February, March and most of April 2017 (RCYC Cape Town)

Wind blowing
53.5 knots

Next morning shredded sails

Summer in the Cape is warm, sometimes even hot, but the price for that blissful heat is the relentless South Easters which, according to the locals, have been far more prevalent this year.  We have gritted our teeth through days of 30 – 40 knots of wind, that equates to around 55 – 75 km/h with little respite.  This seriously takes its toll on one’s sanity, patience and even more so on the marinas and boats.  Still we make the most of it as next is winter and hopefully this will be a wet one (can’t believe I said that) but we desperately need water here in the Cape.

The walk-on concertinaed

And the cruisers were there to make
running repairs

New sliding basket installed

Graeme arrived at the beginning of Feb, armed with his work clothes, what a trooper.  He once again made huge dents in our list of things we need to do, which is starting to look less like war and peace and more like an actual “To Do List”. 

Bilge pump replaced

The windlass (electric winch used to deploy and retrieve the anchor) needed to be replaced as the old one was pretty rusted and tired.  Kevin managed to sell the old one on Gumtree to a guy in Johannesburg, now he had to, as carefully as possible, get it out intact.  As usual this was no easy task and took around 4 days and much head scratching and knocking with a hammer but finally after a bit of persuasion from a puller, out it came and off to its new home it flew. 

The new windlass already had a cover made and was ready.  Alfred spent a day making repairs to the deck where the old one had rested and in the new one went, not quite that quick and easy (bit of creative license here) and not a moment too soon either.  Michelle joined us for the weekend and we spent a day out in the bay sailing. 

 On our return the harbor was closed to all shipping in and out as they had to tow an upturned tug boat in, divers and NSRI had been busy with it all day, it had overturned in the morning while towing a fishing boat, two of the crew had been rescued and one was still missing, unfortunately he was recovered the next day, still in the engine room of the upturned vessel.  Whilst waiting for the harbor to re-open we anchored off Granger Bay, testing new windlass and newly painted chain, success, both worked brilliantly.

V&A Waterfront Marina with
the Cape Grace Hotel in the background

Kevin had organized a night in the V&A marina so after a spin through the V&A waterfront we continued into the V&A Marina, through the two swing bridges and we moored in South Africa’s most prestigious marina for the night, a very sheltered marina so fantastically windless but there had to be a downside and it seems that every seagull in Cape Town resides on the water in this marina so peace and quiet, there was none.  We had a lovely braai and enjoyed the experience anyway.

S/V Delos

Kevin was very excited to have found Yacht Delos there, a group of 3 who have been sailing around the world for 7 years and who post great movies of their exploits on You Tube.  It seems the night before might have been a good one as there was no sign of life and the remnants of a party strewn all over the deck.  They gave a talk at RCYC one Wednesday evening whilst Graeme and his dad were visiting.  Uncle Eric took a loo break before the start but disappeared for quite some time, reappearing just as we were beginning to get concerned.  He had gone to the wrong conference room ending up in an Opthalmic gathering where he was welcomed, fed and watered and kept amused until he realized his mistake and came looking for us, ha ha, apparently their snacks were much better than ours.

Tracy, Lammies, Nadia and Shirlee-May joined us for a day, perfect day to sail a bit in the bay followed by a little motor down to Clifton where we anchored for a bit while they all swam, apparently it really was as cold as I thought, brave people…

Next day the conditions were great so after loading up diesel Kevin, Graeme and I headed to Hout Bay for lunch.  

Moored at Hout Bay Yacht Club

Lunch @ Lookout Deck

We motor sailed in flaky wind all the way there, found a mooring and tied up, had scrumptious lunch at the Lookout Deck in the marina, back on board and a great sail back, in time for sundowners.  So nice to have these sort of choices for things to do.

Next was to tackle one of the last really big projects – rigging, mast and boom.  We have bowed to experience on this one, the whole job being handled by a rigging company here in Cape Town.  



First off, really early on a windless morning the mast, boom and associated rigging were removed by crane.  We had already stripped the sails and taken them to Ullman sails to use as patterns for new ones.

