Third Leg: A Taste of the Caribbean

Day 40 - 57

The route on our Chart Plotter towards St Lucia

Cruising up the East coast of Brazil in the S-N Atlantic Ocean was exciting as we had the prospect of two stop-overs in the Caribbean to look forward to: Marigot Bay, St Lucia and Tortola in the British Virgin Islands (BVIs). Having left Fortaleza, Brazil on the 24th September, it took us 10 days to get to St Lucia, an island in the Eastern Caribbean Island Chain (where the "Moorings Co." has a base and we could re-provision). However, we had to pass through the delightfully docile doldrums, hope that the skipper's operation's manager would give us accurate weather updates on a regular basis (to avoid those pesky hurricanes), and keep ourselves entertained before then.

Watching the sun set over calm waters in the Doldrums

Those ten days were primarily occupied with placing bets on our expected date and time of arrival in St Lucia. We all made various calculations and placed our bets. Everyone, except for me, placed their bets for our ETA as Saturday at various times; however mine was for Sunday. The reward would be free beers at a 2 for 1 special from each crew member upon our arrival - high stakes! 

During the intense heat of the day and calm seas we'd
heave-to (stop)  for a quick dip in the Ocean

Paying particular attention to weather at these latitudes (hurricane latitudes) was a given; yet now it became a race.... on the same boat. None of us could change the outcome as we were entirely dependent on the wind speed and direction, but every change in wind and sea state became a guessing game as we recalculated at every one. This provided at least some excitement as we trundled along at a semi-decent speed of 5-7 knots. With two days to go it became clear that we would never arrive before Saturday - Huuuuzzzzzahhh ~ Those ice cold beers awaited!

One day Pat and I decided to finally write a message in a bottle. We jotted down our position, where we came from and where we're heading, who we are, and asked for the finder to please respond. We sealed it up and presumably it's still floating in the ocean cos there's been no word yet... 

Saturday night before our arrival, we could make out a faint glow over the horizon: the island of Barbados was "in sight" via its city lights. We tuned in to their local radio station and the sounds of the steel drums, which signifies the Caribbean Carnival style music, filled our ears. We'd arrived in the Caribbean Mon. Along with the Caribbean sounds came the squalls: small storm clouds that build up during the day and bring with them a sharp increase in wind and heavy rain. During the day we wanted one to pass over us so that we could have a fresh water shower to rid us and the boat of salt. But when they creep up on you at night it's not so much fun. The helm is exposed to the elements and when it's pouring, pitch black and you're on watch (for vessels, staying on course etc) it's pretty kak. That night I experienced one of the worst ones yet... 

Gros Piton

However, as I came up on deck in the morning to take my next watch, we were already motoring along the Southern coast of the St Lucia and all thoughts of miserable wet were out of my mind. Not long after that, Gros Piton came into sight; a volcano that projects about 800 m (2500ft) straight up out of the Ocean and is an icon of St Lucia - even their local beer takes on its name. We arrived in Marigot Bay just after 1pm and I could hardly believe how beautiful it was! A deep, secluded Bay surrounded by mangroves and steep forested hills with mansions peeking through. The bay itself was filled with various sailing yachts and three large power yachts.  

As we found out, it is catered towards tourism and the money it brings in: locals weaving hats, bags, and all-sorts from palm leaves, to selling tours of every kind and offering any kind of service. Only one road leads into Marigot and the bay itself is traversed via small ferries or dinghies. Every day 3/4 party catamarans blaring loud, pop music - or an even louder tour guide - would enter the bay and drop off a boatload of people. It was a funny sight! 

Marigot Bay;  See our little "Temptress" moored in the center

One of the little local quirks we loved seeing

Our intended 2 day stop-over turned into 5 days as Hurricane Otto had developed along our intended route *sigh*. We spent the days snorkeling from our boat along the mangrove bay, the reefs near the entrance of the bay, taking hikes, playing Siedler, re-connecting online while chilling at the little bars and chatting to the locals. We still all ate on board to save money which lined our bellies from the cheap Rum Punches we discovered at the Marigot Beach Club - a very beautiful bar looking out over the entrance of the Bay. It was a great stay w/ a holiday vibe; yet no place is free from its problems. According to a local guy we chatted w/, there are quite a few gang-related fights which cause tourists to go to the larger marinas or even other islands. Sad news for such a gorgeous location...

