Blog

Back to Cape Town & Repairs…..(Winter is Coming!)

To see the Photo Gallery associated with our Land Trip to Sossesvlei Sand Dunes in Nambia:  CLICK HERE

April 23rd – May 18th, 2013 (Eastern Hemisphere)

The weather window was really cooperative.  We could have had blasting headwinds but blessedly, we were able to fuel up and motor the 72 hours back to Cape Town.

To see the Photo Gallery associated with REPAIRS and Madam Zingara\’s Dinner Show for this Ship\’s Blog: CLICK HERE

Once at the V&A, we assessed the full damage.

The boom was broken or bent in three places.  The back end and bearing, the front yolk and mid support would all have to be replaced.  Parts were ordered from California. The really good news was that Southern Spars, the largest mast manufacturer in the southern hemisphere is in Cape Town and they were actually able to perfectly straighten our mandrel! If necessary, they could have actually made a new one right here.

New and Bent Front Yolks……

Where you see my fingers are custom cut outs for storing the spare battens in the unused (on our system) hydraulic galleys.

Steering:  It took about 5 iterations to completely resolve.  First, it was determined that air in the system is what caused the failure.  Second, Meridian Technologies took over and really went over the system. They made custom pistons for our steering rams and used a \”gas/liquid\” seal.  Not only did the get the steering completely tight (responsive), but they managed to fix the rudder synchronization issue as well. Thank you Denver, Steve and Tony!

Next, the boys from Associated Rigging took over and did a great job of repairing the boom and re-installing it. A new \”Tylaska\” main halyard shackle was installed as well and this eliminates the twist in our 2:1 main halyard completely.  This shackle is twice the strength of the previous one which bent in the \”boom, boom, boom, boom\” debacle.  Thank You Warren, Andre, Wiseman and BJ!

Re-installing the boom with two halyards.  It weigh about 140 kg (300 lbs)……

We now feel confidence in all the new and re-worked systems.

We did get some R&R as Nikki took us to a lovely evening at Madam Zingara.  A dinner and show combination of Cirque de Soleil and The Rocky Horror Picture Show…. It was lots of fun and quite an experience.

Kathy and Steve Searle….. Steve is a Marine Electrician extrordinaire.  He installed the new auto pilot systems and we became fast friends…….

The first big winter storms are expected in Cape Town mid next week and we will leave tomorrow early to get north of them…….Yep, back to Luderitz!  We\’ll wait a few days there perhaps for the South Atlantic High pressure system to re-stabilize and then head directly to St. Helena.  St. Helena is most known as the island of exile for Napoleon Bonaparte after his second attempt at taking over the world.

Updates will start on the 18th from \”at sea\”.  We will not be able to post any photos while underway, but will try if we get internet anywhere along the way.  It will be very sparse as we\’ve only 4 stops planned in the next 5,000 miles (7,500 km) to Trinidad.  Those will be: Luderitz, St. Helena Island, Ascension Island and Fernando de Noronha-Brazil.

Dinner tonight at the grand re-opening of the \”Bascule Restaurant\” here at the V&A…..then rest and away!

Feel free to write!….

KIT,

Scott and Nikki

Namibia…..

To see the Photo Gallery associated with this Ship\’s Blog: CLICK HERE

April 13th – 18th, 2013…..(Eastern Hemisphere)

The sail to Namibia turned out to be a 72 hour motor boat ride.  The good news was that it was calm, the AIS was working well and we could see any vessels either on the AIS system or radar.  The plan was to stop in Luderitz, re-fuel and head to Walvis Bay; 235 miles further north.  From there we would visit the famous Sossesvlei Sand Dunes of Namibia.  These are extraordinary as they are amongst the largest dunes in the world and they can be pink or red in the morning light.

We arrived in the sleepy mining town of Luderitz and explored it pretty thoroughly in about 2 hours….:-)  We waited for the weather window and set off for Walvis Bay two days later.

Nikki at the Luderitz Visitors Center. This was a bit of an oxymoron btw!

