Merry Christmas!

Hout Bay Yacht Club wishes y'all a very Merry Christmas, Seasons Greetings and fair winds for 2012! (and mind those roadblocks)

Christmas 2011 Carriacou, North of Grenada

This year we think we’ll be spending Christmas in fairly remote Chatham Bay on Union Island belonging to St Vincent and the Grenadines-no shops, no wifi or cellular coverage, but a lovely beach and a few beach pubs with interesting names like Shark Attack! Thereafter we’ll be working our way up the chain of islands aiming to be in the Virgin Islands by March, where, hopefully Kate will join us for a week or 2. We got our 10 year USA visas while in SA, so we’ll probably head up through Puerto Rico & the Bahamas and enter the US in Florida. After that our plans are a bit vague but we’ll probably start exploring the western Caribbean next season.

2011 has been busy and exciting. We left St Maarten  towards the end of March and headed for the BVI’s via Anguilla. We spent a month there, loving the beautiful clear warm waters and the more temperate climate after hot and humid St Maarten. We also met up with many friends which is always fun.

At the end of April, we sadly had to start sailing back south to get back to the Grenadines before the hurricane season began in June. Our route was St Maarten (just overnight), St Barts, St Kitts, Nevis, Monserrat, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, Bequia, Mustique, Tobago Cays, Chatham Bay, Carriacou, and finally Grenada where we were booked to haulout at Spice Island Marina in August. We spent an awful month in the boatyard preparing Sheer Tenacity for her stay through the hurricane season.

We returned to Cape Town for September – October. It was really great seeing family and friends again after 2 and 1/2 years! Unfortunately, a lot of our time was taken up with medical issues, dentists etc. and we didn’t get to see everybody we would have liked to. Please forgive us if we missed you. Steve and Kim are now living in the Cape so we were able to see them a lot. We stayed with Kate and her 2 gorgeous tabbies, Sam & Max, in Tamboerskloof. She is still with Merrill Lynch and working way too hard! All the family are well……….we met our new grandnephew, Max, from the UK, for the first time and just missed the birth of our grandniece, Jessica Mary. It was the first time in years that the whole family was together in the same city, so we took the opportunity to finally lay Pam’s (Rod’s mum) ashes to rest in the Garden of Remembrance, Christ Church, Constantia.

We returned to Sheer Tenacity in the first week of November and launched after antifouling and checking everything was in working order. It was lovely being back on the water after the heat and insects in the boatyard. We have been in Carriacou for 2 weeks (and celebrated our 3^rd year of cruising…..we left Hout Bay on 3 December 2008) and will sail across to Union and Chatham quite soon. We are still really enjoying the cruising life, though we miss SA and family and old friends enormously!

May you have a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones and we wish you everything good in 2012.  

With our love and very best wishes

Rod & Mary aboard Sheer Tenacity

"The Road" in Malaysia

Hi to all 

Singapore, being a combination of Country, Island, and City, is a fascinating place. It’s plusses are multifold, including, but not restricted to, the following; scrupulously clean, magnificent affordable public transport facilities, Trees and other plant life blooming everywhere, Commercial building architecture that must be the envy of the world. But despite having travelled around this relatively small island a reasonable amount, I cannot remember seeing a domestic home that was not part of a high rise apartment block. I am not saying they do not exist at all, but they are definitely few and far between.

Of course we did the “Bucket List” essential of visiting the famous Rafflles Hotel Long Bar, and paid a small fortune for an equally famous, or is that infamous “Singapore Sling” drink, part of the fame, apart from the Hemmingway connection, of partaking of this frankly disappointing and extremely expensive beverage, is apparently that whilst in the “Long Bar,” it is possible to discard the empty shells of the free peanuts offered, on to the floor. This for the foreigner may seem like small change, but in a land that is cleanliness and litter paranoid even to the point of not allowing the sale of chewing gum due to it’s litter risk, this is really something special; the high they get from littering without the threat of an astronomical fine for doing so, seems to be close to orgasmic.

As mentioned in our last letter, we were able to see, at a local sports bar, all 4 of the World Cup quarter finals, and both the semi finals, and of course the final.. In a maybe futile attempt to avoid my blood pressure once again reaching record levels, I will not go into detail of my opinion of certain New Zealand and French speaking Irish referees, but suffice it to say that of the 4 semi finalists 1 of them (Australia) should not have been there, and in the final another (France) shouldn’t have been there either. In order to avoid a complete travesty of justice, for once in my life I was on the side of the All Blacks, something I am sure will never be repeated.

