Somewhere in the Atlantic on the way to St. Helena.
Well, this was all not part of the original plan…
That is, to buy another boat, refit, commit to a ‘land based’ life but in a nomadic style etc, but finally a year had passed and we were once again ready to leave, albeit not up the Red Sea! It would have to be another route. Having already sailed the Indian Ocean, we decided to cross the Atlantic and see what adventures were in store for us.
My provisioning task was well practiced, no hassles there, but what did occupy much deliberation and time was the school syllabus and associated media. I spent hours on photocopy machines and with various grade teachers at Hudson Park Primary, where I had been fortunate enough to get a temp teaching post for 9 months. Rob Prentice, the principal, was very trusting and relaxed, he interviewed me in a chance encounter on the play-ground and we moved the family into the double storey house that was the hostel and we did some hostel duty in lieu of accommodation. It was a very workable arrangement.
Finesse, Buffalo River.
Finally we were ready to leave! We had a fairly blustery sail down to Cape Town, but following the rule of thumb for the South African coast, we left on the back of the South Westerlies, catching the North Easterlies within a few hours, and most importantly – Never missed a Port! Once in Hout Bay, we enjoyed a social life with family and cousins not seen for years, before clearing out in Cape Town and heading up to Mykonos on the West coast for a final fresh provisioning. Those of you who are not South African, put Cape Town on your Bucket List – you will not be disappointed!
Leaving for St. Helena from Mykonos, one does not find the trade winds immediately. We started our 1700 mile journey very slowly, anxious not to burn off diesel too soon, and on one day did a mere 36 miles! (Compare this 15 years later on ‘Katlyn’ and you will see a very different crossing). It was a very long way at an average of 5 knots and made all the more challenging when on day 2 our autohelm packed up. This piece of equipment is virtually indispensable when cruising with two children of 7 and 9, schooling them both and providing 3 meals with boat baked bread. This is a time consuming matter, but to add to that either Doug or myself now had to helm all the time, so 3 hour active watches had to be implemented. We radioed ‘Autohelm’ who undertook to contact the yacht ‘Tao’ with Lindsay and Anne aboard, who were due to leave SA shortly and sent out a replacement for the faulty one.
Land Ahoy!
St. Helena is a captivating and charming place; even as one approaches the dramatic volcanic landscape and deep surrounding sea leaves you with no doubt that this tiny island lives in a world of its own, no wonder Napoleon was exiled here. Still only accessible by boat, the island is rich in history and simply beautiful to tour. Of special interest is that 6000 Boer war prisoners were incarcerated here, many of whom died on St. Helena. There is a dedicated cemetery, read about it at http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol113an.html
Kate, Cliff, Dylan and Luke in 1998.
The Windora’s 10 years later.
It was a wonderful coincidence that we were to meet up with Phil, Lynda, Cliff and Luke, a New Zealand family on ‘Windora’ and Bruce, Veronica and Sabrina on ‘Wanderlust’. The 5 children spent days together exploring, sharing their toys and comparing ‘school’ boats. As we were all on the same general route across the Atlantic, St. Helena proved to be only the first venue for many social hours and combined meals, shared adventures and of course the inevitable troubleshooting for a host of boat/engine problems. It is always easier when there is a ‘pack’ of greasy, rugby shorts clad men brainstorming and fixing, followed by a Windhoek or Castel lager at sundown.
– Val
Captions to be added at a later stage.
Sailing Katlyn 