round we go!!

Alone with the boat projects things got done. From new rigging, resizing sails, rebuilding the hob, installing a new autopilot, restitching the bimini, and rebuilding the watermaker (just to name a few) there was plenty on the to do list (and most had to be redone two or even three times). The one I take most pride in however is the clearing of the V berth (the forward cabin). For over a year it had been 'the closet' of the boat (and home to Kirk's wife, an imaginary figure, to most of us that is) and if ever we lost something it could surely be found in the ceiling high clutter and usually in Kirk's wife's outstretched hand petruding from the mess. I found that over half the space was being take up by containers: suitcases, duffel bags, boxes, and plastic baskets. One large plastic basket, for example, had a suitcase in it containing a duffel back full of Tupperware containers. Of course the Tupperware containers were empty. After many give aways to the neighboring boats, I actually slept in the V berth that night (first time anyone had in nearly two years).

Then the crew started arriving. First to arrive was Reed from Minnesota making his second visit to Bubbles (his first being in Papua New Guinea). The next day Diego de the Galapagos arrived having turned 20 years old on his flight over (Diego being another Bubbles veteran with over 4,000 miles sailed in the Pacific). Also joining the crew as a newbie is 27 year old Celesta from the Netherlands. Having served as a sailor in the Dutch navy (Gulf of Aden and Persian Gulf area), she was the top marksman on the 50 caliber out of the 160 sailors aboard her ship and so was placed on the trigger having killed many a pirate. Now she will be sailing under one. Aaargh!

Our first trip together took us to the Aliwal shoals just south of Durban to dive with sharks. The first dive took us into a cave with several ragged tooth sharks and on the second we were dropped into a feeding frenzy of more than 50 sharks, most of which were oceanic black tip and dusky but also including a couple big tiger sharks. There were so many sharks that on several occasions we would bump into them and once I bumped heads with a black tip as big as I. Once back on the boat after each dive Reed was suffering from a serious case of seasickness that left his face looking a cartoonish pale green. This and hearing stories of 60 foot waves from locals at the yacht club about the coast we were getting ready to sail down lead him to opt out of the big leg and instead venture inland.

In his place we picked up two more last second crew of Juliana and Elly. Juliana, 23, a Colombian and also circumnavigating but tired of waiting on boat repairs jumped on just to get back to sea (we had known her since Reunion island). Elly, 18, South African but raised in Florida, has never sailed before and picked the 'wild coast' leg from Durban to East London as her virgin sail and Bubbles as her vessel. Before being allowed to go her father (an avid sailor himself) came to the boat at 6am to give it an inspection and meet the captain. Permission granted.

Checking multiple times a day for the past 10 days I anxiously watched the weather. Its especially important along this stretch of water where south westerly gales blow against a north easterly current that moves up to 6 knots creating steep monstrous waves of 60+ feet. Adding to the treachery is the 270 mile lee shore stretch of rocks and cliffs that leave no safe harbor or place to hide in case of a blow or breakages. We had to wait several days for a window and as the day approached the forecast fluctuated going from what looked like a short window to opening wide up. The day before departure it seemed to be closing and so I decided we should go out early as the southwesterly died. At 7 am we cast the dock lines and tooted our horn three times announcing our departure with a 'toot toot' in reply from Whiskers at the end of the jetty. Sailing into Durban I was the youngest of four and now sailing out I was the oldest of five. With a morning rainbow to starboard the international crew of an American, Dutch, South African, Glapaganian and Columbian set sail to tackle South Africa's 'wild coast'.