Jan 8 - Saldanha Bay

Pos: S33deg01.03min E017deg57.14min
The wind started blowing the night before our planned departure. So much for advance planning. Fortunately, by morning it had layed down, although the seas still looked rough in the bay outside Simon's Town. You have to go about 12 miles from the marina or anchorage, usually directly to windward, to reach Cape Point, which then enables one to turn and round the Cape Of Good Hope, a milestone for all sailors. By 0930, the wind was down to about 15 knots, but it was obvious the seas had calmed down quite a bit. The decision was made, and we were so fortunate to have many of our friends cast off our dock lines; getting into, and out of, the Yacht Club moorings can be a challenge. Unfortunately, shortly after that we discovered we weren't getting enough power to push us thru the head winds and small chop. Our speed was a depressing 1-2 knots; something was seriously wrong. Propeller clean - check; all fluids changed and topped off - check; engine revs OK and putting out amps - check....it took us most of the afternoon going an average speed of 1.5 knots to finally get around Cape Point - how depressing is that? I had decided not to turn around and return to Simon's Town; our destination promised provisions, parts and mechanics; we decided to go for it and evaluate our problems there. The weather was actually quite right; 15-20 knots of wind on the aft quarter; the evening was really beautiful, but cold. The Benguela Current is found in these parts, and we donned warm clothes and foul weather gear to stay warm. By about 0300 in the morning, the wind died, and yes, we motored. There were a few ships around, but no problems, and getting to Saldanha Bay was straight forward. We anchored in 22' sand/mud, and took the dinghy into the Saldanha Bay Yacht Club, where we were warmly greeted by Ivy,the Club Manager. Foreign visitors get 10 days free access to the facilities here, and provisioning is a short walk away. We briefly were introduced to the mechanic we'll be dealing with, so now we're getting organized. More info as it becomes available.
Pic: Cape of Good Hope to starboard!

Jan 4 - Kirsty and Kirstenbosch

This morning we returned our rental car to Avis and our extended family friend Kirsty picked us up to do a bit of sight seeing. We hadn't seen her since visiting Gaye in Durban, and it was good to catch up. We drove to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens; a beautiful display of the rich diversity of the indigenous flora of South Africa. Established in 1913, there are lots of trails and places to picnic, and this is also where the summer music concert series takes place. After, we had a nice lunch at the Cape to Cuba Restaurant in Kalk Bay before returning to Infini and enjoying a cup of rooibos tea together. Thanks, Kirsty, for a great day!

Jan 2 - Chasing around

We went without our morning 5K cardiovascular walk and left early for an entire day chasing around, from Cape Town to Blouberg Beach. We stopped at four kite-boarding stores before Matt finally found the equipment he was looking for. At the Cavendish Mall in Clermont, we made a bunch of stops including the Travelex Currency Exchange store to purchase some British pounds. That currency is used in St. Helena, where we'll be visiting in the near future. We met up with the crews from Mantra, Gromit, Rhythm and Mystic for happy hour and dinner here at the YC. On a somewhat sad note, our rental car returns to Avis Sunday morning, so we're planning on another day of running around tomorrow, Saturday, as our last hurrah. Fun and games. By the way, there are myriads of hikes around here, Cape Town and surrounding areas; there are probably books written about them as well, but we've never looked into that. Gordon and Helen of the sv Mantra showed us the following excursion. My description may be a bit off, but once you find the path, it becomes obvious. Leaving the YC, we turn to the left, and walk to where we take another left turn which winds around to the Boulder Beach Penguin Park area. The street eventually leads to a board walk; the penguins are about a foot away on the other side of a fence, up close and personal. Continuing thru two gates, we go over a few short stretches of sandy path, past a public toilet, and wind our way to the last house facing the beach. The path goes right alongside the wall of that house and leads to one of the holes of the Simon's Town Golf Course. We climb over the fence, and walk next to it a few hundred yards around the green to find the 2 meter path to the sidewalk. From there, it's back to downtown, then to the pier, and finish our walk thru the YC parking lot to the YC. The walk takes us one hour, we estimate distance to be 5K, and there's just enough gradients to get the pulse up and down for a good work-out. Try it! A more severe work-out is the climb up the many steps to the Just Nuisance Memorial. (You'll have to read about who that was!) This hike had us wishing we had a Stairmaster aboard....

Jan 1, 2015 - Happy New Year!

Ours was a relatively quiet one spent with friends here at the False Bay Yacht Club, Simon's Town. There were lots of kids running around, a DJ pumping out loud music at the upstairs bar, braais happening downstairs, and to top things off at midnight, three prolonged horn blasts from one of the moored Navy ships here in the harbor. Orion and the Southern Cross constellations are overhead, and the wind, finally, has moderated. Our wishes to everyone for a safe, healthy and happy 2015. Cheers!