Well, the world cup final has come and gone, with New Zealand nearly snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and France probably playing their best game of the tournament. One thing to be thankful for is that the refereeing standard was back to normal acceptable levels. However, the IRB just had to add one more bazaar twist to the whole debacle, by fining the French team $U.S. 16000-00 for facing up to the New Zealand Haka war dance, and not cowering like frightened children. What is the world coming to? Nanny mentality gone mad.

Well we arrived here in Danga Bay Marina Malaysia, having left Raffles Marina in Singapore some 2hrs 30 minutes before our arrival. This constituted the official start of the “Sail Malaysia Rally”, and so far the experience has been first class .The official welcoming banquet / entertainment evening was exceptional, with each facet of the evening being of the highest order; i.e. service, food (all 8 courses) local entertainment, comprising local dancers, and musicians (live western music all evening) plenty of dancing for those energetically inclined;

So today we take our leave of Danga Bay and begin our journey Northward up the West coast of Malaysia (via the Malacca Straight) We will try and keep our stages daylight ones on this section, in an attempt to avoid any more incidences akin to that we experienced in the Singapore Straight, this also has it’s down side, as we will, (in many cases) have to anchor off shore overnight in relatively shallow waters. But everything in this lifestyle is a compromise of some sort.

So until the next time

Taff, Shirley and Rubbish.

"The Road" in Singapore

Hi one and all, 

Well, as some of you will be aware, we have finally departed Indonesia and arrived, not in Malaysia as planned, but in Singapore. 

The reason for this ever so slight change in course was brought about by a series of events that could have been far more serious in their consequences. We were on the last leg of our 10 day journey from Bali to Malaysia, only some 35 miles or so short of our destination, when we entered the infamous Singapore Straight. Unfortunately after 10 days at sea, with unpredictable strong currents against us from time to time, my timing on entering the straight coincided with nightfall, and not dawn as planned.

Undaunted, we bit the bullet and entered the fray to take on the multitude of commercial shipping, which in fairness was not concerned with one little 12M yacht when they had literally dozens of craft their own size to contend with. To give a more accurate picture, we set our magic box, the AIS system, to a range of 6 Nautical miles and were informed that there were 152 commercial vessels in that range all intent on missing each other.

Needless to say, the current was once again against us, and with no wind to assist us we were reduced to motoring, at times only able to make 2 Knots headway. At this point I must explain that the channel is divided into two “lanes” one for east and one for west bound traffic. Our requirement was for west bound, which meant that we had to cross over the east lane to enable us to filter into the traffic in the west lane.

To cut a long story short, due to our lack of speed and resultant agility, we only made it half way, and at that point realised that we were unable to safely enter our correct lane, and in particular the far side of it where we should have been. 

So we decided to run down the centre no mans land, subtly sliding from one side to the other dependant on oncoming or following traffic.

This worked satisfactorily, until about 23-00hrs when disaster struck, due to the moonless night conditions, and also in part to our concentration on avoiding these 300 metre long ships trying to swamp us, we failed to notice large swathes of refuse, garbage, junk, call what you will, floating on the surface of the channel, the result was that suddenly the engine overheated, caused by induction of vast amounts of this flotsam, some of which managed to get past out filter systems and destroy the coolant water pump. 

It is difficult to describe the feeling of almost helplessness we endured sitting there like ducks, amongst all these ships, with absolutely no means of propulsion. This was exacerbated by the fact that none of the ships around us, or any of the local authorities, (coastguard, harbour masters office etc.) answered any of our almost continuous radio calls for assistance. This situation remained until 08-00 hrs the following morning, (without doubt the longest 9 hours of my life) with Shirley permanently monitoring the AIS machine to identify the greater of the many evils trying to sink us at any given time, with me dividing my time between going below to try and fix the engine, (all in vein) with rushing back up on deck shining our million candle power searchlight on the latest most dangerous vessel and blasting our ships horns in the fervent hope that they would take the necessary avoiding actions.

On the event of dawn arriving, with us having launched our dinghy, lashed it to the side of the yacht and used it to give us some directional control with the outboard motor working overtime, (this also regularly suffered from the prop’ being wrapped up in flotsam, but we could at least clear that relatively easily) the Coast Guard eventually arrived, and we were towed to an area where we could anchor, and use their phone (ours being Indonesian and not functioning in Singapore waters) to arrange a salvage company to tow us to a marina in Singapore; which duly happened 24 hours later. 

