RCYC, Capetown, SA

We are back on the boat at the RCYC after a visit from Jennifer and  her friend Ed. They arrived last Sunday and we had a very busy week sightseeing. The yacht club had a live jazz band playing on Sunday and we had a very boozy lunch listening to the music. On Monday, we took the red tourist bus which took us all over Capetown and we took the cable car to the top of the Table Mountain and then lunch overlooking the beach at Blues in Camp Bay.
Next day,we went on the boat to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned until 1992. A well worthwhile tour and strongly recommended.
We wandered around the V and A waterfront area for the afternoon, lots of stores there. On Wednesday we rented a car and we took Jennifer to renew her ENG-1 in downtown Capetown and on to lunch in Kalk Bay at Live Bait and then to Simonstown to see the African penguins. We drove all the way down False bay to Cape Point and took the cable car to the most south westerly point in Africa. Most spectacular views! We drove back through Hout Bay, so it was a long and tiring day but we saw a great deal of the cape.
On Thursday we took the car to Franschhoek and took the rather kitschy " wine tram" to all the various vineyards in the area. I'm not too sure about the tram but there was no other easy way of doing this without a designated driver as we were all a bit tipsy by late afternoon, having visited four vineyards. Franschhoek valley is an experience.
 Dozens of vineyards, mostly small, but some larger commercial ones. Our favorite was Grand Provence. In many ways more beautiful than Napa and Sonoma with incredible scenery and views from the surrounding mountains.
We had a superb lunch the next day at the Grand Provence with some delicious wine and then went on to look at Stellenbosch the other famous wine growing valley. The town was much bigger than Franschhoek with a younger vibe and also surrounded by vineyards, though these seemed much bigger and more commercial than Franschhoek.
Both valleys are only about 90 minutes drive from Capetown and we will definitely go  and spend more time in Franschhoek when we get back from Namibia.
We had some dinner at a fairly divey looking restaurant close to RCYC called Panama Jacks. Very good seafood and sushi and full of locals.
Yesterday, we took a ride to Groot Constantia which is the oldest vineyard in South Africa and we did the the wine tour and tasting and had a very good lunch. We visited the botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch which was excellent but we unfortunately had three hours to spend there before closing time. We will return to spend a day there in January.
The yacht club was busy on our return following a big race sponsored by Mount Gay Rum. And you all know what happens when free rum and sailors are combined. It was a loud and lively evening.
Jenn and Ed left this morning for their tour of Knysna and the Garden Route and we will see them again on Thursday.
We are back to boat chores today and my new dinghy and motor will arrive tomorrow and the Volvo boys will be back with my heat exchanger and aftercooler and will fit them and do the cam belt and some other maintenence.
I still haven't found a new speed log impeller but I hope I will be able to source one this week.
Photos to follow.