"Chateu Marigot" Place of our first Piton beers and loads of these funny signs 

Too beautiful! 

Five days of relaxing in paradise came to an end as we headed out to Sea again towards Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. It wasn't sad though cos we were all ready to keep going on our delivery. There were loads of birds every day and we had radio from the different islands all the time. It took us about three days to get there which passed by uneventfully. We sailed into Road Town early at 6am and w/in the hour the "Temptress" was tied to the dock and we'd filled up our water tanks & drums. Only later did we taste the water: it was briny and really unpleasant, but bearable.

Little Birdie (Scruffles) that landed and stayed on board for the full 3 days - not sure what happened to it when we got on land... :(

My first impressions were of awe - the Moorings base has over 1300 slips for similar sized yachts to dock at; besides the massive Cruise Ship dock and various other marinas in Road Town! After a warm, fresh water shower Pat and I headed into town to see the sights. We thought we'd be leaving the next morning to make a straight shot for Ft Lauderdale, so we wanted to stretch our legs on land as much as possible. Mainly big 4x4s were speeding along muddy paved roads. It was hot and we stumbled across a small store stocked w/ goodies from SA - fun! It was definitely beer time though and we followed the breakwater to Village Cay, where the skipper and mate were already enjoying an ice cold Carib! (Cold things became such a luxury - ICE).

CNN was broadcast on a large TV which absorbed our attention for a while. Mainly because we were so out of the loop in the world's events, but also, CNN is to me, more like a showbiz programme than news. Feeling refreshed, we carried on wandering, and eventually got back to the marina for a swim and free WiFi at the bar. A stop-over here was pure luxury for us. A large resort-style hotel was part of the marina with all the amenities at our disposal. I barely took any photos as I was just swept up and in the moment all of our stay...

After some strenuous relaxing, we made dinner aboard and were promptly whisked away on a tender (small rubber dinghy) by the first mate's SA friends. He'd met up with them earlier and we quickly joined their state of jollity by being introduced to Painkillers - aptly named. Strong and Rummy delicious drinks were flowing at Village Cay and a night of partying ensued! It felt so good to meet up with a large crowd of South African's in the middle of  a Caribbean island and share stories of sailing, hometowns and the yachting industry. All of those whom we met are working for "Moorings" by being the crew that takes out guests who have hired boats for charter. Tough, intensive, yet, rewarding work was the general consensus from them all. I was amazed at the number of South African's that are in the industry internationally, without even having heard of this line of work while in SA before we started sailing.

They shared many insights, experiences and gave us sound advice on our pursuit for work in the yachting industry. Yet, what the yachting industry entailed, we had no clear idea about yet. Pat and I walked back to the marina with a light heart and wound down the evening by the pool. It was not easy waking up at 6:30 the next morning with a massive hangover, but we had a fresh shower (luxury!) and got Jumbo Cappuccino's and turkey sandwiches at the deli. The size of each was an indication as to how near the USA we were...

Hurricane Paula's track

Turns out that we had another 4 days to kick back and relax in Tortola as Hurricane Paula was sweeping in along our path over Cuba (Our path to the US was between the Bahamas and Cuba). It was fascinating tracking all those various hurricanes and planning our route and schedule according to their forces. Hurricanes are unpredictable. Through Geography, I'd always thought they move steadily from E to W and grow in size, then die down as they cross land. Not so simple.... With so many islands and resulting currents and oceans, their paths become hard to predict. All that's left is to track them, and hope that, when you do decide to make a run for it, they don't turn around on their path.

Of course, we were smiling as this afforded us time to relax and then explore a paradise island. That whole day we spent skyping with family and browsing the internet. It was too hot to do much else and we were happy to soak up free WiFi and aircon. As it cooled down towards dusk, Pat and I made tracks to see what the rest of town looked like. We wandered along the waterside road felling relaxed and safe - what a pleasure! Coming across a well-stocked mini-mart, Pat bought a pomegranate (US$4!) and we left. All the islands had been pricey in their produce, but that was ridiculous. At least the beers (1 Heineken can or 1 Carib bottle) were US$0.99. Not much was happening in town, but it was a cool, refreshing night to go for a walk on a new island.

