Enjoying Cape Town

At the V & A Waterfront with Table Mountain in the background

Local entertainers - they were very good - we bought their CD which wasn't up to their live performance standard!

At the base of the two hour climb to the top of Table Mountain

Half way up Table Mountain

Southeast view from the top of Table Mountain

View Northwest from Table Mountain

Table Mountain from Robben Island

Poster of last prisoners to leave Robben Island

Small cell where Mandela spent 17 years

Returning to Capetown on the ferry

Enjoying Cape Town

Oct 25, 2016

During our first week in Cape Town, we have been trying to fit in some sightseeing in between the boat chores that need doing. All three boats are getting some work done. For us, it is repairs to our roller furling and the foresail that is on it. Also, downloads for the upcoming trip and getting our Brazilian visas. The visas were a time consuming project with a half day of computer work and another day at the consulate. They were expensive but the fees varied depending on what your country charges Brazilians to visit.

We have visited the V and A (Victoria and Alfred) Waterfront, a shopping and entertainment complex, about a mile further along the water from here. We hope to get back, as there is much to see. We haven't visited any of the museums yet. Being a Sat, there was extra street entertainment to enjoy. We have also walked around in the downtown area, where there are street markets, malls, grocery stores, and tourist info. There are many colonials buildings and sights of historic interest. Both areas are about a 45 walk away which we have done several times, but now it's worth the $3 for an uber taxi.

On the weekend we decided to take the cable car up to the top of Table Mountain as it was a clear day. The line up looked like it would take hours so we decided to hike up. We did make it to the top but I wouldn't want to do it again. It was like climbing stairs, but on uneven rocks, for 2 hours. The knees are still sore. But it was worth the trip as the views are great in every direction. It is such an amazing setting for a city. The top is part of the park system so they have lots of info, as well as guided walking tours.

On Tues we took a half hour boat trip out to Robben (seal in Afrikans) Island. This is where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 17 years of his sentence. It was predominately for political prisoners and all black males. The prison is now closed and the whole island is a museum and nature reserve. From the ferry we took buses around with a guide talking about the history as well as the birds and sea life. Then we had a walking tour through the prison itself, led by a former prisoner. He needed more time as he had so many stories to share. The inmates built much of the prison themselves. There were many well educated men imprisoned as well as the illiterate. They ran informal schools to share knowledge. There was a censor's office checking all communication in and out. But Mandela managed to hide and get out his book "The Long Road to Freedom". The ferry office had more background information and other exhibits.

On Tues night, six of us went to see the opera, Carmen, that was showing for a week. It was a treat to be able to do something like that. It only cost $30 for the best seats. It was a surprise to have a guest tenor from Canada in the cast. It was also good to see a full house.

If we have time, we still want to get to the renowned botanical gardens on the back side of the mountain. Also would like to spend a day or 2 on the "hop on hop off" bus, which has a good reputation here.

Royal Cape Yacht Club

Cape Town Harbour

Fur seals on dock beside our boat

View from our cockpit of the Cape Town harbour entrance

Royal Cape Yacht Club

Oct.29, 2016

I would like to make a few comments about our temporary home here in Cape Town. We have a visitors' membership while staying in the marina and have been made to feel welcome. They have all the facilities you would expect from a top notch marina. You can find good service people for most projects. All three boats are getting some work done. After so many marinas and rough docks, we all need some new fenders and lines, too. Our dock here has a resident seal that likes to sleep on the end  next to our boat. Once, another type of seal joined him.

It is good to see a yacht club that is as active as this one. On Wed sail nights there are between 60 and100 boats participating in racing! We are in a visitors slip right at the entrance to the marina so get to see a good parade. Last weekend there was a regatta for the insurance industry. Members of a company would go out on a boat skippered by a yacht club member and have a fun race. The decor brought in to host so many people for the meals was amazing to see. We have had a few meals at the club and enjoy their cooking and the prices. Will, who did our weather routing, came to join us for a meal and a personal meeting. He is a very active racer.

There is another major regatta that happens once every 3 years, the Cape 2 Rio race, starting just after Christmas. There are pictures up of participating boats with planning well underway. Our track will be easier heading to the north eastern bulge of Brazil. The prevailing wind is SE and the current flows north.

