June 2018 – August 2018 (Yachtport Saldanha)

Beer stop @ Langebaan Yacht Club en route from Kraal Baai to Saldanha

The final countdown has begun…..

Does that look like a good
desert or what?

Beginning of June we popped up to Pretoria/Johannesburg for a couple of days. We viewed the Camelot wedding venue at Hartbeespoort, the venue where Nicole and Henko are scheduled to be married on 25 August, they were sweet enough to ask us to take their wedding photos, a real honour. Combined with the visit was celebratory dinners for Marge (Kevin’s mom) and Leanne (my sister) whose birthdays are both on 8 June.

 We had a great evening at Mythos in Mall of Africa, the staff made Marge’s birthday a really special affair, we even got to smash some plates. Then we discovered a new restaurant in Centurion, Hogsback, that does delicious home smoked food and great cocktails, made a good venue to celebrate Leanne’s birthday.

We also took the opportunity, together with Graeme and Michelle, to meet Zak and Magda van den Berg from S/V Vagabund. They sailed to the Caribbean in 2012 and now spend the cruising season there and hurricane season back here in South Africa. An informative evening, we got many tips about getting ready for our trip and what to expect when we get there, hopefully we will meet up with them in Trinidad next year.

This is what happens when
you take Dad wedding dress
shopping

On the spur of the moment Gaynor managed to get an appointment at “Bride and Company” and we did some wedding dress fitting. By a pure stroke of luck we found the perfect dress and bought it, what a beautiful bride she will make.

Gaynor and Johnny will be getting married on the beach in Langebaan @ Boesmanland Farm Kitchen, they made a very brief weekend trip to Cape Town to meet the photographer and the venue co-ordinator, all is set for a November wedding.

Sadly it was time for Sungazer to return to RCYC so we hopped on board for the trip, it was chilly but a stunning sail.

It's all in the method

Camembert in the making

At pilates I heard about a lady in a place called Trekoskraal, a real piece of heaven on earth just outside of Vredenburg, who was giving cheese making lessons, a skill I was sure would be a good one to have, so I signed up. 

Just rewards

In half a day I had learned how to make camembert and feta cheese and enjoyed a delicious cheese board with a glass of wine. Two weeks later I returned with Kevin, then we learned to make haloumi, gouda and ricotta, followed again by lunch and wine. Hopefully we’ll be able to make these classes pay off.

  

We also did a bit of exploring of the area, drove to the beach and tested the little Terrios' offroad capabilities, this is a truly, beautifully, unspoiled part of the West Coast.

2nd Floor, now to descend into the
smoke filled furnace below

Kevin and I did our STCW course – wow, 11 days of learning and tests. The entire course is actually designed around Super yachts, cruise ships and large vessels so most of it was fairly over the top for yachts 

but we learned quite a bit and its necessary if we want to do any commercial work such as skipping charter boats or delivering yachts. The first aid course was handy, we learned to do CPR and the Heimlich manoeuvre correctly. 

Serious work this

Other courses involved protecting the integrity of a vessel, terror threats and pirates. The toughest by far was three days fire fighting where we donned firefighting gear and, dragging a large hose, climbed into a building to extinguish large, very hot fires, particularly difficult if you are in any way claustrophobic, which I am. 

We also practised operating fire extinguishers and carrying casualties and we got to crawl through a building engulfed in foam. The last part of the course was survival at sea and this was probably the most relevant to us. We got to put life jackets to the test and learn how to preserve body heat in a pool with water at sea temperature – Atlantic sea!!

Foam party with a difference

Bit chilly....

 Jumping off a platform proved to be a challenge for me, needed a bit of a helping hand (push) from Kevin, then we climbed into the life raft floating in the pool, not as easy as it looks. We also learned how to right an overturned life raft and got some tips on what extras to pack into grab bags in case we ever need to abandon ship ourselves.

 Back to Yachtport and amusing to run into a couple of the young guys who were on the course with us, getting ready to do their zero – yachtmaster course with one of the local sailing schools, they were so impressed with our yacht.

They actually read the instructions!

The new wind generator needed to be installed, a job that would have taken Kevin and I at least 2 weeks but fortunately Graeme came to the rescue and it was up in no time, together with two new flat solar panels. 

