Chris
12/17/2006, Cape Agulhas

We made it to Cape Town and are moored on a temporary mooring outside the Royal Cape Yacht Club. We arrived just before midnight and the marina looked a little too tight to try and find our berth especially with the wind gusting to 30 knots.

Although it was dark, the approach into Cape Town was spectacular. The lights of the city were beautiful, especially the lights shining on Table mountain.

As soon as we secured the boat we put on some Christmas music and opened a bottle of bubbly to celebrate. The weather is cold so we are finally able to get in to the Christmas spirit.

Comments [2] | | More

Chris
12/17/2006, Cape Agulhas

Sitting in the cockpit at 8:00AM, the sun is out but it is a blustery day with lots of low grey clouds. The weather is chilly because the moderate southerly is bringing cold air from the south. I am enjoying a warm cup of coffee and I can see the Cape Agulhas lighthouse just aft of our beam while Cisnecito reaches along through a moderate swell heading just north of west.

We have just rounded this cape, are back in to the Atlantic, and are the furthest south we have sailed. All three are significant milestones in our cruise.

While not a challenging passage for us, I do feel the warm glow of pride as this cape has a horrible reputation among mariners throughout history. This infamy is evident from the number of wrecks plotted on the charts of the area. Of course modern weather forecasting and communication technology have made it a lot easier.

Our thanks to Fred and team on Peri-Peri radio for their expertise and guidance. Their "go or no go" decisions were spot on for us.

Comments [0] | | More

Chris
12/16/2006, South Africa

The weather is holding out for us and it looks like we can push on to Cape Agulhas. We are about 97 miles away and at current course and speed should be there some time tomorrow morning. Heavy south westerlies are expected tomorrow night but we should be safely around the cape and heading north to Cape Town by that time.

A sad story was relayed to us via our SSB net today about a yacht lost in the South Atlantic on its way to St. Helena. Their EPIRB went off a few days ago and freighter altered course to their location. Fortunately the crew were rescued but the yacht was abandoned and expected to sink shortly. We are not sure about the details, but according to the report, she had sustained bad hull damage. This story hits especially close to home as we had met the boat and crew just months before in Cocos Keeling. We are glad they are okay and terribly sorry about the loss.

Comments [0] | | More