Windhorse Sailing

Now about our shakedown…

A shakedown is a period of training crew and testing equipment after an overhaul. What better way to test equipment than in a 350-knot headwind? We took on the Cape of Good Hope (aka the cape of Storms) for our shakedown. We planned to go 250 miles east to Mossel Bay, but we settled for 70 miles to Simonstown on the other side of the cape. Regardless of our destination we got a good look at our great vessel, Shangri-La.

We set out into the “Cape Doctor” the southeast prevailing wind blowing around 20 knots. The forecast had called for the wind to change to southwesterly, much more in our favor. As it happened the southeaster picked up strength and held of the low that was to force the winds to southwest. It increased to a steady 30 knots with gusts of 40 knots. We made slow progress tacking back and forth into the gale. It took us 54 hours to get to Cape point. With a SW wind it would have been more like 12 hours.

The seas never got higher than 10ft, I’d say, but the impending low created confused seas. Waves came from all directions. I was regularly shaking water out of my ears after a shift at the helm. It made for tough sleeping conditions and guaranteed we were always wet and cold. The water was 60 degrees at best. Despite this the helm was smooth and the bow cut through the waves with grace. We had fun and were excited at the way she handled.

Because it took so long to round the Cape we decided to head for Simonstown in False Bay. We had allotted 5 days for our shakedown sail and we had already used up almost 3. What’s more is we really tested the equipment and we felt good about the results. Our sails and rigging are first rate. We discovered and remedied a few chafe points. The only mishap was a 12″ tear in the headsail that was our own fault. We forgot to tape a cleavis pin on the inner forestay. The sail tore as we brought her across on a tack. Stevo noticed it immediately and we furled it away before more damage was done. With safety harnesses on Francis and I hanked on and hoisted the storm jib. By the end we had sampled all our sails: the staysail, the storm jib and the trisail.

We pulled into Simonstown on the evening of the third day and secured a birth at the False Bay Y.C. There was a wedding in progress, but the bar was open for Yacht Club guests. We cleaned ourselves up and made way over to the bar. Over a few beers we discussed our plan. Meanwhile we were invited to enjoy the reception.

The reason we limited our shakedown was to have some R&R. Stevo and I had been in South Africa for one month and two months respectively and hadn’t left the Cape area. We had come too far not to try to see more of South Africa. We decided to try to do a safari and check out the famous Jeffrey’s Bay for a day or two of surf. We rented a car and drove 700 kilometers east(7hrs) to jbay. We got there at 8pm and had a blast, but the place was a ghost town. The high season is in June and July their winter when the surf is biggest. Apparently the place gets crazy. The bar we chose, Alcatraz, had a cage with a couch and a fridge in it. I didn’t ask. With scenes like that assumptions are better. We had a few beers and crashed at a backpackers.

Stevo at Jeffrey’s Bay

The next day we eyed the lack of surf and went two hours further east to do a day safari at Lalibella Game Preserve. South Africa has what they call the “big 5″, elephant, rhino, wilderbeast, lion and leopard. Lalibella boasts all five on 10,000 hectares. They also had a five star lodge and food. We enjoyed a feast and a crazy tribal dance at midday. We needed to go on a night safari to see the cats, but it was booked up. As it was we saw a baby rhino and its mother was ready to charge our vehicle. A giraffe bending to drink was my highlight along with the elephants that almost walked on us. Two young bull elephants tussled right in front of us knocking down full trees. Lions would have been great, but I got way more than I expected. I recommend Lalibella.

Group leaving for safari

That evening we drove three hours back west to a town called Knysna. Luckily when we passed the worlds tallest bungy, 216 meters, it was closed. Francis has done it 4 times since he has been in SA. Anyway, Knysna is a sailing town on a lagoon just in from the sea. It has a modern marina and waterfront in contrast to huge old Victorian homes. One of these was a backpacker we stayed in after watching European soccer at a pub. We had a good breakfast and checked out the local yachts before heading back to the Shangri-La in Simonstown. I’ll say it was the typical American mad dash travel and we did it well.