So here we are in Raffles Marina Singapore, the last few days having been spent fixing the engine problem, plus the water-maker unit which suffered the same fate as the main engine, and of course taking time out to watch the 4 quarter final world cup Rugby matches at an Australian run sports bar in down town Singapore. 

The only remaining problem to be resolved is that the same refuse slick that caused our engine problems, also managed to deposit bits of old rope and debris around our prop. So as soon as it stops raining, and the resultant silt level on the harbour water drops, we will dive the boat and rectify that problem as well. 

Apologies for the negative tone of this missive, but I solemnly promise to be more upbeat in the next one. 

Taff, Shirley and Rubbish 

"The Road" in Indonesia

Hi one and all,

Profuse apologies for the long period of literary silence, but Internet, she is not big in Indonesia.

In our last missive we were leaving Darwin Australia, and setting sail for our Indonesian adventure, the first call being Kupang on the island of Western Timor, we duly arrived some 4 days later, and settled down to enjoying the welcoming ceremonies provided by the local government.

This comprised of demonstrations of local dancing, singing, plenty of local food, plus of course interminable speeches of welcome and lord knows what else, all in Indonesian. Due to the fact that we were the only South African registered yacht in the fleet, I was invited up onto the stage to represent the South African flag and receive a Ceremonial scarf donated by the local government. If this means that I am now part of the South African Diplomatic service, I would appreciate someone telling me where I collect my salary.

After all the hype had cooled down, we were left with the decision as to where to go next, I say this as there are about 17000 islands in total (that is correct 17 thousand) from which to choose. Obviously, the direction we needed to take was roughly West if we ever intend getting back to S.A; so we opted for the island of Flores, our first stop being the town of Alor (or Kalabahi). Then on to Lembata, (anchored below a smoking volcano); Then again on to Riung where we celebrated Shirley’s birthday and our wedding anniversary, and our final stop on the island of Flores was at Labuan Bajo.

At all these venues, again there were more of the welcoming ceremonies, more dancing, more eating local fare, and yes another ceremonial scarf for yours truly. When and if, I ever get to Antarctica (or indeed back to Wales) I assume these scarves will come in handy.

Then it was time to go do battle with the Komono Dragons. For this adventure we chose the Island of Rinca, where they have a well organised game park set up with well trained rangers to assist in making sure you get to see these fascinating creatures and, as a bonus, getting to live to tell the tale.

Our next stop was the Island of Lombok, at Medana Bay; by now we were well ahead of the main body of the other yachts in the rally; this was the first stop- over that was privately owned, with an advertised 25 mooring bouys to which we could tie up. (At a price of course). Fortunately we were not the first arrivals, and one of our predecessors had the forethought to come out to advise us that most of the buoys (all the same colour and shape) were in fact sited directly above some pretty vicious and shallow reefs. I am still not sure if this was in ignorance or with some evil intent in mind. Having said that, the staff were all very accommodating, offering services which included food, fuel, bar, shower facilities (the first ashore since our arrival in Indonesia) and Shirley’s special, massage facilities. There was even an exclusive hotel about 15minutes walk away that included the offer of the use of a very high-tech and picturesque swimming pool, even for those of us who were non hotel residents, as long as we purchased food.

Our penultimate stop in Indonesia was at one of the three Gilli Islands (Gilli Aer) which cater for foreign visitors, with an abundance of rustic eating places, diving schools, bars etc,

No paved or tar roads on the island, indeed no motorised transport at all, just pony and trap carts, which could carry two passengers plus the driver at a time. All very relaxing, or would have been if it were not for the high speed ferries that constantly charged through the anchorage on their travels between there and Bali carrying multitudes of European holiday visitors bent on having a diving experience.

(I enjoyed the special “road signs” making allowance for divers crossing the road, see attachment)

Up to this juncture, all the islands we had visited were Muslim dominated, where the people were extremely courteous and friendly, despite the fact that our visits coincided with Ramadan, which meant that a lot of their time was spent obeying the religious rules that abide during this period. Such as either being called to, or actually at prayer, or having to suffer being without food or drink during the hours of daylight. The latter being onerous in the extreme when the ambient temperatures are constantly in the 30 -34 degree range. As an aside, one of our incoming e-mails recently, pointed out that in Muslim dominated areas, the old adage of “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is more effective if the apple is replaced with a bacon sandwich.