Antares pulled in near us this week. That is the first boat to arrive out of those we met along the South Indian Ocean route. They all sailed around the north side of Madagascar. They are staying in a marina that is part of the V and A. Hope to get together and share experiences and plans.

The Final Push to Cape Town

Cape Blaize Lighthouse - last manned lighthouse in South Africa

MAGGIE on far fishing jetty in Mossel Bay

Beautiful beach by Mossel Bay Yacht Club

Replica of Diaz's boat - this one actually sailed from Portugal to Mossel Bay

Tents set up to accommodate participants in the Cape Pioneer Trek

No Regrets passing us flying their spinnaker

Lighthouse at Cape Agulhas - most southerly tip of South Africa

Rounding Cape of Good Hope in early morning

The Final Push to Cape Town

Port Elizabeth to Mossel Bay to Cape Town

Oct.18, 2016

As I am writing this we are underway, several hours from Cape Aghulas, the southern most tip of South Africa. So far, it is quite pleasant. The wind was supposed to increase during last night and today, but has not happened yet. We have been motor sailing since leaving at 5 pm last night from Mossel Bay. Before dark we saw a whale surface within a few boat lengths of us. A rare treat! Also the number and variety of birds are fun to watch. The dolphins look quite different from ones we have seen elsewhere.

It is about 400nm from Port Elizabeth to CT and we gave up waiting for good enough weather to do the whole trip in one shot. We stopped in Mossel Bay, which was a 2 day, 1 night trip, arriving Fri the 14th. The winds were in the 30's overnight but from behind so that helped with getting there before dark. We enjoyed having a good sail after all the rough weather up to that point. There was room in the small marina for the 3 boats.

 The bay and town were really worth the visit. It is a pretty town set on a hill rising from the beach. Also it was safe enough to explore on foot. This area of South Africa (southeast coast) was settled by the Dutch farmers, and that influence still shows. The language spoken is Afrikaans, with most signage in that and English. They have tried to keep many of the original buildings from the 19th century. Many have been converted to restaurants or accommodation. It is a tourist destination for those starting a tour of the "Garden Route" back towards Port Elizabeth. The coastline is mountainous, and the land fertile, so good places to hike and see.

On the Sat there was a mountain bike event beginning in town, called the Cape Pioneer Trek. It is a 5/ 6 day race through the garden route area. The school field where they registered was full with their tents. On practice rounds they were passing us all weekend on the roads and paths. We walked out to the point that protects the bay. There is a lighthouse that you can visit that is still manned. From there you have a good view of the surroundings. Below it there is a cave. Archaeologists have found evidence in it of humans from the middle stone ages. From other such caves they think that homo sapiens originated somewhere in SA. During the last ice age the shoreline extended much further out as water levels were lower. The shallow banks off Cape Agulhas used to be land.

On Sun we visited the Diaz Museum. Diaz is commemorated in town as the first European, from Portugal, to arrive here in 1488. In 1988 a similar voyage was made from Lisbon to Mossel Bay. A replica ship had been built for the trip and is now on display in the museum. The only difference was that the new ship had all the modern electronics and safety gear and an engine. Their trip took 3 months instead of the original 6 months. In the museum there are long lists of shipwrecks through the centuries along these shores. But with our new equipment there are not nearly as many. We enjoyed a few hours of reading much more history in the museum. There was also a shell museum and aquarium and grounds with the plants identified. There is a tree, centuries old, that was used to "post" mail for passing ships in a shoe in the tree. The bushmen thought writing was from the devil so left it alone. On the weekend there was a flower show and competition in the buildings. I enjoyed that as well.

Our goal on this passage is to make it to Cape Town in the light Wed afternoon. And also try to pass both capes in the daylight to enjoy seeing them. The southernmost cape of Africa is Cape Agulhas which you pass first coming from the east. The Cape of Good Hope, that is to the south of Cape Town, is more famous than  Agulhas. It is more dramatic to see, and also to sail around, we hear. Its former name was the Cape of Storms.

