Early June 2005
The count down had finally begun and departure date was around the corner! I officially ended work at the Adwarehouse at the end of May, but found I could not drag myself away from the business whilst in Durban. Even at the 12th hour, I was still putting in the hours at work, ensuring that everything was in order. The truth may have been that I was trying to tear myself away from “my” business but emotionally it was not as easy! Between preparing the boat, and organizing our affairs at home, I was still involved in many work related issues.
I had set the 6th June as possible departure date, but soon realized it was out of the question. It was too soon after leaving work and certainly too soon to get everything in order before setting off.
I even had to complete my Coastal Skippers ticket, write a radio exam and get Shayile cleared for international waters by SAMSA. The 6th June came and went. This, coupled with work, finding tenants for our house and tie-ing up loose ends, dragged the departure date out still further.
Joining us for the first 6 weeks of our voyage was Cyril Foley. Cyril was an experienced sailor and I asked him to assist B and I in adjusting to life at sea. Those first few weeks, so I was told and learned, are the most difficult. With Cyril, we had expert assistance and additional eyes for those night watches along our, sometimes, treacherous coastline.
The East Coast of South Africa is renowned for its adverse weather. We would remain in constant contact “Peri Peri”. This was Fred, the local weather guru, broadcasting via marine frequencies to the yachties out there and within reach. (Sadly, Fred passed away in 2008)
We needed a “window”, a gap in the weather, where we could safely set off for Richards Bay in moderate conditions and Fred was our ears and eyes on the ocean and weather conditions.
14th JUNE
“5 trolleys of food have arrived on the boat courtesy of B and Daniel. Poor Daniel couldn’t even see over the top of his trolley! I was now starting to watch the weight issue carefully as Shayile was getting heavier each day.
We now had Shayile virtually fully provisioned and besides fuel and water, there was very little left to pack on board.
17th JUNE
I go down with a bad dose of flu. All packing and preparations come to a grinding halt. I did not even have the energy to go watch my brother Donald complete the Comrades marathon. For 3 days I was useless, and seriously frustrated. Then Jenna and Daniel went down with a dose of flu as well. B took control (as she always does) and kept us all comfortable as possible.
I was now looking at Tuesday the 21st as the departure date as there appeared to be a weather window developing with moderate SW winds to take us to Richards Bay. However it still seemed we may not be healthy enough to leave.
21st JUNE
B”S COMMENTS
Anyone who knows me knows that I am most happy sitting on our home veranda in my swing chair, freshly perked cup of coffee and a really good novel! So how did I come to find myself bobbing around at the end of a jetty, in rather stinky, totally dirty, Durban harbour? Well, it’s just testimony to how much I love the man I chose to marry nearly 15 years ago! Admittedly it took him another 5 years to get round to being at the other end of the aisle but that’s another story.
Anyway here we were and the whole darn lot was sick, sweaty and sore. I have done nothing but pick up, wash up and tidy up which I could handle if there was some beautiful scenery, chilled cocktails and stunning sunsets but no such luck!
Tonight after a luke-warm shower I noticed that my eyebrows were sneaking back together in the middle so I pulled out the box of Mandy’s DIY anti-fuzz, easy to use, home waxing kit. Needless to say between the misty mirror, the wave action and sheer incompetence I now have a large strip of nothingness between my eyes and look a little like the blue Cramp Twin – horrible!
Never mind most of these yachties look a bit strange and now I know why they smell strange too. Showering loses its appeal when the waters cold and it’s a 700m walk to the hot showers at the club, through some of Durban’s finest, i.e. the derelicts who appreciate a good view.
That said we have met some wonderful people down here and I already feel a little sad to be leaving our weekend retreat that has become our permanent home especially now that the Subtech divers are dredging close by and the hot young divers do a really coy slither into their wetsuits with just a towel around their waists and never mind a six pack, I swear the one chap has an ‘eight-pack!’
But all good things must come to an end and I can’t wait to start a new chapter in our family’s lives.
