Our First Adventure

One of the lesser known requirements when buying a boat in South Africa, as non residents, is that you must export it within 90 days of taking delivery. The easiest way to do that is to sail it to another country. The standard procedure is a trip up the coast to Lüderitz, Namibia.

Simple enough, right! Except for one small detail, we were brand new sailors. We barely knew how to berth the boat in a finger dock, and all our early practice was behind a massive hotel in Cape Town that blocked the wind. Even a gust of 5 knots felt intimidating back then. Realising we were in over our heads, we call in reinforcements. Friends were all too happy to join us for what sounded like a fun adventure on a new boat. Onboard we had Craig (serious knowledge and an equally serious drinking habit) Niel, Greg, Tracy and myself. The first test sail included all 5 of us Sailing to Saldanha Bay. Craig was extremely helpful and imparted an immense amount of knowledge, but when the whiskey came out to play things went side ways. It was then agreed that this was not going to work.

Plan B was Gary, a seasoned skipper who had previously delivered Leopards to the USA, he also knows the export process from beginning to end as well as all the ins and outs of a Leopard. Gary certainly had his quirks but he knew his stuff and things were finally starting to feel solid, and as though we were prepared for our trip to Lüderitz.

Just 2 days before departure, tragedy struck. Tracy's brothers girlfriend passed away unexpectedly. It was a huge blow. Tracy understandably decided to stay behind to support her brother. That left the crew as Niel, Greg, Gary and me.

Thanks to Tracy, who made sure the boat was well provisioned with the help of Woolworths and some serious list making, were were provisioned and ready to set sail.

Niel took charge of meal planning and galley responsibilities. Shift schedules were set up, three hours on and three hours off, for myself, Gary and Greg. Garry guided us through he process of clearing out of South Africa for the first time, customs, immigration, the whole shebang. I took copious amounts of photos of the process to ensure that I was able to do this next time. Finally we were cleared out and on our way to Lüderitz.

Spirits were high and the vibe was excitement. We were green and soaking up instructions from Gary on every shift, how to conserve power at night, use water sparingly, and check critical systems while underway. It was overwhelming at times but the sail was smooth. The northerly was thankfully elusive, which made for good sailing.

Niel kept us well fed, we were all fat and happy. while slowly adapting to shift work. Greg proudly announced his personal record of seven minutes asleep at the helm before falling off the seat. Impressive, if not slightly alarming. 

Four days later, we arrived at the entrance to Lüderitz. Gary handled the approach and moored us safely. Then, step by step he walked us through the clearing into Namibia, customs, immigration and port captain. Just like that we were legal.

We spent a few days enjoying the Lüderitz Yacht Club, and their mediocre food, but fantastic drinks and even better company. This is until the Great key Incident. After a night at the club, we all piled intot he dinghy when Greg, still on the jetty, yelled "Here Eric!" and chucked the keys at me. I looked up just in time to watch them bounce off the dinghy and disappear into the water with as soft and gentle glug, glug, glug. Slightly drunk old men now had to row the dinghy back to Intle Breeze, which is on the farthest mooring ball, this was a site to behold. Thankfully, we had spare keys.

This was of course not the end of dinghy drama. After yet another Yacht Club day, we returned later to find the dinghy full of water, the drain plug had been left out somehow. Gary and Greg took it back to Intle Breeze to haul it out of the water in order to be able to empty it out. Twenty minutes passed. Then thirty. Niel and I, roasting on the jetty, finally gave up and went for a cold beer, still within sight of the boat, Gary returned after 40 minutes, confused and looking for us. Tensions were a bit high when we got back, as we were dripping with sweat and highly irritated which was elevated by the fact that Greg was chilling onboard with a drink in hand, blissfully unaware of my extreme irritation.

Despite the hiccups, the rest of the trip was fantastic. We mingled with locals, soaked in the experience, and eventually began preparing for the return trip. We had to make it back by the 17th September for Tracy's birthday. The weather window wasn't great, but we were out of time. I made the call, to motor sail using both engines. No way I was missing my wife's birthday. We burned nearly all our diesel racing back to Cape Town.

As we arrived and lined up for the final approach into the marina, we got hit with one last surprise, load shedding . The electricity was offline. There I was, tow hours out from reuniting with my wife, floating in the middle of the harbour, where I could see her but not touch her. All the while the wind is pushing us one way, the current another. I had to keep the boat steady in the basin for two whole hours before the power finally returned and the bridge lifted. My wife of course was just fine enjoying a cocktail with friends.

We eventually docked and were able to enjoy the rest of the evening.