The islands that make up the BVI's

The next day we located a tourist map of Tortola and got ready to head out on a hike to the nearest beach - quite a distance it turns out. Just before leaving the boat, two guys who'd just completed a delivery for "Morrings", came by to drop off the remainder of their supplies! What an unexpected and most welcome surprise! A full gas bottle topped the list (our one was almost empty after having cooked once a day with it, except for boiling water for coffee). Now we could cook as much as we liked with more food than we could finish :) Loads of 2 Minute Noodles, apples, oranges, a range of spices, butter, milk, juices and other treats that made our standard fare delectable!

The deserted Jesiah's  beach providing sweet respite from the heat

With a spring in our step we marched on to find  beach. We walked for 4 hours in sweltering heat along the main road that twisted around the island. Every road looked like a drive way so we kept walking on. It was so worth it as we finally arrived at Jesiah's beach. The road had been washed away in sections after heavy rains so the nearby resort and restaurant were completely deserted. It didn't take us long to cool off and swim in some pretty strong breakers - impressive fro a Caribbean island. Lounging on the deck chairs under palm umbrellas was perfect - Pat even found a full bottle of beer in the sand - score!

We got a lift back with the friendly prison warden and his wife who dropped us off at the marina. It was great having a little time to speak with some locals and see their way of life as they took us through the back roads and the village. The rest of the day was spent lounging at the pool and chatting to the other (5) delivery guys, all of them from SA, except one American skipper. After a few drinks on the dock by the boat. we headed back to Village Cay for our last night on Tortola. It was relaxed with great company and our stay couldn't have ended better.

After a shower, breaky and some e-mails, the 2 delivery guys cast off our lines and after a 1hr fuel stop in Soaper's Hole on the other side of the island, we were on our final stretch to Ft Lauderdale! It took us four days in which time we polished, washed, organised and generally got "The Temptress" ready for the big handover. We worked our butts off all day, had unlimited use of gas, new ingredients, and could see land every day as we passed over the Bahama Channel w/ Cuba to the S. By the last day, I could barely recognise the boat after 2 months! We'd taken off all the protective coverings to reveal leather couches, wooden finishes and marble counters.

At midday we'd heave to (stop) and swim
for 1/2 an hour

On the last day we saw high-rises along the horizon - Miami merging into Fort Lauderdale. Almost there. Civilization. Commercial planes, helicopters, freighters, hundreds of small boats, yachts, and a super busy Harbour channel - we'd reached American waters.

17th Str Bridge behind us, entering the New River 

Lauderdale Marine Centre (LMC) The major yacht repair/rework and workshop Basin

Cruising through the main channel of the New River took us 1.5 hrs, passing massive mansions, each with their own super yacht docked in front like a car - the sheer splendour, extravagance and scale to which each was displayed was astounding. We'd arrived at our end destination, Ft Lauderdale, Florida, USA after 57 days of sailing and stopping over in four countries. An unrivaled experience under our belts; we sailed across the Atlantic and Caribbean Ocean, and it still makes me smile. The sheer scale of it doesn't seem so extreme - we took it as it came and handed over to the "Moorings" Team a brand spanking new and broken in yacht. Job done.

Renate 

From Pollywogs to Shellbacks

Crossing the Equator on a boat is a privilege that I am proud to have experienced. "Crossing the Line" is a ritual that has been carried out for centuries and used to be quite a brutal affair where many pollywogs (slime - uninitiated sailors) were killed in the process. However, between us four on the "Temptress", it was an exciting, memorable and relatively tame experience:

00. 00'.00 S - The Equator

Pat and I were all a-buzz the night before the Equator Crossing, not knowing exactly at what time or on whose watch we would reach the Equator. However, as my 2-4am watch came to an end it was clear that the Crossing would take place near the end of Pat's watch. I went to bed and was woken just after 5 by Pat's excited antics that the time was nigh. He made us some coffee while I dug out our special nutty chocolate, reserved for this moment, and got my camera ready. 

The countdown began: at exactly 5:29am we crossed over 00. 00'.00 S into the Northern Hemisphere. The sun was just rising and we were at the helm to experience the moment. Yet, beyond the chart plotter telling us the Crossing had just occurred, there was really no other significance to this particular spot/line in the ocean. Nevertheless, we were the ones to whom this moment was special; an imaginary line had been crossed that, to us, signified a huge milestone and achievement which is deemed an honour amongst sailors. We were no longer pollywogs, according to the centuries old tradition, but had now earned the title of shellbacks. 