Update, Oct.20

We arrived in Cape Town about lunchtime Wed. The whole trip went well. I think this was the first time that the weather was more benign than forecast. We even had a full moon to brighten the night. We spent Wed am enjoying the trip up the coast from Cape Point into Cape Town. There were many seals in the surrounding water entertaining us. Our slips are in the Royal Cape Yacht Club. After an unglamorous docking job by the admiral we had a leisurely lunch at the club. Adrienne is representing the BPO here and was full of  ideas about things to see and do in the area. After a nap and some chores and we will be looking forward to exploring.

The Wild Coast, Leg 2 East London to Port Elizabeth

Fishing boats off our jetty

Tied to fishing jetty wall - low tide!

Zeke and Klaudia negotiating with street vendors on the promenade

 

Surfers on PE beachfront

The Wild Coast, Leg 2

East London to Port Elizabeth

Oct. 12, 2016

About the only good thing I can say about that last passage is that we are now half way to Cape Town. (This is Carol writing.) We are almost at the same latitude as Cape Town now but have to go south to round Cape Agulhas and Cape of  Good Hope. We left at dusk on Fri with still some south wind on the nose. It is more challenging to get set up for the evening of motoring/sailing in the dark. By Sat there was not much wind and it was forecast to stay that way until 6pm which would give us lots of time to get in. But it started to blow SW, on the nose again,  in the afternoon. We arrived at 5:30 about 2 hours later and wetter than we expected. We were lucky to have the other 2 boats here to catch lines to tie up along the fisheries jetty.

There is a lot of fishing boat action at the dock. Mostly they are going out at dusk and returning to unload in the morning. There is a big squid business, and the squid are unloaded in frozen blocks. The other types of fish are fresh. Today we are going to try the nearby seafood restaurant that is recommended for lunch. May also purchase some fresh fish for the next trip.

On Sunday, we all walked to the tourist area of town which spreads out along the beaches. There is a beautiful paved promenade along the shore, with seating, plantings, kids' play areas, a pool, and lifeguards. On the weekends there are vendors selling souvenirs. Too bad we can't store much more on the boat. The downtown of the city is just to the north of the marina. It has some historic sites, but it is not recommended to walk around from a security point of view. Some security guards by the beach said that things have gotten much worse over the last 5 years. Too bad!

The Algoa Bay Yacht Club is really nice. Good views over the harbour from a second story, bar and restaurant, wifi, and hot showers. No water or power available on the jetty however. At low tide it would help to be a monkey to get off the boat.

The current plan is to leave Thurs lunchtime and stop at Mossel Bay, which is 188nm. There are supposedly 40 hours of decent conditions to get there, probably a night arrival for us. But at least you can anchor until morning there. Everyone prefers to make it to CT in one trip, but the weather isn't cooperating. Our router says that the conditions we are seeing are more typical of winter than spring. The upcoming scenery is supposed to be quite dramatic, so hope to have good visibility.

Passage from Durban to East London

Find the whale!

We were on the club pontoon, however most boats were on mooring balls in the Buffalo River

View of yacht club, moored boats, and Maggie at the head of the pontoon.

Hard to see, but the parking lot in the right rear has C Class Mercedes Benz cars waiting to be shipped to the US

Passage from Durban to East London, 260nm

Oct.7, 2016

Monday at sunset, our three boats left Durban Marina. As we were untying a squall was brewing to hit us. We waited for the worst of the gust front to pass over, and then exited. But the squall itself carried on for hours. Shortly after leaving we heard that the harbour entrance was closed due to 7meter waves in the entrance channel. At least we got underway. In the first few hours we were only going about 2 kn with the engine revved up into the seas and wind. It was the first time in a while that we were feeling a bit seasick. Made  only 36nm in the first 12 hours. After that, things calmed down and the wind turned to the NE for a downwind run. We were also in the Agulhas current that gave us an extra 1 to 5 knots speed. With a wind eventually up to 30 kn pushing us, we were going 8 to 10 knots.

