Allan & Ursula Ward: Port Owen, Cape West Coast, South Africa.

Shearwater 39:
- L.O.A. 43ft (13.22m)
- L.O.D. 39ft (12m)
- L.W.L. 34ft (10.3m)
- BEAM 13ft(3.9m)
- DRAFT 6ft(1.8m)



HOW IT ALL BEGAN .

I placed my order on Nebe Boats on the 19/10/1992 for what was initially planned to be a complete factory built yacht that l would sail home to Durban from Capetown once she was completed. Unfortunately due to the demise of Nebe Boats in the early days of her construction it did not turn out that way, so l decided to truck her home to Ramsgate on the KZN South Coast to finish building her in our garden at home.

For many years we could proudly boast that we had the most expensive piece of garden furniture in town, but at the time l had no idea of how massive this project would turn out to be. As anyone who has built a blue water cruiser will tell you, particularly if she is kitted out with all the systems and the equipment that a modern cruiser has onboard these days, it is a daunting task . Looking at the positive aspects of this project, l know the boat intimately in that l designed and installed the systems, so from a repair and maintenance perspective l have no issues carrying out the work that is necessary from time to time.



The big day arrived on the 29/8/2008 when we craned her out of the garden onto a rig to truck her through to Durban for launching . What followed was three months of preparations to ready her for the maiden voyage to our home port in Port Owen on the Cape West Coast.

We had a fast passage down the South African East Coast including a storm off the notorious Wild Coast and arrived in Port Owen in dense fog. Windward had passed her first test with flying colours and since then we have enjoyed some great sailing on the West Coast.


The master plan has always been to go cruising, so our plans are to leave for Brazil via Luderitz and St Helena Island at the end of February 2014. So far everything is on track although the “To Do“ list still grows each day.

The purpose of this blog is to record our adventure for ourselves, family and friends. Although it will probably end up being a brief summary of events while we are cruising, we hope you will enjoy and share some of our experiences with us.

LIVING THE DREAM .

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

BOOM , BANG , CRASH .

THE DEFECTIVE MOORING BUOY BEFORE IT BROKE .
THE RULE IS , NEVER TRUST THEM EVEN IN A MARINA UNLESS YOU ARE 100% SURE .
My heart is sore right now . It has been seven years since we launched our boat in Durban and since then thousands of nautical miles have passed under her keel and in all that time we haven't picked up a scratch .

 Yesterday while moored in the Iate Clube do Espirito Santo Marina in Vitoria with a stiff Northeaster blowing the chain securing the buoy to its anchor parted resulting in our boat slamming into the dock and hitting the neighbouring motor launch causing substantial damage to both boats . Fortunately we were both onboard at the time and l was able to start the engine and under power keep our boat off the dock while the two boats slammed together with the steep chop coming through the entrance to the marina . 

 The marina staff were quick to react and although it took time we managed to get lines to other mooring buoys and at the same time get our anchor out and set . In the process my pulpit and bowsprit punished my neighbour until we could pull our bow off her .

 The windvane steering system is now inoperable , our rudder has suffered damage , our pulpit is bent and twisted and my beautiful iroko cap rail is smashed near the bow .

 The bubble has burst and Windward has scars to prove it . It is one thing when you make a mistake which results in your boat suffering damage , but when it is something beyond your control it is even more painful . 

 Fortunately the damage has not affected the seaworthiness of our boat so we will be able to sail at first light in the morning . We have a 170nm sail to the Abrolhos Archipelago off the Brazilian Coast where we have an appointment with some whales who have travelled all the way up from the Antarctic to meet us and we can't keep them waiting any longer .

 Chow for now . 
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3 comments:

  1. Fortuna 37 Yacht for SaleJuly 18, 2015 at 12:51 AM

    Eish, Sorry about 'Windward', but lucky you were on board to stop even more damage.
    I'm glad to hear you still went on with your plans to see the whales at 'Abrolhos' it should be great.
    Whats the plan to get 'Windard' fixed?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Freedom of HambleJuly 18, 2015 at 10:31 AM

    Hi Guys, soooo sorry you have had this happen. Sadly battle scars are inevitable at some point I think.... F of H has a selection of her own now either caused by others or circumstances!! Just glad Windward wasn't holed, and you are both OK that's the main thing. Loads of love and hugs from Sooze and Skip xxxx

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  3. UnknownJuly 20, 2015 at 9:45 AM

    Hi Al and Urs. Thanks for the update on your voyage. The places look and sound great. Sorry to hear about the damage to Windward. Hope you are able to get her back into shape. I see Urs is going blonde !

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