Almost on our way!

5th October


We have spent the last week checking off the last immediate things we wanted to complete on the boat. Yesterday we decided to check the weather and make a date next week to leave, get our flight plan sorted out and get ready.

Well the weather disappointed us, it is raining all week, we have a wet, miserable week ahead of us so we have decided to wait yet again. Living your life according to the weather really can be frustrating, but rather safe than sorry. We will check for updated everyday now and see when the window arrives.

8th October

The weekend was filled with activity. On Friday we were once again on the rescue boat for the regatta here at Zululand. This time in a small open craft Barry and I sat in the wind and rain moving the marker buoys around for each new start. We managed to have a load of fun together and even had a ski boat race with the other rescue boat.

On Saturday Rauen went up the mast to finally install the radar reflector, a job he really wanted to do and that we have been putting off. He was glad he did it, but did comment on how high it was and how difficult it is to work, swinging from a rope like a monkey and trying to work with only 1 hand behind you.

Sunday morning dawned overcast again and we decided in the low heat and little wind it was Barry’s turn to head to the top of the mast, he had a few jobs to do, tighten the forestay, install the new masthead light and Windex, another job that has been on the list since we moved here. Once again we had success and ticked them all off by midday.

We then went up to the club for a braai and had a few drinks. Donna and Kevin came back to our boat when the rain started to fall and we continued the party here. By 9 o’clock we were all bushed and hit the sack.

Fun, action packed weekend all around, now we are back to waiting for weather…but while waiting we will probably tick a few more items off that eternal boat project list.

9th October

I woke up yesterday morning with good intentions of clearing out the boat, repacking everything so we would be ship shape and ready to go when the weather turned for us…but this was not to be.

I started by printing 3 sets of manuals, then Rauen’s past exams for the year but half way through the printer started giving me trouble and I eventually conceded. Virginia then came over to measure the clear spray dodger we are having made for the bimini front followed by Donna from Maxscene who popped past for some provisioning advice and 1 thing led to another and we spent the rest of the day having coffee, chatting about preperations and the few tips about avoiding weavils, mould and rotting food. Which stores last indefinitely and which ones need date organising. How to bake bread and general conversation…oh the life on a boat.

Today I plan to make up for the last Monday so ship shape it is!

26th September


Yesterday we actually started on the window in Kyle’s room. We have had this repair to do for a while and the material to do the task arrived the weekend after our return from Johannesburg. This coupled with a few patches is the final “To Do” item before we jump port.

It all went reasonably well, taking into consideration that we have not done fibreglass work for nearly 6 months. And we will continue the job today, we expect the window to be fitted back by Friday evening if all goes smoothly…but this is a boat…so don’t hold your breathe.

Even though everything went off so well, I felt deflated last night. Not in the mood for anything and I rubbed off on Barry, who was in a great mood. I felt really bad about that…anyway I headed to bed the moment the boys got back from scouts to avoid depressing him anymore and left Barry to finish his drink outside alone.

At least I woke up feeling much better this morning, not so sad and miserable. Today we continue with the window job…we have to finish it before the rain expected on Saturday. Oh Mark, the guy who bought our walk-on, should arrive today with is boat from Knysna. Then we can do the paperwork for that and yet another item is off that list.

We have already moved the boat from our walk-on to F-walk-on because we couldn’t start the window work in case Mark arrived and we had to move. This way, we can work we need to done, and he can go straight onto the mooring when he gets here.

This mooring is not as good as our one though, the finger is shorter, the cleats are in not quite the right place and there are wooden blocks along the edges which we have to defend ourselves from. Our fenders are permanently working here where they hardly ever touched before and we have had to put extra lines in an attempt to hold us still while we work over the water on the window…all fun and games here!

2nd October

On Sunday we went “on Safari” if you can call a day drive through a game reserve that. Living in Africa my whole life you would think it I had done this a million times but this was only my 2nd time!

Dylan and Nicolette collected us at the yacht club in the morning as we drove to Umfolozi, we spent the morning driving spotting animals, Giraffe, zebra, springbok, waterbuck and wildebeest.

At lunch time we stopped the cars near a natural dam and picnicked with a few of their friends. Rauen and Kyle flew a kite, an experience they have had surprisingly little. We had ham sandwiches and played in the natural environment where the animals roam free.