Back at Simonstown we ran into another American from Anchorage Alaska, a lawyer/sailor, Don Logan. “Call me Mad Don,” he said. And mad he was, though full of useful knowledge on sail repair, ground tackle, and anything you ask a question about. He invited us over to his boat, the Scotty Ann, an old wooden boat he had salvaged after a hurricane in Hawaii 30 years ago. The cluttered deck looked something like the nautical version of Fred Sanford’s red pickup. Between he and his partner Maureen we heard enough stories about repairs at sea to know that we can handle anything that comes our way. And yes Maureen was as “mad” as Don.

The following day we set sail at 4pm and sailed through the night with a 20 southeaster astern. Our return trip took 15 hours. We arrived at Cape Town Harbour as the wind died. We made breakfast as we sat becalmed and planned our provisioning for the voyage to South America.

They say the devil is in the details. I would be a bit more extreme about that statement. We have made a mad push to get everything in the boat and stowed securely. Yet, the last minute details and thoughts don’t stop, which tends to make one wonder if you got it all done. Did we think of everything? What will be most needed at sea? Food and first aid - that’s easy. How about radio and engine spares? Can we fix anything with our collective experience? We’ll find out. That is what a shake down cruise is all about. But, we have to get to that point first.

When I first arrived in Cape Town Francis told me about a small leak in the bilge. The manifold from the main seacock had a few drips between various pipefittings. Knowing that this small leak was a can of worms I avoided this job for as long as I could. Finally Francis started the job by taking all the pipes out. The former owner, Dirk, had used plastic pipe fitting to avoid electrolysis between the steel hull and stainless fittings. Great idea, but two broke as we separated them. I agreed to do the job of putting them back together. The next day I started by hunting down replacement plastic fittings that had me circumnavigating Cape Town’s suburbs. I found them, installed them and sealed them back in place with a marine epoxy called sicoflex. They leaked less, but they still leak. And the sicoflex makes it harder to dismantle when we do it over. I avoided the job for the next two week as I had too many other things to handle.

A few days ago I came back to the boat to find Francis and Steve tackling the job again. More pieces were broken including the sea cock (the valve that lets sea water into the boat system for cooling the engine, cleaning the head, etc.) Drastic measures had to be taken to prevent water from freely coming in. Francis dove overboard and sicoflexed a piece of plastic over the inlet – a patch on the bottom that was just freshly painted three times. This is the moment when I walked in…and lost it. I asked a few questions and didn’t feel I got the right answers. For all the people I used to work with, you know what it looks like. To put it mildly, I became verbally abusive.

Stevo sent me to cool off so I went to the yacht club bar. That usually isn’t the best idea, but in this case it worked out. Her Majesty’s Sea Dog, Tim from the UK was having some fresh beer when I walked up. He had sold his yacht charter business in the Caribbean after many years and is now retired to his yacht circumnavigating the globe for the umpteenth time. When he saw my face he offered his experience to solve my problem. I told him the story and that I wanted him to teach me patience. The irony of learning patience was left unsaid. He just offered his own story.

“A German I once knew in the UK had come to start a hospital in London. He was impatient and felt that unless he was around nothing got done. He felt everyone was hard to work with and decided to get to the bottom of this problem. He called his English staff together to find out what they didn’t understand. The first question was, ‘Why did you ever leave Germany?’ The rest of the staff applauded.”

Good story - this isn’t NY, it isn’t the NYSE, and I am not at work. Thanks, Tim.

Francis, Stevo and I are all on the same page now. We always were - I just needed a shake down. Now it is time to sail Shangri-La for her shake down.

Shangri-La weighs 9.5 tons. I think that might be metric I didn’t ask because I don’t know the difference between a metric ton and a standard ton and I don’t care. Regardless we hauled her out of the water for three days to paint the bottom and replace the Stern gland (basically a rubber colar on the propshaft where it comes out of the hull.) I could say every thing went as planned, but that wouldn’t be much fun. So here is what happened.

The Shangri-La out of the water.

