Tin Tin's Sailing Calendar

Friday 29 December 2017

Friday 22 December 2017

UK Maintenance programme

Donation of dental kit for Tin Tin

Since getting home on the 8th of December there has been a whirl of social life catching up with friends and family in Reading, London and Trotton, and spending a few days with my parents in Oundle.

As well as looking after Tin Tin there was a concentrated round of Skipper Maintenance when I got home. So my Christmas thanks go to Dr Alex MacCallum and the team at Riverbank Medical Centre for health checks, blood tests, vaccination updates and prescriptions, to the Nuffield for biopsy and removal of a nasty growth on my arm, to SpecSavers for checking my eyes at short notice and to Lavant Dental Centre where Murray also gave me some useful bits for our medical kit.

Thursday 14 December 2017

Exploring the Cape


Our land activities manager, Richard, had a great programme for us.  He hired a car and we headed off to Simonstown for brunch.  The seaside feel with the smell of sea weed and salt in the morning sun accompanied by the evocative call of the seagulls (Cape Black Backed) was quite unlike anything we had experienced for a long time.  The lovely old colonial architecture of the town, with slender pillars supporting upper floor balconies, deserved more time than we gave it. I hope to go back for a longer look with Anne in January.

From there we drove on to the Cape Point Nature Reserve and, once through the toll gates, drove across an extraordinary landscape of low fynbos vegetation, peppered with grey boulders enlivened with streaks of orange and green grey lichen. Rounded clumps of intense white flowers mirrored the boulders across the flat terrain.  

Ahead the Cape rose up and we were soon parked and joining a steady stream of tourists climbing the long path to the lighthouse.  A funicular runs up the hill, but we enjoyed the chance to stretch our legs.  There were spectacular views down to the Cape of Good Hope, with richly emerald blue water surging in towards a white sand beach on which a flock of cormorants stretched out their wings in the sunshine.  The swell broke heavily against the Cape rocks, and out at sea tiny white specks turned out to be fishing boats far, far below.  

I found a wall and settled down for a quick sketch of the Cape.    But I hadn't left enough time to add paint because I had spent ages gazing down the vertiginous cliffs at the nesting cormorants with their orange patch below the beak, and various other birds too.

View from Groot Constantia vineyard


Relaxed in the V and A marina, Capetown

Table Mountain and the Lion's Head

We were soon off again towards Franshoek, which turned out to be a long drive along twenty miles of sandy beach on the margin of Cape Flats, and then we turned up into the mountains, stopping periodically at viewpoints to admire the great depth of the landscape.

We were getting hungry by the time we stopped at La Petite Ferme, the first winery on our way down into Franshoek.  They had a lovely restaurant overlooking the valley and the mountains, and our spirits rose at the thought of lunch. But they said they were too busy to feed us, and some started to leave, until Richard wisely suggested that we taste their wines anyway.  At R$220 (R$18/£) per head we were introduced to 6 wines produced there.  Richard, as the undoubted wine connoisseur, rated the Sauvignon Blanc as acceptable, but had reservations about the Bordeaux blend (which unusually included Pinotage), and was not impressed by the Cabernet Sauvignon with hints of aromatics from the eucalyptus surrounding the vineyard.  As our lively Sommelier took us through the wines, he kept referring to delicious food which it should accompany, until I protested that they hadn't allowed us to eat!  Thankfully he took the point, and arranged for us to be delivered a delicious cheese board each, as we sat out in the sunny gardens overlooking the mountains and rich green of the valley full of vines.

Time was running out, but we managed to try another vineyard, La Couronne, where they also managed to produce wonderful pizzas.  The combination of bobotie and banana was inspired. Bobotie is a traditional Afrikaner dish, with Indonesian origins, made by softening old bread in milk, frying onions, cumin and other spices with mince meat and combining them in a big pot to stew.

The sun set dramatically with a flare of that rich evening colour over the traditional Cape Dutch architecture and the glowing vines, with the backdrop of the mountains rearing up like a wall behind.

