Cape of Good Hope - Capetown

On to South Africa! Click to see Africa.. https://www.oceansfive.net/africa

Passage from Thursday, November 28 - Wednesday, December 11, 2024.

Cape Town: December 11 - December 23, 2024

We depart Reunion Island on a nice, sunny sail on Thanksgiving Day. Sweet Ellie went to work in the galley to make us what she thought would be a traditional American Thanksgiving. Considering there were no turkeys to be had anywhere in the Indian Ocean, she prepared a wonderful pork roast, complete with stuffing, roasted potatoes and fresh vegetables. A true feast in our eyes! The pumpkin pie would have to wait a day - there wasn’t enough room in the galley for us both. I have to say, the lopsided pie turned out a little weird, between makeshift ingredients and a heeling boat slurping the contents repetitively over one side as it baked.

Many hours of consulting in the owner’s chat (more so than any other passage) figuring out the best route to reach Durban. Most of the boats have a professional meteorologist advising them. It was interesting how different the advice was, I guess depending on which weather model the forecaster trusted most. We were partial to weather router Bill who recommended we stay relatively north of upcoming weather. Some vessels headed south. Rob referenced several weather models often and agreed staying north was probably best. On Saturday, November 30th, we awaited our first batch of bad weather - a cold front, remnants of a bad storm Mastegot and Hermione had endured (boats who went south). By early evening, the ocean became quite mixed up with different currents colliding from different directions. Two large waves burst over the sides and into the cockpit, soaking Calvin and Ellie. By midnight, the sea settled some, but rain persisted.

The following morning, Sunday, beautiful day with calmer seas. Unfortunately, the wind died; thus, we had to motor sail. The current is now with us, adding 1 1/2 knots to our speed which is a pleasant benefit. We enjoy an easy day of sunshine and fishing. Our lazy day is broken by the whirring of the fishing rod, ending in Rob bringing in a 25 lb mahi! We know what’s for dinner tonight!! And, days to come!

On Monday, we sail around the southern tip of Madagascar, staying well clear of the island. A couple days later, we find ourselves sailing in the Agulhas current, the third fastest current in the world, after the Gulf Stream and the Japan Current. The sea is chopped up and confused at first, but then settles down and helps us make our way across toward Durban. Distraction and Ostara are about 80 miles behind us and Poco Loco is following them. Nice to know they’re out there. The rest of the rally is well ahead of us due to our boat delay back in Mauritius.

We begin to hear reports of Durban from yachts who are already there. Not very good reports - sketchy and a bit scary. As we review the weather along the east coast of Africa, we consider passing Durban and Port Elizabeth and making a straight haul to Cape Town. The weather window supports this decision, so we decide to go for it. Otherwise, we’ll be stuck in Durban for a week or more before weather will allow us to leave.

On Saturday, December 7th, we begin sailing on the inside of the Agulhas current, between the current and the coast. We enjoy the smoother ride for a few hours, but then the wind changes causing us to take down the sails and motor directly into the wind. At this point, we’re about 4 1/2 days from Cape Town. In the upcoming days, we begin to experience long, sweeping swells. Beautiful. Fortunately, they’re far apart. I find the ride pleasant. We see the large swell approaching (no break in it) in front of us and it slowly lifts us high and then equally, slowly rolls us down the other side into its trough. This carries on for hours. However, later the wind begins to pick up in the opposite direction of the swell, causing the swell to become steeper and much less comfortable. Fortunately, we’re able to duck out of the current and avoid a really rough sea state. As we approach the southern point of South Africa, cargo ship traffic picks up and we see many oil/gas platforms rising out of the sea. We continue motoring into the wind.

Around this time, Rob feels something odd on his neck and asks me to look at it. It feels to be a very large lymph node. Really large. This is unusual because he doesn’t have any symptoms of illness or pain. We figure we’ll ask one of the doctors on the rally when we see her/him. We look at each other trying not to feel too concerned.

On Wednesday, December 11th, as we’re passing the southernmost point of South Africa, Cape Agulhas, the air and water around us burst with life! Large Albatross, with their expansive wings, soar around us, just above the water, dipping and rising as the sea moves below them, mirroring its motion. The first picture in this blog is the Albatross. Incredibly fluid, graceful and athletic. They’re one of those birds which wear a distinctive expression on their faces - the pattern of colors and shape of their eyes and prominent brow lend them a really serious, stern expression. Sort of like Sam the Eagle from the Muppet Show, only not as goofy. At sunset, Calvin takes some gorgeous photos of their flight.

Earlier in the day, we spotted strange activity in the water. Many blows of spray and roiled water surrounding the spray. As we watch, the tails begin protruding out of the water. A pod of humpbacks feeding in a circle, coming up for a quick breath and then diving deeply. None of the breaching or pectoral slapping we’ve seen in the past. We can only imagine what’s below the surface. They’re a magnificent creature. We keep hoping for more than a glimpse of a tail and a peek of a dorsal fin, but no extra show for us today. Seals begin swimming and dodging around the boat, as well as a frenzy of seabirds. We’re caught in the midst of feeding time! We sailed for days and days without seeing a hint of life in the ocean anywhere around us, only to then have it on display in every direction, air and sea.