Garden Route photos

Ibis colony, Montague

Driving through the Karoo

Garden Route Photos

Plettenberg Beach

sand pipers- plettenberg

A view of Mossel Bay

Cloud creeping over the coastal mountains-Karoo

Driving through The Karoo-looks like the great basin highway in Nevada

Senor Dias' caravel. Maritime Museum, Mossel bay

Hiking in the Knysna forest

Ostriches on a farm. Very dopey creatures

Surprisingly good lunch in Prince Albert, Karoo

Traditional Dutch architecture, Montague

Dutch reformed Church, Montague

A view of Franschoek, from the Franschoek pass. We are at the level of the cloud

RCYC, Capetown, SA

We just got back from our week long walkabout along the Garden Route in South Africa. We rented a car ( nasty Hyundai i20) and drove from Capetown and stopped for lunch at The Old Goal House restaurant in the charming town of Swellendam. Then on to Mossel Bay for the night at a very nice Protea hotel on the hill overlooking the bay. Dinner at the very informal Kaai 4 on the beach. The Admiral had a mussel pot and I had a traditional lamb bar b que. We visited the excellent Dias museum on the following day. Lots of interesting stuff in the maritime museum, including the replica of a caravel that sailed  from Portugal to Mossel bay in the fifteenth century by the intrepid Senor Dias.
Next stop was Knysna and lunch at the East Head Cafe overlooking the lagoon. It was a fairly calm day and entry into the lagoon would have been easy that day. We stayed at another Protea Hotel, very well located for the Waterfront and the Knysna Yacht Club. We had dinner with our friends, John and Tracey at the The Olive Tree, which I would recommend strongly.
We went on to Plettenberg Bay next day and had a nice lunch at Enrico's at Keurboomstrand. Good restaurant offering local oysters and prawn overlooking Plettenberg Bay and the beach.
We drove east for for a further 25 miles and visited Nature's Valley and had a lovely walk on an almost deserted beach that was reminiscent of the 90 mile beach on the north island of New Zealand.
Next day we had a long drive into the Karoo. We saw lots of ostrich farms in Oudshoorn on our way north into spectacular high desert country to the small village of Prince Albert and then a long drive back to Knysna.
We went over to the yacht club that evening for their end of Movember Party. Lots of red wine and oysters for dinner.
In order to counter these excesses we did a long hike in the Knysna forest the next day. It was a perfectly clear day in lovely, rolling countryside.
On our way out to dinner that night we had an unfortunate encounter with South Africa's seamier side. My ATM debit card was cloned by some crafty locals. It was my fault really as I did not take the usual precautions that I should have done. I made a successful withdrawal at an ATM and while we were walking away two people called us back and said that the transaction was incomplete and that I should re-insert the card. I should have just walked away but I did re-insert the card and put in my PIN. The machine promptly ate the card and before I could get back to the hotel and the internet, these two jokers had maxed out the card. How they got the card out of the machine is not obvious to me but this scam it apparently quite common in Africa I am now sadder but wiser.
Fortunately, the bank made up the loss but from now on, I will only do ATM withdrawals in broad daylight inside a reputable bank. Never use free standing ATM machines and if anyone approaches you, however friendly, while you are doing your transaction, tell them to go away in no uncertain terms even if it means being rude. If an ATM eats you card cancel it immediately as your account is likely compromised.
Leaving Knysna, the next day we went north on route 62, stopping in Callisdorp for a very pedestrian lunch but the port and dessert wine vineyards were worth a visit. That we stayed at the Mimosa guest house in Montague which is also quite beautiful with traditional Dutch architecture surrounded by vineyards.
We had a wonderful 4 course dinner that evening at the Mimosa and slept very soundly indeed.
We drove back through the Franschoek Pass (amazing views) and on to Franschoek itself and then the wine country of Stellenbosch. We visited the Beyerskloof Winery for lunch and some tasting of their wares and then back to Capetown.
While we had wheels we took a small detour to the Gemini-Evo factory where they make RIBs. I found one in hypolon which will fit nicely on our afterdeck and will be a much better choice than our old Westmarine dinghy. They put us in touch with a local retailer who gave us a very good price on the new dinghy and a Yamaha 15 hp. 2 stroke and even better agreed to take the old one in trade-in.
I should have the new one on Monday. Yay!
Back the yacht club where it was blowing a gale literally. 35 kts with gusts to over 50!
Such is springtime in Capetown, oh well.
Photos to follow.

