When I reflect on the year I can’t believe that a year ago we stepped onto a sailing yacht for the 1st time ever, learnt how to sail and took a 9day Skippers licence in the Indian Ocean.
By the time the course was done we had decided to sail around the world and by March we had purchased a small 24-foot Vivacity sailing yacht Bluefin at the local dam (The Vaal) to keep practising for our planned trip.
We consciously changed our minds regarding our finances and started to spend more wisely and less often, concentrating on paying down debts and saving more. We started working on a new income stream by designing and building a website and writing in numerous blogs.
Barry managed to stop smoking, a success still in progress for as he puts it: ”Every day is still a struggle and a conscious decision” while I managed to lose 12kg(Click Here!), still not quite enough to fit into that bikini but on my way.
Amy completed High School, Rauen was chosen as a prefect and we managed to gain my mom’s approval for our trip on her short visit with an awesome day sail. Not to mention the decrease in our unused worldly possessions, the increase in our homemade recipe book and the constant reading, planning and of course dreaming.
In order to keep this dream alive as well as our motivation high, regular visits to Bluefin are required and we only just managed to get to the boat this weekend after nearly a month away.
I was starting to feel as if the forces were trying to stop us when we arrived home on Friday afternoon to a blocked drain and sewerage spilling out onto our back lawn, not to mention Rauen’s swelling cheek from an abscess in his mouth.
We called the plumber and while waiting I packed, took Rauen with his antibiotics and pain pills off to sleep at his now 3 month long girlfriend’s house for the weekend and did the weekly washing. By the time the plumber had left it was after 6pm and we decided to spend the night at home.
We departed Saturday morning, made a couple of stops, first at the local Spar and then in Heidelberg to purchase some salads and baked goods. Reaching the boat by 11H30 we quickly unpacked and ate lunch while charging up the near flat battery.
We cast off at 13H00 and had a pleasant 3hour sail using only the main sail and reaching a maximum 3knot speed. We were all feeling a little nervous, Kyle was closer to terrified but we managed to use our weight to keep the boat on an even keel and talked Kyle through the wind and direction changes, swapping sides with each tack. By the time we completed our downwind run back to the marina we were feeling more confident. Kyle even stopped panicking with every weight shift, moving up to the bow of the boat alone and working the bowlines during docking.
No sooner had we tied up to the marina than a violent storm hit. Winds were at a consistent 30 knots and the rain came down in sheets. The squall past within 10 minutes but by then hail stones covered our cockpit, the marina water was filled with boat debris not yet stowed including suntan lotions, fenders and lose ropes from neighbouring yachts and tenders were water laden and near sinking point.
I commented to Barry that if we had been caught out in this bad weather again, considering my apprehension from our last few excursions; we would be planning a Campervan trip rather than a sailing trip! Luckily we had anticipated the weather and taken action early this time.
We set out early Sunday morning for another sail but with wind speeds below 1 knot and the heat rising with the sun we opted to return to the marina under motor and strip and refit the leaking window.
We were sure we had all the necessary tools and spare parts so we stripped the window and spent 2 hours removing silicon and cleaning and prepping the window to be refitted. We were feeling great at this point, successful almost and then things started to head south so to speak when we realised we did not have a silicon gun with us.
Application of the “Bond seal” window sealant without a gun was most frustrating. After several attempts Barry headed into town to find a hardware store, being Sunday and after 12pm all stores were closed. We could not leave the window out for the next 2 weeks so were in a predicament and had to finish the job. He managed to get a broken gun from the Jet Ski shop next door and returned to sukkle (South Africanism meaning – suffer) for another hour and a half.
During this time we managed to get ourselves, our clothes and thankfully the window covered in "Bond seal". Kyle learnt a dictionary of words “never to be repeated” and finally the window was refitted. Not the prettiest looking window, but once completely dry we will be able to remove the excess “Bond seal” and clean and buff the area and hopefully have a perfect looking window. We will know for sure on our next visit…will keep you posted.
By 2:30pm we were finished with the day’s job and as the temperature had reached a high of 34°C Barry suggested a swim in the clubhouse pool. I did not have my swimming costume but as the heat was stifling I decided to jump in fully clothed and walked around wet and dripping, but cool, until we left for home just after 4pm.
Next time I will remember my costume and maybe you can join me for a Splash!
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