Feb 16 - Enroute

Pos: S19deg52.6min / E004deg34.4min. Winds have been from the S-SSE-SE. We've been making good time, in the 140-155 nm/day range, but winds are forecast to ease a bit, so we'll see how it goes. We'll be celebrating reaching our half-way point later today. All's well aboard.

Feb 14 - Enroute to St. Helena

Pos: S21deg10.9min / E009deg19.5min at 1345 hours. Course: 290T; speed: 6.5 knots; sails: double reefed main; 85% Yankee poled to starboard; seas: 6'. Day 1 mileage: 143 nm; Day 2: 152 nm. We're making good progress in the S-SE tradewinds. We could go a bit faster, but are sailing conservatively and usually have a reef or two in when the winds creep up over 20 knots. It's feeling a bit warmer now, away from the South African and Namibian coast. We're also seeing flying fish (and one wayward squid!) on deck again; it's been a long time. All's well aboard. And...Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Feb 11 - Departure plans

We're planning departure tomorrow for St. Helena, approximately 2253 km. (1400 miles). Final provisioning has been done, and we've cleared out with Immigration and Customs. Sue's posted a few new photo albums - enjoy!(1400 miles)

Feb 5 - Road trip

We rented a VW Polo from Hertz. It handles well and gets great gas mileage, but we were forced to turn around and abandon our plan to visit Twfelfontein because the suspension and tires on the gravel roads leading out of Swakopmond weren't up to the task. Little did we know…. a large 4 X 4 with good springs would have been a much better choice. As it was, we stayed the night at the Namib Guesthouse in Swakopmund (highly recommended; a beautiful place, reasonable prices, great food, friendly people and very convenient location; phone +264 64 407151; www.namibguesthouse.com) and left early the next morning to see the sand dunes of Sossusvlei and Sesriem. The drive to get there was amazing. First, you drive through Dorob National Park, then the Namib Naukluft Park. Gaub Pass and the surrounding terrain is worth seeing; our cameras were in constant use. We also spotted wild horses, zebras, ostrich, oryx and springbok. Along the way is a small rest stop called Solitaire; don't miss the apple cake at the café; really good stuff; fuel, an ATM, a restaurant and campground are also nearby. Continuing our drive, we ended up booking a self-catering "tent" at the Desert Camp (www.desertcamp.com; phone +27 21 930 4564). This is a nice stop, and less expensive than the resort lodges nearby (we calculated about ½ the price!). The entrance to Sossusvlei opens at 0620, and we were dutifully parked in the short line. It takes about an hour to drive a paved blacktop road to where the road ends. There, one pays N$100 (about $9USD, return included) for a 4 X 4 vehicle to transport you the remaining few kilometers to the end of the line (near Deadvlei); this is where the red sand dunes stretch out in front of you and you're transported into a true African experience. You can walk as long as you'd like, but we found that after a few hours of climbing and walking along the spines of a few dunes that we were ready to stop; it was about 1030 AM and the sun was starting to warm everything up. The shapes and colors of the dunes are difficult to describe; you really have to see them; magnificent. The sky was a clear blue without a cloud in the sky (today), and there was no sound except our own thoughts and our heartbeats. This is a unique and fabulous excursion, highly recommended. After, we ate lunch at the park restaurant and drove back to Walvis Bay.
Pic: One of the many wind sculpted dunes on our way to Sossuvlei.

Feb 1 - Daily happenings

Walvis Bay is the largest port in Namibia. We counted over 50 ship AIS targets, and there were plenty more craft around. The yacht anchorage is in front of the Oceans Restaurant, and is obvious by the many masts on moorings there. Depth is about 3 meters, and moorings are available for rent from the Yacht Club, a blue and white building furthest to the right out on the point when facing the shore. We met Pascal and Martine from the catamaran Steel Band, just as they were returning from a last provisioning before heading out to St Helena. Pascal related that any boat service or repair required is available here; nice to know. We walked into town, about 2-3 km each way, to the Spar supermarket. There’s also an OK Grocery and a bunch of chain food outlets. Because it was Sunday, all the shops were closed except for the groceries, open until 1 pm. We’ve been using the hot showers at the YC; their internet is sketchy. Much faster internet is the wifi at the Oceans Restaurant; blazing would be an apt description. What a nice change from the frustrating, slow internet thruout our stay in SA. Matt was able to go kite surfing as well; the flat waters conducive to fast speeds and acrobatics. The many pelicans and flamingoes make a nice backdrop to the lagoon, and there’s a nice walk along the waterfront esplanade for viewing. Should also mention that we’re moored right near a bunch of catamarans which take tourists out for harbor and seal tours every morning.
Pic: Matt kiting among the local pelican flocks.

