in 2009. Really well appointed catamaran, excellent usage
of space and spacious living areas. We are having lots of fun taking her
through all types of conditions, or rather she taking us through it all,
safely and securely, building huge confidence in her abilities. And like
the other Leopards she is really easy to sail. One person can set the
sails without a spilling a drop of sweat, due to electric winches and well
placed winches, sheets and lines. There is a reason why the Leopards are
one of the top selling catamarans in the world, or rather, there are many.
Into slight headwinds and 3m swells we started, taking it gently and
getting our sealegs tested early on in the journey. The wind started
backing as predicted and soon the northwesterlies turned into westerlies
before she faded three days out. We got completely becalmed, the sea
turning into a huge shining mirror with not even a ripple on the surface.
The sun was out and we were out in our shorts and t-shirts, enjoying the
great weather. That night we ran into thick fog, with visibilty down to 10
meters max.
Eerie, scary situation, in a busy shipping lane and fishing boats
around. All we could do was give our position on the VHF every 15
minutes,, the direction which we were moving in and the speed we
maintained. A few ships altered course for us. First Mate Malcolm
contrived a radar reflector from heavy duty aluminium foil which he
mounted on the helming station. It was a deadly situation. No ways we
would have time to take avertive action should we see a ship coming
straight at us. Strange that such danger can lurk in such extreme calm and
serene conditions. We had our epirb ready in case we were taken out. We
reckoned that if we wear life jackets it will just take longer to die in
this cold grey water, it will just prolong our suffering, and hence we did
not wear them.
I have weathered some seriously scary storms out here, but none compares
to this sitting duck scenario. In a storm it is one on one, you are given
a change to fight for your life. Sailors of old did not learn to swim for
this very reason. In a stormy sea nobody can fight and win should you fall
overboard, and swimming will just prolong the inevitable. Nowadays though
there are personal epirbs, self inflating life jackets you can wear all
the time, and if the water is not too cold and you have a sharp crew on
board, the changes of finding a person that fell overboard, day or night,
is much better than years ago. Death we do not fear, but freezing to death
is not our idea of dying pleasantly out here. The fog moved in at about
8pm and only lifted at 10am the next morning. We did not speak much during
this period, as our thoughts were far away.
But we lived to tell the tale, and no sailing school or establishment or
book for that matter will tell you to use your VHF in such conditions. Or
how to stay calm, and how to keep your crew calm. Under any and all
conditions. Out here we deal with real situations, not theoretical
situations. I stand to be corrected on this, and will be pleasantly
surprised if I am proven wrong. No amount of theory can substitute
experience. There is always room for improvement though.
As the fog lifted the wind softly started building from the south. We
could now let out our headsail to assist the motor. The next day we
turned the motor off and at last we were doing what we love doing most,
sailing. we have now been sailing on the trot for four days, and our
weather prospects looks good for another few days. We expect to arrive at
St.Helena on Saturday the 10th of August. We will spend a day or two there
and then the long run to the Caribbean.
We are having regular visits from various species of dolphins which is
always a great blessing. Came up for watch one morning and on my steps a
seabird was sitting. my crew informed me that he flew in but they do not
want to disturb him, suspecting he may be injured. Creatures out here are
not scared of humans. I folded my hands around the bird's body and softly
placed him on the table outside. He spread his wings and the breeze from
behind lifted him, and off he went. Made a few circles around the boat and
dissapeared into the blue horizon. What an awesome blessing it was, leaving
one elated yet humble.
If you secretly think that sailing is an escape from reality, then you are
wrong. It depends ofcourse what you consider reality to be. In the most
universal sense of the word, we are not escaping reality at all, but
moving closer to it all the time. You think that what you see daily on tv
is reality and you are right. There is a much bigger reality though,
beyond life and death, and this is the reality we experience out here. An
eternal, infinite reality. Hope to share some glimpses of it.
