OK, so here's the thing: I was not getting along with John nor he with me. So I left the boat that I felt was becoming a health hazard to me... physically and mentally. For those who know me well, and some who don't, you know how fussy I can be cleanliness. Neatness is important to me too but I can let someone's slight little messes go by. However, clean is very important to me. I also like my privacy and ii to keep my own space neat, tidy and well organized. John is vary far the other end of scale and it was driving me crazy. He is a nice, kind man but he just does not get this clean thing, Gets the neat, tidy organized thing even less. He means no harm and truly believes that the way he lives on his boat is like every other boat. I assure you that he is wrong. I've been an over a hundred sail and motor boats of every size and type from 16' day sails to 150' mega yachts and never seen anything approaching this.
So, enough said... I got off the boat today and checked into a lovely place called Tom's B&B. Tom is a nice German gentleman who has lived in Cape Town for 10 months. I chose his place for the location, price and facilities (not necessarily in that order) and am not disappointed. Frankly, it is even nicer than I had expected. There even a small deep wading pool in the front yard (surrounded by a high cement security fence) and a large TV in the common use living room. The bar is an honor bar (mark down what you take and pay at check out time) as is the use of the phone. The place is spotless thanks to Angelica, the housekeeper. The private bath is all new and beautifully shiny. Yes, I am quite happy.
Leaving was not an easy decision to make. This means I've made a mistake in judgment. Not easy to admit to for me. Well, everyone does once in a while. I've always prided myself on my good people sense but I was wrung with this one. Well, be there was a purpose in this, Cape Town may be where I have to be for some son yet unknown to me. After all, many of you are friends met by chance along travels, and that turned out great. So on I move to the next phase of this journey.
I will spend some time being a tourist and some time researching for my next move. My visa is good to February 14th and I intend to apply for an extension just in case.
Stay tuned for the next episode in this weird journey of mine.
OK.. so we're still here. John has said, "We will move to Hout Bay a few times but has delayed departure at least three times for various reasons. The winds here are brutal and that is his main concern. Again this evening he has suggested we'll move tomorrow morning... we'll see.
Being on a boat trapped in a marina is boring. All we ever do is work on and around the boat. Except the visit to town I took alone (to get away from the boat) and the afternoon in Kirstenbosch Gardens we have done nothing but hang out here and run errands. It would be more fun to be working on a large yacht where I would be making some money.
John has been making some improvements to the boat... new latches for the locker doors in the cabin, a clothes hanging rod in the bow cabin (for crew a leeboard for my bunk (to keep me from failing out when the boat is heeled over), replacing a couple of old hatch doors, etc.
We spent all last night and this morning into this afternoon working on the charts for the Indian Ocean. Labeling, sorting and determining what we don't have. It's a boring, time consuming and dirty task. John wants to go to a place here called the Yacht Grot where he can get charts dirt-cheap. They are mostly copies of older Charts. he has thousands of charts on his boat, They are stashed in every corner, cubby hole and niche and he wants to go through them all.
Yesterday I spent almost the entire day going through the food lockers sorting, cleaning and tossing old stuff. There is much more space for provisions now. I have only scratched the surface of that task. There are at least 14 more lockers where food and cooking supplies are stored that need to be checked, re-organized , sorted and cleaned. This is a filthy job too.
Yesterday I had to go back into town to pick up the laundry I took in Monday afternoon. Not many do-it-yourself laundries around. Most places do a load for you for R32-35/load or about $6-7, wash, dry and fold. Anyway, there is a young (20) lad on a neighboring boat, David, from Wales. A nice fellow too, but very Welsh. Meaning, he is burning to a crisp and has only a 30SPF lotion to use. I suggested a 60+ and promised to keep my eyes open for some. On Monday afternoon I bought him a tube of 100SPF at the pharmacy for R110 ($16) and he was quite chuffed about it. So yesterday I took him with me to get the laundry and walked him around the area so he could get a feel for where everything is-. banks, laundry, pharmacy, etc? close to the RCYC (yacht club). He went to a bank and got some money to repay me and have some 'walking around' cash. When we returned he bought me a drink (orange juice at 10am) and his captain and crewmate joined us after a few minutes. They are on a boat called Four Sisters that they are to deliver home to England as soon as the bailiff (sp?) releases it.