Jan 31 - Walvis Bay

Pos: S22deg57.080min / E 014deg28.698min Where was the wind on the way here? It's blowing over 25 knots just in time to anchor...what else is new. We had a mixed bag of no wind, motor sailing, a nice sail in 10-12 knots, but no steady, predictable, "set your sails and forget it" wind. Otherwise, arrived a bit over 48 hours from Luderitz; a decent enough time. We launched the dinghy after dealing with an engine alarm going off that indicated no salt water was going thru the system. Hmmm...there was salt water going thru the pee hole....Inspection revealed the remains of a jellyfish in the SW intake acting like a blocking plug; yep, gotta watch those critters around these parts. Talking about critters, there are thousands of fur seals cavorting around here. We never tire of watching their antics. Just after anchoring, a dinghy came alongside and a guy offered his mooring to us to use during our stay here. How nice is that? It was blowing like stink, this guy and his wife were drenched, and here he was making the effort to come out to welcome us to Walvis Bay and offer his mooring, which was much closer to shore than where we had anchored. Unfortunately, he told us they were from Windhoek, so we won't have the chance to buy them a libation and get to meet them properly. Pay it forward. All's well aboard; more when we get internet.
Pic: The pelicans are the biggest we've ever seen. White with pink tones. This one on the roof of a moored 'boat house' next to us.

Jan 27 - Touring the Luderitz area

Pascal and Nicolas (sv Eadinguet) had rented a car for a few days and invited us along to tour the surrounding area. First stop was the “Ghost Town” of Kolmanskop. This town dates from the early 20th century when German interests in diamond mining began. Many of the original buildings survive, but the sands have filled in most structures, and the inexorable path to complete destruction is well on its way as total restoration is probably not feasible due to expense. The guided tour is well worthwhile and is included in the permit to visit; total cost is about $7.00USD/pp; this stop is highly recommended. Btw, the coffee and food at the snack bar were also very good; try the apple cake! After, we drove the peninsula down to Grosse Bucht, stopping at most all of the bays going north to Diaz Point. Of note is that when we were under passage last week, the fog prevented us from seeing any of the shore line until we reached Diaz Point and were approaching the entrance to Robert Harbour in Luderitz, so it was great to walk around the dunes and rock formations and see the coastline. We’ve never seen so much quartz anywhere! It was mid-afternoon when we returned to town, and we went to the Shearwater Oyster Bar for fresh oysters and cold beer. The oysters come fancied up or plain and are fresh from the processing plant one floor below. If you enjoy oysters, this place is outstanding, and also has the fastest (free) wifi we’ve encountered in a long time, including SA!
Pic: The sand is reclaiming the old diamond town of Kolmanskop. A few buidings are kept intact.

Jan 25 - Happenings

Pos: S26deg38.360min / E015deg09.442min. We re-anchored to have more swinging room for a blow coming thru tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, I've been up the mast for routine check and maintenance, and a few other minor projects have also been completed. This morning, we were hoping to tour the Ghost Town of Kolmanskop nearby, but as it's Sunday, there was only one tour time, and we had missed it. Instead, we walked around Luderitz town a bit and noted the lovely German architecture of the early 20th century. Unfortunately, everything was closed so we missed out on the museum, a beautiful church, and local shops. The Yacht Club has week-end hours, but we've enjoyed the diversion of coming in to do internet, take hot showers, and enjoy the cold beer. We're planning departure later this week for Walvis Bay.
Pic: The Lutheran Felsenkirche (Rock Church), Diamond Hill