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 .

Friday, November 6, 2015

THE IGUAZU FALLS . ONE OF NATURE'S SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD .

After flying from the north east corner of Brazil to its southern border with Argentina via Sao Paulo and then finally arriving in Puerto Iguazu in Argentina we had lost a night’s sleep . By the time we stepped into the reception area of La Cantera Jungle Lodge we were feeling as rough as a warthog’s knee partly caused by the fact that our luggage weighed a ton with yacht parts and all our kit . It was quite amusing watching volunteers offering to carry our luggage until they discovered how heavy it was . What was not amusing was my little wife telling any potential carrier “ please don’t worry , it is very heavy , my husband will carry it “. The only thing in my favour was that most of them did not understand her English although she quickly tried to sort out the problem by using sign language . I had been carrying all these bags since leaving our boat .

The following morning after a solid night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast we set off to see the mighty Iguazu Falls , and how mighty they are . Taller than Niagara and wider than Victoria these raging falls are one of nature’s most awe-inspiring sights . Apparently when Eleanor Roosevelt saw the Falls for the first time she muttered “ poor Niagara “.

Just to give you some idea about how spectacular these falls are , they are made up of around 276 individual drops that stretch along 2,7km of cliff-face and they consist of beautiful cascades to immense cataracts . It is this variety that makes Iguazu so special and whether you are standing in the Devil’s Throat on the Brazilian side or 270 feet up on top of the Garganta do Diablo on the Argentinian side with the water thundering alongside you and getting soaked in the process this is one time in your life that you can truly say “ feel the power “. When the Iguazu River is at its peak 1,8 million gallons of water per second not litres plummet over these falls and they have been around for about 150 million years .
The Brazilians and Argentinians can argue all day about which side is the best but both sides give you such different perspectives that you have to see both .
Both sides of the falls are National Parks and the area is listed as a World Heritage Site and also one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World . Much of the park area is protected rain forest and also home to species of rare flora . The last populations of panthers also reside in these forests and the birdlife is incredible . A large flock of swifts actually roost under the falls , behind the curtain and watching them appear and disappear behind these thundering cascades is fascinating . Both sides of the Falls are immaculately maintained and well organised with even a small train on the Argentinian side to cart visitors to different sections of the falls .


We both feel very privileged to have visited these falls and if you don’t have enough cash to visit them , sell the car it’s worth it .  
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