What an interesting experience it was to visit the Ullman Sails loft - possibly an oxymoron as the work actually takes place at ground level and even below. 

Our brand new sail, with racing stripes

 There are various teams, each with their own purpose, firstly the sail material is selected, laid out on an area of the huge concrete floor and the pattern cut out.  

Sewing sails

It then goes to the sewers who are located in pits in the floor, sewing machine and head and shoulders at floor level, seating underground, makes it easy to work with the huge pieces of material.  It is finished according to the various specifications applicable to different yachts, quite a process.

Winston in his pink shorts holding up
the works!!

As our rig is pretty old, 19 years, there was no exact pattern on record so Winston skidded in, just as the mast was about to be removed, furiously waving his tape measure, to measure up for the sail, hopefully he got it right.  A couple of days later removal of the compression posts, support bar and trampolines.  The standing rigging will be replaced and the running rigging (ropes etc) checked carefully but will only be replaced just before we leave here as they are just going to get horribly dirty and second hand in no time.

Fittings when removed

Refurbished and ready to re-install

Andrew painting the cross beam 

The mast with undercoat

All re-installed ready for trampolines

Re-installing the cross beam

Re-installing trampolines

Black mast on board 

The mast and boom have been re-painted black and modified to suit one or two changes to the system and to carry the new radar, aerials and lights.  The compression posts etc have been modified and painted and all looks beautiful, worth the extra 5 week wait!! 

Lots of concentration

Some awkward positions

Not always easy

Alfred's handiwork as he progresses
Looks like some potential as an artist there

Once again we found some leaking that had caused rotten wood where the through hull fittings were for the sail but we have become (with Alfred’s help of course) pretty proficient at fixing these minor set backs, all done.  Alfred has also made huge progress with gel coat repairs, the port hull is looking almost brand new and the whole area around the mast base back to how it should be.

In 2004 Kevin and I cycled the Pick n Pay Cape Argus race, it was tough and rewarding.  One memory that has stuck with me was the cheers and support from the people sitting in the various bars and restaurants at the bottom of Chapmans Peak as we came flying down after one of the toughest climbs ever.  I wanted to be one of those cheering on one day, so this year we made it happen.  As the roads around the cycle route are closed for the majority of the day of the cycle Tour the only thing to do was to book into the Chapmans Peak Hotel the night before the race, ready to watch the whole race beginning with the front pack as they came flying down Chapmans Peak around 7am. 

 I cannot tell you how excited I was…

The view of Hout Bay from our room

Well the hotel is magnificent, a real step back into history.  The main part of the hotel is the original building, dating back to the late 19^th Century, with more modern rooms added on around 8 years ago.  It was just like being on holiday, we found a little restaurant down the road for dinner, a night cap in the bar and off to sleep early in preparation for the event.  Well acts of God are just that and that Sunday was no exception, the wind was scheduled to blow and despite all hopes of it diminishing it did not let up. 

Kevin woke up to this sight at 6am

 Sadly at the same time Hout Bay, where we were, was being ravaged by out of control fires which left many people and animals homeless.  We raced to our vantage point next to the swimming pool at 7:15 am ready to be awed by the machine of cyclists as they swooshed round the corner toward Hout Bay, and we waited and we waited then suddenly a lone cyclist on a mountain bike sped past, that was when we realized there was a problem.  The race had been cancelled for the first time in history, the winds were blowing at over 100km/h on some areas of the route and cyclists and bicycles were being blown away at the start, even a porta potty toilet blew across the road.  So we had a really lovely breakfast and got back to work…

Departing Green Market Square on our
Walk

One of the best aspects of travelling is learning about new cities, countries, people and places, so Chrissy and I took the opportunity to learn more about Cape Town.  The Hop on Hop Off bus have 3 free guided walking tours, you merely tip your guide at the end of your tour, District 6, Bo Kaap and Cape Town Historical, all departing on foot from Green Market Square.  

