34°55.9’S, 019°45.6’E
(for anyone checking those coordinates, as I type this we are rounding one of the Great Capes on a beautiful morning with a light ocean swell! A sailors bucket list item, the Southern most tip of the African continent)
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller
An appropriate quote to sum up the hectic pace of the past few weeks bookended against typing this today with water lapping at the hulls, Sláinte rising and falling in the ocean swell … and the occasional sound of a crewmember (more on that later) puking over the side as he acclimates to the motion of the current ocean.
Our plans of trying to provide quick but routine updates were unfortunately completely abandoned in the run up to departure day. A combination of a wonderful visit with Andrew and the Murphy’s, boat work and provisioning, sheer mental and physical exhaustion and simply enjoying too much wine with new friends in the waning days of our stay in Knysna.
Where to start – so much has transpired since our last update it feels like we could scribe a tome.
Andrew and The Murphy’s (Joe, Wendy & Kat) arrived for a most glorious week off the boat, seeing the sights and generally enjoying time with family. The Murphy’s have been dear friends since our stint in Ohio together (‘1988-2002’), with Andrew and Kat growing up through their early years. After a 5+ hr. car ride back down to Cape Town, we picked up the gang and experienced a few sights together – including the Infamous Table Mountain that was closed at the top due to seriously high winds, the colorful Bo-kaap neighborhood and the absolutely delightful Simon’s Town (if you haven’t watched it, settle in and watch David Attenboroughs ‘The Year Earth Changed’ – a fantastic and uplifting documentary that includes the oh so loveable Penguins of Simon’s Town).
Upon departing Cape Town we then stopped for a few days in Franschhoeck, a beautiful community surrounded on three sides by stunning mountains, creating the perfectclimate for vines. The type of vines sent from heaven, pure liquid manna. Settled by the persecuted Huguenot’s in the 17th and 18th century, the area now boasts wine trains, countless quaint vineyards where owners personally greet you, sweeping vistas and simply fantastic wine. If ever visiting South Africa, don’t do it without carvingout ample time for this gem, we could easily do a prolonged stay here for a few seasons. The vibe, pace, taste and quality of life here we found to be quite amenable.
Following our Cape Town and wine country respite, we finally welcomed aboard Slainte our first extended stay guests as we shared a few of the sights we’ve come to enjoy in and around Knysna. Although the weather didn’t cooperate, absent a few breaks, it hardly seemed to matter as we thoroughly enjoyed the time together and sharing a small piece of the experience with loved ones. We look forward to opening our home and the experience to those that can track us down. And a heartfelt thanks to Andrew and the Murphy’s for traveling such a distance to spend time with us and Sláinte.
Regarding new boats, you’ll read many that say the first year amounts to a prolonged shakedown cruise of identifying issues, fixing, learning and then tweaking systems. Getting to thoroughly know and understand your boat. You could say it’s akin to a personal relationship and with Slainte we are in that proverbial honeymoon phase. Understanding what works, sorting out what doesn’t, making and correcting missteps and generally figuring out how to get along and truly flourish together while not losing sight in the minutiae of the true romance that brought you together in the first place.
Which brings us to the present day. We departed our beloved home away from home, Knysna South Africa, on high tide early am on Sunday the 22nd of October. As we exited the infamous Knysna Heads we were greeted by what looked to be a mother and calf Southern Right Whales. And the calf was playing with a small seal. Not something you see every day in life (or ever for us), reaffirming the effort invested. We take it as a sign of that which is to come, a series of firsts that we are truly blessed to experience.
We are currently in transit on the first leg of a ~ 10,000 NM journey that will eventually see us arrive back in New England to our home port of Wickford, RI at or around June of 2024 after an Atlantic crossing, and a northerly crawl up thru the Caribbean for the months post the Christmas/New Years Holidays.
But first we must complete this leg of the journey (we have just rounded one of the great capes of the world at the tip of the African continent, quite a sailing feat), cross the Atlantic with Sláinte under sail ideally as much as possible, with stops planned at a wee little spot in the ocean that was Napoleon’s final exile (St. Helena). Weather permitting, an additional stop at Fernando de Noronha (a volcanic archipelago about 350 kilometers off Brazil’s northeast coast) is planned and eventually Grenada (the Spice Isle at the southern end of the Caribbean).
As we bid adieu to Knysna we want to sincerely thank all those that welcomed and guided us through this early part of our journey. Knysna is a physical gem of a location that is all the more special due to the people and personality it exudes. We couldn’t have asked for a better start to this journey and wish we could have stayed longer, catching everyone for a final goodbye thank you and hug but rest assured you are in our hearts and on our minds. The tide, winds and Heads were calling – gotta go.
Go Springboks!
Andrew and Katherine- Friends throughout the years
