Time for a Rest
With a great welcome, the boat secure, and we’ve finished our beers, we head up to the clipper office to be whisked off the passport control in a bus and until we’ve cleared immigration, the guys with family can’t meet. A bit of a chat to discuss the initial plans for the deep clean, then get started on some of the initial tasks of clearing the boat, then off to the pub.
I’ve hired an Airbnb for this stopover, a last-minute thing as the facilities for the boat, showers & toilets, are a fair distance away. I’ve got a lot of clothes washing to be done, but more importantly, some me time away from the boat. So, I’ve packed all my kit and started yomping towards my accommodation, little did I know it was halfway up a bloody mountain, well, that’s what it seemed like to me. Eventually get in and into bed for a good night’s sleep. Up in the morning and used most of the hot water for the best shower ever, well, it has been nearly three weeks without a proper wash/shave and a proper toilet. It’s back down to the boat for the regular deep clean and proposed maintenance for the week. This race has not been too hard on the boat. A few nicks and scrapes, so to speak. The sails need a few patches here and there. We have some ongoing maintenance on the engine and generator, left over from Punta, a new hob and some water maker maintenance. The biggest repair is to the stanchions, that were bent when the kite went over the side. 5 of them were bent by the force, so all need to be replaced. We have the winches to service, the grinders to clean and service, and all the running gear to check and clean. A few good days of work.
Discovering Cape Town
Marcus, one of our SA crew members, has organised a day out. Starting with a climb up Table Mountain, which sounded such a good idea when organised. We jumped in a taxi and made our way to the meeting point for a 07.00 start. An early start as it was estimated to be around 28 degrees in the shade. Being on a 70-foot boat doesn’t give you much opportunity to go for a walk, to the point that many of our crew, including me, complained of sore shins in Punta and that was just walking to the pub! It took about 2 hours to get to the top, but what a killer, my lungs were bursting as my heart rate got up to 155 bpm. Let’s just say I took a lot more photos on the top part of the climb than the bottom. But the views from the summit were special, and we took a great photo of the team. We took the cable car down, which rotated as you descended, giving a 360-degree view of Cape Town. When we got to the bottom, it was rammed. I’d advise an early start if you ever visit. We headed off to the beach for a swim. Lovely sunny day, we got changed into our trunks, ran into the sea then dived in head 1st, it was bloody freezing. I can recall a similar experience on Dingle beech in Ireland. So as quick as I went in, I was back out again, getting changed for a trip to a vineyard for a late lunch. A great day out and many thanks to Marcus for organising.
We had a bit of a flu bug on the boat from Punta and, bloody typical, I was gifted the day we arrived in Cape Town. Possibly, another reason why the climb up Table Mountain was so tough. My chest was full of mucus, so I stayed in bed for most of Saturday for a Netflix day, and felt much better for it. Of course, the Autumn Rugby internationals were on, with Ireland v Japan, England v Australia and the big one, France v South Africa. And true to form, the pubs were full of BOK fans in their green and gold shirts. So even though it was a massive struggle to get over my Man cold, I had to go to the pub to watch. It didn’t disappoint, a cracking game and a great win for South Africa.
Our prize giving was held at the Cape Town Aquarium. We had free access to the Aquarium, which was really helpful in that we were able to name some of the sea mammals spotted along the way. The biggest bone of contention was the sighting of baby Orca whales playing with the boat, no sight of mummy or daddy Orca, which was strange. Turns out they were Dusky Dolphins, look very similar to an Orca but much smaller. I also discovered that the Orca is actually part of the dolphin family. Who knew? We had a few free drinks. Always makes me laugh when the word “free” is used when you realise how much this experience has cost so far, but nonetheless, let’s say the drinks had already been budgeted for.
The prize giving was as normal. Not so many dignitaries as Punta. We got the UNICEF prize for fundraising, collected by Nigel and Claire, who’ve done an exceptional job. We also collected our much-deserved 2nd spot medals and flag. 1st honours to GOSH and 3rd honours to Qingdao. A few more drinks were had before leaving for the pub.