26th JUNE
We were now over the flu and bugs! The boat was fully provisioned and we were ready to go. Saying goodbye to family is never easy. My parents, my sister Alison and cousins, Anne & Pete, all came down to the boat on the Sunday afternoon. A great meal of pancakes was consumed and we all said our goodbyes. B’s aunt and uncle, Pete and Jill Hockey and cousin Donna with husband Mark Tonkinson , son Shaun and beautiful daughter Megan also arrived to wave farewell and brought an entire picnic down, complete with cups!
Monday was spent on last minute preparations and filling Shayile with water and diesel.
Belinda’s folks joined us for lunch at Royal Natal Yacht club and more family goodbyes.
We also had an additional crew member joining us. Theuns from the yacht “Candi” would join us for the Richards bay leg. A great guy who cannot seem to get enough sailing into his day!
That night it was off to Mac Rib with the Shayile team for a last SA restaurant meal. The whole crew was excited and continually talked about the coming trip.
27th June – Departure date!
6.00am and we were woken up with Cyril and Theuns outside the boat. It was time to go! A fresh SW wind was blowing and we needed to get out onto the sea asap.
We cast off at 6.15am and by 7am we were heading out through the entrance to Durban harbour. Off to our left, or should I say port side, Durban was slowly waking up and beginning their Tuesday. We were off on an adventure!
It was an emotional departure. I had no idea what I was in for. I had no idea when we may all return to our home city of Durban. It was as if we were saying goodbye, not knowing when we would meet again.
I also had a huge responsibility on my shoulders, a responsibility that would sit with me for 3 ½ years. My family. It was not their decision to go sailing, it was mine. I needed to take care of them, ensuring they safely returned one day to SA. As my business responsibility ended another responsibility loomed!
The sea was lumpy and unsettled as we slowly made our way up the Natal coast. The asymmetric sail was hauled up and Shayile came alive. Sitting at a steady 6 – 7 knots, we rolled on up towards Richards Bay.
My parents drove out to Ballito, a small town just north of Durban, to watch us sail past. (Later my mom would comment on how Shayile “tossed and turned” and how she felt for us out there!)
It was not the most pleasant trip, I have to say. The kids were sea sick, I was tired and still not feeling on top form. Theuns was battling a bit as well. Good old Belinda and Cyril delivered the goods. B kept the food and coffee coming and Cyril was in his element sailing up the coast.
By Tugela mouth, the wind died off and we began motor sailing. (Sails up and motors on)
We decided to pull out a fishing rod and do some trawling and within 15 minutes I was shouting to Cyril, “kill the engines” as the ratchet on my fishing reel started to scream into life. After a short fight, we had our first fish, a Queen Mackerel or Natal Snoek as it is known down our neck of the woods. It was a beauty of about 5 or 6 kg’s. I filleted the fish and B was already preparing the pan! Fish for dinner!
We entered Richards Bay at 10pm Tuesday night and moored up at the Zululand Yacht Club. It was not the best trip, as twisting and yawing the way up the coast is never pleasant.
Sailing up the Natal North Coast
B : Boy was I glad we had Cyril with us, his passion for sailing was clear, nothing was too much trouble, his work rate incredible and he had the same happy grin that you see on a dog in the wind on the back of a bakkie! I stuck to catering and kids, coffee cups and “kotch bowls”, and was let off night watch. Richards Bay Marina was pleasant enough but seems to have lost a few of its ‘characters’ but it has a brilliant array of fat, friendly and fluffy cats, every shade of cream, red, brown and black but no two alike. This reminded us of our gorgeous, noisy seal-point Siamese Akita who is lodging with my folks because we felt it wasn’t fair to take a land-based cat onto the sea, what if she jumped at a sea gull or hated fresh fish?
28th – 30th JUNE
In Richards Bay, Theuns left us and returned to Durban. Cyril and I went out and began the arduous process of clearing out the country. With everything finally in order, the documents all stamped, we were now free to get on with our next leg through to Maputo, Mozambique.
A few more last minute shopping was done before we headed back to Shayile. That night Keri, Cyril’s fiancé, joined us on board Shayile. She had come up from Durban with Cyril’s surfboard, paddles, (I forgot mine!) and 5 kilograms of biltong!
Shayile moored up in Richards Bay
B : It’s been quite some time since I jumped on a man but poor Cyril was the unwilling target.