Dec 30 - Happenings

We've used the last few days to provision, as we anticipate departure to Cape Town in about a week's time, weather permitting. The nearby Longbeach Mall (towards Sunnydale) has a Pick N Pay, Woolworths and Fruit & Veggie store, and we've found them all well stocked. Of note for cruisers without a car, Pick N Pay will also deliver. We've also visited with other newly arrived cruisers, enjoyed a braai at a friend's house, celebrated the 70th birthday of a Swedish solo sailor friend, (Swerke) and Matt completed the seventh coat of Captain's 1015 varnish on the handrails. The biennial Governor's Cup Race departed on the 27th. It goes from here to St. Helena, and this year saw 17 participants beating across the starting line in 25-35 knots on the nose....Sue's posted another photo album - enjoy!
Pic: Zoe (sv Gromit) baked a delicious choclate cake we all enjoyed. We brought the ice cream!

Dec 25 - Merry Christmas!

The weather has been beautiful for the past two weeks, until today. Wind and rain...Cape Town's way of reminding everyone of snow and cold. A bunch of cruisers planned a braai (BBQ for those who aren't familiar with the term), and we dodged the rain drops while grilling, ate at picnic tables under a covered area, and enjoyed a convivial gathering of folks from South Africa, Canada, Great Britain, Switzerland, Sweden, and the USA. A few land travelers from Alaska and California topped off the group, and we celebrated Christmas in grand style, with good food and company, music, and fireworks as well. A very Merry Christmas to all!
Pic: The first arrivals: Matt, Sue, Verena (sv Sangoma), Swerke (sv Nanoq), and Toby (sv Sangoma).

Dec 23 - Table Mountain

Actually, this adventure began yesterday when we drove to Table Mountain, thinking we would take the cable car up to the top and hike around a bit. Wrong. There had to be two million people waiting in line at 1400, and the wait was estimated to be about 3 hours. Color us gone. We were advised to purchase tickets online, show up early, and the lines would be manageable. So, this morning, we departed at 0700, arrived at Table Mountain at 0750, and, indeed, found the waiting much more to our liking. One can hike up and or down Table Mountain. Right. We took the cable car both ways and hiked for hours, but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. The ride up didn't take long, the bottom of the circular car rotates, and everyone gets a chance to take pictures and marvel at the scenery. Fortunately, the weather cooperated, and we found ourselves following one of many paths atop the mountain. Two hours later, we found ourselves following just one path atop the mountain; we had missed our turnoff and ended up hiking, one might say, just a wee bit more than we had planned. No water, no snacks...nothing except rocks and fantastic scenery. Our hike took us past MacLear's Beacon, at a height of 1085 meters. We returned down the mountain at about 1200, all of us agreeing that it was a wonderful experience and well worth the admission price. For lunch, we continued down the hill to Rafiki's, a local spot for food and libation, and had good food at good prices. We stopped off at the Longbeach Mall to pick up a few items, and returned to Infini a bit tired but ready for more adventures. A bit of history here. Table Mountain is alleged to be at least six times older than the Himalayas. From an informational brochure handed out on the mountain, to date more than 23 million people have taken the cable car ride. Each car can carry 65 people, and has a load carrying capacity of 5200 kg. About 800 people an hour ride the cars! The rotating cars (as mentioned above) are also in use in Switzerland and Palm Springs, USA. The aforementioned obviously facts for your next trivia games....
Pic: The clouds form and dissipate quickly. Matt & Sue with, from left to right, Lion's Head, Signal Hill, Cape Town and the Harbor behind them.

Dec 18 - OCC (Ocean Cruising Club) gathering

The crews of 8 visiting yachts (Gryphon II, Hokule’a, Infini, Kind of Blue, Kite, Mantra, Solace and Tahina), as well as visiting OCC Officials and Port Officers had a lovely day of wine tasting and camaraderie outside Cape Town, South Africa. First stop was the Glen Constantia vineyard, where 23 of us gathered to meet, have a cuppa, and learn a bit about the available vintages from this winery. After, lunch was down the road at the Jonkershuis Restaurant on the Groot Constantia estate. This is South Africa’s oldest wine producing vineyard, over 300 years old, and the lunch and accompanying wines were exceptional. The museums on the property explained the origins of the vineyard, as well as informing us that the Kings of Prussia and France, as well as Napoleon Bonaparte ordered their wines from here! After lunch, there was another tasting at the Groot Constantia, then it was back to the YC. Thank you Robert, Jenny and John for making this wonderful day happen!