Sierra De Almeria,Spain

After a great run through the Straights the wind has, as expected, at
last turned on us. 20 kts constant gusting at 30 and peaking at
35, straight out of the east. On a starboard tack we are pushing north
and on a port tack we going south, making very little progress against
the strong winds and big seas. Nice thing about the Med is that there
are many places you can run for shelter, and so it happens that we find
ourselves at Club de Mar, Almeria. 25 euros for the day and we will be
leaving at first light when the weather has died down a bit. We arrived
here at about 2pm and should be out of here at about 8am. We will be
hoping to sail around the tip of Almeria and head in a north easterly
direction as the wind will be more favourable for us. In a day or three
we should encounter the northerlies which we can then use to run east.

Brad and Felix went for a long walk through the city to go and look at a
bullfighting ring, a castle, a cathedral and some other interesting
sites. I went up the main street for about an hour. Strange how quiet a
city can be, besides the noise of traffic. Not much hooting or sirens
around here, just the continious hum of vehicles going past.

We had a constant charade of ships last night and had to alter our
course a few times. Some of the ships changed there course slightly for
us, especially the ones coming up from behind. Felix has settled in
exceptionally well and is already a valuable crewmember in many
regards. He did a two month sailing course at Atlantic Yachting in
Langebaan and it has served him well. I know Adrian and Healy who owns
Atlantic Yachting and they train there students well. I've had a few of
there crewmembers before and have never been disappointed. Pieter, our
previous crewmember, has had a succesful operation and is on light duty
for the next six weeks. We miss his banter very much, but Felix in his
own way is finding a place into our hearts. It takes a lot of load from
our shoulders to have him aboard with us. We now have the luxury of
reading, writing, chatting and more than enough sleep. One really
appreciates these things when you have been without it for a while. In a
way, today is also a little bit of rest for Brad and me who has been two
handing it from Madeira, popped in and out of Cadiz to get a good
weather window through Gibraltar and in the morning we will all be as
good as new.

Only about 1100 nm to go and this will be our last stop before Greece,
except if something drastic happens on the way.The stop today was
totally unplanned, and the nice thing about having electronic charts of
the whole world is that you can confidently go in anywhere. The nicest
thing for me when we get to land is to phone my lovely wife and daughter
from a call box. The sat phone is ok, but the delay and sometimes bad
signal can be frustrating at times, never knowing when you will just be
cut off. Today was no exception and always great to suprise them from
some unexpected place.Of course we also do our position report on
Mondays and Thursdays to Nicky in Cape Town.Her reply on my mail to
inform her of our quick stop, tongue in cheek was Hmmmmmmmm, Storm off
the coast of Spain. That's your story and you're sticking to it.
Eish,some boys !

And you ? How have you been keeping ? I promise to throw some random
thoughts at you again soon. Ha ha ha.

Paul

Flying through the Straights of Gibraltar

We have been so fortunate to reach Cadiz early yesterday morning,do all
we needed to do and leave a few hours later.The weather has been coming
through strong from the west,and as predicted,20 kts running up to 30
and sometimes gusting at 35.We have the wind right from behind,and our
main sail in 2nd reef is giving us excellent performance.Surfing down a
swell on my 6-10am watch we got up to 13.4kts.Our aim is to run as deep
into the Med as we can,Our original plan was to hug the coast of Africa
but our latest weather files suggested we should rather stick closer to
the northern side.Sailing from Cadiz,I also had our waypoints crossing
the TSS diagonally so we get get to the coast of Africa.Instead I
changed our waypoints and stuck to the southern coast of Spain as we
approached the Straits.

TSS stands for Traffic Seperation Scheme.Ships coming in and out have
to stay within the allotted lanes.Very much like driving on a two way
road.The northern lane in Gibraltar is for ships going out and the
southern for ships coming in.We thus had to stay between the coast and
the ships going out as we were going in.Fortunately the night skies were
clear and we could see the ships navigation lights fairly clearly.We had
a fishing vessel with a flashing red light that came straight us and we
had to alter our course to avoid a collission.Other than that we could
negotiate and navigate our way through without to much hassle.

What a luxury to have a third crewmember again.Felix took a little time
to get his sealegs,but this morning,after a good sleep,he is fine.He was
on the midnight to three shift this morning and we spend some time
together making sure we don't have any close encounters with big
ships.Sailing vessels have right of way,meaning we should be able to
stick our course and the motor tankers should alter course for us.Often
this is not possible as they take a considerable time to alter
course,and to stick to the rules of the road as it is called,on the sea
it will get you in trouble.Might is right,and we don't argue.They do,if
they can,alter course,sometimes.It is therefore essential to keep a good
watch out for ships coming from any direction.

Our position at AM 09:00 UTC was 36*06'N/04*31'W.we hope you are having
or have enjoyed a fabulous weekend.

Paul

Welcome Aboard Felix!

