Altair Cruising Log

When last we wrote it was December 2004 and Altair was tied to the international jetty in Richards Bay where we spent a very delightful month. We hired a car with Rick & Mary from “Tranquillity” and drove an hour and a half to Umfolozi-Hluluwe Park to see some African game. This park is more than 100 years old and cars or wagons have been driving its dusty roads for so long that the animals seem to ignore the intrusion. This is the main ingredient for some very unique experiences with truly wild animals. In our first three hours we saw lions, elephant, giraffes, herds of impala, rhinos, zebras, wildebeests and warthogs. Most of them came within feet of us in the relative safety of our bright red VW Polo. The brochures had suggested we wear neutral clothes to better blend in but in reality we wouldn’t dare get out of our bright red car without an armed guard. At one stop we sat for a few hours in a hide over looking a water hole and were treated to a truly wonderful demonstration of the hierarchy and pecking order of the wild kingdom. It was fascinating to watch the animals interacting and to see who had priority over whom. Our timing was good as being spring there were many “youngsters” -- big baby Rhino, cute ugly warthogs and tiny tall giraffe. It was exciting to drive along not knowing what animal may be lurking around the next corner.

Although most people now go on photo safari and not to hunt, the Big Five are still the most sought after to see. The Big Five attained their status in the trophy hunting days when these animals were ranked the nastiest in terms of danger to the hunter if the trophy was only wounded. The Big Five includes lion, leopard, elephant, water buffalo and rhino. The Big Cats are the hardest to see so we were quite pleased when we saw four female lions and a cub just after we entered the park! It was fantastic to watch them close up walking down the highway next to the stopped cars; their paws are huge! We could have reached out and touched them but figured it was safer not to. Leopards were the only one of the big five that eluded us during our safari.

We spent the night at a bush lodge in Umfolozi on the banks of the Black Mfolozi River. The lodge included a main building with kitchen, dining area and sitting room surrounded by a deck plus four individual cabins for sleeping connected by a raised walking path. The cabins overlooked the river and there was even a view from the bathtub. There was a second deck away from the lodge under a tree overlooking the river; it felt like we were in a tree house while we had our evening drinks and watched the animals strolling below. We had the luxury our own cook and a ranger who took us on a guided walk in the early morning. It was a bit strange to walk around in a park for two hours when you were not supposed to get out of your car along the roads, but our guide carried a loaded riffle and making it feel safe. It was great to spend a night in the park and away from the more developed areas at our own Bush Lodge; a really unique experience.

Christmas was celebrated at the Zululand Yacht Club in the local fashion with a braai –Afrikaans for BBQ. There were about 20 cruisers and a few locals who enjoyed a delicious potluck in the shade of the palm trees, as it was at least 95 degrees in the open. We had a wonderful day and another unique Christmas. Old years eve as they call it here was the biggest display of private fireworks that we have ever seen. We had a braai and watched as hundreds of local people lit off fireworks from just after dusk to well after midnight. The yachties fired off expired parachute flares; they were very impressive as they go off with a loud “whoosh” and we didn’t hear of one that failed to work. We carry lots of flares and it’s always good to see that they work when fired.

The tsunami on boxing day will go down in history as one of the worst natural catastrophes ever and an immeasurable tragedy. We were surprised that we experienced some affects from the tsunami on the other side of the Indian Ocean but only in the most minor way. We were still in Richard's Bay (north of Durban) when the tsunami struck; we learned of the tragedy first thing in the morning and started to experience the effects that afternoon. We were tied to a large concrete jetty that is about 12 feet across with boats on either side. At 3:00 p.m. the 'tide' began to rise over one meter in seven minutes and fall just as quickly; generally this tidal change would take six hours. Later in the evening the full one-meter change happened in just three minutes (three minutes to go up and three minutes to go down) and this continued at a slower pace all night. When you were on the boat it was like riding an elevator as you could see the boat moving up on the side of the jetty. The tidal change was made more dramatic by a loud roaring noise made by the air rushing out of the vents in the wharf as it was displaced by water. Water would also squirt out of the vents like fountains all around the port. It was pretty surreal.

There are some new words we have had to learn in order to fit in. Traffic lights are called “Robots” we think because they are automatic or robotic. “Car Guards” are common both in parking lots and on the street; they point out parking places then watch your car for 50 cents. Petrol stations are full service gas stations like in the old days -- pump the gas, wash the windows, check the oil, take your money and bring you change -- there is no “self service” option. English is spoken by almost everyone and with a wonderful melodious accent.

