Category: 2013 April Blog

Knysna to Simon\’s Town, Around Cape Aghulhas – End Book Two…..

16 February – 17 February, 2013 As the \”Heads\” had such a bad nautical reputation and our next weather window would be blustery, we again planned our exit cautiously. This time, prepared from Cousin Gill that the \”heads\” had a web cam, we sent out a blog to several of our close followers to watch at 7:30 a.m as we\’d be leaving the heads for Simon\’s Town. Indeed, I was able to send out a quick email just before we departed and several people (including Gill and David), sent us screen shots from there computers and telephones of \”Beach House\” departing the heads. That was cool!

The exit was no worry as we again left at high slack water. The swell was up to 3 meters (9-10 feet). The winds were not up yet, but we expected a very breezy passage with winds up to 30+ knot gusts from astern. After a few hours of motoring, the Southeasterly began to increase. We had a nice look at Wilderness and Mossel Bay in the distance and by dark, the winds were a blowin\’….! The \”breeze\” was a constant 25 knots with many gusts into the low/mid 30\’s. The swell was a constant 3 meters and the odd 4 meter (12-13 door) swell would go by. The big deal here was all the ship traffic.

Once we were in the vicinity of Cape Agulhas, we had constant \”heavy metal\” (big ship) traffic. I was a bit surprised when I hailed one \”thousand footer\” and the deck officer came back with a lovely feminine voice! Not unheard of, but unusual. I asked if she saw us as she was overtaking us from astern very quickly and coming right at us. She said she did and would alter course to starboard (her right), to leave us on her port (left side). This indeed she did, but if it had been daytime, I could have asked her if she had any \”Grey Poupon\” she was so close. Complicating matters was the other \”thousand footer\” on our port side who was fortunately a bit further away. It did indeed feel like a freeway out there and on Alexandra\’s watch, she felt one ship was too close and woke me to decide what to do. Thank You Alexandra!

No drama\’s or trauma\’s were had, but the big sea and wind kept a blowin\’. We made excellent time and passed Cape Agulhas, (The Southern most tip of the African Continent) at around 0500 on 17 February. I said a prayer for Cindy as we rounded. She and I always sang \”Lighthouse\” by James Taylor (which I of course played on the IPOD). If you\’ve never heard the song, give it a listen. It said a lot about who we were and what we were doing; dreaming safe at home in Marina del Rey…..

Now another of the Earth\’s three great oceans behind us. The Pacific, The Indian and now the Atlantic before us……

Once around the Cape, we were able to head more northwesterly toward Simon\’s Town. Simon\’s Town is a small old British Navy town only 30 minutes by car but an entire day\’s sail away from Cape Town. We gybed at first light and on starboard tack, headed fast for the barn. We knew it would take most of the day to get there, but at least the big ships were starting to head around Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope (more famous than Agulhas). We sailed till we entered False Bay and a bit past the very wide entrance where we began to see lots of Sea Lions. The water temperature had dropped over 7 degrees F (4 degees C) since our rounding of Agulhas. Agulhas is where the Agulhas Current (warm) meets the Benguela Current (cold) which runs north along the West African Coast. All the marine life would now change. False Bay is home to the \”Flying White Sharks\”. This is a most unusual place as the Great White Sharks accelerate from below lazy/sleeping Sea Lions and literally fly out of the water attacking their prey. We did not witness this, but it is well documented if you google \”Flying White Sharks of False Bay\”. Lots of still photos and YOU TUBE Videos about it.

As we arrived, the winds were blowing 35 knots. Fortunately, as we came around the corner into the marina, it dropped to 13 knots! What a difference. We were met by quite a docking committee of cruisers who were expecting us thanks to an email sent by Dave and Kathie of \”Sunflower\” (whose boat was also there, but they were touring the countryside). We quickly found out that False Bay Yacht Club was another \”surg-o-rama\” marina. In fact, it would be the worst ever; destroying at least two dock lines.

False Bay is where we\’ll do some touring and have our planned crew change. Alexandra will be flying back to the UK for work and other sailing adventures. Nikki will be re-arriving in South Africa soon where she was attending sad family business…. This was in effect, the end of \”Book Two\” of the planned trilogy of Scott and Cindy. Book One was the Pacific Ocean. Book Two the Indian Ocean. Book Three begins soon, the Atlantic before us. Lastly, the Epilogue and journeys end…….

Hugs,

KIT Scott and Alexandra (Next – touring Simon\’s Town and Cape Town)……

Knysna to Simon\’s Town, Around Cape Aghulhas – End Book Two…..

16 February – 17 February, 2013 As the \”Heads\” had such a bad nautical reputation and our next weather window would be blustery, we again planned our exit cautiously. This time, prepared from Cousin Gill that the \”heads\” had a web cam, we sent out a blog to several of our close followers to watch at 7:30 a.m as we\’d be leaving the heads for Simon\’s Town. Indeed, I was able to send out a quick email just before we departed and several people (including Gill and David), sent us screen shots from there computers and telephones of \”Beach House\” departing the heads. That was cool!

