Our first season as cruisers has been flawless . After a successful Transatlantic crossing with some magic stops on route to Brazil it has been one helluva adventure .
From the day we sailed out of our homeport in South Africa to now , there has never been a dull moment .
Our boat has been superb and after 5000nm under her keel she doesn't even have a scratch to show for it . Touch wood , l say that with my hand firmly planted on her teak deck .
We have really enjoyed Brazil and have spent the last six months sailing in arguably their finest cruising grounds . That's the opinion of the local yachties that we have met and with 365 islands and 2000 beaches l firmly believe that Baia da Ilha Grande is a place that should not be missed . Apart from the natural beauty that Brazil has to offer , its people are one of their biggest assets . I am astounded everyday at how warm and friendly they are and how they go out of their way to assist you when you need something . We have met some wonderful people and are about to leave for Sao Paulo on route home for a week to stay with the two nicest people we have met in Brazil .
For me personally , 2014 has been an incredibly fulfilling year in that after 40 years l am finally living the dream . The whole idea of owning a sailboat and sailing across an ocean started when l was in my late teens . At the time l was a young apprentice earning R40 per month and l had no idea as to how l was going to put this plan together but l never doubted for one second that my dream would not materialize one day . Filling the tank of my bike in those days was financially challenging . But l am a graduate of the School of 4P's , plan purposefully , prepare , proceed positively and pursue persistently and it worked and the reality has far exceeded my expectations .
The wonderful thing during our crossing was that l nailed a few other long thought about aspirations . Since my army days in the old South West Africa l had heard about Kolmanskop just outside of Luderitz and l finally got to see the place . The only slight disappointment while in Luderitz was that l was hoping to see the wild horses of the Namib Desert but unfortunately on the day we hired a car to drive out into the desert , it blew a hooley of a southerly wind and we were advised not to risk driving in the resultant sand storm .
After hearing about the proposed airport on St Helena Island which will come into operation sometime in 2015 , l was hellbent on getting there before it opened as it will never be the same again . That's not the way l feel about the airport , but the Saints themselves share the same view . Its uniqueness as a destination is that right now you can only get there by boat and mainly due to a wonderful woman ( the customs lady ) who befriended us , our visit was very special and l will treasure those memories for the rest of my days .
Another great memory will be of our stop at Ilha da Trinidade . This tiny island which is basically the tip of a pinnacle which rises from 4km off the seabed is strictly a no-go zone . Visiting the island is prohibited by the Brazilian Navy who are stationed there and guess what , they welcomed us with open arms . They obviously don't get many visitors but after taking pics of us and themselves with the commander himself sitting on our boat with his arms around us , they gave us 120lts of diesel, packs of bottled water and fresh fruit and were the nicest bunch of guys you could ever meet in the middle of nowhere .
Then of course , the special moment was stepping off Windward onto Brazilian soil after a great crossing . That was cool .
But the coolest thing of all , my soulmate , my adorable little wife has shared every moment of this experience with me and we will share those memories forever . Now isn't that great .
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.
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 .
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