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 .

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

SALVADOR . A CAPTIVATING CITY .

THE VIEW OF SALVADOR WHEN APPROACHING FROM OFFSHORE .

BAHIA MARINA .
THIS MARINA HAS EVERYTHING INCLUDING FIVE RESTAURANTS .

THE ELEVADOR LACERDA .
THE LINK BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER CITY .

ONCE A HOLDING PEN FOR SLAVES , TODAY IT IS A FAMOUS MARKET .

PALACIO RIO BRANCO .
OVERLOOKS BAIA DE TODOS OS SANTOS BRAZIL'S LARGEST BAY .

THE HEART OF THE ORIGINAL COLONIAL UPPER CITY .

IGREJA DE SAO FRANCISCO . DATED 1708 .
ONE OF BRAZIL'S MOST IMPRESSIVE CHURCHES WITH OVER A TON OF GOLD PLATING ALONE .

WHEN THIS LOVELY LADY HEARD THAT WE WERE SOUTH AFRICANS SHE INSISTED ON HAVING A PIC TAKEN WITH US .

LARGO DO PELOURINHO .
ONCE A SLAVE'S WORST NIGHTMARE . THE WHIPPING POSTS HAVE LONG BEEN REMOVED .

STREET DRUMMERS .
A COMMON SIGHT IN THE PELOURINHO .

TAKING THE FERRY TO ILHA ITAPARICA .

THE ITAPARICA MARINA .
A SOUTH AFRICAN COUPLE OWN A RESTAURANT NEARBY .

THE MAGIC WATER ON ITAPARICA .
THE STORY GOES THAT IF YOU DRINK ENOUGH OF THIS WATER YOU WILL LOOK YOUNGER THAN YOUR CHILDREN . IT OBVIOUSLY TAKES TIME TO TAKE EFFECT AS WE ARE STILL WAITING.

THE NICEST BUNCH OF GUYS WHO BECAME GOOD FRIENDS .
WE HAD SOME GREAT TIMES TOGETHER IN THE CITY .

THEY ARRIVED AT OUR BOAT WITH ALL THE INGREDIENTS FOR A GREAT LUNCH .
MARTINCHO SPONSORED THE FOOD , WE PROVIDED THE VENUE AND ALEJANDRO COOKED UP A STORM .

SAULO OUR SAINT IN SALVADOR .
FROM THE MOMENT WE ARRIVED HE DID EVERYTHING HE COULD TO HELP US ENJOY HIS CITY.

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