The exit was no worry as we again left at high slack water. The swell was up to 3 meters (9-10 feet). The winds were not up yet, but we expected a very breezy passage with winds up to 30+ knot gusts from astern. After a few hours of motoring, the Southeasterly began to increase. We had a nice look at Wilderness and Mossel Bay in the distance and by dark, the winds were a blowin\’….! The \”breeze\” was a constant 25 knots with many gusts into the low/mid 30\’s. The swell was a constant 3 meters and the odd 4 meter (12-13 door) swell would go by. The big deal here was all the ship traffic.

Once we were in the vicinity of Cape Agulhas, we had constant \”heavy metal\” (big ship) traffic. I was a bit surprised when I hailed one \”thousand footer\” and the deck officer came back with a lovely feminine voice! Not unheard of, but unusual. I asked if she saw us as she was overtaking us from astern very quickly and coming right at us. She said she did and would alter course to starboard (her right), to leave us on her port (left side). This indeed she did, but if it had been daytime, I could have asked her if she had any \”Grey Poupon\” she was so close. Complicating matters was the other \”thousand footer\” on our port side who was fortunately a bit further away. It did indeed feel like a freeway out there and on Alexandra\’s watch, she felt one ship was too close and woke me to decide what to do. Thank You Alexandra!

No drama\’s or trauma\’s were had, but the big sea and wind kept a blowin\’. We made excellent time and passed Cape Agulhas, (The Southern most tip of the African Continent) at around 0500 on 17 February. I said a prayer for Cindy as we rounded. She and I always sang \”Lighthouse\” by James Taylor (which I of course played on the IPOD). If you\’ve never heard the song, give it a listen. It said a lot about who we were and what we were doing; dreaming safe at home in Marina del Rey…..

Now another of the Earth\’s three great oceans behind us. The Pacific, The Indian and now the Atlantic before us……

Once around the Cape, we were able to head more northwesterly toward Simon\’s Town. Simon\’s Town is a small old British Navy town only 30 minutes by car but an entire day\’s sail away from Cape Town. We gybed at first light and on starboard tack, headed fast for the barn. We knew it would take most of the day to get there, but at least the big ships were starting to head around Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope (more famous than Agulhas). We sailed till we entered False Bay and a bit past the very wide entrance where we began to see lots of Sea Lions. The water temperature had dropped over 7 degrees F (4 degees C) since our rounding of Agulhas. Agulhas is where the Agulhas Current (warm) meets the Benguela Current (cold) which runs north along the West African Coast. All the marine life would now change. False Bay is home to the \”Flying White Sharks\”. This is a most unusual place as the Great White Sharks accelerate from below lazy/sleeping Sea Lions and literally fly out of the water attacking their prey. We did not witness this, but it is well documented if you google \”Flying White Sharks of False Bay\”. Lots of still photos and YOU TUBE Videos about it.

As we arrived, the winds were blowing 35 knots. Fortunately, as we came around the corner into the marina, it dropped to 13 knots! What a difference. We were met by quite a docking committee of cruisers who were expecting us thanks to an email sent by Dave and Kathie of \”Sunflower\” (whose boat was also there, but they were touring the countryside). We quickly found out that False Bay Yacht Club was another \”surg-o-rama\” marina. In fact, it would be the worst ever; destroying at least two dock lines.

False Bay is where we\’ll do some touring and have our planned crew change. Alexandra will be flying back to the UK for work and other sailing adventures. Nikki will be re-arriving in South Africa soon where she was attending sad family business…. This was in effect, the end of \”Book Two\” of the planned trilogy of Scott and Cindy. Book One was the Pacific Ocean. Book Two the Indian Ocean. Book Three begins soon, the Atlantic before us. Lastly, the Epilogue and journeys end…….

Hugs,

KIT Scott and Alexandra (Next – touring Simon\’s Town and Cape Town)……

Knysna…..

12 February – 15 February, 2013

We left Port Elizabeth with lovely Southeasterly conditions and after clearing the point, we were soon able to set sail. The trip would be all day, all night with a 7 a.m. arrival to enter the infamous Knysna Heads right before high tide. These \”heads\”, which are two promontories with a very narrow pass are some of the trickiest of the South African ports to enter. Several vessels have been lost here including very experienced locals. I think the biggest problem is in Winter storms and it is Summer here now, but still we must enter cautiously, the heads are not to be trifled with. The predictions were for 2 meter (6 foot swells) and little wind. So as we would be entering at high slack water I wasn\’t too concerned. There is an underwater rock in the entry. It is now well charted and with our daggerboards in shoal draft position, we couldn\’t hit it if I aimed at it. The entry at first light was indeed dramatic, but only as to the scenery. No worries mate! We went along the winding channel getting a luscious view of all the very expensatanium real estate. There is Thiesen and Leisure Islands, high bluffs, great views and a most beautiful setting.

As it turns out, my cousins David and Gill Block used to have a house here! Gill is from South Africa. I had emailed her and asked about recommendations for things to do here. One of the things she said we should do was, \”take a boat out the heads. They\’re beautiful but very dangerous\”. I reminded her I would be sailing THROUGH the heads in less than 18 hours!….:-)  Gill also noted that there was a webcam at the heads (in a follow up email) and that I should let her know when we would be leaving so she and David could see if they could see us. More on this in the next blog.

