Sth Africa to Namibia, Port Owen to Capetown to Walvis Bay, Namibia (7th April to 26th April 2013)

We sailed from Port Owen a few days after returning from NZ and Australia for Capetown. Since we left Sth Africa in December the rules changed which required us to sail back down the coast to Capetown to do the clearing out formalities. Previously one could do this without the boat being in Capetown harbour.  It was a mad rush to get our sails back up and the boat shipshape before the wind direction changed against us. We left before light and ventured out of the marina and the Berg river bound south.

We got to Dassen island 30nm off Capetown  before dark and anchored amongst the fishing boats. Penguins were going ashore to roost for the night

Table mountain and Capetown

We berthed at the Royal Capetown yacht club. The facilities are very good and people very friendly. It is about a 30min walk to the centre of town and about the same to the waterfront centre

 On a clear day we took a hop on/off tour bus around Capetown.

The Cable car to the top of Table mountain and the view at the top spectacular

 There are many walking trails along the top ridges where we saw lots of these cute Dassies and Lizaards

 The beaches along the coast are exposed to the SE winds but when the weather is settled they are beautiful. The 12 Apostles stand proud above the bays

 We visited the Waterfront aquarium which was pretty impressive.

After  installing new electronic batteries, regassing our refridgeration , cleaning off the hull and provisioning we set sail on the 18^th of April for Namibia

We stopped at Dassen island overnight which is 36nm from Capetown to break the 700nm journey to Walvis Bay.

Where we were close enough to the coast we could see mountains of diamond mine tailings and impressive sand dunes.

We caught 2 Wahoo but the flesh was full of worms. We salvaged what we could and fed the rest to the very grateful  petrels/shearwaters

On our 6^th day we stopped overnight at Hottentot Bay, north of Luderitz where we explored the ruins of a previous settlement.

The cormorants had certainly made the old wharf their roosting and nesting area.

 Flamingoes were feeding in the shallows and we saw a jackal scouring the foreshore for food.

We left the next morning

 The next 2 days were calm seas and little wind. We followed the coastline and were fascinated by the sand dunes and rocky mineral outcrops.

There were seals everywhere basking in the sunny and calm conditions and we spent a lot of time on deck watching their antics

For a whole day we motored through zillions of bright orange jellyfish some alive and some dead.

 The reflections in the water of the boat and the jellyfish were spectacular

There was a prolific algae growth in the water and an unpleasant smell.

We had read and been told about the fog up the Namibian coast. The cold Sth Atlantic water and wind mixing with the heat of the desert. We were to experience this on our last day at sea. We had got out our thermal wear when we left Capetown and had started peeling the layers off… All too soon. The fog brought a very chilling wind with it but at least we were sailing again!

We arrived at 0500hrs at the anchoring point in Walvis Bay. The fog was like pea soup and we had to pick our way slowly through the anchored ships with very little visibility.. Thank goodness for AIS and GPS navigation!!

Cruisers Notes

Capetown
Our communication with the RCYC was a little disjointed and vague and when we arrived and maneuvered in tight channels to our assigned berth, we found it occupied. They were friendly and helpful and eventually found us an unoccupied berth. We got diesel, LPG and were hauled with the crane for a few hours. Everything here is quite expensive for non members. There is reasonable WiFi that is free. The marina is within port gates. The gates at the far end of the port are close to the V and A new waterfront development. It is a long walk or a 50 rand taxi ride to get to the gates. There are many shops here. Port control and immigration is also handy. The V and A berthage is authorised for clearance and although we understand it is expensive it would be very convenient