The strong NE and falling barometer indicated a strong SW coming soon. Also, we have internet weather sites and Will, our weather router,  telling us the same thing. The other two boats thought they could make it to the Port Elizabeth, before it changed. They arrived Wed in the evening. Tahawas had a very slow last couple of hours beating. We decided to stop in East London instead and arrived midday Wed. We were happy to get 2 good nights' sleep before heading out again. We are leaving after supper tonight, Fri, to get to PE sometime tomorrow. It is about 130nm. The weather still isn't ideal, but we are giving up on that.

One of the really exciting things on the trip were several sightings of whales. I had never seen one jumping right out of the water. The other boats saw them as well so there must be several pods about.

There is a visitor dock here at the Buffalo River Yacht club. But there is only room for one boat. It was tight getting to it through all the mooring lines for the boats on buoys. There are lines attached in rows parallel to the river bank with boats tied bow and stern.

The club isn't officially open for the season yet. But there is someone to pay, and showers available. Nothing interesting within walking distance that is considered safe. On Thurs we took a cab to a mall and did some browsing. It had a grocery store and place to top up the phones . Because there is a casino, hotel, and movie theatre we had no trouble finding a restaurant for dinner.

The primary industry here is a Mercedes Benz factory. The entrance is next to the marina where the cars are loaded onto car carrying freighters.

We are following the news of hurricane, Matthew, and its trail of damage. It will hit Florida today. Good luck to those of you living there, and/or having your boat there.

Happy Thanksgiving this weekend to our Canadian friends and family!

Impressions and things I have learned about South Africa so far

Aids/HIV exhibit in museum

Aids/HIV exhibit in Museum

Egyptian goose on boat in marina

Impressions and things I have learned about South Africa so far

Sept 30, 2016

Despite travel agents suggesting that SA is not safe for travel, we have not felt threatened anywhere. On the road, most people give a friendly wave or want a photo. And the people we have met so far have all been friendly and helpful. Downtown Durban is a poor black area, so we are just being cautious about going out alone or after dark.

Spring is just beginning, with a few trees out in flower, particularly the purple ones. It will be a gardener's delight in a few weeks.

The current drought, 3 years now, has been particularly severe. El Nino last year made it worse. We have seen dead cattle along the side of the road that didn't have enough water. Some ranchers have to cull their herds. Sometimes the water is shut right off and they deliver containers of water to use. In the marina the water is on only certain hours of the day. The SW gales this month have been much stronger and colder than usual.

30 % of the population have HIV or Aids. (perhaps just the black %?) This is having a huge effect on the country. The medical system is strained. Businesses that rely on migrant labour like farming, cutting sugar cane and mining are losing much of their work force. At  Ardmore ceramics they have photos of the many artists they have lost to aids. You can see the fresh graves in so many towns.  But things are changing. At that business they have done their own education and the deaths have stopped. With a willingness to admit the problem, the education needed can get done.

25% of the population is unemployed, but that rises to 50% for those under 30. This seems to be a worldwide trend. Another world trend is the migration from a rural to urban lifestyle. It takes awhile to get through the checkout at the local grocery store as people try to use their combination of food stamps, credits and cash, sometimes having to return items to the shelves. The 80% black population own 14% of the land. Mandela's legacy is that there has not been much retaliation after apartheid. They don't want a Zimbabwe. There are quite a few refugees in the country from Zimbabwe. Also, a good number of former white Rhodesians live here waiting for better conditions there.

Poaching is still a major problem. There are news items about it regularly. Rhino horn is prized in China and the animals are stolen even from the game reserves. They have sent 80 rhinos to Australia just in case something happens to them here. They are experimenting with dehorning them to protect the species.

Mandela was a man willing to admit mistakes. He was disappointed that leaders that came after him didn't share his moral values. He removed fences between neighbouring countries to allow animals a larger range. But this has increased poaching from other countries. He increased the number of provinces from 4 to 9. This has greatly increased administration costs. Money was transferred from security to education. Most people think crime has increased since apartheid ended with a weaker police force. This week university students are protesting increased fees. They would like the education to be free, but the country can't afford that. There is much work still to be done here.

There are 2-3,000 human deaths from hippos every year!