Cape Town is a nice place but I am not seeing much of the tourist stuff yet. John has to take me up the cable car to Table Mountain and to rent a car to drive to Cape Point to see the penguins there.
Table Mountain is so named for its flat top, sort of like a table. When the winds are blowing hard off the Atlantic, a cloud forms just that side and sweeps over the top, rolling down the Cape Town side. This effect looks like a tablecloth. There are huge spotlights on it at night and when the tablecloth is there it is quite dramatically beautiful.
The weather here today is blistering hot, very little wind, just a slight breeze, My berth in the bow (V-berth to you non-sailors) was running about 34 deg C at 3:00 this aft while the stern area (quarter berth and nav. table) were about 26 deg C. I have been getting several reports of extreme cold in Ottawa and environs so do not expect any sympathy. Please do not sent messages with foul language curses bemuse I am not there to suffer with you. I have all the sympathy in the world for everyone who is not getting away from the winter.
There are many people reading this message who are in warm, sunny places too. They will be sympathetic to those up north too.
I have seen a few things here that are new to me. Seals in the harbour feeding and or sunning themselves. We had a seal snoozing in the sun at the end of our dock, just 30 feet from the boat. A group of us from several boats were photographing it and it did not seem to care that we were getting too close. Then it roles over and exposed the fact that it had a fishing line or net around its neck. A couple of the guys from the French exploration boat held the seal down (heavy, leather gloves on their hands) and the captain, Jacques, cut it off with a sharp knife. The seal was miffed but lolled over and continued to sun itself. Yes, I did get photos and will post them when I can get to a real high-speed web access.
Another surprise... squirrels! How did those damn varmints get to SA?? Well, I bet the Dutch and English brought them. Dogs and cats... a rare sighting. People here don't seem to go for pet ownership So when Tjarda and Chris (neighbour boat) show up with there little jack Russell terrier it is a real treat for us. Trixie is a sweet little dog and very excited to see people. Another animal... pheasants the size of large turkeys. They are like pigeons in the Kirstenbosch Gardens... hanging around the picnickers hoping for a free lunch. Pigeons and sea gulls... two birds I had hoped I left behind in the northern hemisphere. I think that is it.
Oh, yes. Located a couple of PADI dive places and got the name of a fellow from Tjarda (herself a dive instructor with NAUI) who I can talk to about getting my certification as an Advanced Diver.
OK, so I had another great day in Cape Town yesterday.
Spent Saturday alone in town being a tourist. Visited a couple of historic sites including the Castle of Good Hope. Had lunch at Lola's Cafe. Lola's was first opened by my friend Wendy when she was living in Cape Town but she sold it nearly 5 years ago to her friend Russell. I spoke briefly with Russell just before leaving the cafe but it was too busy for him to stop to talk. It is a very busy place... going non-stop filled to max. from when I first passed it at 11:15am to when I left after lunch at 1:30pm. It's just a hole-in-the-wall place with sidewalk tables.
I enjoyed wandering around town, getting to know it a bit.
Yesterday, Sunday, John took me to visit the Kirstenbausch Botanical Gardens. This is dozens of acres of garden parkland with well over 2200 species of plants and trees. It was a delight to the senses. We took a mini-bus to a nearby town and a taxi to the Gardens. Returning we discovered that getting a taxi back was impossible so startedf walking to the highway (M4) where the mini-buses are. When we got to the M3 we noticed a couple of bus stops but were told by a passing motorist that they did not run on Sunday. S.A. closes on Sundays. He left but turned pack to give the lost (not) and confused (not) tourists a lift into town. Very nice man in a brand new BMW convetible sports car. Top down ride home was fun and nice.