It was a long drive home but Maria, as the designated non-drinker, did a great job of getting her happy passengers back to Tin Tin.

The next morning we rose early(ish) and set off to climb Table Mountain via the Plettenklip Ravine.  It's the steepest ascent, and gave spectacular views across Table Bay as we climbed.  Someone had put in a huge amount of effort to place flat rock steps up the path.  We passed other climbers descending who said that the cable car was not running so we would have to climb down later.   As my legs were feeling quite tired this was alarming news.    Up and up we climbed, with the ravine getting narrower and narrower between wonderful towering cliffs closing in to frame the view. 

I was delighted to see a sun bird very close to me feeding on a species of Erica, with half-inch long red flowers arranged in a ring around the stem. So relaxed was the sunbird that I was able to get my phone out of the rucksack, and hold it within a few inches of the feeding bird.  William later identified it for us as an orange breasted sunbird - a new one for him, which is a rare thing! 

Mark and Richard were going strong, but my legs were definitely giving out! But I was determined to get to the top even if I had to come down all those steps on my bottom.   Maria was also struggling and, far more sensibly, turned round to descend when another climber asserted that was at least another hour to the top and that the cable car was not running.  That was a pity, because if we had managed to help her onwards it turned out, as evidenced by Chinese tourists in stiletto heels, that the cable car had started running again.  But by then it was too late and Maria had the hardest task of all which was an hour and a half descending the steps to the car.

Sculpture at Kirstenbosch
Richard flew home that afternoon, and he kindly deposited us at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens on his way to the airport.  Here we said goodbye after a wonderful adventure together, and then went off to explore the wonderful gardens.  We were so lucky to join a free garden tour and to meet out guide, Jill.  She took us for three hours through all the different areas of the garden, so full of knowledge and enthusiasm, leaping from boulder to boulder across the streams, and giving us an extraordinary and invigorating afternoon.

I'm very lucky to be coming back here on holiday with Anne, Alice, Felix and Matt in January before I sail onwards.


Cape Town


As we rounded the Cape of Good Hope the air temperature dropped dramatically and the sea started to smoke, turning from deep green to a beige colour through the thin layer of steam.  Drifts of vapour lay in the troughs of the swell, and fog began to rise around us, until we were completely engulfed.  I blew the fog horn and ran the radar as we motored along, wrapped up warm against the icy air; wooly hat, jersey and full sailing suit.  I really needed gloves as well!   The Benguela Current brings cold Antarctic water northwards and meets the warm Agulhas Current running south, making a remarkable junction between the two bodies of water. and leading to a great richness of sea life thriving on the plankton fed by the upwelling nutrients.
Sunrise on Cape Point
 Eventually the fog bank cleared, and we closed the coast to look for the wreck of the Clipper race boat which had inexplicably made a sudden turn to port off Oliphantbospunt, running aground on the reef there.   All were saved successfully, and we didn't see any sign the wreck, presumably poured into bits by the surf.  We did however see humpback whales feeding very, very close to our bows and later a lot of dolphins.

The great flat top of Table Mountain eventually came into  view, with a table cloth of cloud draped over the top.  I sketched it as we went past. I will try to add these pictures to the blog later.
Passing Llandudno and the Twelve Apostles draped with a tablecloth of cloud
 Finally the great city of Cape Town appeared with a bustling of boats on the water, with a fleet of smart Cape 34 racing yachts tacking round a course, and speedboats buzzing around.

I called Port Control, and then Bridge Control, getting permission to enter and then being awarded a bridge lift at 13:15.  We hung about in the outer basin surrounded by a helicopters landing at the heliport, and gazing at the rich visual environment of skyscrapers, Table Mountain, and many different boats.

The white swing bridge finally rotated to one side, and we motored in past the pink clock tower.  The next blue bascule bridge deigned to lift one half, so that we could squeeze through to find our berth.  It was hot and sunny. We heaved a sigh of relief - we had arrived!

