News

Saturday November 6, 2004 pm
Had cooked bully beef, topped with garlic on a slice of bread for breakfast. Thank goodness nobody's here to smell my breath. Spent the morning replying to e-mails. Another big job for Bev! Finished reading Ken Follet's "Hornet Flight". Reading my friend, Morne du Plessis' book, Penvere, in Afrikaans. Probably my first afrikaans book in years. Anyway Morne has a good sense of humour and I cannot help but smile and utter a laugh now and then. The book is about birds, Morne's greatest love. He started making notes about birds as a hobby when we were 13 years old, exploring the rural hills in the Komga district.
Position at 1800 hrs UTC
13 21 S
10 21 W
Cog 315
Sog 6.5 kt
Wind 12 kt
Wind from the SE
Still running, full main and headsail goosewinged.

Saturday November 6, 2004 am
Position at 0630
13 50 S
9 16 W
Cog 310
Sog 5 kt
Wind 9 kt
Still running........

Celebrated my birthday with soya mince on a slice of fresh bread! Thanks to everyone who sent me the most welcome wishes! I was surprised.
Not much happening, reading Ken Follet's"Hornet Flight"
Seas very uneven in spite of the light winds. We are rolling quite a bit, heavily at times, even the boom dips into the water.
We are now 242 miles away from St Helena.

Friday November 5, 2004
Yesterday, after typing and sending my daily log, I took the ferry taxi to the wharf. Took a refreshing cold shower at the docks. Had a hearty breakfast at Ann's Place. Bought 18 liters of petrol mixed with 2- stroke oil for the generator. Walked back, filled up one empty water container and then took it back onboard IT. Went back, took video footage of the wharf and Jamestown. Then I tackled the "Ladder" better known as "Jacob's Ladder". I had to stop 3 times to get my breath back! Out of shape! Anyway, I got to the top and took video footage of the breathtaking scene overlooking the bay and Jamestown. The "ladder" is 600 feet high and has 700 steps! I walked down the road and hitched a ride back.
Checked out my website on the internet, did some shopping at the "Spar" supermarket. Went for a cold beer at Ann's Place and feeling rather lonely, I decided to check out. It is a bad omen to leave on a Friday and I did not want to stay till Saturday. While I was sipping the cold frostie Ann's son come to tell me that Barry had called to tell me that IT was adrift. I rushed back to the wharf and crikey, yes IT was a mile out! The ferry taxi took me and we caught IT, she was dragging her anchor. I took her back, this time closer to the wharf. Went back to Ann's place and finished my cold frostie. I then said my goodbyes and Ann gave me a fresh home baked banana bread and also a freshly plucked papaja. Thank you Ann! I then checked out at customs and immigration.
Walked back to the wharf where Barry met me. I gave him a silentvoyager T-shirt and posed for a picture. Said my goodbyes and then left for IT. I hauled up anchor at 1400 hrs, double reefed the main, poled out the headsail and set Willie for a course of 315 degrees. Have been sailing all day and night like this. We are now 105 miles away from St Helena.
Position at 0700 hrs
14 57 S
7 13 W
Cog 315
Sog 6 kt
Wind 12 kt
Wind from the SE
Running

Friday November 5, 2004 HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Please join me in wishing Charl a very Happy Birthday.
Send him lots of e-mails and sign the guestbook. He would love to hear from all his readers.
This will be the first birthday apart from his family in 20 years, so he needs all our prayers and good wishes.
Thanks
Bev

Thursday November 4, 2004
Let me update on my arrival to St Helena.
Night before last - I woke up at 0200 hrs. I plotted my position and saw that I was 25 miles from the island. I was on the north side and I decided to take the northerly route. Peeking in the pitch black darkness, I could not see anything. The skies were clouded over, with a full moon lurking behind. Everything looked spooky.
At around 0400 hrs the clouds dispersed a litlle and I could vaguely make out the dark shape of the island in my path. A few ligths on the cliffs showed me I was on the right track.
As the dawn broke and I could see the vast mountain area, it reminded me of the Natal Drakensberg mountains. Passing the northerly side I adjusted course for Jamestown on the NW side of the island.
At 0700 hrs we hit the sleepy anchorage area. I could not find the marked mooring bouys that the RCYC had installed. I dropped anchor in 100 feet of water and decided to wait. There was only one yacht anchored, a brand new Moorings catamaran on it's maiden voyage being delivered by skipper Conor Fogerty, his wife Kamelia, and crew member Jonathan Couture, all from England on their way to the UK. I met them all at the RCYC and they left a day before me.
At 0900 hrs I hauled up the anchor and motored past the catamaran and hailed Conor and asked him to call the customs people on the radio. He did so. I motored closer to the cliffs and this time dropped anchor in 55 feet of water, away from the screaming wind coming through the ravine in which Jamestown is settled.
Soon customs agent Pamela Francis and harbor master, Barry Williams came aboard. Barry welcomed me and somehow they knew about me. Yes, they saw me on Supersport channel! I filled out the necessary papers for Pamela and then we took the ferry taxi to the docks. I took a quick cold shower, my fisrt in 11 days! Barry was kind enough to walk with me into Jamestown, which reminds me of the castle in Cape Town. It is built with heavy fortress walls in the front overlooking the bay. Barry told me that the moorings that the RCYC had installed were going through maintenance, new chains etc had to be installed. The Union Jack was flying proudly high above us. With Barry leading the way, I cleared immigration at the police station then off to his office paying the necessary fees. Barry gave me a quick tour of the town, showing me where everything was located. Thanks Barry! I then took my dirty laundry to "Ann's Place". Her place is decorated with burgees, flags, T-shirts from all over the world, all gifts from visiting yachties. Bertie Reed and John Martin's were there too. Her place overooks the beautiful and well cared for botanical garden. A monument for fallen soldiers, who defended the castle against the Dutch a long time ago, is located in the middle. I then walked to Solomon's, a shipping agent, where I withdrew some cash with my credit card. Checked the prices of goods at the "Spar" supermarket. Then I went back to Ann's place where Jonathan, Conor and Kamelia joined me. I had a beer with them while they drank coffee. They had just cleared out and after some good talking we said our goodbyes and they left. I had a Wimpy style breakfast brunch with beer when St Helena radiomen, Ralph Peters and Gary Walters came over and they interviewed me. They taped the conversation on a recording machine and told me I would be on the radio that nite! Crikey!!! Everybody knows about me now!
I went back to IT taking the ferry taxi, I am now the only yachtie here!
Took a deserved afternoon nap then back to Ann's Place where I met Ann and some of her children and grand children. Ann has 7 chidren, 11 granchildren and 1 great grandchild. She handed me her scrapbook that yachties have signed over the years. I signed it too with a picture and wrote briefly about my trip so far around the world. I also gave Ann a signed Silentvoyer shirt which she proudly hung up for everybody to see! Ann also told me the population has dwindled over the past few years from 5000 to 3500 today. The young ones leaving for better paid jobs overseas.
Back to IT at sundown as the ferry closes for the night. Cooked bully beef mixed with cream of mushroom soup for supper and went to crash.
Slept like a baby.
It is Thursday morning now and I am typing my journal. Going to tackle the mighty steps, they call it "The Ladder" today. Hope to share a cab with others to see more of the island, but I doubt as I am the only visitor here now! The island is also very dry at the moment. The ravine with it's cliffs reminds me of the vast dry Karoo in the Cape Province. The island has not had rain for a long time, but all I can say it is located in the horse latitudes. The horse latitudes gets it's name from the old era when sailors had to throw the horses over board to save water. Those poor animals!