Just the shortest blog posting ever.We arrived at Puorto Sheery in Spain
at 8am,Felix was there at 9,we did the officials,shopped,filled up on
water and fuel and at 1pm we were on our way again.Brad went for his
customary run when we hit land while Felix and myself also gave our
boat a fresh water rinse,from head to toe.We have already covered more
than half the distance to the Straights of Gibraltar and should be going
through in the next 4 to 5 hours.Wind is perfect to give us a deep run
into the Med.All worked out for us and we are grateful.Poor Felix,both
Brad and myself are just chatting away.starved for company and
converstaion.Got pizza at the super market,in the oven and it went down
like a charm with coca cola.A Spanish galleon was close by and what an
amazing vessel up close.The rope work is phenominal,the woodwork
astonishing,the whole feel of the vessel awesome.

Will post again in the morning.

Paul

Pro's and cons

We've been having a good sailing weather for the most of yesterdayand
into the night.Main 1st reef and genoa full,doing a decent 5-6 kts and
the wind sitting between 10-13 kts constant.The sea was flat and we were
making good miles.In the early hours of the morning the wind started to
climb and the seastate deteriorated accordingly.Without hesitation I
woke Brad and we dropped the main to 2nd reef.Soon afterwards the wind
was up to 20 kts and we were ploughing through fairly big waves.So close
and yet so far.And yes,two up is taxing and we are a little bit
tired,but all good at the same time.The wind and seastate stayed like
this for the first half of today and two hours ago,as the weather file
predicted,the wind started dropping a bit.It was first coming from the
south east and is progressively backing.

Sailing on windvane mode,we were sailing in a north eastely
direction,straight to our waypoint at Cadiz.Progressively we are being
pushed up more north.Windvane mode we set the sails and the angle at
which we sail,and as the wind direction changes,so the direction in
which we sail also changes.There are certain angles one can't sail
at,the so called no go zone,when the wind is to close from the front.At
a 45* angle one gets some power out of the sails on a cat,but more so as
you go into the 50' and up,all around to the other side.We expect the
wind to back all the way to the west and will then have the wind from
behind for our last stretch to Cadiz,which is now less than 70 nm away.

We expect to arrive at Cadiz in the early hours of the morning and may
slow down a bit until it gets light.If we sail to fast we are also ready
to do a night entry.My pilotage plan is ready,and although all the city
lights makes this a daunting exercise,we are trained to do this.Crossing
the busiest shipping channel in world just add to the equation.Ships of
all sizes coming from all directions,all the time.

But soon we will be in Spain.We would love to rest a little at Cadiz,but
there are pros and cons to it.The cons are that the weather window is
excellent for us to go through Gibraltar asap and take us deep into
the Med.And if we linger,we the window will close on us and we will be
paying the price later.There are other factors too.We have to clear
customs and immigration.If we can't do this over the weekend,we may only
be able to get away on Monday.The pro's in this scenario is that we will
be able to go and explore a little bit of Spain.Go look for a bull and
wave a red flag at him and then run for our lives screaming and yelling
ole'! ole'!The cons to this is if the bull catches up to us.So which way
will the dice roll and how fill it fall.Time will tell.

Our new crewmember,Felix,is probably already waiting for us in Cadiz and
will sleep over in a hotel for the night.We get to meet him tomorrow.He
will never be able to replace Pieter,and he won't be expected to
either.He will bring his own personality to the boat and we will see how
the vrew dynamics work out.We are positive that he will make a great
contribution,as Pieter did,and as we all do.

We will keep you posted.

Paul

Cadiz, a stones throw away!

We are now within 130nm from Cadiz. Its one days good sailing away, and
it may be the case that we have a night entry into Puerto Sherry. From
there we will sort out some paperwork, gather a few provisions, wash
down Venus and then head out again. Perhaps we will even clear out of
Cadiz the same day as we arrive so as to catch the favourable winds
blowing through the Straits of Gibraltor. Cadiz will bring about
the welcoming of a new crew member (Felix) as well as some of the load
taken off both Paul and myself with regards to being on watch. You can
replace a crew member yes, but you cannot replace the great memories
built with Pieter. I am sure that there will be great memories built on
the next stage of this trip from Cadiz, for which I am very excited! We
will be heading past the beauty of Sicily and the infamous Strait of
Messina which will be such an amazing experience.

Paul made a delicious chicken stew for lunch/supper, which will continue
to be enjoyed through the small hours of the night as we rotate watches
at 10pm, 2am. The weather has been great to us today giving us calm seas
and warmer winds than the previous few days. We have been visited my
numerous schools of dolphin throughout the last few days. They come and
visit us at night too which is an amazing sight! When the dlophin cut
through the water at speed they disturb all the jellyfish and plankton
near the surface of the water, which causes them to emit their
bio-luminescents, making the water glow in the wake of the dolphin. This
makes the dolphin seem like missiles through the water. Awesome to see
in real life. Hope my very detailed description painted a decent picture
for you:)

Apart than that, I have nothing more to add other than "you stay classy
San Diego"!

