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 .

Thursday, November 12, 2015

TIGRE . SOMETHING QUITE DIFFERENT .

THE MAIN CANAL THROUGH THE TOWN OF TIGRE .
BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES OF OUR TIME SPENT CRUISING THE BRITISH WATERWAYS .

VINTAGE WOODEN MOTOR LAUNCHES BUILT OUT OF MAHOGANY TRANSPORT LOCALS AND TOURISTS THROUGHOUT THE MAZE OF RIVERS THAT MAKE UP THE DELTA .

CLASSIC VINTAGE ROW ( SCULLING ) BOATS WITH SLIDING SEATS ARE VERY POPULAR AMONGST THE LOCALS .

THE FERRY DOCK IN TIGRE .
WE WERE AMAZED AT HOW BUSY THESE WATERWAYS ARE WITH BOATS COMING AND GOING ALL DAY LOADED WITH PASSENGERS AND GOODS STACKED ON THEIR COACH ROOFS . 

ROWING SEEMS TO BE THE FAVOURITE PASTIME ON THESE WATERS WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS FROM SINGLES TO EIGHT-MAN VERSIONS OF THESE CLASSICS . 

JUST ABOUT EVERY RIVERSIDE HOME HAS A HI-RISE LIFT FOR THEIR BOATS .

BEAUTIFUL HOMES ON THE WATER'S EDGE ALL WITH PRIVATE JETTIES .

THESE MOTOR LAUNCHES PUSH SOME FAIRLY BIG BOW WAVES PARTICULARLY IN THE SHALLOW , NARROW SECTIONS OF THESE CREEKS .

SOME OF THESE HOMES HAD PARK-LIKE GARDENS .

THIS IS NOT A GREAT EXAMPLE BUT SOME OF THE JETTIES HAD ELABORATE WOODEN SHADE HOUSES BUILT ON THE OUTER END ABOVE THE WATER .

I WISH I COULD TELL YOU WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT ?
THIS HOUSE IS COMPLETELY ENCAPSULATED IN A GLASS TYPE BOX .

THERE ARE ALSO MANY HUMBLE RIVERSIDE SHACKS .
PITY ABOUT THE CHOCOLATE COLOURED WATER .

THERE ARE MANY ENGLISH STYLE ROWING CLUBS DOTTED ALONG THE BANKS OF THE RIVER .
NOTE ALL THE VINTAGE ROWBOATS WAITING FOR MEMBERS ON THE SLIPWAY .

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