We sipped our coffees and nibbled on some delectable chocolate, with giant grins on our faces knowing that a momentous occasion in our lives had just taken place. Patrick's watch came to an end and it was time to wash away our pollywog status by hanging off the end of the sugar scoops (end part of the catamaran hulls) and be dragged along in the waters of the Northern Hemisphere ~ so refreshing and fun! But, getting back on board while cruising at 7-8 knots can get a little tricky... 

Entering as a Pollywog; Emerging as a Shellback

Each of us paid tribute to King Neptune by pouring beer/wine into his thirsty ocean. Pat and I were a tad more generous and cast the King a whole beer each; after which a morning of beers, cocktails (with Pat's Brazilian rum and juice mix) and jolliness ensued! 

Paying tribute 

 Equator Day Celebrations ensued

 A little nap after lunch was well needed after the morning's excitement. Pat made us an amazing meal of Rare Steaks, Braatkartoffel & peas with caramelized  onions and bacon - scrumptious with the Skipper's wine to top it off :) 

The sun set on what was a truly memorable once-in-a-lifetime experience - our Equator Day. 

Fortaleza, Brazil

Day 28 - 30

Entering Fortaleza

We docked stern-to just before 7am on 21 September at the Marina Park Hotel, a massive, square structure with a private marina. With the "Temptress' secured, Pat and I set foot on Brazilian soil for the first time. We didn't think that we'd go to S America at all when we left SA - even St Helena. What a surprise! Along with docking at the hotel, we had free use of their facilities incl. the swimming pool area, showers, WiFi, and pool tables. The first thing I wanted to do was take an unlimited fresh water shower - which was so refreshing! There wasn't any warm water but it was so hot that early in the morning already that you'd only want cold water.

After freshening up, we got all our relevant documents together and headed out to the customs and immigration offices. What a mission that turned out to be!
We all got into a Taxi from the Hotel and got a guided tour from our captain (the driver couldn't speak english) who has been there a few times before. Fortaleza is a city of northeast Brazil northwest of Natal on the Atlantic Ocean. Founded in 1609, it is a thriving port and industrial center with a population of 2,370,000 ppl. Brazil's poverty became evident as a lot of the areas we drove through were dirty and badly maintained: rubbish on the sreets, dirty cars and houses, and large run-down buildings. Yet, all the people that we saw were well dressed, presentable and walked with pride. Over the next few days we'd see that continuously.

Arriving at the Immigrations office at the Harbour, we headed directly to the man in charge. The Captain did all the talking and took care of the paperwork. However, the relevant men in charge made us run up and down btw the customs and Immigration offices for about three hours! I think they had some bet going as to how often we'd walk back and forth for them...

Eventually we decided we had enough stamps and proceeded to avoid any official looking person by heading to Croco Beach. It's a resort-style beach overrun with tourists - local and int'l. There were hundreds of ppl lounging under palm tree umbrellas set up like a restaurant, with waiters and peddlers (selling all sorts of trinkets, food, drinks and clothes) combing every row, hoping for a sale.

Our main interest was getting some shade from the intense heat and a refreshingly cool Caiperoska/Caiperhina. The difference btw the two drinks is in the alcohol used - either the local rum/vodka. Both of them are good! Most of the ladies on the beach were showing off their bronzed bodies in skimpy g-string bikins. The men were'nt wearing much more - we'd arrived in Brazil! I felt a little odd being so pale and wearing so much - only my bikini. Nevertheless, we all sat back and enjoyed the ice-cold drinks and sights. Brazilians are really beautiful - no matter what shape their bodies take, every person walks around with glowing pride and self-assurance.

By now, a few hours had passed and the bellies were rumbling. Normally, onboard "The Temptress", we eat whenever we're hungry and food is always close at hand. However, we were on land and the captain and mate were craving pizza. So we headed back towards the Hotel along the main beach strip to find the restaurant that's been tried and tested as having excellent pizza. It was midday and super hot! No-one else was walking or even in the vicinity of the vast beach and paved Miami-style beach strip. We walked for a long time and no restaurant along the way was serving pizza - only from 7pm when the ppl start going to dinner. Eventually we got to the desired restaurant - no pizza, but great caiperhinas! After a quick drink we headed out once more. I didn't really want pizza as I wanted to try what Brazilian food is like and finally, convinced that there was no pizza to be found, the cptn and mate agreed to try a local place. 

Enjoying "Antart-ch-ica" (phonetic) Beers and the prospect of great food!