The Rutland control unit proved to be faulty on installation and even after going through all their recommended fixes it had to be returned. 

Sadly the replacement unit, whilst being better, still does not operate the solar panels, a tad frustrating but we have in the meantime purchased another Vectron controller 

The 2 new flat solar panels

which has the power humming into the battery out of the new panels and we hope the Rutland controller will continue to successfully operate with the wind generator.

Lunch @ Charlies, new restaurant in Port Owen

The other thing that Graeme had to do was co-test the new inflatable 2-man kayak, 

I wasn't getting in there

Kevin had paddled it out once on his own, I was of the opinion it is too cold for that. 

On its own it performed great, but with 2 men up it had a mind of its own, continually pulling to one side. We have since realised that the skegs underneath have not been glued straight in line so Kevin has decided he will remove them.

 

Christmas in July time again and this year we attended a masked ball in aid of the Saldanha Animal Care, an organisation reliant totally on charity and donations, that do amazing work in the townships and greater Saldanha area. 

Precious doggies

We got dressed up, tie and all and had a fun evening, meeting the most lovely dogs – so wanted to give them all homes, some interesting people and getting a good dose of party fun from the band “Dans Frikkie Dans”. The venue was the Military academy so alcohol was ridiculously cheap – added incentive.

 

First flowers

More colours in the Nature Reserve

We have had a lot of rain, it’s not unseasonal nor too much, but the famous Western Cape wild spring flowers arrived early. Suddenly it looked like it had snowed as blankets of white flowers covered all open spaces. 

These have since been joined and even replaced by carpets of yellow, orange and purple flowers.

We were in for a pleasant surprise when the Saldanha Bay Yacht Club organised a walk through the Nature Reserve which is ensconced in the Navy/Military base and has been off limits to the public for 2 years.

Such a fantastic view of Danger Bay

 We walked 15km’s around the peninsula, got close to the light house saw one buck and enjoyed many beautiful flowers.

Christopher and Jessica arrived to visit, such fun. Sadly the weather turned to real winter and it was chilly and windy, so the trip to Kalk Bay and Cape Point was really short, lunch at Seaforth and penguins on the beach softened the blow. 

Kayaking at Kraal Baai

After a night in front of a roaring fire at Eileen’s beautiful home in Glencairn and a visit to the Navy Museum in Simons Town we headed to Saldanha. 

Harvested, then cleaned

We sailed to and spent a night at anchor at Kraal Baai, gave time to test all the water toys out and let them get a feel for how different our way of life is, think the SUP board won. 

Then cooked and eaten

Christopher caught, filleted, cooked and ate his own fish and Kevin, Christopher and Alan harvested their own mussels again and after cleaning and filtering they provided a grand last dinner before it was time to head for Pretoria/Johannesburg.

Kevin and I went with as it was time for Nicole and Henko’s wedding. What a fun affair at an unusual venue, a really well replicated Camelot castle, the honeymoon suite being named the dungeon and it was actually based on one. 

The grounds were beautiful, great for photographs, the food and friends and family made it a wonderful occasion and the beautiful Bride and handsome Groom were certainly wished a wonderfully happy life together.

We bought 2 more hard plastic single seater kayaks, once again Kevin was the tester, it’s still way too cold. This seems to be a much better-behaved means of water propulsion. In the spirit of testing toys, next the fold up bicycle came out and showed its stuff, surprisingly easy and comfortable to ride, guess it is a Renault after all, two winners!!

This seems to have been our time for meeting up with cruisers, firstly Alan and Marita Whitley from S/V Alley Cat arrived in South Africa on holiday while waiting out the hurricane season in the Caribbean. We got together with them at Des and Jenny for a braai, Alan used to own the company that builds the Island Spirit Catamarans and he and Marita have been cruising for around 7 years on theirs, so interesting to get their take and advice on things.

Waving goodbye to Y-Not - 2016

Then so lovely, on the walk-on in Saldanha, to bump into Guenter and Ute of S/V Y-Not, who we last saw in January 2016 when we waved them farewell as they left Royal Cape Yacht Club, heading for the Med, via Saldanha and the Caribbean. Their yacht is currently in Spain and they were back here to celebrate Guenter’s 70^th birthday with a trip to Namaqualand to see the flowers.

