Saturday, June 30, 2018

Voyage from South Africa to Namibia

AHOY !
Dear Friends and family around the world,
Great news! MYLADY is underway again ! 
Skipper has run out of visa time and therefore we are underway again. We left Port Owen, on the westcoast of South Africa in a veil of thick fog. The radar worked hard in the narrow dredged channel where many of the big fishingboats were moored. Wind against - fortunately just 10knots - pushing into the river high, short swell. My stomach made its first churns. Once out of the pier and onto the shallow banks, we hoisted the mainsail immediately and on a port beam we got going to Stompneus punt. Then made a tack on a long northerly run. Wind was 20-25knts NW. Tacked again to sea between the 9big ships out at anchor waiting to go and load in Saldanah Bay and repeated the long tack northerly. Night time came and the wind went to sleep. The iron sail roared into use. Fog cleared during the night. It is COLD. At the moment we are sailing wing-to-wing with a 15knot southerly in our backs.
Things to report:
*The intensity of my seasickness went from previously 100% to currently 10% !  That's magic. Maybe after all these years I'm actually turning into a proper seawife. The down side about that is that I'm not loosing the kilos that I anticipated.
*Our main source of steering - the windvane - has a problem. Therefore this whole trip to Luderitz will be done with the autopilot.
(our joblist for Luderitz before we go skipping across the Atlantic is already toooo long.)
*Saw a few white chimneys (whale spouts), albatrosses, cormarants, sleeping seals, petrels and flurescent torpedo dolphins at night and schools of dancing dolphins in the morning glow.

*Sailed right through a fleet of very impressive diamond mining boats at night.
*Saw a kind-of-petrel, which our books can not identify. Dark brown all over. dark legs. slate bill. The broad wings have one large whitish window underneath towards the outside. On top the wing has three white windows. From big to small, outside to inside.
*For the rest, far horizons, long and high seaswell, sunshine - MYLADY and crew are dancing.
What a wonderful world we're living on.
Wishing for you good health and golden memories.

ps. The wind picked up and we arrived in Luderitz on the ear - in the dark. Then portside, then starboard. We dropped anchor and waited for daylight to start our life in the next country.