Crayfish at Dassen Island

Sunset at Dassen Island, Western Cape, South Africa

Catlyn at anchor and @peace

We were licenced and totally equipped to catch the crayfish in our nets! Being the 15th of April, it was the last day of the crayfish season for us. Catlyn and Genevieve set our sails and started our trip to Dassen Island!

The sea was quite choppy and the wind about 22 knots, but all aboard Catlyn enjoyed this new adventure of being a part of the big ocean. We were accompanied by so many curious seals while we pass Yzerfontein. Genevieve found a safe place to anchor in the sand in House Bay of Dassen Island ,about 5 hours later and we anchored just next to her. We were surrounded by fishing trawlers with their crayfish net beacons bobbing all over the bay!


We couldn't wait to put our own 4 nets into the water...Marco at first not so keen, but then following his new friend Dillan's example, breaking the sardine's tight bodies in half. The nets were lowered among the many coloured balls of the fishers'.

According to our neighbour Johan you have to drink a beer while waiting for the cray fish to crawl into your net...well, a beer later and the nets were pulled vigorously up and were filled with 4 beautiful crayfish. Another beer later and we had enough for a lovely dinner with fried rice and a freshly baked bread in Anette's galley.

Johan(jnr) for second helping !!!

After a splendid evening we wanted to return to our Cat, but got the surprise of no dinghy waiting for us where Dad fastened her to Genevieve!

The men went searching for her in the pitch dark bay, while the wind was howling, but we all realised that she could be very far by now. With heavy hearts we went to bed in a borrowed dinghy...

But the wind was blowing and me and Johan just couldn't relax. The whole time he was worried that we were dragging...

For the first time I realised how difficult it is to pin point your position in the dark with no fixed marks. We were up every couple of minutes, and then Johan came back with the dreading words! "We are dragging!"

While lifting the anchor we realised that our prop and rudder got entangled with one of the fishers' cray fish nets and the whole lot of rope disabling our engine to start. What a catastrophe to try and manoeuvre the Cat between all those trawlers and nets with one engine and a strong wind in the dark. We succeeded to anchor safely and securely far away from all, and just imagine Genevieve's surprise when she wakes up the next morning with us gone.

When the first light of day came through Johan jumped into the iciness of the water to cut the rope away. Guys from a trawler gave us a bucket full of crayfish for the trouble caused by their nets.

The weather was miserable and all the trawlers were pulling up their nets, too heavy for a man, and they left in a hurry. We realised that they know this bay, and if they are leaving so quickly, we have to do it too, quickly!

The swells were big and we watched Genevieve in front of us disappear deep into the swells and then popping up again. We left Dassen Island with a heaviness in our hearts knowing that somewhere on this big ocean our little silver dinghy lies.

About 12 km away from Dassen Island, Genevieve radioed us. They followed the smiling seal, the jumping dolphins and then the miracle happened - they suddenly bumped into our silver dinghy! We were dumb struck, and while we stare at them securing our dinghy to their boat the whale jumped out of the blue right next to Genevieve sharing in our gratefulness!

We sailed back to Langebaan with lots of lessons learnt, until the next time....

Limeriek deur Andre le Roux in reaksie op mandjie vol kreef :

Met 'n krat vol kreef

kan mens mos streef

Met mae vol

En seile bol

Om voluit te leef !!!!

Birthday on Catlyn

Friends came to visit! Charles and Yolanda with their kids stayed in Mykonos on top of the restaurant looking out on the Marina, the closest they could get to the jetties. We sailed to Saldanha, passing all the massive ships, to anchor close to the beach next to Genevieve, the neighbour's catamaran. We realised that it is not a good idea to braai fatty lamb chops on our gas braai...it was flamed eventually. The children couldn't wait to get together in the cold water, with all their water toys, and we tried to get some fish. We landed 8 stomp nose, enough for dinner. Catlyn, decorated with 44 balloons for Charles, sailed us home in a brisk breeze.

