Last updated: 18 September 2009
June ‘08
Yes we’ve been back again! This time we were hoping to resolve some of the outstanding issues and finalise the additional list of equipment we wanted to have the yard fit for us. David (CEO) kindly met us at the airport – less our bags but that’s another story – and we made our way speedily towards our apartment. On this journey we shared with David Adrian’s dream of celebrating his forthcoming 60th birthday at sea on the Equator. He felt confident that despite recent delays this would easily achievable – might have to ‘heave to’ for a few days.
On Monday we went straight to the factory and got an update from David and Craig. There were a number of changes that had been made in the light of the experience of the first couple of launches of the new Admiral 40 catamaran. Not all we would have proposed ourselves but the explanation and benefits of the changes persuaded us that we could accommodate them in our plans. We had a good session with Craig finalising additions and then embarked on a series of meetings with Walter for the soft furnishings, and Craig of Quantum Sails to finalise the sail selection and canvas work. We also had the opportunity to meet up with John Titterton who is hopefully going to help us commission Oceans Dream and join us for the sail to Trinidad. John has fantastic experience in catamaran delivery around the world and having called in at St Helena 29 times before we feel confident he’ll help us settle into our new life aboard. He is also an outstandingly successful fisherman – something that we certainly not and so hopefully we will gain some of his knowledge that will keep us well supplied with fish on our journey around the world. Above all he is a keen amateur radio man and so has vast experience in getting the best out of long range HF – this is something that will help us keep in touch with you all over the coming months.
We had supper with John and his wife Joy at Panama Jacks; an outstanding restaurant located deep inside Cape Town commercial port. We can definitely recommend seeking this out for anyone who might be in Cape Town. Great atmosphere and superb food at prices that we can only dream about.
After a very hectic week we left feeling confident that despite there being a short delay we these should not jeopardise our plan to set sail for St Helena, Fortaleza and onwards to Trinidad to arrive mid December and enable John and the Mate (Luke) time to get back home to Cape Town for Christmas.
Panama Jacks Restaurant
Since arriving at the end of October we have been very busy but have also taken time
out to begin to enjoy parts of South Africa that we had not visited before. We knew
that there was likely to be further delays to the build of Oceans Dream but we have
become very relaxed about this -
Out local advisor and Skipper for the trip to Trinidad, John Titterton has been as ever a fantastic help in setting out suppliers to visit. In addition he planned a trip for us to go up to a favourite haunt of his and Joy's which is some 350 kms north of Cape Town towards Namibia. This is a high plateau on which there are a small number of rooibos tea farmers still operating and on which there are some rare examples of San people rock art. These communities living 3,000 years ago have left behind unique drawings of their primitive life. Above all, our time on the farm enabled us to experience (albeit very briefly) the isolation that we will experience when on our long passages. We have written up our visit to Gifberg on ‘The Blog’ and in ‘The Gallery’ there are a series of pictures.
With the aspiration that Oceans Dream will splash at the end of November ,we will now be focused over the next couple of weeks of making sure we have everything ready. Once we will keep adding updates on ‘The Blog’ and will make another Diary entry as we leave Cape Town.
View from our lodge at Gifberg
Volvo Ocean 4th place
Waterfall on a rock art trail
Rooibos tea farmers
We visited the factory following our return from Gifberg and were delighted with
progress. The prediction is now for a launch on 27 / 28 November. This has meant
that we have had to finalise our ‘shopping list’ and order our final items for manufacture.
Despite the hectic pace of life, we still find time to enjoy Cape Town and this
was reflected when we took the day out to watch the start of the 2nd Leg of the Volvo
Ocean Race. John gave us a call earlier in the week to say he was taking out the
family and friends of the ‘Telefonica’ crews to watch the start of the 2nd Leg. We
were to help John crew a 47ft Moorings power catamaran. We met John at the Elliott
Basin early Saturday morning with a wind having eased and the sun shining brightly.
We slipped our mooring and John expertly manoeuvred the power cat through the smallest
of gaps and out into the bay. We motored across to the V&A Waterfront to pick up
our 20 guests. It was like driving down Oxford Street on the first day of the sales!
Amongst our party was the wife and children of the Skipper of ‘Telefonica Blue’
and it was fascinating to learn about having a Dad who was a professional racing
Skipper. As the race started, it was amazing that there were not any collisions
but we got some fantastic sights as the 8 yachts raced around the bay before heading
off to Cochin, India. A passage of 2 -
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