This week we pick up our story back at the beginning, in South Africa.
Zaya had completed a learn to sail course
and we drove down to Simonstown to spend our first night aboard Luckyfish
Did you enjoy your few days of sailing?
Wasnt it marvellous? Yes. Like a trip down memory lane it was.
It's been alot of fun and, its so exciting to see a new sailor in the community
And, she truly is a sailor.
It was Zaya's first chance to see the boat and Dan the Builder was there to meet us
Dan gave us a lashing demonstration.
He then described the operation of the engines.
and we left the marina for our first sail.
Put the port engine in forward. Yeah, OK.
Is there a release button underneath is there?
No, no. Just give it a good shove.
Its in gear there. Its just idling. Thats fine.
Just let the gust go. Yeah.
OK
Get the gaff nice and level. Yes.
Thats the furler loaded
Nice job. Very nice.
It sets, very nice.
Five and a half in ten to twelve.
No. With only two sails up!
We could get the spinnaker up. The boat just loves the spinnaker.
Well, lets do the spinnaker.
Dans just getting the spinnaker ready
The wind didn't cooperate for the spinnaker so Dan set up the vane
steering for its first trial
Is it coming around? It is coming around
It had been an exciting day leaving us with plenty
to think about
we returned to the marina and prepared for a sail the next day on our own
the weather was perfect again
we sailed around for a few hours but we were
anxious to take the boat to Saldanha Bay, probably South Africa's most protected
cruising-ground that would mean Zayas first coastal trip
would round the Cape of Good Hope. Dan gave us a strategy to do it
wait for a calm night and motor to the Cape arrive at sunrise just as the
Seabreeze starts to kick in turn north and ride the wind for a hundred and
twenty miles to Saldanha
we return to the dock checked the forecast again provisioned the boat
and left at 2 a.m. the following morning
Well, thats Cape Point and just behind that's the Cape of Good Hope
and we're having lots of good hopes we get around in one go.
It's about 5:30 in the morning and we left, what, about three hours ago
from Simonstown down there.
We've had about a 10 to 5 kt southeasterly and err,
motored all the way and its been just perfect conditions
to get round this point
I've got a good co-skipper here.
One of Mongolia's finest.
Right after rounding the Cape the sun rose, the cloud lifted, and the sea breeze filled in right on cue
We enjoyed a fast sail north arriving at Saldanha Bay just before midnight.
We berthed at Yachtport, Robertson and Caine's new Leopard catamaran launching
base and found the staff and facilities to be nothing short of excellent
This little guy thought so too and went to work on his meal of fresh calamari
After spending a day at Yachtport we left to explore the bay.
Well, this is navigating in Saldanha port.
Theres a major iron-ore facility here and that
ship over there's just being taken under tow by
the tug and it's about to go out but we think we're going to get in the front of
that one without terribly much difficulty and then over here there's
another iron ore ship there, bulk carrier that's sitting on anchor and then
in the distance there there's an oil rig that came in overnight from Nigeria
it's replacing one that left yesterday this is a maintenance facility here and
I dont think that presents much of a problem its speed is about two knots apparently
you just see a wake coming off of its legs there there's something pushing it
Pretty impressive.
Theres another bulk-carrier that's just left for the heads
earlier on. And we're heading up behind that green
ship there's a lagoon way up there which is supposedly very protected it looks
lovely and good fishing nice beaches and away from all this industrial stuff
To describe the next few weeks we spent at Saldanha Bay as idyllic would be an
understatement
Saldana was the first time for everything
it was the first time we flew
the spinnaker
The asymmetric on the Tiki 38 is launched in a sock and controlled
by two sheets and two guys
There is no pole it couldn't be made any easier to
handle and got us a long way across the Atlantic
It was the first time we fished on Luckyfish.
who could have guessed back then
that Zaya would become so passionate about fishing
Theres some good big ones.
See, thats how you do it.
are they coming out clean?
All one piece
And then you use this tool
There you go.
Eat that fishy!
It was the first time we caught something too
What are they called?
I think its a Stumpnose
We anchored for the first time at the pretty Kraal Bay
We're the new South Africans
So proud!
They build good yachts!
It was the first time we used the dinghy.
and realized it was too big for our needs
It was also the first time we used the solar shower
Hot water is going to finish !
and the first time we'd ever heard of a Greek island called Mykonos
in South Africa
We met Jackie and Alete
they sail a Chris White Atlantic catamaran and
and Jackie also sails this Flicka design
we took them for a sail.
Now, what I dont understand is
Why do all this organisation?
Just turn the bloody thing around and go!
Jackie you are so right, you know, we came here with a
view of making a list of jobs before we, you know, head off but
its really only ourselves we've got to get ready. The boats ready to go.
Well, Jackie is right, but we still ended up with this
job list as long as your arm and started work with our last remaining days back
at Yachtport
We oiled the decking timbers. This involved a lot of work on our knees and I ended
up with bursitis and couldn't fly. This landed us in trouble with South African
immigration as Zaya was forced to overstay by just two days. There is no
option to extend in South Africa.
Before she overstayed we got advice that it would be OK
Just a small fine.
Instead, Zaya got banned for 12 months.
An appeal would take 90 days. If the appeal failed we would not be able to return to our
boat for another year
We left the boat on the hardstand at Yachtport and
returned to Mongolia to build up the cruising Kitty research and order parts
to outfit the boat for crossing the Atlantic get Zaya's overstay appeal under
way and throw in our jobs
Join us in the next videos as sailing legend
Rory McDougall joins us.
Tuya signs on as crew.
We get started on
the job list
and run into the bureaucratic bungle that is South Africa
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Thanks everyone and Cheers !
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