We spent the day at the scenic Paternoster, (Our Father), eating fresh hake and chips at the restaurant and giggling at the famous bar, decorated with the 'finest' underwear. Hawkers with crayfish in plastic bags were tempting us under the Bluegum trees.

Our friends left this morning and we are busy getting everything back to normal again. Johan and Janlie, busy studying for their matric exam, needed some peace and quiet and I dropped them at the Langebaan Library for 5 hours of serious concentrating.

We are planning to go to Dassen Island, about 5 hours south of Langebaan, and the Brand family from Genevieve wants to join. The weather looks good for Wednesday morning, so everything has to be checked. Crayfish nets are bought, and the two Johans are sitting together fixing the lines for the big fish trawling behind our catamarans. We were all ready for the next morning going on our first overnight somewhere away from the safety of a Marina.

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!!

Babies on board

We received our first guests on board. My brother and his family came along for another test sail.

The wind was blasting at about 35 knots SW and we were curious to find out what Catlyn will do in this wind. While the 3 month old Minjone was sleeping her first sail away, Catlyn was sliding through the water at a speed of 9.4 knots. All aboard was exhilerated, and we felt her trying to go faster, but we reefed her down to hold her in. The guests from Holland, Bert and Jose, enjoyed the spray of mist Catlyn threw all over us welcoming all on board.

That evening we had our first South African braai. The little Luhan and Marco entertained us dancing away on the deck,

while his baby sister had her beauty bath in my basin.

Catlyn' Nappy Drill

No one told me how tough it is to handle your new born baby. I thought she will just be ready and polished and you sail away, but what a surprise ! She is crying every two hours for milk, she is crying after milk, she is crying in a wet nappy...she is crying way more than the pink and blue babies I saw in other mom's arms in the shopping mall.


Since the 12 th of February, Catlyn is still lying in an "industrial working marina" Elliot Basin, and it feels like no one is realising the amount of work that goes into a catamaran and because of that is making idle promises of early dates they can not keep. Every day I have to get up out of her gentle rocking bed, fold up all the bedding into plastic covers, get my children up to do the same, pack our little belongings and leave her at about 7o'clock in the hands of the "doctors" to fix and fiddle for a whole day 'till 7o'clock the evening when we come back fully motivated that the end is one day closer!


We "camped" in the Royal Cape Yacht Club close to the Elliot basin, used their clean facilities and tried every dish on their well priced menu. The chicken burger is highly recommended by the boys. My kid's motivation and determination skills were greatly tested when they unpacked all their school books for a long day during the heat wave in Cape Town with only a fan moving some hot air around.

It is the 12 of March and the situation has only changed to a highly irritable and "slightly" demotivated family. We packed our bedding into plastic bags again, but this time we moved into a little two bedroom flat, storing all Catlyn's baby clothes and toys in a corner in a heap for the next time we are going to try to move into her.

I felt so lonely in this yachting world, but walking passed all the other catamarans lying there I realised the frustration in this industry. We met a family from Madagascar on their also partly finished catamaran. The owner remarked that he is used to everything in Madagascar to being slow, but he learnt that in South Africa it is always tomorrow! Their boy of 12 was skate boarding and playing in the dinghy to pass the time. Maybe they will be on their way by the end of March? We met the French couple with their yellow Catamaran also waiting impatiently to sail to the Indian Ocean. We saw the Canadian fuming on a Monday morning when no one pitched to work on his boat.... The newest member to the "Waiting Club" a South African family is still very enthusiastic and opportunistic about his waiting period and is sitting under his umbrella all day next to his dream.

We had enough, and got to the point of making a final snag list ( list of all the faults and outstanding items, big and small) and we have arranged a time limit on that, and hopefully we are going to get our baby in perfect condition soon. I will keep you posted.

First sail of Catlyn

Today at four we cruised out of the marina, gently getting Catlyn out of the pontoon to the open seas. My kids were wide eyed looking at this new experience.

,Marco had his new life jacket on, but was only bothered because he didn't have a whistle.