The restaurant was one of many situated in a large piazza, with a fountain, art museum and university/college in the area. There were only 2 patrons and their food smelt and looked so good that Pat and I ordered exactly what they had (also, we couldn't read the menu - only guess). It turned out to be a large platter of prawns and veg on a bed of rice, all covered in molten cheese! The cptn and mate had a Trinchada type dish with chips. All of it was tasty and filling, with the setting providing a great way to wind down the day.

I did however notice the heavy police and armed guard presence - perhaps the reason I was taking so few photos is because I didn't want to look too touristy. The police/guards were wearing almost full riot gear all the time; they were particularly present around banks, ATMs, shopping malls, McDonald's, Subways and other more affluent areas. A scary thought considering such heavy presence was needed to deter potential criminals.

 At the main fortress (no details) near the marina 

On a lighter note, we wandered back to the hotel, bellies full and stopped off at a petrol station to get some extra beers (expensive hotel). Back at the hotel's pool, we swam, chilled and connected with the world that the internet gives us easy access to: back home. Yet, I was tired from a long, active and successful day, perusing around a big Brazilian city, and eventually joined Pat for an early night. Also, being up the whole day and into the night was weird for us, as on the yacht, we'd go to sleep not long after the sun set so that we'd be alert for our night watches. It felt good to stay out til around 10pm!

I woke up around 6am the following morning feeling refreshed and ready to do.... not much besides laze around the pool and do some serious catching up with mails, photos, friends and family. Pat was up at 4am already (body clock goes nuts on land) checking mails etc. Needless to say, we spent almost the entire day skyping, mailing, and checking out FB! It was great! The Cptn went shopping in town for fresh supplies and we filled up with water that morning. We then set up camp around the pool with our laptops and were almost glued to them. The other guests at the hotel probably came all the way to this part of the world to get away from technology and being connected, whilst we're out of touch 24/7. A bizarre sight we must have been. 

View from the pool area



View of the pool area and Hotel

Just chilling Mon

As the heat of the day started to subside, Pat and I headed into town for a walk to see what Fortaleza was like at night. We headed back the way we'd come the night before and went to the Central Market; a four storey, round complex with hundreds of stalls, all selling the same thing! Loads of trinkets, jewellry, nuts, clothes and flea market items. I got a pair of small studs and 1kg of cashew nuts - sooo delicious! We continued on to the piazza from the day before and meandered around.

           

Evening lights over Fortaleza

The full moon was rising on the one side and the sun setting on the other - a gorgeous end to a relaxing day. the piazza was slowly filling up with ppl - many of them young students and teenagers. We found the cptn and mate enjoying another Antartchica (half price special) at one of the restaurants and joined them. A long discussion of history and poilitics followed. It was fascinating to hear the history of Macedonia first hand as our cptn is from that part of the world.

Making  a plan

The discussion continued as we proceeded towards the beach strip, which, during the day was devoid of any life, was now filled with hundreds of excercising locals. I have never seen so many ppl exercising together in one place, at night. Rollerblading, cycling, running, yoga, beach volleybal and soccer, various stretching and many more! It was impressive. Again, it shows the pride that Brazilians take in their appearance which makes them so confident and, well, Brazilian.

We were hoping to find loads of vendors selling various food stuffs on a stick but there was only popcorn, boiled milies and coconuts available. Still delicious! We wandered along towards the big open air flea market which stretched along a large portion of the strip. Our windowshopping satisfied we headed back towards a massive pier with restaurants - all empty! A Wednesday night, though great for excercise, apparently wasn't the "happening" night for a party. Still, we got some drinks at a restaurant down the road and while the cptn and mate ordered a meal, Pat and I decided to see if there was more partying to be done along the beach.

Taking a break after much walking

By the time we got there, just after 10pm, it was nearly empty. Oh well, we tried. A small beach side, open air restaurant lured us in with giant Antartchica Beers and a good menu. The meal we got was a mixed seafood platter, all grilled, with chips and a curry sauce. Njum! It was fun to see that after ten, the family oriented ppl with kids had gone and were replaced with older men and prostitutes. They were all mingling at the various restaurants, ours included. When it became evident that we were not customers it got a little awkward, and both customers and prostitues were starting to leave around 1am. Also,the police presence increased so we got a taxi back to the marina and observed almost every street corner we'd walked on that day, occupied by a lady of the night.