RCYC, Capetown, SA

The Admiral and I are back on the boat in sunny but incredibly breezy Capetown. The southeasterly is in full force with winds at the dock in the 20-30 range with gusts to the mid 40's. Fortunately, there is no swell or surge but quite noisy and not really conducive to sitting out on deck and enjoying the sunshine and the amazing view of the table mountain.
We have been spending our time cleaning up. It would appear that Callisto was man clean but not Admiral clean, so everything has been pulled from almost every locker, cleaned and replaced.
I'm making progress with my boat chores. I have my sails back from North Sails but it's been too blowy to put them on the furlers. Perhaps this weekend I'll be able to see if the modifications made to the mainsail has made any difference in how the main sets and how well it furls.
My Furuno Chart plotters are back and they are working well  after a software update and a general checkover.One of the GPS units is still having a problem and may need to be replaced.
The B and G Hydra 3000 computer is still not putting out and boat speed info but the wind speed and direction are now good. The tech is confident that he can get the speed log going too.
The cam belt will be replaced and the cooling system will get service in December once the parts arrive from Sweden.
We have been to the V and A waterfront area in Capetown to wander about and to see the 7 open 65 boats in the Volvo Round the World Race. The arrived last week on the first leg from Alicante, Spain and they left again for Abu Dhabi, yesterday.
Rather them than me, those boats look brutal. I'm still trying to get into the marina at the V and A waterfront but they say they are all booked up until January 10 when the world ARC boats have departed. We have encountered the world ARC boats in various places over the past 5 years and they book up space years in advance wherever they go so that we solo cruisers don't get a look in.
In the mean time we have planned some road trips. Next we are going to spend a week on the Garden route back to the East Cape and we will visit Mossel Bay, Knysna again and various wineries and parks go back through the mountains of Route 62.
Our daughter Jennifer arrives a few days after we get back and a trip is planned to Robbens Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and the wine country of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.
We are going to do our Namibian safari experience over the holidays and we look forward to seeing the local fauna.
It's good to see the sun again after grey and dreary England. The weather was quite mild for November but often wet, which is to be expected. The Admiral's mother is recovering well from her hip surgery and should be back to her normal activities in a few more weeks. I did get to see my family in London and Rochester and spend some time with baby Sydney. I did a full day while Jessica was at work and I had forgotten how exhausting looking after a busy two year old can be.
Unfortunately, I did not get to see my old London pals but there will be plenty of time for that next year when we plan to spend a year in the UK.
Some photos of the Volvo Open 65's and the poppies at the Tower of London.

The SCA all female team leaving Capetown for leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Very tough looking ladies aboard

the start of leg 2. Capetown to Abu Dhabi

Baby Sydney with tiara and beads building a lego castle

dinner time

panograph of the Volvo boats at the waterfront

Our very smart, new blue Ensign defaced with the Little Ship Club logo

Some of the ceramic poppies planted in the moat at the Tower of London in October. By Remembrance Day on November 6th. 880,000 poppies had been placed, one for all the Commonwealth servicemen who died in the Great War. A very impressive sight.