After we checked in with the Knysna Yacht Club, we were told we\’d have to anchor out as the marina was full and their guest dock was \”just that\”. It\’s very shallow in the lagoon and we were in mostly 2 meters of water (6 feet). The current is very strong as the water flows through the narrow \”heads\”; the width of which is about 200 feet at most. The boat swung with the tide and if against the wind, it could be a bit uncomfy. Overall, it was okay. > After we got settled, we walked around town which was very touristy, but lovely. There was a nice art gallery there and Alexandra particularly enjoyed it.

The next day, we hired a car and drove to Plettenburg Bay and Buffles (Buffaloe) Bay. Plettenburg was not overly interesting, but Buffles Bay was quite nice. We \”did lunch\”. The following day, we drove to Mossel Bay and stopped at a small beach town called Wilderness which was a highlight. We found a really nice restaurant here called \”Salinas\” and walked along the beach looking at the very very expensive large beach houses on the cliffs. Most of them were almost \”B&B\’s\” or for rental. These were by and large huge homes, perhaps 4-6,000 square feet (350-425 square meters). The owner of the restaurant was of Italian descent and born in Kenya. Welcome to diverse South Africa! The food was great, the area a bit of magic. Alexandra kept raving about \”Wilderness\”.

We had a nice dinner at \”Sirocco\” on Thiessen Island.  This is where we first had a bottle of wine from the \”Hillock Vinyard\”. (More on this when I blog about Nikki and my trip around the Western Cape).

The next day, we\’d be off for Alex\’s final leg, from Knysna to Simon\’s Town going around one of the world\’s \”great capes\”; Cape Agulhas. Cape Agulhas is the southern tip of the African continent and where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.

Standby, more to come. KIT,

Scott with Alexandra

Port Elizabeth to Knysna…..

09 February – 12 February, 2013

We pulled into Algoa Bay Yacht Club in Port Elizabeth late in afternoon and luckily were able to get a slip assignment before the dock master left for the day. First of all, the docks here were extremely surgey. Worse, they were lined with rusty metal facing the boat edgewise. If you touched the sides, a big gash would be guaranteed. Surgey docks are never fun as you feel like you\’re doing a smash dance. Having a dull razor blade aimed at us, all the more distressing.

The more interesting story was when we woke up the next morning. A very smallish German woman came up to us and told us we were in a private slip. That we should pay her as the representative of the owner who would otherwise never receive any money from the yacht club. She explained there was local politics going on and this would be the best way to handle it…..NOT (thought I).

The next day, Alexandra and I returned from getting supplies and had several jerry cans of fuel with us. As soon as I came aboard, she confronted us asking if we now intended to leave and not pay the slip fee! I told her that we would be staying several days and that I would work out the slip arrangements with the Yacht Club on Monday (it was Sunday), and I wished to stay out of it. We\’d been assigned the slip by their dock master, etc. She proceeded to get very \”huffy\”. I asked for the owner of the slips phone number to explain that I understood all politics are local, but leave me out of it. She did indeed give me his phone number and I called. \”Mr. Davis\” as it turned out, was very nice on the phone. He did not know his friend would be trying to intervene on his behalf. I asked him to please call the Yacht Club on Monday and get their arrangements straightened out. He said he would call. His friend came by again. I\’m a bit large, she was a bit small. I shooed her away with glares and stares. She complied…..:-)

The next day, I informed the Yacht Club of the situation. They were needless to say a bit perturbed at the \”local\” trying to get involved. We paid the Yacht Club the fee. Now get this…. We\’re talking 10.00 USD/day. You\’d of thought from the way we were approached by Ms. Local, we were trying to abscond with the proceeds from the local church.

Welcome to boating around the world…….:-)

The next day, Alex and I hired a car and drove to Cape St. Francis and Jeffery\’s Bay. These were the legendary surf spots from the 1960\’s cult surfing film, \”The Endless Summer\”. Cape St. Francis was touted to have, \”The Perfect Wave.\” It was a lovely drive and a pretty cool place to watch the warm Indian Ocean peel off some nice waves. Jeffery\’s Bay was featured in the follow up film of about 10 years ago, \”Step Into Liquid\”. Both films are cool viewing if you\’re of a mind.

The following day, we drove on recommendation to Ado Elephant Park about an hour north of Port Elizabeth. It\’s a very mini Kruger Park; part of the South African National Park system. At first, it was just a nice drive. Then, we got to see four or five elephants and finally a large male lion just sleeping on the side of the road. The thing about lions is, you don\’t realize how big they are till you\’re right next to them. I was (IN THE CAR), about 10-15 feet away. He was completely disinterested, but wow, was he big.

All good things must come to an end and as the weather window for our next coastal hop was arriving, we did some shopping and got some more fuel preparing to head off to Knysna, our next stop and pro-ported to be one of the more spectacular locations along the South African coast. Standby!

Scott with Alexandra