Then all heck broke loose.  First, the steering failed while sailing almost dead down wind.  This in retrospect was due to a technician in Cape Town who improperly bled the hydraulic system.  Once this happened, we attempted a course correction manually and the steering was so loose that the boat couldn\’t be controlled.  We did an accidental gybe and when the boom came across, it broke our traveler system, the preventer system and most importantly, sheared the back bearing right off the boom and that was that.  Other damage occurred, but would be far more minor.  The drama of the moment was that it was blowing 25 knots and building.  The main had to come down and therefore lowered onto the deck (we couldn\’t roll it into the boom per usual).  As the boat was unmanageable due to the steering failure, the main sail blew overboard twice (half of it).  The sail weighs around 200 lbs (100 kg).  Amazingly, Nikki and I were able to maneuver the boat so the wind would start to blow it back onboard and finally after about an hour and a half struggle (with the wind now at 30+ knots), we got it on the deck.  The steering seemed to re-habilitate itself.  This was due to the air bubble finally working through the system.  We had to motor 10 hours at 3.5 knots against 10+ foot (3-4 meter seas).  We re-arrived at Luderitz at around 8pm and promptly went to bed.  It was quite a day!

Bent Boom Mandrel…. (This wasn\’t the half of it!)

The next morning, we determined it could only be fixed in Cape Town (a back track of 475 miles!).  On a boat, that\’s like a drive from LA to Chicago!

We quickly found that we could get a rent-a-car in Luderitz and decided while the wind blew, we\’d re-arrange our Sossevlei trip for the next day.  All the plans fell into place; fortunately for us.

\”Big Daddy Dune\”  If you look close, you\’ll see a person at the very top of the dark section and others at the bottom right…..

Dune Hike…… We didn\’t go all the way up Big Daddy, but you get the picture; a truly slippery slope

We drove 6 hours each way and stayed in a lovely B&B recommended to us by Kathie and Dave of \”Sunflower\”.  Hoodia Lodge   see:  http://www.hoodiadesertlodge.com   The owners were lovely, the food delicious and the accommodation delightful.

We were very lucky in the boom incident that it wasn\’t worse and also at how or plans to visit Sossesvlei managed to work out in a B&B that was booked solid for months!

Next…..Back to Cape Town for repairs and some R&R at the V&A!…..

Scott and Nikki

Just to let you know, we are back at the anchorage at Luderitz, Namibia – 475 miles north of Cape Town.

It\’s good we like the place, we\’re going to get to know it much better!…:-) Safe and sound…. Off to sleep, we\’re tired and it\’s cold outside! Scott and Nikki …..

We want you to know that both of us are fine and the boat is fine. We had a fairly major failure however today. The autopilot stopped working for no reason and the boat accidentally \”gybed\”. This cause two lines to break, the boom to swing to the wrong side and break it\’s mandril out of the cover. This will require us to go back to Cape Town for repairs. I estimate a minimum of 4-6 weeks once we arrive. Arriving is another story by itself. We are currently 38 miles north of Luderitz and heading back against the 25 knots of wind plus sea. Uncomfortable, but we\’ll be anchored before dark. Once there, I\’ll give a full report and look for a weather window to motor sail (with just the front sails) back to Cape Town. No way this would be fixed in Walvis Bay, Namibia!..(or anywhere in Namibia). So again, we are unhurt. The boat is fine. Welcome to cruising!…

KIT, Scott and Nikki on at the helm…

Cape Town & Departure Preparations…..

March 21st – April 12th, 2013 (Eastern Hemisphere)

Nikki and I went up Table Mountain which is nothing short of spectacular.  See  :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_Mountain   Despite the animals and other natural wonders of South Africa, this IS the most visited place in the country.  The views world class from both the bottom and the top. It is considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Scott at the \”bottom\”……(V&A Marina aboard Beach House)

Nikki at the \”top\”…… (V&A Marina, Cape Town Harbor, Table Bay and Robben Island on the left)

As all good things must end.  Our time in Cape Town was running short.  We spent some time with Dave & Kathie of s/v \”Sunflower\” and had a lovely evening aboard Beach House with Steve & Kathy Searle, Davie & Kathy and us.  One weekend, Nikki\’s friend Sandra came to visit from Jo-Burg.

Nikki and Sandra…..(Girls just wanna\’ have fun!)

We got the fuel system sorted out, the new auto pilots seemed to be performing well.  However, the steering has been an issue since New Zealand.  The rudders don\’t align after a certain amount of time and we had this looked into. Unfortunately, this would become our future disaster!…..

Good Bye Cape Town…. We will miss you and look forward to another visit in the future. (Little did we know how soon it would be!)…….  The sail to Namibia turned out to be a motor boat ride and got us north of the South African weather pattern where winter would soon approach.

Table Mountain from Table Bay en route to Luderitz, Namibia…..

Next, Namibia and the Sossevlei Sand Dunes…….
Scott and Nikki