Amersham, Bucks, UK

I find myself unexpectedly in England. The Admiral's mother suffered a fall last
week and broke her hip which required some surgery at a local hospital. This 
meant that the Admiral could not leave for South Africa on November 1st as 
planned so I decided to come here to lend some moral support.
It was a difficult to make the change from bright sunshine in Capetown to grey 
Blighty but needs must and the weather so far has been quite mild and pleasant.
Mother in law is recovering well and should be discharged on Monday to begin her 
rehab at home.
Some comments about Capetown. We left Knysna on a sunny afternoon to reach the 
Knysna heads at just before the slack high tide and exit was easy with no 
breaking waves to worry about. The bad news was we had to push into 15 knot 
headwinds for about twenty hours and made very poor progress. The southwesterly 
winds were forecast but we had to leave when we did as the local knowledge 
suggested that due to the south westerlies the heads would be closed for at 
least two days. This was in fact the case and it was just as well we left when 
we did. 
After twenty hours of motoring the wind shifted to the east and we had some good 
downwind sailing around the Cape of Good Hope up to around Green Point. Dolphins 
and whales were there to greet us on a lovely clear afternoon in view of the 
iconic Table Mountain.
We entered into the harbour and on to the Royal Cape Yacht Club and tied up to 
the end of BX dock. The club was having its annual opening day and was very busy 
indeed. We enjoyed a few beers and a good dinner to celebrate the final landfall 
of the long cruise.
Next day Ray and I went to visit the Victoria and Alfred waterfront area and the 
Capetown boat show. The boat show was very small but enjoyable nonetheless. We 
took a look at a fifty foot catamaran, the Knysna 500 which was spectacular. 
Would be perfect for our next circumnavigation!
The waterfront area is the place to be in Capetown with many restaurants and 
shopping. There is a marina there but are no berths available until January 10, 
2015 so that's where we will be in the new year. With a bit of luck, something 
will open up before that date.
Once back at the RCYC the wind was howling from the SE at at least 30 knots. No 
swell but very blowy, whereas the waterfront marina was much more protected from 
the SE winds.
The RCYC is very pleasant with an active racing program but not in the best 
area, surrounded by the docks and no way of getting into downtown without 
getting a cab or the bus. So it looks like we'll stay here until something opens 
up at the waterfront.
Ray and I rented a car on the following day to take a ride around the area and 
visit with Peter on S/V Lady Amber, a 65 foot research boat in Hout Bay. Peter 
gave us some very helpful weather information on the leg from Reunion so we took 
him out for some lunch and a few beers to return the favour. He was a very 
interesting fellow and we spent the afternoon swapping stories and telling lies. 
The marina at Hout Bay was far more exposed to south easterlies than the RCYC 
with wind and swell, so it did not appear to be a useful option to stay there. 
Too bad, because Hout Bay itself was delightful.
I took Ray to the airport on the following morning for his flight to Australia. 
He was excellent crew and I very much enjoyed his company.
I spent the next few days wandering around Capetown, fixing stuff and eating my 
way through the freezer prior to leaving for the UK.
There are lots of facilities for sailboat repair and I took the radar/ chart 
plotters and the GPS off the boat for bench testing and possible repair at the 
Furuno agent. I had the linear drive for the auto pilot serviced and returned 
within 24 hours. Just as well, as the brushes were on their last legs.
The mainsail and genoa are off the boat and at the Northsails dealer. They 
appear to be in remarkable shape after more than 40,000 miles but will need some 
restitching and a new UV cover for the mainsail. I'm also going to have all the 
vertical battens removed and have the leach recut to give a small amount of 
negative roach. I have been having trouble furling and unfurling the mainsail 
and the leach flutters when close on the wind. This modification will involve 
losing about 5% of the sail area but will be worthwhile to preclude a serious 
jam while underway.
I also found a B and G guy who will service the wind instruments and the speed 
log both of which are having some issues.
I need to find a Volvo dealer to service the cooling system and that should 
complete all the maintenance needed for now. A haul out is scheduled at RCYC in 
March.
A long and tedious flight on Air France to England for about two weeks and an 
opportunity to visit with family and friends.
Peter from R/V Lady Amber in Hout Bay








leaving Knysna
dolphins at the Cape of Good Hope
Approaching Capetown with the Table Mountain in view







knysna






more dolphins
the marina at the RCYC. note the "tablecloth" on the mountain. A southeasterly is blowing hard
view from the Knysna YC


more views of Knysna

dinner at the
portuguese restaurant in Knysna

the new salty look. Hemmingway or Castaway you decide

Knysna, South Africa

We left Durban after a very pleasant few days. We were well looked after at the Point Yacht Club and were offered full use of their facilities during our stay there. I met with some old friends, Gerald and Diane from the catamaran Whiskers and Stuart and Sheila  from Imagine arrived from Richards Bay soon after us. It's just as well we got into Durban when we did as the weather turned nasty the day after with a great deal of wind and rain.  I got to look around Durban while Ray and Ted went to visit a game park. Everyone here has been incredibly friendly and I was introduced to a Durban favorite called bunnychow, which is the curry of your choice served up in a quarter  of a hollowed out loaf of bread. Very innovative and tasty. Prices are very good value and I Callisto spruced up with a wash, buff out and wax for less than  $200 USD.
We left last Wednesday intending to go to Mossell Bay but decided instead to go into Knysna, which is about 50 miles to the east. Getting in was a bit tricky but well worth it as the lagoon is quite spectacularly beautiful. The Knysna Yacht Club, were in what appears to be the SA tradition and have been quite wonderful. The weather has again turned and from 80 degrees on Monday to 60 degrees today and yesterday, with quite a bit of wind and rain.
We expect some clearing tomorrow and will leave for the final push for Capetown in the afternoon or Friday morning. Only another 300 miles to go to end this epic.
Photos soon as Internet not good here also some statistics about the Indian Ocean voyage.