I was really trying to listen to all this men on Catlyn talking about the main sail, sheets, halyards and all that. I thought I read it all, but being on this Catamaran looking at all the ropes in different colors, I couldn't remember a thing I learnt at sailing school in Phuket.

The fog set in, and I stood right in front listening for big ships, trying to see through the thick whiteness. I had a little sensation of what it will be like to be all alone on this big ocean with no land in sight.

The fog lifted and we could sail safely into the basin.

Johan was the stack pack mechanic, and got a crash course by Craig from Quantum Sails. He climbed and crawled and got the main sheet nicely zipped up.

I had my first sail on Catlyn, and she gently introduced me with the sway of her hips into the world of the blue seas. I am in this dream, a dream with Catlyn.

Catlyn in incubator

Maverick gave birth to Catlyn, but because of complications she is still in the incubator. It is just as unexpected and I felt exactly the same disappointment as not taking my baby home to her pink woolly cradle. I touched her...slept on her...but the very next morning blue overalls came in and I had to leave her in the hands of good care. I thought you just start to love your Cat the moment she's in the water, but all you get is to put your hands in the incubator and touch her...

Then they organised this launching party, this celebration of having this new baby in the family, and all this people from the industry came to look at her, seeing if any of their stuff was on her. I met this lady, Carol and she told me how the feeding goes on a Cat, and I know, with my family of 4 I need to know a women like this. She and her family spend 8 years with their little boy on their yacht.

And then the next party came. People from all over came to look at our beautiful baby. Interested in buying a Maverick? I dressed Catlyn in all her new pinks, but was really offended by the old mothers trying to tell me how their baby's look better in blue and cream and....

But we met other families with the same dream as ours. They also want to sell up and sail around the world. Some of their dreams were still only in their husband's eyes, but I hope after I met them, they decided to get into that dream like I did, and start living this dream.
Janet, July allow yourselve to dream....

Catlyn touched the sea.

She made it, and we made it! Our family followed this big truck overflown by this chunky catamaran. At an unbelievable speed of 60km p/h she was driven through the streets of Cape Town, billboards and stop streets passing by (thanks to the Traffic Dpt).







Our daughter, Janlie, waved like royalty to all the curious onlookers next to the road. Like royalty we felt!






A big crane was waiting for us, and in sweltering heat Catlyn was lifted off this truck, snugly lying between the blue straps holding her. What a breathless feeling it was when she was lifted and came eye-level to us hanging in the air....just to wait for the droplets of Moet Chandon on her hull...and then she was going down....to her life giving force! Water!

Marco, our little one, just wanted to get onto her and start sailing, but this was the beginning of yet another process. He slipped the "good luck coin" into the mast just before it was lowered onto the deck and fastened. And then all of us and those around took the opportunity to get onto her for the engines to start, and a little stroll around the marine.










It felt so good!

Catamaran for sale?

Shocked? For the first time since a very long time ago when this dream started, and since the eighteen months they started building Catlyn, I felt it.
The morning on our way to Cape Town didn't start well, with the headlights of our car both dead in the dark. Five o'clock in the morning isn't a good time searching for a fuse, and if the fuse isn't the problem, trying to squeeze your hand into a place to connect your newly repainted little car's headlight fittings back into place.

Leaving the kids at home and the little one in front of the TV, sulking , wasn't setting the mood right as we headed for Cape Town.

And then a strange noise not belonging to the car made us stop. Starboard wheel busted! No wheel spanner in sight, because car was getting a face lift and no one checked. The last couple of months I was only reading and trying to memorise all the things I have to check when the cat's engine is doing certain things and wheel spanners wasn't one of them. I am quite detached from the normal land living day to day things because I have to learn so many new things.

Occupants from a little house next to the road somewhere saved us. But minutes later the cellphone rang, and we were told that the corian tops we selected three months ago for all the counters are not in stock, a week before the "planned" launch of our catamaran!

It wasn't funny! But ...the boat builder survived and I did and my poor Skipper did. Hint: Don't mess with little things like table tops and linen and which pots will fit onto your little stove a week before your whole life is goning to turn upside down!

And then I felt it!