Well, all seems to be set and done for us.  There are a couple of small things that we are getting/finishing but we are now ready to continue our adventure by taking the next step across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, via St Helena and Forteleza. Kevin has given notice at work and Gaynor will be getting married in November. As soon after that as the weather is good we will be throwing off our ropes and bidding RSA farewell, we are hoping to have left before 1 December. Graeme and Michelle will be coming with us for the crossing, then returning to South Africa for a while, hopefully not too long.

March 2018 - May 2018 (Yachtport Saldanha)

Moonrise over Saldanha Bay Yacht Club

So finally the “To Do” list has shrunk to 2 pages, none of which are going to prevent our sailing.  We have been spending time on anchor at the picturesque Kraal Baai in the Western Cape Nature Reserve testing our self-sustainability and have found that our solar, while enough on really sunny days to supply the demand without having to be uber conservative, it is not enough for luxuries such as switching on the geyser for hot water.  

Cloudy days and showering require the use of an engine or generator and thus the use of petrol or diesel.  The solution, we are busy purchasing a wind generator and the debate on another solar panel rages on. 

Still to do are our STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seaferers) courses which we are hoping to do in June in Cape Town, a safety, firefighting, survival, first aid course that is necessary for Kevin to complete his Yacht Master Off Shore qualification and helpful for both of us if we want to do Skipping or Charter work going forward. 

With his fan club

Concentration at the helm

Graeme popped down to do some sailing and docking practice and boy did he excel, Kevin had him reversing into tight spaces, on to the dock and mooring balls, I however need a lot more practice, oops! 

Carefully and with control

Of course while here he still managed to get a couple of things done, making shelves, helping install a new outside shower and salt water deck wash, mounting new fans and installing the eyebrows, they make a huge difference, we can now keep the port lights open in light rain.

Just Rewards

Outside cushions

Tender motor cover

The sewing has reached its end, everything that needed a cover now has one, we have new cushions and covers and it all looks really great (hallelujah).

 

Inside cushions

And the coolerbox doubles up as a seat

We said yes!!!

Great day at the
Harvest Table

The Fat Butcher in Stellenbosch

Johnny made one of our greatest desires for this year a reality when he surprised us with a visit in March to ask us if he could marry Gaynor.  Naturally and with great excitement (and maybe a tear or two) we said yes, what a weekend of celebrating that turned out to be, we had lunch at the Market Table on the Fairview Estate and consumed much excellent food and wine, saw Johnny safely on his way to the airport and continued on to the Spice Route next door for beer tasting before dinner at the Fat Butcher in Stellenbosch.  

An additional benefit is that we discovered that Fairview make a most quaffable “papsak” red wine blend, easy storage in the boat and good to drink, winner all round.

Dinner with our favorite travel agent

Easter weekend was a lovely time to be back at Kraal Baai, Kevin took the opportunity to scrub and inspect the hull and I got to use my SUP for probably the last time this summer.  A little surprise visit from Nicole added entertainment and a good excuse for sushi.

This is the year to knock some items off the bucket lists, one of mine was a visit to “Horse Play” on Old Kilgobbin Farm in the Dargle Valley, KZN Midlands.  It was home to horses in the 1880’s when Meredith Fannin, an Irish settler, depended on them for a living and now more than 130 years later it is home again to a herd of around 38 beautiful horses including Dutch Friesian, Andalusian Thoroughbred cross, donkeys and a mule.  

A hug goodbye from Willow at the end

Horse Play is just that, a hands-on, no riding experience in which you communicate with a most beautiful creature and convince it to do what you want it to with no force or props, I started out a clumsy individual on the end of a lead and ended up convincing a huge noble Friesian to climb up on top of a box and to stop with both

his front feet in a tyre, a truly magical experience.

Lemonwood cottage

We spent 3 days at a lovely picturesque cottage in the Midlands called Lemonwood (complete with fire and dogs, pure heaven) and how amazing to see everything so green and lush following their wonderful rains, such contrast to the drought stricken Cape.  

The view from our cottage

We visited Fort Nottingham, a collection of buildings steeped in history.  It was erected in March 1856 by a detachment of the 45^th Regiment, The Sherwood Foresters from Nottingham, England, as a Fort and Military outpost to prevent the Bushmen (the children of the mist) from cattle rustling in the Natal Midlands.