Wednesday Nov. 3, 2004 Arrival St Helena!
Position at 0700
15 55 S
5 43 W St Jamestown, St Helena
Cog 0
Sog 0
At anchor in 100 feet of water
It is just me and another catamaran that left one day before me.
I am waiting on customs and then will go and shower and explore.
All the moorings that the RCYC installed are occupied by small fishing boats.

Cape Town to St Helena -- 10 days 21hrs

Tuesday November 2, 2004 pm
Skies, after 7 days, are finally starting to clear.

Position at 1700 UTC
16 45 S
4 42 W
Cog 330
Sog 5.5 kt
Wind 9 kt
Wind from SE

Still running
75 miles to go
ETA early Wed morning

Tuesday November 2, 2004 am
Another pitch black night. Despite the full moon, the cloud cover is so thick that even with the tri-color light on at the top of the mast, I could not even see my own hand in front of me when standing in the cockpit. I have to rely heavily on the radar.

Position at 0530 UTC
17 28 S
3 50 W
Cog 330
Sog 5 kt
Wind 9 kt
Wind from the SE
Still running

140 miles to go

Monday November 1, 2004 pm
As we are approaching St Helena I am adding a brief history of this British island.
The island was discovered by the Portuguese in 1502. The Dutch tried to take over the island after the English East India Company had settled a base there in 1673. They failed after the English set a counter attack. In 1815 the island became famous as Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled here. He died in 1821.
Slocum, the first single handed circumnavigator called in on "Spray" in 1898.
6000 POW's from the Boer war were brought here too, one probably my great-great grandfather?
The total population today numbers around 5000. They are a mixture ofPortuguese, Dutch, English, Malay, Goanese, Madagascan, East Indian, African, Chinese, Boer, American whalers and maybe some of Napoleon's entourage???
Will write about the island as soon I have set foot on it.

Position at 1600 hrs UTC
18 10 S
2 55 W
Cog 340
Sog 5.5 kts
Wind 8 kts
Wind from the SE
Still running
210 miles to go

Had coffee and rusks for breakfast,bully beef mixed with cream of mushroom soup
for brunch,beans and wieners for lunch,Smarties choclate blocks for desert.A
orange as afternoon snack.Soya , mash potatoes and brown gravy is up for
supper.

Monday November 1, 2004 am
Position at 0530 UTC

18 49 S
1 57 W
Cog 320
Sog 6.5 kt
Wind 12 kt
Wind from the SE
Still running

Still very cloudy and cool. Smoothe sailing all night. No traffic spotted.
Cooked up some mashed patatoes and bully beef for supper. Tasted very good! We travelled a bit faster than I expected and landfall looks like very early Wed morning.
Still 275 miles to go

Sunday October 31, 2004 pm
Position at 1630 UTC
19 46 S
0 58 W
Cog 325
Sog 6 kt
Wind 12 kt
Still running

For the first time since I shut down the main engine, exiting the harbor in CapeTown, I started it up and let it run for one hr. I have been using the little petrol generator to charge the batteries daily for about 2 hrs. At the same time I use the laptop typing my logs and reply to e-mails.
Another quiet and cloudy day, wind is down though.
At this rate, I expect to make landfall Wednesday at noon.
355 miles to go.

Sunday October 31, 2004 am
Sailed all night in pitch black darkness, the full moon was nowhere in sight due to the heavy cloud cover. It is still cool and I am still wearing two jackets and use a blanket when sleeping. No close encounters with freighters or tankers. The radar and bedshaker are very trustworthy but I still do keep a watch myself. I have since started to read my 8th book, another Ken Follet novel.

Crossing the meridian of Greenwich now! I am taking video footage of the GPS!

Position at 05 45 UTC
20 23 S
0 00 200 W
Cog 320
Sog 6.5 kt
Wind 15 kt
Wind from the SE
Still running

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27-Mar-2004   20-Mar-2004   13-Mar-2004   04-Dec-1999