We’re paying this guy Quincy to paint the topsides (the side of the boat above waterline). We pay him the going rate of about 15$US a day. Marine paint usually has a chemical agent mixed in just before painting that makes it dry faster and last longer. He didn’t add that. The result is paint that never dries, except on my hands and right leg for 3 days now. He had to use paint thinner to remove it and then reapply the proper mixture. It took an extra 2 days. So it cost 30$ more in labor plus 10$ a day for the spot in the boat yard. All this is at Royal Cape Yacht Club, which isn’t too shabby. Thanks Quincy.

If you buy a boat or need to do a refit Cape Town is the place. They have everything you need and labor is cheap. The only downside is that certain foreign goods are rare and expensive. Usually a South African made substitute can be as good or better.

Speaking of labor… That carpenter and his son, the Indian Sanford and Son, showed up with the goods. They did all the jobs they said they would and did them well. Out of the blue they called to say they would be at the dock later. I had forgotten about them. They made a teak floor for the cockpit, fixed the companionway stairs, a door and replaced the sideboard in the cockpit where we hang the dinghy engine. They were done in 1 hour and they charged me $200 for parts and labor. Teak floor! You gotta be kidding.

We are back in the water and all is good, but there is one more story to tell about the haul out. The put-in. I couldn’t believe they would try as the wind was blowing 25 knots, but they did confidently. So confidently that they lifted 9.5 tons over a race boat moored to the crane dock. Tonga, the crane operator that I greased for good measure said “don’t worry Babba, I put you down like a baby in da tub.” He did.

Now that left me moored against an expensive looking race boat. I had to back up and pull away as smooth as ever. Francis was off taking his final for the Yacht Master. Bad timing. Stevo was there to help with a pat on the back and “oh dude you got it.” One wrong move and my ten tons of Steel crushes that race boat. And it didn’t help that the wind was blowing me on to her.

Thank God, we made it safely out and down the row of docks to our slip. Then I turned the boat in and the wind from dead astern kicked up to a steady gale 33 knots and was just able to stop her, engine full in reverse, before the bow hit the dock. Except the anchor sticking off the bow plowed through the back of the electric box on the dock. The box bent over on its post and now people have to walk around it. It shouldn’t have been there in the fist place.

All is good as we await Thursday inspection. After that we are legal to sail South African and international waters. Perhaps we’ll have a party Thursday night.

Well Stevo arrived a week ago and I haven’t found time to write. Those who know Stevo or me could have expected that. Francis received his Ocean Yacht Master cert and the celebration keeps going. The boat is such a mess that when we aren’t working on it we leave it. Being the adventurous types and it being summertime, it’s easy to find trouble.

Stevo arrives.

Francis and I met Stevo at the airport at 11pm last Tuesday. A lost bag and a questioning by customs couldn’t bum his high. We proceeded to a bar called Jo’Berg and tore it up till 4am at least. Things are open late in the “Mother city,” and we have found a way to take advantage of that fact every night since.

The next day we had some work to do. We were up early (10am) and getting things done. Stevo has great organizational skills and a lot of experience provisioning a boat. That is the stage we have been struggling with now. Stevo is therefore the answer to prayers. He knows how we are going to stuff 10 pounds of shit in this five-pound bag. When we leave we will have a supermarket, a pharmacy, a hardware store, and an REI on board. I don’t know how we’re going to fit the liquor store.

Since three can do more than two, we have made some time for fun. Aside from various bars and restaurants we have gone to historic Simonstown in False Bay and some surf spots in between. My friends Ed and Katy have given us a tour of the Cape and Ed brought us to a huge beach where we could ride his sail cart.

Ed and Katy

A three-wheel cart powered by sail. It turns on a dime goes faster than the wind literally. That is pretty fast considering the it blows 25knots regularly here.

Stevo enjoying the sail cart.

Anyway, I want to make the point that we are working hard and having fun. The three of us come from different backgrounds and approach life in totally different ways. Johnny Wall Street, Chef Stevo, and Francis, the guy no one has yet figured out. It is already apparent that we are going to get along great, as we need what the others bring to the table. In common, we all want to succeed and we all expect to give our 100% effort.

More Later.