First crossing on a Leopard 44
We left Cape Town just over a week ago. What a pleasure to be on a Leopard
44. I have crossed oceans in the Leopard 38,39,40,43,46,48 and the
Leopard 58, and for some reason never did a 44. What a well balanced boat
she is, a unique character as all the Leopards are. I sailed one from Cape
Town to Durban in 2009. Really well appointed catamaran, excellent usage
of space and spacious living areas. We are having lots of fun taking her
through all types of conditions, or rather she taking us through it all,
safely and securely, building huge confidence in her abilities. And like
the other Leopards she is really easy to sail. One person can set the
sails without a spilling a drop of sweat, due to electric winches and well
placed winches, sheets and lines. There is a reason why the Leopards are
one of the top selling catamarans in the world, or rather, there are many.
Into slight headwinds and 3m swells we started, taking it gently and
getting our sealegs tested early on in the journey. The wind started
backing as predicted and soon the northwesterlies turned into westerlies
before she faded three days out. We got completely becalmed, the sea
turning into a huge shining mirror with not even a ripple on the surface.
The sun was out and we were out in our shorts and t-shirts, enjoying the
great weather. That night we ran into thick fog, with visibilty down to 10
meters max.
Eerie, scary situation, in a busy shipping lane and fishing boats
around. All we could do was give our position on the VHF every 15
minutes,, the direction which we were moving in and the speed we
maintained. A few ships altered course for us. First Mate Malcolm
contrived a radar reflector from heavy duty aluminium foil which he
mounted on the helming station. It was a deadly situation. No ways we
would have time to take avertive action should we see a ship coming
straight at us. Strange that such danger can lurk in such extreme calm and
serene conditions. We had our epirb ready in case we were taken out. We
reckoned that if we wear life jackets it will just take longer to die in
this cold grey water, it will just prolong our suffering, and hence we did
not wear them.
I have weathered some seriously scary storms out here, but none compares
to this sitting duck scenario. In a storm it is one on one, you are given
a change to fight for your life. Sailors of old did not learn to swim for
this very reason. In a stormy sea nobody can fight and win should you fall
overboard, and swimming will just prolong the inevitable. Nowadays though
there are personal epirbs, self inflating life jackets you can wear all
the time, and if the water is not too cold and you have a sharp crew on
board, the changes of finding a person that fell overboard, day or night,
is much better than years ago. Death we do not fear, but freezing to death
is not our idea of dying pleasantly out here. The fog moved in at about
8pm and only lifted at 10am the next morning. We did not speak much during
this period, as our thoughts were far away.
But we lived to tell the tale, and no sailing school or establishment or
book for that matter will tell you to use your VHF in such conditions. Or
how to stay calm, and how to keep your crew calm. Under any and all
conditions. Out here we deal with real situations, not theoretical
situations. I stand to be corrected on this, and will be pleasantly
surprised if I am proven wrong. No amount of theory can substitute
experience. There is always room for improvement though.
As the fog lifted the wind softly started building from the south. We
could now let out our headsail to assist the motor. The next day we
turned the motor off and at last we were doing what we love doing most,
sailing. we have now been sailing on the trot for four days, and our
weather prospects looks good for another few days. We expect to arrive at
St.Helena on Saturday the 10th of August. We will spend a day or two there
and then the long run to the Caribbean.
We are having regular visits from various species of dolphins which is
always a great blessing. Came up for watch one morning and on my steps a
seabird was sitting. my crew informed me that he flew in but they do not
want to disturb him, suspecting he may be injured. Creatures out here are
not scared of humans. I folded my hands around the bird's body and softly
placed him on the table outside. He spread his wings and the breeze from
behind lifted him, and off he went. Made a few circles around the boat and
dissapeared into the blue horizon. What an awesome blessing it was, leaving
one elated yet humble.
If you secretly think that sailing is an escape from reality, then you are
wrong. It depends ofcourse what you consider reality to be. In the most
universal sense of the word, we are not escaping reality at all, but
moving closer to it all the time. You think that what you see daily on tv
is reality and you are right. There is a much bigger reality though,
beyond life and death, and this is the reality we experience out here. An
eternal, infinite reality. Hope to share some glimpses of it.