Much of District 6 was never built on

We managed all 3 in one incredibly hot dusty informative day, beginning with the District 6 tour we heard the story of the dreadfully sad and truly inhumane forced removal of more than 60 000 people, mainly Coloured and some Black, White and Indian people from their homes and lives in District 6 in 1968, walked to what is now unused ground where once houses stood, the three Churches which still stand today as places of worship were safe from destruction, the Cape Technikon which was built on a portion of the "reclaimed" District 6 and some blocks of flats which have been built in a not very successful attempt at re-locating some of the expelled residents. 

The Jazz Club

Charlies Bakery

Jazz had a massive influence on the residents and District 6 contributed greatly to the history of South African jazz, one of the clubs still stands today, adorned with a picture of Nelson Mandela and other ANC struggle leaders. On the way back we stopped at  Charlies Bakery and the District 6 museum but soon realized this would require much more time to study the news paper articles and stories.

Next was a tour of Bo Kaap (literally translated "above Cape" referring to an area above the centre of Cape Town where some ex-slaves who were able to buy themselves property lived) the story goes that the local doctor painted his house a bright colour to make it recognizable to patients.  

Murals showing the influence of Jazz
and various cultures

Not to be outdone his neighbours and their neighbours, etc, also painted their houses in different colours until eventually Bo Kaap became the bright vibrant area with its beautiful cobblestone streets that it still is today.  
The Cape Malay style of cooking is unique, a combination of Asian, Arab and European influences and Bo Kaap, previously known as the Malay Quarter, is a great place to get aromatic spices and the traditional boeboetie.  
There are a couple of entrepreneurial ladies who run cooking classes from their bright homes where you can learn to make samosas, curry and other dishes.

A piece of the Berlin Wall donated
to Nelson Mandela in 1994

Lastly we did historical Cape Town, the Company’s Gardens, the Houses of Parliament where the bench still stands with its “Whites only” notice.  

The Slave Lodge

Where the Slave Auction Tree stood

We stopped at the Slave lodge just up from the docks where slaves spent their nights shackled after a full days labour and women and girls were brought out for the entertainment of sailors when a ship arrived, so many different nations contributing to the eventual Cape Coloured Community we know today.  
There is still a stone on Green Market Square to commemorate the slave tree where slaves were bought and sold, a large piece of the original tree is on display in the District 6 museum. 

Then time for saddest goodbyes as our cruising, drinking, adventure seeking, best buddies Chrissy and Alan and their beautiful Sundowner Rose set off on their travels, we were unable to go further than the harbor mouth to say farewell as we were missing a couple of pertinent bits from our yacht.  Their first stop was Dassen Island where they discovered a couple of engine issues so next was Yacht Port, Saldanha where things could get fixed (slowly of course, this is Cape Town).  
We paid them a quick overnight visit and were pleasantly surprised at how clean, quiet, simple and reasonably priced Saldanha is and there is delicious fresh fish to be found just about everywhere.  It is about 1.5 hours out of Cape Town, heading up the West Coast, but a beautiful place to spend some time with the options of being able to make short trips to Mykanos, Langebaan and Kraal Baai, we are very excited about the option of moving here once the major work on our boat is completed, hopefully by spring.

The grey rubber carpet we installed in the saloon was not very successful and has now been replaced, we much prefer the change.  We also painted the gelcoat surfaces of the cupboard walls in the saloon, they were getting stained and faded with age and it all just looks so great right now.

All this was around
 the seals neck!@#$!

We got great news, the little seal that had all the dreadful wire and plastic around its neck did in fact move to the V&A and the Aquarium guys caught it and removed all the horrid constrictions from around its neck, apparently he should heal up well and quickly.

Lastly, for those who have been sitting on the edge of their seats in anticipation of the outcome of the Apple Mac repair, we got an e-mail to go and collect the laptop from the i-Store.  Expecting the worst, that no repairs had been effected, we were pleasantly surprised to find they had in fact replaced the offending part under warranty, so Kevin now has a new laptop instead of anchor #applelivestoseeanotherday

And now we push extra hard to get as much work done as possible, we need to be in a good sailing condition to take part in the Pinto Russel Round Robben Island race on 27 April and on 28 April we fly to Europe - bit of business, lots of fun, can't wait, back end of May.....