We have learned some of the local phrases: “shame” instead of “that’s too bad”; “pleasure” a pleasant replacement for “you’re welcome”; and some simple contractions like “how’s you” for “how are you”. The phrase “Just now” means “I’ll get to it some time today!”

Population of South Africa is about 44 million of which some 32 million are of Bantu origin (Blacks), five million white, three million “colored” (mixed race) and one million of Indian descent. Some 60% of the whites are Afrikaner and most of the rest are of British descent. Prior to Democracy in 1994, every individual was classified by race as either White, Colored, Indian or Black with far reaching implications on what you could do and where you could live or even go.

South Africa’s official languages were once English and Afrikaans but nine others have been added. You still see many signs printed in both Afrikaans as well as English. Afrikaans has it’s origins with the Dutch who first settled South Africa and used it as a provisioning port for ships of the Dutch East Indian Company trading with the Far East. The English took possession in the early 1800’s. Afrikaans is a unique language that developed here over the years and is based mainly in Dutch but with numerous other influences including French and was spoken primarily by the Boers. Afrikaans is decreasing in use with the new government, as it is no longer one of the main official languages. Bank Notes in South Africa were bilingual until last month, printed with both English and Afrikaans. A One Hundred Rand note also said Een Honderd Rand and Suid-Afrikaanse Resewebank as well as South African Reserve Bank. The new notes are now almost completely in English with only a few words in one of the other eight languages, including Afrikaans, printed on different notes.

The Afrikaans-English relationship is always interesting and the bilingual nature still crops up frequently. While listening to the radio with the broadcaster generally speaking in English during programming, we are always surprised when they frequently switched to Afrikaans for the news. But sometimes it was in English.

Much of the South African coast is well known for stormy weather and is an area notorious for treacherous abnormal waves in bad weather. When the wind blows out of the southwest, the direction we were headed, you do not want to be out in it as the waves build up very large against the strong southerly flowing Agulhas Current. So it was with no small bit of anxiety and a great deal of respect that we started our journey from Richard’s Bay to Cape Town. Every morning for over a month we would tune in the SSB radio to talk with Fred, a local retiree in Durban, who gives weather information to yachties twice a day. While the actual sailing part of the trip only took six days and seven hours, we spent another 31 days in port waiting for the next suitable weather window. Thanks to the excellent forecasting we had a very successful trip, free of storms or bad weather.

After ringing in the New Year we took a short window and made the small hop of 85 miles to Durban. We enjoyed two weeks in Durban -- explored some of the city and it’s museums, got to visit with Fred the weather man and his wife Eva, visited with family of good friends and made a trip to the awesome Drakensberg for some superb hiking. Drakensberg means Dragon Mountains in Afrikaans which captures something of the otherworldly atmosphere while the Zulu name of Quathlamba meaning Battlement of Spears, is a more accurate description of the sheer and jagged escarpment. While hiking there one day we had a troop of baboons cavorting with us on a section of a trail that helped to remind us we were in Africa.

The next window we were able to sail the 575 miles to Mossel Bay. We were very pleased to make it that far in one go before the next southwesterly wind arrived. We had a wonderful ten-day stay in Mossel Bay, or Mosselbaai in Afrikaans, a very pleasant small town that attracts a huge crowd over the summer Christmas holidays. The rest of the year it is a somewhat sleepy town with a strong Afrikaans background. To do business here 30 years ago you had to speak Afrikaans and even today many shops still primarily have signs in Afrikaans. English is heard here more than previously but Afrikaans is still the predominate language in this area. There are some great hikes along the coast and if you are feeling “chum” you can do a cage dive while they feed the great white sharks!

Finally we got a window and took off for the Capes, one of the most daunting of obstacles on the journey, and a place that all sailors hold in great respect. In less than 24 hours we made it round the first cape, Cape Agulhas, at 4:30 a.m. on February 2, but before we could get by The Cape Of Good Hope we got word that a Westerly Gale was expected. With advice from Fred and other locals on the radio we dropped anchor in Buffles Bay just on the east side of the Cape Peninsula. We stayed put for one and a half days with two other boats in comfort while the waves pounded the other side of the great peninsula, then at 3:00 in the morning the winded shifted into the south and it was time to get moving. Altair rounded the Cape of Good Hope in calm seas just a mile off the rocky headland at 4:30 in the morning on February 4, 2005 and entered the Atlantic Ocean. Strange coincidence we rounded both Capes at 4:30 in the morning.