At 2am it felt good to be rocked to sleep on our yacht. The following day we all sent out our last mails, Pat went to the store to stock up on cookies, chocolate, som beers and a mini rum for the upcoming equator crossing. With the last money, I indulged in an ice cream with Pat and lounged by the pool til it was time to set sail once more.

We'd restocked as much as was needed on fresh fruit, veg and bread and were ready to get to our next destination: St Lucia. Having cast off our lines, we manoeuvred out of the bay and set our course. The weather reports predicted clear weather little wind, increasing as we get nearer to St Lucia. Let's see.

Second Leg - St Helena to Brazil

Day 14 - 28                                                                 

One of the many pelagic birds swooping down to investigate our yacht and snatch up any fishes disturbed by our wake. We saw at least one bird every single day of our trip.

We left St Helena feeling recouperated and ready for the next 2 weeks ahead, crossing the Atlantic Ocean. This was to be the longest stretch across open ocean where we would'nt see any land; an exciting prospect!

As soon as we headed out past the Northern tip of the island the wind picked up to about 20knots (1knot = 1 nautical mile = 1.852km) and remained btw 12-20knots for the following week. This meant that we could finally sail continuously without using the engines at all; sailing across open water in absolute silence except the water rushing past the hull. Being under sail makes every watch more exciting as you're constantly monitoring the weather patterns, wind, sails, and adjusting the vessel to make the most use of the wind in its current direction and strength, whilst staying on course.

The chart plotter that told us where in the world we were and all other info that guided us along.

Throughout those 2 weeks we had periodic squalls almost every day. They would only last about 5-15 mins and we'd track them coming towards us across the horizon. They brought even stronger winds (up to 35knots) and fairly heavy rain, so we'd have to adjust the sails accordingly by reefing or taking them down entirely and running the engines if the wind became too gusty.  The sails and rigging could have handled the stronger winds, yet we had to minimize any potential damage i.o.t. deliver the yacht in excellent condition.

A double rainbow after one of many squalls.

Every day faded into the next as we established a routine of keeping watch, cooking, cleaning, and in our spare time (which is most of the time) reading, writing in our diaries and sleeping when we felt tired. Our bodies adjusted to the watch schedule rather than the sun, and our watches changed every day. Therefore, your sleeping pattern gets interrupted and we learnt to sleep whenever we felt tired. There was always a person on watch 24/7 with our shifts rotating daily, so there were always a pair of eyes looking out for any other vessels, flotsam or jetsum. The yacht was also on autopilot 95% of the time (whether sailing or motoring) and we'd manually set the course taking into account a number of factors: current, wind (speed & direction), desired heading (land) etc.  

The food was delicious, varied and when we caught a tuna/fish it was even better!

Around 3-4pm we would all come together from our corners of the yacht, as the person who had the day off from watches, would start cooking. Our meals were amazing! I spent a lot of my time pondering about what to make for dinner as it made up a big portion of the day. Lunch would consist of provits, bread, cheese and cans of milies, beans, lettuce, tomatoes etc, all cold. With a well-stocked boat the options were broad and we tried to change it up. Some days I'd make pancakes - burrito style - with loads of condaments: spiced up mince, guacamole, cheese, salsa, beans etc etc. It was quite a spread and took some time but we all loved the change from meals cooked on the only two stove tops. Hence, every meal was prepared with cooking sequence and timing in mind. Also, every person had their own style of cooking and we got a different meal every night which kept our bellies full and our appetites growing.

So, as each day passed we got closer to the S American coastline. Our skipper initially planned to head directly to St Lucia, one of the E Caribbean islands. Yet, 2 days from the coastline he decided he needs more of a holiday, and seeing as there's no date where we're expected to arrive in Fort Lauderdale, we adjusted course and headed towards Fortaleza, Brazil. Fortaleza is a popular stop-over for delivery skippers as it  marks the end of the Atlantic crossing and provides a good 2 days to recouperate, relax, and get fresh fruit etc for the next leg.  

Patrick filming our first view of Fortaleza, Brazil.

I woke up early for my watch on 21 September, to relieve our Skipper at the helm at 5am. The wind was strong with the sail riefed to be tiny - we were still doing about 5knots. It was exciting to see land again just after the sunrise and I was amazed at how big the city skyline was. We were all on deck by now to keep an eye out for the small fishing skiffs and buoys, while constantly monitoring the depth, as we approached our second stop of the trip. As we drew nearer we could make out the various aspects of the city: slums, beaches, hundreds of sky scrapers and various vessels enetring and leaving the harbour.

