Cast off the lines, the distance sailing part of this journey has begun in earnest.
29°30.2.’S, 009°19.9’E (~ 550 nm off the African continent, heading to St. Helena)
Since our last update we departed Knysna, rounded one of the great capes of the world (Agulhas – the tip of the African continent), then endured 24 hrs. of getting properly pounded, arrived in Cape Town, set about on a mad provisioning expedition and found a weather window to depart Cape Town for Grenada.
That’s it in summary. But as is often said “the devil’s in the details”. Emphasis on the ‘devil’ because he was a real S.O.B. for the tail end of the 24 hours of the Knysna to Cape Town journey.
We departed Knysna on the morning of Oct 22nd. The ‘we’ being Lisa, Steve, our dear friend and crazy enough to join us crew member Kristian Holmsen as well as confidant and Captain Brett Gething and his wife Gillian.
Departing on a beautiful day with friends escorting us out in their duck and some waving from the shore, (Greg, Pierre, Kris, Ido and all – we’ll miss you guys!! ), we couldn’t help but feel a void for that which was being left behind. New friends, beautiful surroundings, the achievement of a start of a new lease on life in some respects,, as well as the satisfaction that comes with facing a fair challenge and meeting it head on. Solving the day to day in actual foreign surroundings, and while it didn’t feel like it on some days, recognizing in hindsight that we actually flourished these past few months.
What followed was a rockin day one, moving south down the coast, under the kite and clocking over 17 knots as we surfed down the swells. After rounding Cape Agulhas and heading north up the western side of African continent, I may have even prematurely quoted Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman with his infamous ghostbusters line “ We came, We saw, We kicked it’s ass ….”, all the while fearing that my boastful comment may not be kindly looked upon.
And it wasn’t.
The next day we were met with 30 kt winds on the nose coupled with a short steep wave set. We knew from the forecast a bit of uncomfortable weather was in store and elected after weighing all the forecasts, the reality of the continuous weather low’s still rolling thru that it was best to go and get thru it to set us up for a Nov 1ish Cape Town departure. Unfortunately the horribly confused sea state and winds failure to clock around as forecasted certainly accentuated and extended the ‘suck factor’ for more hours then we had hoped for.
Arriving into the Cape Town V & A marina, we tucked into a well protected slip and began to set about washing off the salt, followed more importantly later that afternoon with trying to wash away the memory of the unpleasant hours within the recent journey. We had heard from many that the most uncomfortable part of the whole trip to Grenada is the two day jaunt down and then up the South African coast to Cape Town. Let’s hope that holds true.
‘Nothin goes to weather like a 747’ …. A classic line from a salty sailor.
I don’t recall who said it but deemed it an instant classic. It was his defense of Lisa electing to not do the next leg of the crossing and stepping off in Cape Town to fly back to Rhode Island (as was the plan all along). Touché.
Facing some unpleasant forecasted seas and high winds we elected to remain in Cape Town thru the weekend, after putting Lisa and illian on their flights.. What followed was a frenzy of visits to marine chandleries, North sails, Southern Ropes (my absolute fav with their rope offcuts bin sold by the kg – god I love that store), Coral wetsuits, Dive shop etc. etc.. All in all a very productive few days to prepare us for a long passage as well as the many months ahead, not to mention all the boat work and tweaks added by Brett to ensure a safe passage and ease of operation for the boat.
And as I type this, we are well over 500 nm off the coast of the African continent and we have run through every sail in the inventory. The ‘operation’ is running remarkably smoothly. Sláinte is performing impeccably. Sail change times are dropping as the rhythm of what to do, when to do it, and what technique is proper and safest becomes routine. For those F1 fans out there (Andrew), I’m happy to report that we’ve got our shit together more than a Ferrari pit stop.
And the ‘we’ in this equation is now down to three for this Atlantic crossing. The team is as follows:
Brett Gething – Captain. Possessing a CV that reflects well over 25 yrs. of accomplished sea time as well as breadth and depth of knowledge, S.V. Sláinte is in good hands under his watchful eye and tutelage. From running 160’+ luxury yachts like Lady Michelle to sail racing to delivering countless vessels across oceans and up and down continents, Brett’s expertise clearly has been hewn by time at sea. Around this same time last year he guided S.V. Jubilee, another Vision 444, from South Africa to Grenada. His knowledge of the 444, her systems, and how to sail her efficiently has been evident from our earliest conversations and carries on daily with each tweak added or reinforced. The Vision 444 is well made and sails easily. Brett’s additions and system of sailing allow us to truly get the best out of her, safely and efficiently.
Kristian Holmsen – Crew member. Dear friend, all around adventurous spirit, pilot, and general wiseass, he’s the kind of crew member that keeps it light. As a guy that has strapped on a daily sidearm and flown choppers in the middle east for years, it’s safe to say he doesn’t rattle easily. Having introduced us to bareboat cruising years ago on a BVI cruise of debauchery with 8 other dear friends, that Kristian coordinated and captained, we have never looked back. You could say that trip was a significant part of opening our eyes to the potential of this path of cruising a catamaran. And now we come full circle on S.V. Sláinte – although absent the egregious volume of alcohol we carried (and consumed) on the last crazy and oh so fun voyage together.
With a total of three aboard, the rhythm of the boat revolves around standing watch. We sail 24×7 and always have one person responsible for ‘the helm’ at any given time. Watch consists of a 4 hour period ‘on’, followed by 8 hours off. Kristian handles the 4-8, Brett the 8-12 and Steve the 12-4. To date this system has worked well, ensuring there is a set of eyes watching after the passage yet allowing one to acclimate to the time on / time of, when to rest, when to do other tasks etc.. Generally we eat together each evening, while all other meals are typically on your own or a collaborative decision at the moment depending on if all are up and functioning lucidly.
Next stop – a little speck in the ocean named St. Helena.
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”…
F. Scott Fitzgerald