After a couple of glasses of farewell Champaign we headed off to the club for supper only to discover that the tide had risen, rising Shayile up the huge old sea wall we were moored against and now positioned us level with the wharf. I passed the kids over to Cyril but then decided to climb over at the bow as it was closer to the wharf. I never was any good at maths or science or I may not have realised that floating bodies move away when opposite forces are applied. The opposite forces in question were my two feet… my shrieks had Keri racing over but it took the brute strength of Cyril to save me a 2 metre plunge onto a barnacle encrusted buffer sausage in the sea. I thanked him by collapsing on top of him into a large puddle, leaving him damp and skinning my knee. Not my finest hour but at least I was dry.
Theuns, Jenna and Cyril relaxing onboard Shayile in Richards Bay
1st July – Departure for Mozambique & our first storm!
Arrangements had been made the previous evening to set sail with Willie and Lyn Putter. Willie and Lyn, aboard their yacht Jackaroo, a 38ft Benneteu, were also on their way up to Mozambique and Madagascar. At this stage we were not aware that Jackaroo was to become our sailing partners for the next 3 months!
At 6am, we cast off and by 6.30am were heading out through the Richards Bay breakwaters. We had a fresh SW wind pushing us up the coast. The weather forecast was for SW winds 15 – 20 gusting 25knots. Ideal, if the wind maintained its speed and direction.
Again, not a happy sea as we sailed north as Shayile rolled about.
That evening at about 10pm, whilst the rest were sleeping, I got an updated weather forecast off the VHF radio. Not good news. A gale warning was broadcast, which affected the Cape waters and one off Durban East. I was a bit concerned. Was that not our position? Where exactly were the boundaries to Durban east? Further to this the wind was predicted to increase up our way with the sea swell getting bigger!
I woke up Cyril and gave him the news. He suggested we prepare the boat for the pending bad weather, which we immediately set about doing. We battened down the hatches, stowed all loose items and prepare ourselves with warm clothes and our foul weather gear. All this was happening whilst we were in beautiful calm conditions, unaware that heading our way was a low pressure system! A nasty one!
Later that evening, it started to blow! It steadily increased out of the SW, much the same as it did on our Vasco de Gama trip. With the increase in wind speed, came the increase in wave height. By 1am, we were in a full blown gale and our position was Leven Point, just south of Kozi Bay, off the Kwa Zulu Natal north coast.
With big seas and sailing on a catamaran, one is prone to “hull slapping”. This occurs as waved slap the underside of the vessel between the hulls. With the weather we were now experiencing, it felt like the boat was going to be slapped and rattled into pieces! As the wind continued to increase, and Shayile shuddered, I kept wondering how much punishment she could take?
The rain pelted down and lightening struck the horizon around us. It was pitch black with waves rolling in from our stern. With the wind now over 45 knots and heading for 50 knots, we realized we were in for a ride! This was some storm and we were in it.
Cyril suggested we make further preparations. As the wave height increased, we needed to prepare a drogue. The drogue on Shayile was a funnel shaped canvas devise which is let out the back (stern) of the boat and acts as a drag, designed to slow the boat down and avoid surfing down the big waves. Surfing on a cat can lead to broaching and a possible capsize. Cyril and I clipped on our harnesses and slowly made our way up front, crawling our way on the deck to retrieve the drogue which was situated in a locker on the forward deck. It was frightening to be up front, with waves breaking all around and Shayile being bashed from side to side. Eventually we managed to get it out and crawled our way back to the cockpit. We then prepared the drogue for deployment if the need arose. We also took out the lifejackets and put the grab bag close by in case we needed it! (A grab bag is a large plastic container which stores essentials in the event of one having to abandon ship. Things like food and water, flares, fishing gear, space blankets etc.)
The sea was huge and, again, the noise was frightening. The wind howled through the rigging, the rain beat down on the bimini and the waves continually cashed into Shayile! We had a small amount of our roller furling genoa sail out, just enough to assist with the steering and to maintain Shayile’s heading.
Why do storms always hit one at night! It destroyed me! We could not see a thing, waves were breaking all around us, it was extremely noisy, wet and I was not a happy sailor!!