On arrival at the RCYC we stopped at Danny and Coco's boat, a very nice cat, for a tea and visit with them and Peter (their crew member) before going back to our boat. Then while making dinner the captain of a research vessel at the end of our dock came by to invite us over for drinks. We made dinner, ate and went to their boat. A large catamaran. We were there until 10:45 drinking wine and talking with the other 8 or 9 visitors who came aboard.
Met a nice youth fellow from Wales, David, who is on his forst major trip abroad as crew on a Welsh cat being delivered home. It ran into heavy weather and lost a sail and received damage as a result. They are here doing repairs.
Meeting lots of great people and having loads of fun. Must run. Must eat breakfast.
... and will be for awhile. My sleep pattern is so mucked up that I cannot sleep. Longest I've slept is 2 hours and I am really getting punchy and out of whack. BLAH!!
Been running all over town everyday getting stuff for projects on the boat or just general stocking up supplies. It's been hectic. Today I took the day to go into town on my own to visit some more touristy things. Had lunch at Lola's Cafe (the sidewalk cafe that my friend Wendy used to own), visited the Tourism Office, wandered the streets of Cape Town getting to know the city and toured the Castle of Good Hope.
Just had an excellent conversation with another boater here. She and her husband have been living on their boat in the Indian Ocean and environs for 8 years. She knows everything there is to know about cruising in the Indian Ocean. A very informative talk.
Well that is it for now. Not much I know but then, there's not much to tell. Oh, yeah... it is windy and sunny and hot here.
... and this free internet service at the Royal Cape Yacht Club is ultra slow and problematic. I've tried getting to my webmail but there appears to be a problem with the page. So I'll do a posting and hope that it gets read. Please pass on the info to mutual friends and family if you are reading this.
Got to Cape Town this morning. Flight arrived 20 minutes early. I'm exhausted. Been on the go (packing, traveling and unpacking) for about 72 hours with only short sleeps of 30 minutes to 2 hours while on airplanes. Spent Tuesday afternoon at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to kill off part of my 9 hour layover between flights.
Now I'm punchy and grumpy and out of whack time wise. Need sleep. Must go to sleep now.
There are 2 new galleries... Trin Trip 2002 and Christmas and New Years 2003.
Both are temporary. If you have photos you want to download from either of these galleries do it before Saturday, 10 January 2003 at 6:00 pm. That is when I will be removing these galleries from the website. A special notice will be sent again to warn some people who I know want downloads.
Thank you
Happy New Year to everyone.
It has been a long time since I last did an entry. Had a great Christmas and New Years and will post photos in the next few days.
Well the plans are made. They have changed several times over the last 4 weeks but a decision has been made and flights are booked. During my search for a paying boat job an opportunity came my way that I just could not pass up. Not a paying job but a crew spot where the captain is footing the bill. So my living expenses are all covered and I will be reimbursed my half of my airfare (to get to the boat) during the trip in order to supply me with going ashore cash. Now you want to know about the boat and trip.
I received a message from a fellow in Cape Town, South Africa who is on an eastward circumnavigation. He needs a crew member and, after much emailing and phoning, I have decided to be it.
The boat is a traditional, wood 38' ketch. A Colin Archer double ender, full keel, very heavy displacement (20 tons) style designed by the well known naval architect, William Garden. A very comfortable and seaworth vessel that John built some 30 years ago. He has sailed over 100,000 miles in her and has (from the sound of things) kept her well maintained. The captain, John Williams, is from Sitka, Alaska where he lives on his island home and owns a sawmill that specializes in bevelled cedar siding milled from salvaged cedar beach logs. He left Sitka in August 2001 on this voyage and has returned periodically to earn some money (run the sawmill). He has sent me lots of detailed info about the boat and himself along with references. I feel confident that he is a good person and a well seasoned sea-going captain.