We headed towards the Marina Park Hotel where we docked stern-to just before 7am.

Continued in the next post: Fortaleza, Brazil.

First Leg: Cape Town to St Helena

Finally I can upload this entry that has been saved on the laptop for ages! Many more entries have been written in the meantime and will be posted as and when we get the chance…



Day 1 - 11

I am sitting in the saloon of our yacht, which Pat and I have decided to call “The Temptress”, and reminiscing about the past 11 days that we have spent sailing from Cape Town to our first pit stop in St Helena. We’ll be arriving on the small island on our 12th day and are excited to take a tour of the famous island in the Atlantic Ocean.

The day of our departure (24th August) got really exciting once we were leaving the Elliot Basin to fill up with diesel and a last beer at the refuelling dock. We headed out to sea with Table Mountain fading slowly behind us; it was a magnificent sight and as we passed Robben Island I took my first of many watches at the helm.

After our skipper explained exactly which instruments to monitor and what to keep an eye out for, especially other vessels, it was only Pat and I on deck as the others went below to take a nap. Not long after, we started spotting dolphins and in pairs, they were cruising at the tips of our bow! We leaned over to play with them and they responded to Pat making clicking noises with his fingers. They kept coming and going throughout the rest of the day and later we briefly spotted one whale directly ahead of us that disappeared soon after. It was the best start we could have hoped for and we were keen to see what lay ahead of us.

As yet, I’d only felt a slight queasiness when sailing previously, and only if I was below deck for an extended period of time; nothing serious. Now that we were living on board a boat that was constantly in motion, and it got particularly bumpy with relatively high swells in the first two days, I was definitely getting seasick. I took a nap in the afternoon and Pat woke me for our first meal. I ate, knowing that it wasn’t going to end well. I tried sucking it up and stared out at the horizon as much as possible but my body was not happy with me and I had to run to the heads. Amazingly, as soon as I heaved, I felt 100% better. The next day however it returned quickly and by the third day my body got over it and since then it’s been perfect.

By the first night we’d sailed to Saldhana Bay and on to Cape Columbine, at which point we headed North West towards St Helena, leaving the last sight of land and lights behind us. It was full moon, so we could barely see more stars than we would in a bright city; however as the moon cycle continued the most incredible night skies have been illuminated to us (barring heavy cloud cover on most nights). These have made every night watch more rewarding, along with the phosphorescence in the water as it passes along the bow.

Another exciting fact is that we passed the 0 degree Meridian (Greenwich Mean Line) and crossed over into the Western half of the globe – my first time ever to pass into that part of the world! Also, as we steadily headed further North West, the water temperature noticably increased to all of our delight. Along with the warmer water came, a wide range of interesting and weird creatures: The weird creatures that have been sighted so far include flying fish that crash-land on our boat on a regular basis. “Flocks” of 10 – 60 of the fishes come jumping out of the water as they get near the boat or other bigger fish hunt them. They remain airborne for long distances, barely touching the water, and some head the wrong way – into our boat. Also, we find dried out squid the have been washed onto the foredeck, hundreds of unidentified red eyes at night (possibly more squid that come to the surface to feed?) and many different kinds of pelagic birds that swoop and swerve around our boat with the utmost efficiency – highly entertaining!

Entertainment onboard hasn’t been hard to find either. Between keeping watch, adjusting sails, checking for changes in the weather, reading, cooking, staring out at the vast ocean which is so captivating, fishing (2 tunas so far!), chatting, sleeping and, and, and, we haven’t been bored once. Also, every activity takes time and is done carefully which makes for a very relaxing and interesting experience. We have to live conservatively with water, so our showers consist of hauling buckets of sea water onboard and scrubbing down. The guys do this on deck – a windy place – and need to hold on so they don’t fall off the back. For me, being a girl and having long hair, “showering” is quite a long process. Pat hauls buckets of water for me and passes them down the hatch in our bathroom, where I fill buckets for my wash. It’s quite a balancing act as the yacht is permanently lifting up and down over the swells, even small ones! It feels so good though to wash with salt water as it cleanses the skin and leaves it smooth and fresh.