After roughly two weeks at sea, we are thrilled to be rounding the bend into the V & A Marina. We are the only vessel on the rally to come directly to Cape Town from Réunion without stopping. The area we enter is an impressive complex of marina, boat work facilities, hotels, restaurants, apartments, malls and open spaces. We have to pass through two bridges - a swing bridge and the Bascule, lifting bridge, in order to enter the guarded marina docking area. As we approach our berth on the dock, we’re greeted by our rally family with air horns and shouts of greeting and congratulations for our safe passage. This is what makes this rally special.

All these people who are very supportive of one another on so many different levels. I am acutely aware and appreciative of this when I pull Gakyung aside after she envelops me in a warm hug of greeting. She is one of the retired physicians, a general surgeon who worked often with oncology patients. Would she mind taking a quick look at Rob’s neck? We aren’t at the dock longer than 15 minutes and she’s recommended we see an ENT surgeon. Her concern is metastatic cancer or lymphoma. We shouldn’t wait. After researching who to see, I’m able to schedule Rob the next morning to see Dr Ola Basson, an ENT surgeon. Although, she can’t see anything when she scopes him, she orders blood work and CT scan. Ugh.

We decide we’ll take advantage of exploring around Cape Town, between appointments and deciding how to move forward. Burdened by the heaviness of concern, staying busy seems to be the best way to wait. We meet friends for meals and explore around Table Top Mountain, which looms in the background of Cape Town and the marina, and is often lit up at night, creating a dramatic back drop for the city. Watching people hang gliding, drifting down to the oceanfront park, walking (me walking, Rob running) along the oceanfront path, Christmas shopping, eating at many different restaurants. This is the polar opposite of most of our destinations. We are appreciating it all as best we can until Rob’s CT on the 18th and the pending results.

December 19th is the Oyster Christmas Party. We warm up on Jolie by opening a bottle of Anthony’s champagne with Calvin and Ellie. Anthony is the owner of Babiana and also owns a vineyard here is South Africa called Vondeling. He and his wife, Sophie, have gifted several bottles to each boat on the rally. Lovely gesture and we are loving his wines! We have a sweet time exchanging our gifts with Calvin and Ellie. Ellie is so creative! She made a hand drawn card for Calvin which exceeds any card we’ve ever seen. It’s too detailed to describe, but it’s like Frodo’s home in the Shire, decorated for Christmas, with little flaps to open to reveal other drawings inside. Adorable! Off to the party…. We have a Secret Santa gift exchange with Jackie, the 12 yr old from Skana, acting as the elf to pass out the gifts. Most everyone is in Santa hats and having a festive time.

One of the projects I worked on during our crossing was scheduling exploring South Africa - scheduling a resort and Airbnb (in Franschhoek and Stellenbosch), vineyard visits (including bicycle tour to vineyards), Christmas Day plans with friends, and a New Year’s Eve Party Sarah from Hermione arranged. We were most excited about a luxury safari at the Kwandwe Reserve with Distraction and Ostara in early January. Over the next several days, we explore Franschhoek, a quaint vineyard village, surrounded by rocky mountains with gorgeous cloud formations, blanketing over the tops of the peaks in the evenings. We’re staying at the Franschhoek Hotel and Spa in one of their thatched-roof villas. The landscape on the property is beautiful with many types of hydrangeas and paths lined with thickly clustered agapanthus. Downtown Franschhoek is one main road, lined with historic buildings holding unique shops and restaurants. Flowerpots spill abundantly with multicolored and textured flowers and plants. One day we hike in the Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve, along a pretty, rocky trail, which becomes extremely windy at times. We’re rewarded with gorgeous sweeping views of the village nestled in the valley below, surround by squares of vineyards and other crops in the farmland framing the village. We returned to Franschhoek for lunch at Smitten and later a lovely 6 course meal paired with wines at Coin de Frances. Another hike the following day to Berg River Dam along a beautiful lake formed by the dam. It’s quite hot today without any shade. Maybe 95 degrees. Low key afternoon, dinner at Oku and the next morning we return to Jolie.

Monday, December 23rd. At this point, we’ve received the results of Rob’s tests and decide we need to head back home to figure out his next steps. Unsure what to tell people, because we don’t know what we’re facing, we keep a low profile and share our situation with our closest friends. We enjoy a farewell lunch with Nick and Anne (Rock Lobster) and Joe and Mary (Ostara). We say our tearful good-byes to Calvin, Ellie and Jolie. We’re in such an odd space, not sure if we’ll be back in a few weeks, or not at all. Our flight from Cape Town to Newark takes about 15 hours. Then, we’re delayed in Newark due to a snowstorm. We arrive home in Orlando on Christmas Eve at 1 pm. Jacob meets us at the airport - so good to see him and give him a big hug. Then off to Chipotle, which Rob is really excited to have (we’ve missed our Chipotle lunches!). Later, it was so very good to hug Alex, Mady, Aubrey and Nancy. It feels really good to be home after such a long absence. Actually, it does feel good to be home, but part of us is grieving being pulled away from our sailing friends and world adventure so abruptly.