Manta

Yachting in the USA

South African Mission to the Sun

An Atlantic Crossing

 

 

 

St Helena to Grenada

St Helena to Grenada, Caribbean

The leg from St Helena to Grenada took 29 days. It was the longest part of the trip and most certainly the hardest. The second leg was off to a slow start as we had light winds for a week straight. In this week we were quite frustrated and felt like we were getting nowhere. We finally hooked a fish on the line after a few days but then realized it was shark, who eventually broke the line and took our lure. There were no other fish that went for the bait and so we were eating bully beef or chicken for days on end.

After a week the trade winds finally picked up and we thankfully covered more ground.  Ten days into the trip, we had the privilege of seeing two Minki Whales, who dwarfed and curiously cruised around our boat. They were hard to photograph so I only managed to get one slightly visible shot.

The brazilian dolphins that visited us were amazing, allowing me to get amazing video footage and photos from up close. Occasionally birds at sea would come and rest on our boat at night. They were not afraid of humans at all and they would not budge even at touching distance. Even flying fish landed on the boat, attracted to the lights of the boat. Whoever was on morning shift would find a crusty dead flying fish on the boat, who had committed suicide.

The moon on the other hand was very photogenic, the middle of the Atlantic Ocean providing the clearest full moon imaginable.  As I was gazing out over the vast ocean on the night shift, I wondered if my friends back home had also admired its beauty at the usual peak near Hout Bay.

Two weeks into the leg, we finally caught a  12kg+ Wahoo, from which we made meals including pickled fish, fried steaks and paella. 5 days after crossing the equator we caught a 20kg Dorado from which we made the usual meals as well as biltong. Landing the Dorado was a very tough challenge but very enjoyable, being the largest fish I had ever caught.  On the first of November we caught a 35kg+ Marlin, who gave Bradley a HUGE fight. It was definitely the most hard core fish to catch given its size and aggressive nature.

Aside from eating a lot of fish, the food rations were quite serious.  After every meal I was still hungry and kept on snacking on my own supplies to prevent losing too much weight (even my size 30 pants are hanging loose). Never in my life have I fantasized so much over durable foods. It’s enough to drive you crazy! Once I get to the USA I will be very keen to fatten up back to normal size. Being skraal was not ideal but it makes every meal taste amazing and every morsel is eaten, nothing goes to waste.

Grenada was an amazing place to set foot on after a month at sea and we celebrated our arrival with the local ‘Carib Beer’. That night turned into a crazy party at a local shabeen, where we were the only white people present. Evidently, our captains wallet got stolen but after much negotiations with the gangsters he got it back.

The next day we relaxed and recovered, setting sail by the afternoon.

Cape Town to St Helena

Cape Town to St Helena.

 

After waving goodbye to family and fuelling up, we finally started our 2 month journey delivering a 39ft catamaran. The seas were rough as we headed south of Robben Island and the conditions did not improve much once we cleared it and headed 310 degrees, straight for St Helena. Every time I went inside and downstairs to my bedroom, sea sickness immediately kicked in. Needless to say, I threw up occasionally for the next 24 hours. It only then occurred to me that I could take a sea sickness tablets and definitely worked.

 

On our second day we caught a small tuna on the handline. The fish was filleted and then cut up into meal portions adequate of filling four people. Over the next few days we ate sushi, suvicchi, sashimi, seared tuna steaks among other fish dishes. It was the only fish we caught so far but it went a long way!

After about a week we came across a rather large boat. Suddenly there was a Japanese person speaking on the radio “Harrow, harrow?” our Captain responded that we were a sailing vessel from South Africa, to which the Japanese responded “ahhhhh, ok ok, where from Dubbahn or Cape Town? We are a Japanese Tuna fishing boat”. After explaining where we were from, he offered to bring us some tuna but we were unsure how we were possibly going to get the tuna from a huge floating ‘fish catching and processing factory’, so politely declined and said good bye.

 

One thing about living on a boat it that someone must be on watch at all times. I liken this to a Meer cat family who always has someone on guard craning their neck and doing 360 scans for potential dangers. Large ships can sneak up on you out of nowhere and could potentially hit you within 15 minutes from being visible on the horizon. There shift system worked as follows, 3 hours on 6 hours off. There is no sleeping pattern out on the boats, you pretty much just sleep as much as possible and whenever you are off or not eating. It was hard to adjust to in the beginning, but it is pretty normal now after two weeks.

In between draining water from a leaking compartment,   polishing and scrubbing the boat, there is plenty time for relaxing, reading and taking photos. I had never seen Albatrosses before and there were plenty, among other sea birds. Their graceful gliding flight on the ridges of swells without touching the water was incredible. It is true freedom out in the wilderness where the only visible obstacles are boats. The birds have an inquisitive nature and would fly around us for hours on end. Perhaps they were always patiently waiting for a snack, as we discovered when throwing bits of the tuna carcass that we had caught.

Occasionally we saw seals and gannets when we were close to Dassen Island on the West Coast. We also came across a small pod of dolphins, who hung around our boat for a while.  A few nights in a row a squid would jump on board, which we discovered in the morning. They had obviously been attracted by the lights on the boat..

 

Life as sea is not easy but it is generally a very enjoyable experience. It is definitely better than being in an office or stuck in the city! For now I am happy the way things are going and the crew is fun to be with. Bradley and I are learning a lot about sailing and are starting to get the hang of it..

As we approached St Helena, the British island situated a week’s ferry trip from Cape Town, A large pod of dolphins welcomed us cruising right in front of the boat and jumping high into the air. The Island is very strange with cliffs looking something like mars. After mooring to a bouy, we set foot on the Island. It was very strange to be back on land. We explored the village of James Town and looked at all the people in bewilderment with their strange mumbling accents which sounded like a mixture between British, Caribbean and Australian. We walked up the famous steps, ate a burgers and chips that was accompanied by a cold Windhoek lager.

 

 

Perspectives

Magestic Moments

Some images from a long past trip up the west coast. Keen to get back there soon!

Southern Africa

The Circle of Life is Cruel

The 24th of March 2013 was a very sad day.  Over 20  False Killer Whales stranded themsleves on Noordhoek Beach, Cape Town. Despite efforts to rescue these magnificent animals, all of them lost their lives. Below are some pictures of the great and courageous attempts to rescue the whales. It is definitely a day I will never forget!