Every day so much happens that it would be too much detail to relate to you. Even the smallest nuances of living on a boat are new to us, such as walking without falling over as the boat moves, boiling water, having watches in shifts 24/7, and living in a confined space with 2 new people. We’re enjoying it immensely so far and have plenty more to learn before this trip comes to an end – 4 weeks, more or less... We’re taking notes as we go and look fwd to the next leg of our trip after a short break on St Helena. Ciao for now

Gone Sailing

The time has finally come for Patrick and myself to set sail. Tomorrow morning will be the big day when we start our 50 (more or less) day voyage to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.
All the legalities have been taken care of and as of 1pm this afternoon, according to Immigration, we are no longer in South Africa. WhoooooHooo! All that we need to do now is fill up with water and diesel and sail out of CT Harbour. Too excited!!!

(It'll be much simpler and make more sense to check out Google Earth to see the locations of our route) Once we leave CT our first port of call will be in St. Helena, 12 days into the trip. We'll have a 48 hour stop-over which give us enough time to take a tour of the famous exile island. We keep heading NW towards the Brazilian coastline where we keep a close eye on the weather systems to avoid any pesky hurricanes. If all is clear, we'll keep sailing along the coast til we get to the Caribbean where our first planned stop will be in St. Lucia. The skipper knows someone who can hook us up with diving gear for a little 3 day holiday. When duty calls once more we'll be heading towards St. Maarten and then directly to Fort Lauderdale via the Virgin Islands and Bahamas.

This is the plan so far and it is very difficult to say when we're going to cross the Equator and what the skipper and Mate have in store for us! Nevertheless, a huge learning curve awaits and I am excited, relieved and ready to get this trip underway. It's been a long time coming and it seems daunting to some, yet we have discovered a new way of life that we'll make work for us.

So, ciao for now. Please keep us posted too!

Preparations!

Once we were "hired" by our skipper we needed to get the yacht into tip-top shape for us to set sail. However, we hadn't even seen the boat yet and were getting quite anxious to get a feeling of which kind of vessel we'd be sailing across the Atlantic Ocean on.

The boat still had to be handed over to our skipper and was undergoing a few minor repairs, such as fixing the sliding door and a window. Therefore, we weren't allowed to get police clearance to that area of the marina in the RCYC. Nevertheless, Patrick and I were curious and decided to get in a sneak peek and this was our first viewing:

Two days later, the yacht was moved to the Elliot Basin where TUI Marine’s offices are based. We stepped onboard and were giggly with excitement; what a beautiful, luxurious vessel! There are three cabins with en-suite heads (bathrooms), an open plan saloon (lounge) with galley (kitchen) and navigation area. Above deck are more couches, benches and the cockpit (helm/steering). Patrick's parents (who came to visit) and Gisela also came onboard to check it out...

However, because we’re delivering a yacht that will be sold to a private owner, everything needs to be kept spotless and as if it’s unused. So we set about covering all the surfaces with clear sticky-wrap paper and masking tape to prevent any scratches or damage. Also, we can’t use the showers as we have to be very sparing with our fresh water supply. Hence, washing with saltwater on the deck will take some getting used to.

There is so much storage space onboard that our massive supply of food will not cramp our living spaces. Our skipper is a big fan of food so we won’t be starving or suffer from a lack of variety. We’ll have enough meat to last us 40 days, fresh fruit, veg, bread etc will be acquired along the way as we stop off at various islands and we have plenty tinned and long life provisions. Patrick and our first mate will take care of all the fishing duties and we’re all looking forward to our first tuna for some fresh sushi! Njummmmy!

After we made the yacht people-proof all that was left to do was wait for our equipment and set sail. We’re still waiting. We were meant to set sail 10 days ago. Now it seems that we’re leaving on Monday morning. The hold-up lies with the satellite phone. There are only a certain number of them in circulation between the various delivery skippers. As each skipper returns from a delivery, they bring the phone back for the next skipper. Our satellite phone is delayed with the skipper who’s only arriving next week Tuesday. Because we can’t keep waiting for another week our skipper has decided to depart on Monday and pick up the sat phone en-route (More about the route in another post).This means that we’ll have more stop-overs in more ports i.o.t. report back on our journey; i.e. fresh food throughout the entire trip plus more fresh water!

In the meantime, we've moved all our possessions onboard and made the cabin our own. The first night on the yacht was beautiful; it made everything more real... Now we just want to set sail and get going on our first delivery. Til then!