After surviving losing a mast in the Atlantic ocean, being a flotilla crew skipper/crew for 6 months in Greece with that bloody nasty Meltemi and some very inexperienced skippers, plus spending 3 days on board during the worst winds EVER recorded in Gordons Bay Yacht Club, yet walking down a wobbly jetty in the semi-dark … Continue reading Full blown PTSD when returning to the boat after six months on land.
JUNE 2024 - SOUTH AFRICA. Dear friends, We have had a particularly wet week in the Western Cape, 4 days of non-stop rain. Unfortunately, water flooded into SV Knowind through a partially open hatch, so this weekend will be spent doing a big mopping-up operation, in between watching the tennis finals being played at Roland … Continue reading No Fun when there’s No Sun (or Sailing).
I unashamedly admit to being an atheist even though I had a fairly strong Christian upbringing, forced to attend Sunday school week after week, year after year until I rebelled sometime in my high school years. So it felt fairly hypocritical to want to suddenly start pleading with a higher power when being battered with … Continue reading 3 Days of Hell in 60 plus (up to 81.2) knots of wind.
13 things that can help to make living on your sailboat easier: Living on a sailboat can be both exhilarating and challenging, but there are certainly ways to make life aboard easier and more enjoyable. We have lived aboard SV Knowind for a full 8 years and here are a few things that can enhance … Continue reading 13 things that make living on your sailboat easier:
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 … Continue reading Newsletter April 2024
Aloha from a windy Hout Bay Yacht Club near the tip of Africa,Autumn is fast approaching in the Southern Hemisphere. The sun is taking a tad longer to rise and shine and is gracefully sinking into the ocean earlier and earlier.A couple of months ago, while sipping sundowner cocktails in the cockpit, the Captain and … Continue reading Newsletter March 2024.
We were lucky enough to sail in the Saronic Gulf in Greece for six months, and Hydra was one of our favourite islands. There is something magical about the tiny island of Hydra in the Saronic Gulf of Greece. Perhaps it is the lack of cars, motorbikes, or even bicycles which are not allowed on … Continue reading Everything you need to know about visiting Hydra, Greece.
November 2023. Hello friends, family and fellow sailors, albeit in armchairs or those on the water. I'm quite erratic with newsletters, I put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) when there's a bee buzzing in my brain and I need to let it out. Right now, there are a swarm of bees buzzing in … Continue reading Let’s start planning our sailing adventure in the Indian Ocean in 2024.
Hello to all our faithful subscribers and friends, Cape Town has had its wettest recorded winter for the last 50 years, some say forever. Record-breaking storms and rain, smashing seas and fury lashing the coastline causing havoc. However, it is not only the long and lonely winter with bloody awful weather on board that has … Continue reading Newsletter Sept. 2023 :”Am I getting too old for this lifestyle?”
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