| Hello everyone, As I sit here contemplating the events of April 2024, all I can say is: it’s been eventful!! Last month’s newsletter told of our winter plans to be on land and we started the journey sailing from Saldhana Bay, down the West coast of South Africa to Hout Bay, en route to Gordons Bay. In Hout Bay, I tripped on an unfamiliar jetty (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it) and smashed several bones in my left wrist. Nightmare time, agonisingly painful, a lot of a’weeping and a’wailing as I alternatively either loudly and angrily berated myself for my stupidity or cried buckets of self-pity tears! The main problem was the approaching sail around the notorious Cape Point as we are a 2 man crew and I was completely incapacitated, however, the Captain single-handedly safely sailed us to Gordons Bay. Safe at last. Or so we thought. An anticipated blow gusting 40 knots was forecast for Friday night; in reality it reached 55 knots and Saturday morning Michael lashed the sails down extra tight, dinghy deflated and stowed, solar panels removed and stored on land. Winds reached 65 knots throughout Saturday night and Sunday and peaked at an almighty (recorded) record-breaking 81.2 knots at 1.24 am on Sunday morning. Genoa got shredded causing so much strain and ratattatatat noise we expected the mast to come crashing down at any moment. Monday morning there was a lull in the wind and I shouted like a banshee to be rescued by the NSRI who had actually been on their way to evacuate us on Saturday but the main walkway had sunk! They rescued us by boat, were efficient and so kind and caring, we cannot thank them enough. So, off to the guesthouse we went where we will be spending the winter, miserable, exhausted but otherwise physically ok after having a medical checkup (Captain), me with my broken wrist but oh, so happy to be on land!    So far we love the outdoor space, walks, outings, shopping without a provisioning list (and as often as we like, even having it delivered to our front door, no dinghy!), loooong hot showers, the microwave and my new best friend, the Dishwasher! We miss our small, cosy, rocking boaty bed, the smell of the sea, the sunsets and sunrises, even the damn seagulls. Most of all we miss the safety and security of being on a boat (ironic I know) but the remote gates, necessary security company, barbed wire and a constant sense of being highly alert are strange to us after 8 years of boat life. Certainly, something we have to adapt to! If you are about to start your summer sailing season in the Northern Hemisphere, pop into our shop for some fun and practical Nautical Necessities. https://nauticalnecessities.shop/ Safe sailing! Captain Mike and Nikki. |
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