Cheers
Brad
Other than that, all is well on Venus and we are still in great spirits
nearly 9 weeks into the trip and over 6500nm at sea.

Sweet dreams are made of this

Not doing a long blog today.The rough weather has at last
subsided.Followed by going deep into the low pressure system,our
barometer went down to 1007 and a big lull followed.The breeze was
coming from all over yesterday and we had to motor,eventually with now
sails up,making slow but steady progress.this morning the wind shifted
south and giving us excellent conditions to sail and make way towards
Cadiz,which is now only about 240nm away.Sailing on a broad reach on a
calm sea with a steady breeze,this is the cream of sailing.Loving it.

Both Brad and me had a shower this morning,good and clean and fresh.A
lot of fine red Sahara desert dust settled on the boat during the course
of the night,and we are looking forward to once again giving Venus a
fresh water washdown once we get to Cadiz.

Being two up is not so hard,but it takes a lot of discipline to sleep
when you have to.Stop the voices,or rather ignore the voices and
thoughts flying around inside,and sleep.And beautiful dreams we are
having.I dreamed of ordering Nugget Burgers from KFC.Not such a thing on
their menu,but we can dream can't we.While I was waiting for the burgers
in my dreams,I was eating a huge hot dog.Love dreamworld,lots to see and
do.Sometimes a bit disturbing,but part of the journey I guess.

Pieter is going in for his op on Friday morning,so spare a thought for
him.From Thursday night 22h00 no wet or dry over his lips,nil per mouth
is a term I just learned from a top professional.Clinical,technical,to
the point,as we also sometimes do with our sailing terms.don't you love
it?Nil per mouth.Not the experience,the terminology.Why is it always
that when the power is down you want coffee or tea,and when you can't
eat,you want to eat.Pieter mailed me yesterday apologizing for sitting
around a fire and braaing chicken wings.Our mouths water just at the
thought of it.But I mailed him back and promised that we will have a big
steak when we get to Spain,to make up for his nil per mouth
experience.The games we play,all in good cheer of course.Yes,dammit
Pieter,we miss you plenty.But take care and wishing you a speedy
recovery.And Bonnie,thanks for keeping us informed of his well-being as
you said you would.We appreciate it very much.

Our position at PM 02:00 UTC is 34*00'N/10*09'W.Barometer up to 1015.All
good.

Take good care and sweet dreams to you.

Paul

Two months ago...

Yes,two months ago we casted off in Cape Town and set sail for
Greece.Now,6420 nautical miles later,we have seen a lot,done a
lot,learned a lot,and sadly also had to say goodbuy to our fellow
crewmember who had to return at short notice.We are hoping to hear from
him soon.In the interem,we have made contact with our new
crewmember,Felix Hahne,a young German lad who is very excited to be
joining us for our last leg to Greece.He is flying in on Friday the 8th
and will meet at us at Puerto Sherry,a marina about 50 nm's north of
Gibraltar.GPS position 36*34.8N/006*15.2W.Google Earth or just google
the spot and see what it looks like.Never been there so it will be
interesting to find out.The biggest town nearby is Cadiz.

The last day and a bit we've had some heavy weather as predicted.The sea
also getting in on the act and waves of anbout four mtrs started rolling
through.We had two options,either run with it and be pushed way down
south or sail slowly into it and stay more or less on a course taking us
east.Last night the sea got a bit bigger and we decided to drop the main
and carry on with a bit of genoa and motoring into the oncoming
waves.Worked well for us,and although we were going slow,we were just
riding out the heavy weather.An hour or so ago the wind and sea started
easing off a bit,as it has been gradually doing for the last few
hours.When Brad came on watch at 2pm we first sat down and had a warm
helping of spaghetti bolognaise,his favorite food...again.

After lunch or early supper it was time to raise the main again to
second reef.As expected we are now doing much better and sailing at a
nice pace,still going more or less east but starting to curve up north a
bit.By this time tomorrow the weather would have first pushed us a bit
more south and then a lull before we start heading north east towards
Cadiz.We are 340 miles from there and expect to arrive there on the 9th
or 10th,giving us ample time to meet our new crewmember.Our current
position is 33*03'N/11*43'W.

Quite a few ships around as can be expected.Not too many yet,but as
always we are keeping a sharp look-out.Amazing how adaptable we are as
humans,and how we only know what we can do when we have to.And who knows
what our true potential is.I know.And you know.But do you know what you
know what you know.Your truth is you,the highest truth,the only
truth.And you are the guardian of that inner truth.Perhaps you have lost
it,like most of us sometimes do.But if you really want,it is your's for
the knowing.You will have to unlearn a lot of things,but,in due time,you
will get back to Number One.

Paul