Earlier in the day, I had caught a local taxi from the taxi rank to my digs and was charged 400 rand. Not really knowing the exchange rate. Whilst it sounded expensive, I didn’t question it at the time. On my way back down into Cape Town, I took an Uber, which charged me 60 rand! So, I was a bit annoyed that I’d been stiffed. One of the only issues I’ve had in Cape Town is being ripped off as a tourist. So, on the way back from the prize giving, I walked past the taxi rank and with a few glasses of red wine to assist, I challenged the guy who flags the taxis down. Well! He was wearing a high viz jacket, so I assumed he had some power in the process. I told him the story, I showed him my credit card receipt and remembered the taxi driver was called William! So, the taxi rank guy apologised and took me for a walk. No idea where I was going, we popped beside the V&A shopping centre car park and the story was repeated to a few more high viz guys. Next thing William appears out of the shopping centre, he’s a very big guy, and I wasn’t too sure what was going to happen. I suggested it must have been a mistake, as their min charge was 150 rand. With a little persuasion from his fellow taxi drivers, he coughed up 250 rand in cash! What a result, and I get to tell the tale. I headed back to the pub, cash in hand, to tell the story and celebrate our 2nd spot.
As I’ve mentioned, Claire & Nigel had organised a big UNICEF charity party in Cape Town, and what a great night it was. Zulu dancers started us off with some fantastic traditional dancing. Their smiles were infectious, which set the mood for the evening. It was followed by some African drum tuition. I think it was supposed to be some sort of competition, but turned out to be a bit of a free for all. By the end, there was some sort of cohesive drum beat, but I felt sorry for anyone down below out for a quiet night dinner for two. An African band then played some traditional folk music. After a few hours and a few more beers and glasses of wine, Nigel had organised a sort of open mic night for story telling. A sort of comedy story telling free for all. Some guys found their calling, especially Steve from LBS, offering up his insight into the habits of the LBS crew. There is a recording somewhere and if I find it, I’ll post it on the web, but he’s certainly got the gift. Over 150 people attended from friends, family, and other boats. To date, the party has raised circa £3,000 for the cause, so well done all.
With the majority of crew having friends and family about, I was up for some of the outings/community days organised by Clipper. One was a walk and talk group organised by the aquarium. There is a very large population of seals around the Cape Town coastline, with many frequenting Cape Town harbour and many get caught up in fishing lines and floating rubbish. The aquarium team catch them and remove these lines normally with a pole with a round pointed knife, rather like a parcel opener, however some need to be darted and sedated before the items can be removed. They do have a problem with rabies which unfortunately means the seals are put down to stop the spread of the disease but have also started a vaccination programme, so an interesting morning around the harbour. We also had an open boat day, which I also supported. We show the general public around one of the clippers and answer questions. It always great fun. I even spoke to a few people who had been reading my Blog, isn’t it a small world.
Crew Changes in Cape Town, Onwards to Fremantle
As we get close to leaving Cape Town, it’s always sad to be saying goodbye to teammates. It’s especially difficult this leg as we say goodbye to Zoe, we’ve all had some great times together, and she will be sorely missed. We all wish, Zoe, her mum Sara and Dad Mark a safe flight home and a speedy recovery to get back on the boat as soon as possible. We say goodbye to Nigel, Claire, Marcus, Ian H, Thomas, Ron, Hjalmar, Dave & Steve. A fair number with a lot of experience and all great people. We hope to see a few of them back on the boat again for another leg! Come on Steve, you know you want to.
We also say hello to a new bunch of teammates, which will add some more strengths to the team. So, hello to Tony G, Leo, Lucy, Anders, Andrew, Dom, Anna, David and especially, Maisie, our new 1st mate.
So, after a great stop over in Cape Town it’s time to pack the bags again, get the boat ready once more and off for race 4 to Fremantle. Pucker up for a cold leg.