The Clock Tower, Cape Town port
Cape of Good Hope

View from La Petite Ferme, Franshoek

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Table Mountain

Groot Constantia

Mandela's exercise yard on Robben Island

View from the Mount Nelson Hotel

Bo Kaap, Cape Town

Boulders Bay







Friday 1 December 2017

Off to Cape Town

By the time Maria and Richard had arrived in Port Elizabeth and settled into their cabins, it was late afternoon. We took a taxi to The Boardwalk and strolled along the seafront, watching triathlon swimmers making their way along the coast, and a lone yachtsman having a quiet evening sail close to the shore. We met Lauri's niece, Tula, in a beachfront cafe but, as burgers didn't appeal, we followed her guidance to a sushi restaurant, which provided a wonderful array of dishes.

The following morning we breakfasted early, and once the Flight Plan had been submitted and marina fees paid we set out to sea. Sadly Maria had an accident which, thankfully, wasn't as catastrophic as it might have been. As she jumped down to the concrete pontoon, a gust blew the boat away and she landed in a foot wide gap of water, striking her chin on the concrete and hurting her wrist. Fortunately no bones were broken and, although very shocked, she felt able to continue. The ship's hot water bottle was needed, and the vast medical kit on board Tin Tin was looked at approvingly, even if no more than Savlon and a bandage were needed.

The forecast allowed us to make for Cape Town in a three day leg, but sadly precluded stops en route at Knysna and Mosselbaai, where we would have been held up by head winds and been unable to get to CT on time.

Our departure from PE was a spectacular display of wildlife. First, there were humpback whales close off Seal Point breaching and blowing quite close to us. Then hundreds of dolphins appeared leaping from the water in a mile wide rush towards us. Large numbers of crisp white gannets sitting in flocks on the water soon took to the wing and then wheeled above the shoal of sardines fleeing from the dolphins, and dived relentlessly like a rain of white arrows. It was breathtaking to watch, and we were thrilled by the great mass of dolphins all around us.

The winds were very light and eventually we motorsailed when the sails started to flog uselessly and this continued all night. It was an amazing sight as we passed miles of coordinated flashing red lights on the wind farms........ no I'm wrong, that was two days previously just before arriving in PE.... Here the coastline showed lights from towns, and the comforting regular sweep of the lighthouse beam.

By mid morning on Thursday 30th November we were travelling along the shoreline between Plettenberg Bay and Knysna, in a big southwesterly swell. It's wonderful to be close enough to study the coastline and I had a go at sketching the great cliffs with the distant mountains pale beyond, rising to 1650 metres. 

passing Plettenberg Bay en route for Knysna
 
We were joined by leaping Cape Fur Seals which followed the boat, arcing smoothly out of the water to look at us. We also saw them lying on their backs with their flippers in the air, soaking up the sun.

I ran the weather forecast again, and was pleased to find that it had changed, giving us the option of stopping in Knysna and Mosselbaai for a few days before catching the Easterly winds to Cape Town to arrive on Tuesday 5th December. However on consultation we stuck to Plan A.

Knysna Heads opened up to show a dramatic passage through to the inner lagoon. Great surf breaking high on the rocks either side, and in the passage itself was a large catamaran, which looked as though it was trying to decide whether to risk an exit. The warning lights were flashing red and orange, and from outside it was impossible to see whether the big swells were breaking over the bar.

Knysna Heads - too rough to enter

So we altered course for Cape Agulhas and, with a fresh 25 knots of wind, were delighted by a fast sail into the west. We toasted our last Indian Ocean sunset with gin and tonic. It took several attempts before the new crew had worked out that the drinks tip over if left unattended in a swell!

Cape Agulhas - the most southerly tip of Africa

Overnight, however, the wind slowly died and now at breakfast on the 1st of December we are again motoring and should turn the corner into the Atlantic this afternoon.