Atlantic Days

We have just finished our first leg of the Atlantic! Aftertwo weeks at seathat cold beer(s) is sure gonnago down well! With regards to the crossing, let me begin with : what an incredible experience. After I've said  that,  I must admit that I had envisioned it rather differently. Something more like blue skies, calm warm water and copious amounts of sea life. It was almost like that, except for the blue skies and calms seas bit. I hadn't realised how much the boat would actually be moving.  I mean obviously I knew, but IT MOVES ALL THE TIME. Sleeping, cooking and doing pretty much anything, is a challenging task. I was on the verge of throwing the dishes across the saloon on anumber of occasions in pure frustration. Everything ends up on the floor anyway.

Being outin the middle of the Atlantic makes up for all these things. There is nothing more peaceful then the sound of a boat gliding through the water while being pushed by the wind. There is a vast expanse of nothingness but in that emptiness is an abundance of life. I couldn't believe how many birds we saw and how they have been with us for the entirety of the journey. Travelling by sail boat is travelling in slow motion. It gives you time to think, to enjoy and embrace all that is happening around you.

The cold weather and rough seas have made the journey a challenging one but one that I would do again in a second. We plan on staying on St Helena Island for about a week and I hope in that time the Atlantic chills out so that the next leg of the crossing consists of all those wonderful things that filled me dreams. 

Viv

First published on offtheline.co.za

The Tuna & The Seal

Two days into our Atlantic crossing Ruf caught the first fish of the trip! We had to battle it out with a gutsy seal first though – he claimed the tuna just as Ruf started reeling it in. He was rather chuffed with “his” catch and took joy in parading it in front of us. After a lot of shouting and banging and blowing of fog horns we managed to bring it in close enough to the boat to pry our tuna out of the seal’s jaws. He was rather upset with us but it was ours first!
There is nothing quite like enjoying sashimi and tuna steaks on the braai that you caught and prepared yourself. We want to say a BIG thank you to Bernard & Hilda for their generous gift of fishing gear, as well as Bernard’s expert fishing tips.

Kate

First published on offtheline.co.za

The Journey Begins

The day has arrived - we're leaving today. The past few days have been filled with a mixture of nerves and excitement and the added visits from all of our families have made them an emotional few too. Two years after deciding to take on this journey we are finally ready to leave. The feelings are difficult to convey. Let the exciting times begin!

We plan on heading slightly north for a the first few days and then we'll veer off into the trade winds. We expect to arrive in St Helena in about two weeks. We are fortunate enough to have a Sat phone for emergencies and for weather updates. The added bonus is that you can send us 160 characters sms/text messages from the Inmarsat website (http://www.isatphonelive.com/), free of charge. Click on the button that says "send free message" on the top right hand side of the page, insert our number +870776411804, write a message and press send. It will be great to hear from you. We plan on doing updates to our twitter account during the crossing, so please follow us @off_the_line

Viv

First published on offtheline.co.za

Family Farewell

This is our final week in South Africa (for serious!) and so our families have been visiting to say their farewells. I cannot tell a lie: this whole goodbye thing is quite emotional. I'm not a big crier but man have I balled my eyes out, not just when my family said goodbye but for Rufus and Vivian's family too.

You have to remember that with a project like this it's not just us four team members that work hard to realise the dream, our families play such a huge role; with emotional support, guidance, supplies etc, and saying goodbye is like leaving part of our team behind.

On Saturday Rufus' mom, dad and sister Cherie came to the yacht club and, as always, Mamma Brand dazzled us with her spread. Rufus' parents (Boris & Rynette) are legendary for their entertaining (some people would call them "feeders") and you can always be guaranteed exceptionally good food and a lot of it, cheesy jokes and alot of laughs when you kuier with them!

xxx

Kate

First published on offtheline.co.za

Saldanha Days

Having been in Saldanha Bay for nearly a week we have had plenty of time to get into chill mode, while still fitting in the odd chore. Last week was pretty chilly but the arrival of spectacular summer weather this weekend definitely made up for it. We spent Saturday alongside the pontoon at the club, allowing us to do the last few things that require a decent amount of electricity and fresh water. Kate and I spent the whole day doing two weeks worth of washing using the clubs scaryingly temperamental twin tub washing machine, an experience and a half! We have been doing a fair amount of reading, eating and planning for the first part of our journey. The great weather inspired the boys to hookup a towing system to our tender, in preparation for our future surfing adventures, and braved the freezing West Coast water to test it out. It was very entertaining to watch but I'll wait for the warm water in the tropics to give that a go.

The predicted weather has been fickle but we're hoping that things will line up for a departure on Friday, lets hope. In the meantime we have set up our chores schedule which entails four categories: Cleaning of the Heads, Cooking, Surface cleaning and Dishes. Each day we rotate the tasks, all in the hope of keeping our home a clean and happy one :). In the next few days we will somehow make a plan to get to the Vredenberg Mall to buy our fresh goods (life without a car is something to get use to), add a few more lighter sockets to the saloon area and do the final water top ups while we wait.

Viv

First published on offtheline.co.za