Then it was on to Bali, where we anchored off Lavina Beach on the north coast. Here the predominant religion is Hindu, and whereas the people are just as friendly as those on the previous islands, they, at least those vendors that form an impenetrable barrier along the shore line, do not have any concept of “no thank you” when offering any goods or services .Very difficult to stay polite and calm when up to 6 at a time are incessantly and simultaneously talking and demanding that you purchase whatever it is they are selling. They also have no concept that whereas a group of people can sing together, when they all talk together it just does not work. Having said that, we have enjoyed our stay here, and will leave here with fond memories of the people, scenery, and the culture.

Shirley enjoyed doing a Balinese cooking course with a local chef at a popular restaurant and I got to eat the makings which were rather enjoyable.  She promises to make more on the boat.

The attached photographs show Shirley and I having a go at “Bull Racing” Bali style; not quite as stimulating as riding a fully grown Ostrich but at my age, stimulating enough.

Just a few lines on the complexity of sailing the Indonesian waters, the problems fall into the following categories,

1) The currents between the islands can be varied and often vicious, with many of them transforming into whirlpools which pick up our yacht and throw it around with gay abandon, even at 16 tons.
2) The fact that navigation is complicated by the fact that the charts are often inaccurate, even our electronic charts regularly indicate that we are anchored well inland.
3) Finally, the information, including that related to navigation, provided by the organisers of the “Sail Indonesia Rally” that we joined to ease our process through to Malaysia, is only of any use as a rough guide line, quite surprising when one considers that this is the 11^th consecutive year that the event has been held.

So on Sunday we are off to Malaysia, due to the fact that we have not slipped the boat for a proper clean since we left Trinidad some 2 years ago, the trip will probably take us close on 10 days. But if we get good winds, who knows.

Will write again upon arrival in Malaysia.

Taff, Shirley and Rubbish.

Steve and Renata, Dixi Rollar

Dear family and friends,after a 36 long hours of motor sailing,beating against 3 to 5 metres waves and winds up to 35 to 40 knots we threw in the towel and decided to return back to Jacaré( what a birthday for Steve!) That wasn't the first time,so sometimes things happen for a reason! As the skipper says: we will try it again in the future. The Federal Policie gave Steve another 53 dias, in mean while we will be eating our fresh ration before they go off(by the way we are eliminating weight,no loosing) and making plans of what we are going to be doing next. Untill next newsletter bye for now. Beijos to all! Renata&Steve            

Chester joins Stadt Amsterdam!

Chester is Roger Orpen's son - he matriculated at SACS last year, and has joined the tallship Stadt Amsterdam. recently seen in Hout Bay. His chronicles will appear here as they come! This will be an amazing experience for the lad, as tallships tend to be . . ..

"

I left early in the afternoon to go to the boat from the local b&b I stayed at. When I arrived I talked up the gangway and was greeted by the first mate. He then hurried off to call someone to show me around and to get me into the swing of things. He introduced me to my buddy, who's name was quite surprising. His name is Oscar which is also my brothers name. I was then
told to follow him and carry all my gear down to my dormitory. Entering the ship was very exciting because of all the intricate wood work. The first thing I thought when I entered my bunker was "ouch, this is going to be a tight squeeze". I unpacked my gear and then was sent to the laundry area to get my uniform for the trip. Straight after that I was given a short tour of the
ship. Following those exiting few minutes I was immediately sent into the routine of life on board. That day we where unloading a truckload of food so that they could supply my South African need for large amounts of food.
The next day after a short power nap of a few hours I began the routine that I will follow for the next 2 months. The boat is like a huge baby which always has to be watched, controlled and looked after. To do this the boat has 3 groups of people, each group is given a colour. I'm in white watch, the other 2 are red and blue. Each watch has been given certain hours in the
day to "watch" the boat. A watch consists of 2 things, sailing watch and maintenance watch. Sailing watch is when you sail the boat and maintenance watch is when you fix something.
Life on board is a bit different for me because I can only speak English. Although most of the fun chitter chatter is said in English. The one thing that I have noticed so far on this boat, is that the people are different all in all. Compared to the way we South Africans act, speak and our general character they are and can be very strange. Which in some situations makes a
conversation either really confusing or down right funny, because of the way people interact with you. Being a South African on board has its benefits, such as the dutch people still make jokes about people in South Africa wrestling lions and acting like cavemen sitting around a fire trying to figure out the next great revolutionary step above dried meat called biltong. The largest and most "clever" of cavemen fighting over who gets the egg shaped ball.
One thing I have noticed is that Dutch people love bread. Lots of it and because of the large supply of food on board I try my best to exhaust that supply with my meat grinding South African stomach. They are all fascinated by how much I eat, but if they came to South Africa they would truly understand the meaning of humans being meat eaters.