The route will take us about 4-6 months depending on how long we decide to spend on it. Weather will play a predominant role in these decisions as with all sailing voyages. Here is a likely itinerary:
Cape Town toRichards Bay to Europa 630 miles 7 days
Europa to Madagascar Central coastal islands 110 miles 1 day
Madagascar Central coastal islands to Cape St. Andre 350 miles 10 days
St. Andre to Majunga 120 miles 3 days
Majunga to Nosy Be 180 miles 7 days
Nosy Be 5 days
Nosy Be to Cape de Ambre 80 miles 4 days
Cape de Ambre to Seychelles 600 miles 7-10 days
(via Comorros and east Africa)
Nosy Be to Comorros 170 miles 2 days
Mayotte 5 days
Mayotte to Cape Delgado 300 miles 3 days
Cape Delgado to Zanzibar 300 miles 13 days
Zanzibar 3 days
Zanzibar to Seychelles 900 miles 9 days
Seychelles 5 days
Seychelles to Addu (Maldives) 1080 miles 10 days
Addu to Male (Maldives) 300 miles 13 days
Male to Sri Lanka 410 miles
Sri Lanka 7 days
Sri Lanka to Lankawi (Malaysia) 1040 miles 10 days
Without the east Africa, Comorros option:
Total passage time - 62 days
Total rest/interior travel time - 34 days
With the east-Africa, Comorros option included: (from Nosy Be via Zanzibar)
Total passage time - 73 days
Total rest/interior travel - 48 days
So about 3 months by the most direct route and around 4 months if east Africa is included.
Of course my preference is to include east Africa and Comorros.
My flights are as follows although the return route is still not carved in stone:
Depart Ottawa Jan 12 23:25, arrive London Heathrow Jan 13 11:15
(may go into London for the afternoon by train)
Depart London Heathrow Jan 13 20:15, arrive Cape Town Jan 14 09:50
Then returning:
Depart Kuala Lampur (Malaysia) July 13 02:00, arrive Dubai (United Arab Emirates) July 13 04:40
Depart Dubai July 13 07:45, arrive London Heathrow July 13 12:15
Depart London Heathrow July 13 15:15, arrive Ottawa July 13 17:45
That return trip seems shorter (about 15 hours) than it really is due to the westward travel. The jet lag on the trip back will be a killer. But I will have had 6 months of fabulous adventure travel to keep my mind upbeat and my body tired enough to sleep on the planes. I am getting used to airports and how to get about in them. I've been through some of the best and a few of the worst. Strangely, it is the ones that are the smallest that can be the worst. Dominican republic airports are horrible because of all the porters and taxi jerks with their hands out. Sometimes you have to wrestle your luggage away from them. One guy who claimed to have supplied me with a taxi (he practically knocked the driver out of the way to open the door for me) wanted a tip! He did not get one. I have become a tough customer in these things.
I will be flying on Air Canada, South African and Emirates Airlines. If you have had experience on either of the last two let me know.
John has also suggested the possibility of me working at the sawmill in the summer. So after a couple or three weeks in Ottawa I may head up to Alaska to earn a bit of money to replenish the coffers. That is not yet decided and much will depend on the five or six months spent aboard S/V Faraway. If all goes well, John has asked that I continue to crew for him for the rest of the circumnavigation. He will be returning to the boat in Southeast Asia in October 2004 to sail through the Asian Pacific (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Indies, northern Australia) to the South Pacific and New Zealand. That would be another 4-6 month journey. But it is still not carved in stone. The last part of his sailing venture will take him across the Pacific to South America and northward back to Alaska.
As far as my career plans for the future go. I believe that my mind is pretty much made up. I will be returning to school to study Interior Design or Decorating. The school and exact course has not yet been chosen. I may decide to study abroad. Then I'll use the training to start a new business. The idea is to do personal environment consultations. More details about that later as they unfold.
So that is it for now. Wish me luck on this next phase of my personal journey and world travels. Keep your eye on this blog for further updates. I may (if the guy gets it up and running on time) also be doing entries in the cruising log (CLOG) that I've been asked to do as a test case. When it is ready I'll let you know the website address.