No time to take seasickness pills

1 October


This week has really flown past. We managed to fit a few exciting things into our schedule like our first official sailboat race, an offshore day sail and a cup of coffee with Greg the previous owner of Yrumoar. We managed to fix a broken water pump, play a host of games with the kids and get to the end of our latest book Bumfuzzle. Kyle managed to gain confidence and with it excitement for sailing, Rauen actually stayed awake during an offshore trip and Barry and I learnt more and more about our boat, our sailing skills and each other.

Barry and I participated as crew on board Tiana with Barry (Baz) and Allison for the fortnightly Sunday race. We were racing on a monohull and we were slightly apprehensive as neither of us particularly enjoyed monohull sailing in the past. But we dropped the lines and headed to the pond to hoist sails, once up we sailed up the channel out into the harbour. We were following race course 5 past buoy 1 to starboard, the shipwreck marker to port and out into the ocean around the wave rider keeping it to our port side. We were going strong keeping up to the lead yacht Silhouette for this first section of the course but as we rounded the waverider things went wrong, some lines got tangled and the steering which Barry (Baz) had been working on came off the quadrant which left Tiana with no steerage. He quickly shifting everything out of a stern lazarette onto the deck to reconnect it while we brought down sails and Allison tried in vain to get us back on course. We sadly had to abort at this point but had we a great time of it.

Barry (Baz) had pushed Tiana hard and asked if I had been nervous or scared and I answered honestly with a No. I think he secretly tried to make us nervous because last time he was on board with us I dropped the steering wheel and walked away saying I can’t do this when things did not go my way. At that time he had mentioned to my sister that it takes a special type of person to do what we are doing and most people don’t cope out there and turn around. But he saw a different side of me this week and I think he was surprised.

Later when I thought about it, it seemed a little strange that I had not been scared as we had tilted far over and had to walk on the walls, water had washed over the decks and we had been soaked by a few waves as they crashed over the bow in the 25 + knots of wind. Seems my confidence is growing!

The following morning dawned with great sailing weather. 15 Knots of wind accompanied by 3 metre waves but with a 9 second interval we decided to take our chances and headed out for a harbour tour hoping to poke out our nose. Barry backed out of the mooring with no incident and we were off. We headed towards to the opening in the harbour but decided to take a short trip past Tuzi Gazi as we had so many visitors this time.

Barry and I sat in the cockpit with Kyle discussing our options, this whole harbour tour thing is getting a little boring and we sent Kyle to the bow to ask the others if they fancied an ocean trip. It was unanimous, we were heading out. I quickly readied the boat, ensuring all the doors were clipped into place and nothing loose was lying around. Kyle took to his usual spot and said he was going to hold down the table. But I convinced him to come out into the cockpit and sit with me.

We were still in the harbour just as the swell starts to pick up when Dean started to feel ill and ducked into the room with Amy for a lie down. We were still under motor at this point as we had a cargo ship following us out of the harbour. Yeni and Keagan were sitting with us in the cockpit enjoying the ride but the motion eventually got to them as well and they too headed downstairs for a little lie down on their bed. Kyle in the mean time had realised he was not really scared and was up and down checking on the Dean and Amy and Rauen (who was trying to stay awake) and fetching things and once we turned downwind was even asking to help with the rope work as we had hoisted the jib. We managed to sail all the way into the final channel before dropping sails and once again setting her down in the mooring. One giant leap for Kyle’s confidence and he keeps asking he when we are taking an overnight to Durban…one step at a time Kyle!

I also had no time to take seasickness pills, as it was a last minute decision once we had done a half a harbour tour to exit the harbour. The pills take between ½ hour and 2 hours, depending on the make, before they start to work so I figured I would take my chances and see. I didn’t get sick for one second, I was perfectly okay, no drowsiness or nausea, the motion was incredibly relaxing and enjoyable and for the first time I felt perfectly comfortable…guess I’ll be keeping the pills and only using them when really needed from now on! Boy does this make the trip a whole lot easier.

We managed to break the cover for the filler on the water pump and the lock mechanism for the geyser cover while out, and we are getting used to the idea that we will be fixing things on the boat all the time as the movement of the ocean definitely makes for breakages onboard. I once heard the comment “Sailing around the world has little to do with your sailing ability but rather more to do with your ability to fix the things that break on board” and we are starting to discover this reality.

28th August

I am not normally the one discussing the actual act of sailing the yacht. From the beginning we decided that Barry will be the captain, skipper or whatever name you wish to call him. Not that I have not, can not or do not actually have to sail and navigate on board Yrumoar but rather that I am the first mate, navigator, chef, teacher, mother and wife.


We have to this point had the same courses, the same instruction and lessons and the same experience when it comes to sailing. The difference being that Barry is far more confident and believes he can sail anything. Just like he can drive, fly or ride anything made by man. He is transportation crazy, he loves all types of transport from boats, planes, trains, bikes, trucks and cars. The trick being that he likes to be in control of these modes of transport. He hates being a passenger in the car, he always drives if we are together in the car, he hates being a passenger on an airplane, he would rather drive 2000km than fly it and he rides his bike like a pro…all this suits me fine but on our yacht he can not be at the helm and in control 24 hours a day on a 35 day ocean crossing so having 2 qualified, confident and competent people is an absolute necessity. Even our resident He-man needs to sleep sometime!

Now for me the 400 odd hours of ocean sailing experience coupled with the 400 odd hours of dam sailing experience have done nothing to improve my confidence. I panic when we get too close to land or when the area is busy. I don’t enjoy docking and departing under motor in a confined space and I feel as if every time I take the helm we either go off course or go into irons (turn directly into the wind to the “NO GO” zone). I end up getting frustrated and returning the helm to Barry who completes the task at hand.

In theory I understand how all the sailing works, but in practise I have struggled with feeling the wind and keeping the yacht on course. Barry on the other hand sails beautifully, parks and manoeuvres under power perfectly and generally has no problem. I am not unable to perform all the tasks but can only perform them if there is a competent sailor nearby (Barry fits this bill for me).

So this week we took Yrumoar out in a force 5 (17 – 22 knots of wind). Barry did all the sail and rope work while I took the helm for the whole day. I had to keep her into the wind for over an hour while Barry jury rigged a new tack (our main is still not fixed) and Barry and Rauen hoisted the main with a reef in it. We hoisted the jib and we sailed up and down inside the harbour practising the technique of tacking (we have had to use the motor to tack without the main sail up as our speed decreases to much once we have managed to backwind the sail. After a few practise tacks up and down we left the harbour mouth and headed offshore. I managed to keep Yrumoar on course and as close to the wind as she has ever been, we did not go into irons nor did we go off course and I felt the confidence growing with every minute.

Probably for the first time I thoroughly enjoyed the open ocean, Barry below dealing with Kyle’s fear (which I usually have to deal with and that is decreasing) and checking the charts and performing the navigation work (which he has never done before).

I felt exhilarated and had some of the most fun onboard that I have ever had. Barry discovered that his problem lies with the navigation an area where I am not at all concerned and once we were back a the marina I showed him a few things he had forgotten.

Many more things happen this past week but for me the confidence boost I got from actually being the helmsman and dealing with the wind, waves and the open ocean is a great step towards my confidence to drop the lines and push off when the time is right. We are after all taking to a life afloat!