Stompneus Bay

We left Paternoster, after coffee. At last, we had a gentle sail, and Janlie could catch up on her tan and Marco could swing around on deck. Skipper, Johan junior sailed us to BrittaniaReef in the hope to find fish, but alas. We turned into Stompneus, and we couldn't wait to step ashore to find some black mussles on the rocks for lunch. With cold crisp white wine and a pot of mussles we spent the afternoon while the wind started howling again. Tomorrow we'll be off to Port Owen!

First anchor at Dassen Island

With the screecher out in the light wind up to 15 knots all the way, we safely anchored at Dassen. We had the whole of House Bay for ourselves. Just a pity the crayfish season was not opened yet. it was such a peaceful anchor with the penguins walking the beach, and I counted 54 oyster catchers sitting in th sun!

Six o'clock we were woken with the engines running! Johan junior decicded that we had to get sailing, and so we did. We lifted the anchor, but was soon hit by the choppy sea with the huge swells pushing us forward. A 25 knot wind was howling, and we had to reef the main close to Saldanha, when Catlyn reached 10 knots.Her heavy body was heaving, but she steadied us through the big blue, passed Columbine, on our way to Paternoster. We sailed into Patermoster at 12h30 with 30 knot of southerly wind gnawing at us. We tried to find safety close to the beach, but even the trees were bend over. Only late that night the wind subsided to a good night"s rest.

At long last!

I just stopped! I just couldn't keep on dreaming and trying to write a blog with no hope, so I just stopped. And then it happened! We left the fierce Table Mountain behind....

So I won't tell you about all of us dragging back to George to finish Matric successfully, about burying a grandma, about learning how to scuba and, and... And about our skipper turning into a Yacht Master, and Johan jr turning 18, and Catlyn being dry docked for her belly rub and massage. So in a nut shell I didn't stop dreaming, I was still preparing, and so we solar panelled Catlyn and gave her a water maker and stocked her with lots of food and tools and diesel. We actually filled her up so badly with diesel that we found a leak on the port tank. We even pulled out the electric toilet, almost with such force that it was very close to be overboard! But it's fixed, and I think it is so scared it is working like never before!!

And so we left the fierce Table Mountain behind. We slipped the mooring lines on Tuesday morning the 26th day of October! This past year we waved so many friends good bye when they left for their long voyage, always feeling a little jealous, and here we were all alone leaving RCYC, with no one waving. Catlyn sailed out with her new 3 blade props, smoothly. Dolphins and seals accompanied us out of Table Bay. And then, God's beautiful creatures bid us farewell....two huge whales with a little big baby were joining us. The big whale rolled over and she started slapping the water, giving us a Godly wave on our voyage..at last!