Cape Agulhas is the southern most point in Africa and in the opinion of some, the meeting of place of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Others feel the two oceans met at Cape of Good Hope where the currents come together. Cape of Good Hope certainly wins from a tourism aspect, as it is only a one-hour drive from Cape Town while Cape Agulhas is a drive of several hours and the setting is not nearly as dramatic as the Cape of Good Hope. Cape Town tourism has capitalized on the “Two Oceans” concept with restaurants, wines, t-shirts and anything else you can think of making to sell. One thing is for certain, since rounding Cape of Good Hope the water is much colder and we have sea lions and kelp again. The cold ocean water also makes the water in our tanks colder, very noticeable when we are doing dishes and taking your breath away if showering.

On our approach to Cape Town we enjoyed dramatic views of Table Mountain, the Twelve Apostles, and Lion’s Head. We were excited to see the famous Table Mountain and the top was clear! We have been told that when the “table cloth” cloud covers the top of the mountain, the wind blows through the bay quite furiously. So without the table cloth with made a fairly easy entrance to the marina. Along they way we had whales, dolphins and seals as an escort! Two whales even surfaced very near the boat and made a very loud roar; we may have disturbed their mating! The Southern Right Whales come here to breed and calve, but several seem to have remained this year instead of returning to the Antarctic to feed. They seem to avoid the boats and shipping for the most part, but the South African America’s Cup boat ran into one the other day doing damage to the boat and sending two members of the crew to the hospital. No word on how the whale faired in the encounter.

The Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC) is the windiest marina we have ever been in with howling winds on a regular basis. The weather is calm for a day or two and then the “Cape Doctor” arrives with strong southeasterly winds and it blows 30 knots with gusts of 40 to 60. This usually lasts for several days and puts the “table cloth” on Table Mountain. Fortunately Altair is pointing into the wind but she heels over dramatically at the dock. The only real downside to the strong winds is that the boat has become covered in gritty black grime. There is a magnificent view of Table Mountain that more than compensates for the wind and dirt.

Geographically isolated Cape Town, or Kaapstad, is one of the world’s most beautiful cities and we have had a fantastic stay here. Cape Town is the most open-minded and relaxed city in South Africa and has nothing like the sense of tension that pervades Johannesburg. The city is dominated by 1,000-meter-high Table Mountain with virtually sheer cliffs. We climbed up Platterklip Gorge to the top of Table Mountain after climbing the adjacent Lion’s Head in the morning. The vegetation on top of the Mountain surprised us; there are sections of bog and sturdy marsh type grasses that you would not expect to find in the nearly solid rock environment. We figure this results from the frequent clouds.

We explored the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, locally referred to as the “V and A”, a collection of shops, restaurants, boat tours and a large shopping mall. One of the great things about the V and A is that it is still a working waterfront and you see fishing boats tied up or on the hard being painted right across from fancy restaurants. Nice to see that tourism has not pushed out local industry as so frequently happens.

Unfortunately, skin color draws a distinctive line in almost every aspect of life in South Africa. We never saw or overheard any slurs from blacks towards whites but we defiantly overheard it from some whites toward blacks. We visited a museum devoted to a primarily “colored” city suburb that was rezoned “white” in 1966, thus all inhabitants were relocated and the vibrant neighborhood bulldozed. We also visited Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years and former prisoners now serve as guides. We heard many stories about apartheid and the heartache it created. We both have our own thoughts and feelings about the injustice that happened by circumstance here in South Africa and we feel it most important to find forgiveness and learn from the experience.

South Africa has come a long way towards democracy and equality since 1990 when Mandela was released from prison. Everyone can vote now and Blacks have much greater opportunities. Although there are still great disparities in wealth for much of the population, everyone in South Africa needs to be commended for the immense changes in the past 15 years especially since it was accomplished without civil war. The Rainbow Nation, as South Africa is now referred to as, shows great promise and most South Africans have great pride in what they have accomplished.

We have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to talk and visit with many locals and to hear first hand how they view the change of government in South Africa, everyone with a slightly different perspective. It’s been interesting to talk with so many different people from a wide variety of socio-economic levels and backgrounds.

We have been privileged to make many friends in South Africa who have welcomed us into their lives. We have been overwhelmed at times by the incredible friendliness and hospitality extended to us by people we have just met or only called with introductions from friends. Everyone has made us most welcome and we are sad to leave so many new friends behind.

Prepared but never wanting to leave, tomorrow we are off across the Atlantic bound for St Helena, an island only reachable by boat. Next we head for the island of San Fernando de Noronha off the coast of Brazil and will arrive in Tobago (next to Trinidad) by the beginning of May. This passage will be our first that is more northerly than westerly, a new experience for Altair. We hope everyone is well.

Cheers – Suzette and Paul
Yacht Altair
Cape Town, South Africa
Sunday 6 March 2005