Through out the night it continued and we sailed on. Was it frightening? Hell yes, although Shayile again whispered in our ears. “Keep me well trimmed and I’ll look after you! (She had mentioned the same thing to me twice before as we were hit by big weather)
Cyril and I remained in the cockpit, each taking turns in helming Shayile on through the weather. When not at the helm, Cyril was curled up in his foul weather gear, trying to catch a bit of shut eye!
All this time Jackaroo were battling their way up the coast about 3 miles behind us.
The next morning, the wind moderated a bit and the sea calmed down. With the wind at a steady 20 – 25 kts, we sailed on up the coast towards Maputo. The storm was over and
Cyril was a star. It was great to have someone along for the ride who has spent time at sea and knew how to handle the situation. Sailing is really about experience, encountering all types of situations and knowing how to handle them. As your experience grows, so does your confidence. With time, even these types of storms become manageable, not as threatening as they appeared when initially encountered.
Wreck on the coastline, just north of Richards Bay
B : No comment, its not often I have nothing to say but this is the stuff that leaves you speechless, helpless and religious. NB there are no atheists on a boat in a storm! The only plus was that for the most part our little troopers were fast asleep… ignorance is bliss.
3rd July – Arrival in Maputo
We approached Inhaca Island off Maputo Bay at about 4pm. I wanted to be in the channel heading up to the port of Maputo before it got dark as Maputo Bay is notorious for its sand banks, strong tides and choppy sea. Not to mention the lateral markers going up the channel do not all work and their positions not in line with ones on the GPS!
Again, the wind had now picked up to 30 – 35 kts as we rounded the lighthouse at Inhaca Island. (which did not work?) With the sea again, on its head, we were all keen to get off the open sea and get into the protected waters of Maputo Bay. With our chart plotter, charts and maxsea computer navigational package all spitting out directions to us, we entered the channel! It was anxious as we tried to identify marker buoys in the dark and avoid the many sand banks.
Willie and Lyn on Jackaroo were keen to get in as well, but as it was now night time, they were in unfamiliar waters, with a deeper draft than ours. Willie decided to deploy his sea anchor and sit out the night at sea. I really felt for them. Another night out there in the ocean was not going to be fun!
We slowly made our way up the channel towards Maputo. I called up Norman aboard Regal, who was already anchored in Maputo and also on his way up the Mozambique coastline. He gave me directions into the Maputo Marina, but unfortunately we had to wait for high tide as the entrance to the marina was too shallow. We anchored off the Maputo Marina at 11pm that night, exhausted, but relieved to be back in calm waters!
I set my alarm for 3am as this was high tide and was our opportunity to get into the marina.
We woke up, weighed anchor and motored into the marina to be met by Norman and his girlfriend Sam. Norman was heading up the coast as well but, in true Norman style, was in no real rush! He had already been in Maputo 6 weeks!
By 4.30am that morning we were back to bed.
Unfortunately, we had a great alarm clock on board – kids! By 7am we were awake!
B : For me Maputo was just one massive washing exercise, at least 3 loads by hand and I renamed Shayile “HMS Laundry” as every available rope had something fluttering from it. Mid-morning we were joined by two exhausted, bedraggled dogs which had been seen running on the rocks below the sea wall for at least 4 hours. Local guys chased them back into the water to swim into the little harbour and safety. They must have swum for miles and were frozen, hungry and thirsty. They enjoyed Dinny’s (Trudy Bentley) left-over meatballs and spaghetti but apparently green beans aren’t dogs favorite. They licked their bleeding paws and slept for hours but who knows what their future would hold. I think animals are quite far down on Moz pecking order. We had road-kill (flattie) peri-peri chicken from the local grill at the dock, more delicious if you don’t see where it came from!
AAAAh, first mosquito sighting, huge pale things at least 6 in each cabin became 6 smeary blotches on the white walls and out came the mossie screens and Tabard. Malaria is no laughing matter. Of course Rob got nailed that night, right on his top lip which in true Rob fashion swelled up so it looked like a ‘bratwurst’ and had him panicking about malaria all day. Ater that day, the guys did a great market shop and returned laden with plenty of SA export quality fruit and veggies
(best ruby grapefruit ever), 2M beer, and plenty of ‘thrifty’ DVD’s for the kids. As long as Dan had a DVD to watch, he never vomited so he was in heaven with 10 movies to choose from.