We then headed out of the game park and into the forest. Never having been on 4 x 4 trail before it was exciting and interesting, the forest was not natural but rather one of those huge plantations that span as far as the eye can see. We made our way through the forest using the firebreaks as roads and deep inside we found a section of natural forest, apparently all plantations have to keep 10% of their land natural. We followed a twisted path to a long forgotten camp site.

Once there we took a hiking trail through the dense wood and over some creeks, under some bridges and back. Made a few more stops at other picnic areas deep in the forest and back towards the main road.

On our return journey we came to a creek, with a deep crevice and put 4 x 4 mode onto the Toyota Landcruiser and went for broke trying to cross it. After 4 attempts we managed to get through the riverbed and back onto the main road.

The day would have been perfect had it not been for the migraine I acquired somewhere along the way…I had to sleep it off the moment we returned to the boat.

3rd October

Yesterday I was busy copying some photos Anne took for me at the scout investment night and discovered she had added another series of photos of a forgotten memory while Rauen was in Johannesburg.

Kyle still has many teddy bears that he insists on keeping. We have jointly decided that he will get rid of them when he is ready and we do not need to pressurise him. Unfortunately, teddy bears break, his dinosaur teddy had torn along the seam on the front and he was “nursing it” trying not to loose the stuffing and repeatedly asking me, the no sewing mother, to repair it.

He decided to take matters into his own hands and go and ask Anne, who loves to sew, to please repair it for him. She willingly took the dinosaur and fixed it. Once it was ready she phoned me and asked me to bring Kyle over and both Barry and I should come too.

She had wrapped the dinosaur’s stomach with a bandage and placed a “hospital bracelet” around his neck. She then asked Kyle to “bring him out from anaesthetic” after his operation. Here is a recount of Kyle’s face as the process unfolded. Too cute!

Back to say our final goodbyes

19th August


The regatta went off without a hitch, it was cancelled for the Thursday which worked out perfectly and allowed Barry to come with us to the airport to see Rauen off. We discovered our anchor holds, how to get our bridle to work once all the chain is out and we are using warp and that we can still manage to sail this huge yacht at 1.2 knots in as little as 2 knots of wind. Anchoring was fantastic…can’t wait for it be all the time. But lifting that huge anchor is a great deal of work. We discussed an electric windlass but decided to give our manual one a chance as we will not normally be anchored in 25m of water with 80m of scope that takes over an hour to hoist. We will normally be sitting with 3 -5m of water and 15 – 20 metres of scope and Rauen and I have lifted that in a few minutes without a problem.

We have dropped off our EPRIB at SMD in town once again, this time for a battery replacement. We had to have our brand new navigation computer tested and the BIOS updated…we had better make a plan to reboot that today and check that it is now fully functional before we have to leave in a few weeks!

Today is that special day of the year for Barry and me…our wedding anniversary. We have officially been married for 12 years today! We have never done gift exchange or major celebration, it usually ends up a trip to a restaurant that cost more than R30 a head for a quick lunch or supper with all the kids. Today we have only 1 kid with us and we have a yacht club AGM to go to so our celebration will be even more subdued than normal. Oh well, it is technically just a number…we enjoy everyday together and when Barry asks me how long we’ve been married for…he always says “That’s impossible! It’s only been a year…we are still on honeymoon!” As long as we feel like that about each other I think we are on the right path here.

Happy Anniversary Honey!

22nd September


Yes, it has been a whole month!

We took a trip to Joburg for a couple of weeks but did not manage to see everyone in that time to say goodbye. I feel really sad about not seeing Tara, my sister and Lella, Rauen’s gran, we also promised Warren we would pop past before left again and just did not make it! I’m really sorry everyone, but my itinerary did not go according to plan and the main plan was to see Amy and Keagan, so we prioritised them and went with their plans.

When I went up there I realised I never want to live there again. That is not just the rat race, that I may end up back in at some stage, hopefully somewhere else…but the scenery, the landscape, the rudeness of the people in general, the hurried way they push past you, the way they cut you off when they drive and never apologise. I don’t know all these things coupled with high crime and that nervous feeling when I try to sleep at night or have to drive at night to go out after dark…nope I don’t see me returning to Joburg again…definitely not to live!