The Natural History Museum is doing a good job educating visitors about climate change. It has a "Green Heroes" program. One of the parts of that are stories about the things that staff members do in their personal lives to lessen their impact. The museum and art gallery were free.

We have been here 2 weeks now and are enjoying every minute!

Back in Durban

Zulu dancers

Zulu dancaers

Posing with shaman and apprentice

Zulu valley

Old Post Office

Old Train Station

Exhibit in Durban Museum of Nature

Back in Durban

Sept 29, 2016

Back in town, we have dived into boat repairs. There was a possibility of a weather window tomorrow, Fri for the week's trip to Cape Town. The backstay and bimini repairs couldn't be done in that time frame so we decided to just do a quick repair to last us to Cape Town and repair them better there. The new batteries for the bow thruster arrived and are installed and working. Rob has been busy rebedding deck fittings and hope that makes an improvement on the leaks. He has checked all the wiring on the bilge pump and they seem ok. That means that the pump itself need replacing.

We are not in such a rush now that the weather router has said that we shouldn't leave until late Mon or Tues. Chris on Tom Tom decided to leave today anyway. It is amazing how quickly the weather changes here, and the forecasts as well. When the wind is from the south it is cold,windy, and wet. Yesterday we closed everything up to stay warm enough and mostly stayed aboard. Today, with a NE wind we are back to shorts and tee shirts.

On Tues we had a 13th birthday party for Mirko, one of the Tahawas boys. The marina had a braai (BBQ)  for us and we each made extra food. On Mon, Nora, Klaudia, and I took a taxi to a bakery to order 2 cakes.  We have been using Uber to travel around town. It has been very simple and costs no more that a few dollars per trip. We also stopped at the market, which is mostly Indian here, and at the African Art Centre. At the art centre there are classes for crafters and things for sale.

Today, Thursday, Greg came back to take us to the Zulu dancing that we missed on the Sat tour of Durban area. It was raining so hard that day we bailed out early. We drove back 60 km to the Valley of a Thousand Hills. There is a tourist site there where they have built a traditional Zulu village. They do some traditional dances and songs for you as well as a tour and explanation of the village life. The setting was spectacular, looking out over the hills so it was well worth waiting for a clear day. On the premises there is a reptile land with a good collection of snakes and crocodiles. A guide took us through that. There are many very dangerous snakes in the country. We drove back through the valley and west suburbs into Durban. These towns are all traditional Zulu. There is a dam in the bottom of the valley that regulates the water supply for Durban between the wet and dry seasons. It is getting dangerously low, less than 50%.  Back in the city we picked up Greg's wife and daughter and the three of them came to the marina to visit our boats. If we have time we would like to use him again to see some of the areas around Cape Town.

Yesterday, a reporter visited us. He is going to do an article on our trip and the BPO. He normally takes the photos for the local yacht clubs' events among other things. We'll know more details after he sends us a copy to proofread.

If we have time we could visit the tourist areas along the Golden Mile, the east coast beaches and hotels. There are amusement parks, casino, craft markets, galleries, museums and the like. Not usually our first choice. But we would like to see the old railway station that is now the tourist information centre. When the station was built, the architect's plans accidentally got switched for the railway station in Toronto. The Toronto plans had a roof that could withstand 16 ft of snow. With the first heavy snowfall in Toronto the roof there collapsed, but, of course, the one here has been doing fine.

Oct.3 Addition

On Sat, we went to see the train station, post office, and city hall. These are classic, old colonial buildings. Parts have been renovated for other uses. In the city hall, there is an art gallery and the Durban Natural History Museum. The gallery had a photo exhibition on Aids in 9 different cities with good info and inspiration.

The museum was fascinating. It covered animals, insects, birds, dinosaurs, land and oceans. There was a theme on climate change as well, in particular, what individuals can do.

The wind and rain were terrible Sunday with another low pressure system. Rob spent the whole day installing a different bilge pump, a frustrating experience. The forecasts seem to be getting worse, instead of better, as spring arrives.

Change of plans! We are going to leave after supper tonight, Mon. The weather isn't great but we hope that there is enough time to get the 260nm to East London by Wed night before the next front starts. At least from there we don't need such a long window to sail to Port Elizabeth.