Catlyn is alive!!!

Sipping a cup of coffee, made by Janlie, still snugg in my rocking bed, I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror....me! At last at peace, in my new home on the water. How swiftly life can go in a new direction by only one decision.

We left Cape Town behind us on the 1st of April. All the predictions on all the weather channels gave us hope of a strong wind blowing from the south, pushing us gently to Langebaan. But it was April fools day, and we nearly had to motor all the way, slipping through the big swells.

But we were welcomed by the ocean, sending us so many whales playing and fooling around us. Seals, penguins and jellyfish entertained us all the way to Langebaan.

Rudi got us safely into Langebaan Marina. What a delightful contrast! We were greeted and helped by the neighbours, Johan Brand and his family. Anschen, the manager of Langebaan gave a hand to get us safe into her Marina.

We woke up the next morning, for the first time all alone on Catlyn. There was a respectful silence among my family, realising the awe of being here, finally. But it didn't last long. Marco found friends, and the rest of us started cleaning and scrubbing and arranging and then rearranging again.

And then the whole family, with Jaco visiting from Stellenbosch, were briefed by our Skipper to take our first solo trip. Quite nervous we did it and close to Perlemoenkop we tested Catlyn's anchor for the first time. Everything went smoothly and we were ancord. We had to celebrate with a braai!

But besides all the new excitement in our lifes, Johan and Janlie received their Matric exam's timetable, and the reality struck. They are starting the 6th of May. Luckily Langebaan has a library, and the two find peace and quiet there.

This morning we are waiting for someone from Cape Town to come and set our instruments, which we realised isn't working properly, and we have to look at the bilge pumps in Catlyn.

But for the first time in a very long time, I feel alive again!!