The Fort

These Mountain San, also called the “Secret San”, were the first indigenous people of KZN, thought to be extinct until descendants with knowledge of their culture were found in the 1980’s distributed far and wide, from Ermelo to the Eastern Cape to Lesotho.

 

Outside the main building was the remains of a tree, it was originally a “post tree” outside the village post office.  It was used by the farm runners twice a week to hang their post on.  The post was delivered from Howick by pony and cart.  Fort Nottingham has since become home to the Annual Bells Scottish Highland and Traditional Games.

Gin Still

We did the obligatory Rawdons hotel and brewery visit, good news is they are now distilling gin as well and serving it on tap, ready mixed with tonic, absolutely fabulous I tell you!!

Beer Paddle at Rawdons

Caversham Mill

Also a visit to Caversham Mill, the river was flowing strongly again, I tried to find the dwarf chameleon one last time at Lilac Crane but no joy, 

St Ives

Good Coffee

we found a local gem in St Ives lodge, a bar/restaurant on the side of a beautiful dam and coffee at the original home of Terbadore coffee, their house coffee blend and trademark is a Great Dane as they were so loved on the farm and they still are…

The Mascot

Cheers Craig

Next stop was Richards Bay to the Monday night braai at Zululand Yacht Club and a catchup with old friends we left behind, a wonderful evening.  It was Craig’s 50^th birthday and we made a special effort to pop onto his yacht Eco Promise and have a quick drink with her in celebration and in his absence.

Then on to the Imfolozi Game Park, we were last there 3 years ago when both the Black and White Imfolozi rivers were dry and things were looking grim, how amazing that both rivers are now flowing strongly, so many animals to see at the waters edge, even elephants playing happily in the water.  It was great to see quite a few rhino, sadly the poaching is still not under control.  

Guess who wasn't looking for animals

What a great time of year to go to the Reserve, lush vegetation for the animals, water, many young animals, it was great except we were in a rental car that seems to have particularly low seating so the majority of our game sightings were of knees and feet!!  

In exasperation we did an early game drive on the second day, better view by far.  

We spent the night at Mpila tented camp again, sadly starting to look a little worn, hopefully they will do some upgrades, the hyena didn’t disappoint though, slinking around as soon as our meat was off the fire in case we had left anything.

4 new plats, looks like new again

At 90 Vic does so well

We spent a couple of days with my mom in Hibberdene, helped her with a couple of maintenance issues and 

Kevin, in true style, helped wherever he could with computer issues.  Bingo, Craft afternoon and general catching up with some wonderful old folk, so amazing.  We spent a fun last day doing an exploratory drive of the hidden and a little down at heel gem that is the Natal South Coast, stopping for a wonderful lunch at C-Bali in St Michaels and dinner at Jaxx, Port Shepstone.

C-Bali

Graeme, Michelle, Carol and Craig descended on Saldanha to celebrate that 50^th birthday properly.  After the initial party on arrival on Friday, a travelling dinner between our boat and Sundowner Rose, we all headed out on the same two yachts to Kraal Baai next day, it might have taken a number of attempts to get the spinnaker up and flying, co-ordination not being what it should have been, followed by a wonderful braai and slightly quieter party.  Sunday dawned thick and foggy but it was mothers day and we had to get back for lunch in Langebaan, much concentration was required from some tired brains.  

Up the pole

New anchor roller

Craig and Carol left after lunch but Michelle and Graeme stayed on for a few days and once more Graeme had a couple of small jobs, he installed a new anchor roller that he made and it works perfectly,

 then he was up the mast to figure out why one of the spreader lights wasn’t working. 

Then big excitement – Johnny, after keeping us in sworn to silence and suspense for ages (well it felt like ages), finally and in such style, asked Gaynor to marry him.  

He organised a helicopter flight from Randburg to lunch at The Conservatory, de Hoek Hotel where the will you marry me question was presented on the desert dish in chocolate sauce, wow!!!! 

Oh and she said yes 😊.  Now wedding arrangement fun.

On that happy note and while we are finally enjoying some much needed rain here in the Cape, have fun all….