44. I have crossed oceans in the Leopard 38,39,40,43,46,48 and the
Leopard 58, and for some reason never did a 44. What a well balanced boat
she is, a unique character as all the Leopards are. I sailed one from Cape
Town to Durban in 2009. Really well appointed catamaran, excellent usage
of space and spacious living areas. We are having lots of fun taking her
through all types of conditions, or rather she taking us through it all,
safely and securely, building huge confidence in her abilities. And like
the other Leopards she is really easy to sail. One person can set the
sails without a spilling a drop of sweat, due to electric winches and well
placed winches, sheets and lines. There is a reason why the Leopards are
one of the top selling catamarans in the world, or rather, there are many.
Into slight headwinds and 3m swells we started, taking it gently and
getting our sealegs tested early on in the journey. The wind started
backing as predicted and soon the northwesterlies turned into westerlies
before she faded three days out. We got completely becalmed, the sea
turning into a huge shining mirror with not even a ripple on the surface.
The sun was out and we were out in our shorts and t-shirts, enjoying the
great weather. That night we ran into thick fog, with visibilty down to 10
meters max.
Eerie, scary situation, in a busy shipping lane and fishing boats
around. All we could do was give our position on the VHF every 15
minutes,, the direction which we were moving in and the speed we
maintained. A few ships altered course for us. First Mate Malcolm
contrived a radar reflector from heavy duty aluminium foil which he
mounted on the helming station. It was a deadly situation. No ways we
would have time to take avertive action should we see a ship coming
straight at us. Strange that such danger can lurk in such extreme calm and
serene conditions. We had our epirb ready in case we were taken out. We
reckoned that if we wear life jackets it will just take longer to die in
this cold grey water, it will just prolong our suffering, and hence we did
not wear them.
I have weathered some seriously scary storms out here, but none compares
to this sitting duck scenario. In a storm it is one on one, you are given
a change to fight for your life. Sailors of old did not learn to swim for
this very reason. In a stormy sea nobody can fight and win should you fall
overboard, and swimming will just prolong the inevitable. Nowadays though
there are personal epirbs, self inflating life jackets you can wear all
the time, and if the water is not too cold and you have a sharp crew on
board, the changes of finding a person that fell overboard, day or night,
is much better than years ago. Death we do not fear, but freezing to death
is not our idea of dying pleasantly out here. The fog moved in at about
8pm and only lifted at 10am the next morning. We did not speak much during
this period, as our thoughts were far away.
But we lived to tell the tale, and no sailing school or establishment or
book for that matter will tell you to use your VHF in such conditions. Or
how to stay calm, and how to keep your crew calm. Under any and all
conditions. Out here we deal with real situations, not theoretical
situations. I stand to be corrected on this, and will be pleasantly
surprised if I am proven wrong. No amount of theory can substitute
experience. There is always room for improvement though.
As the fog lifted the wind softly started building from the south. We
could now let out our headsail to assist the motor. The next day we
turned the motor off and at last we were doing what we love doing most,
sailing. we have now been sailing on the trot for four days, and our
weather prospects looks good for another few days. We expect to arrive at
St.Helena on Saturday the 10th of August. We will spend a day or two there
and then the long run to the Caribbean.
We are having regular visits from various species of dolphins which is
always a great blessing. Came up for watch one morning and on my steps a
seabird was sitting. my crew informed me that he flew in but they do not
want to disturb him, suspecting he may be injured. Creatures out here are
not scared of humans. I folded my hands around the bird's body and softly
placed him on the table outside. He spread his wings and the breeze from
behind lifted him, and off he went. Made a few circles around the boat and
dissapeared into the blue horizon. What an awesome blessing it was, leaving
one elated yet humble.
If you secretly think that sailing is an escape from reality, then you are
wrong. It depends ofcourse what you consider reality to be. In the most
universal sense of the word, we are not escaping reality at all, but
moving closer to it all the time. You think that what you see daily on tv
is reality and you are right. There is a much bigger reality though,
beyond life and death, and this is the reality we experience out here. An
eternal, infinite reality. Hope to share some glimpses of it.
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