I really didn't know how I ended up on the 46ft, Grazia , but I was happy. I gelled well with the captain, Coen, and his son, Richard. Chelsea stayed for a few days to help me settle in then left to pursue other adventures. I enjoyed Cape Town and went to the Jazz Fest with some young sailors from a neighbouring yacht.
The matter of crew was a complicated one. Gary, an experienced sailor who had crossed the Atlantic an amazing 32 times, would be joining us to Namibia but after that we would be on our own. We needed another crew member, Coen found a young guy who seemed enthusiastic enough but didnt have the experience. The problem of crew was delaying our departure from Cape Royal Yacht club in Cape Town. I even tempted my dad by asking him to join us but he was busy with work and had the Ironman coming up. Coen eventually found JP a plumber in his 30s who had cruising experience to join us on the trip. On March 22 we had a huge farewell dinner and the next day we set sail for Luderitz, Namibia, with friends and family waving us goodbye. It was a truly exhilirating moment for me.
The trip was 4 days and went quickly with so many hands to help with sailing, cooking and cleaning. The weather was a little chilly but the wind was mild and sea was calm. I did my 3 hour night watch with JP and he seemed pretty nice. The tutoring was going well and me and Richard were getting a long really well, like brother and sister. I already had such a soft spot for him.
Arriving in misty Namibia was so exciting. After anchoring and launching the dinghy , we went ashore for some lunch and drinks. Coen received a hero's welcome , he is a sort of a local celebrity because of his diamond diving company in the area. Everyone was so excited to hear about his around the world trip. Gary left the next day and I found I had grown attached to the kind man who had given us so much advice on sailing and the places we were to visit.
We stayed in Luderitz about 3 weeks , I got treated to so much seafood as Coen's friend owned a Oyster bar and we were there during the legendary crayfish festival. I tasted oyster and crayfish for the first time. Rich and I went exploring in the desert , and Coen took us the fjord, and a few surf spots where the boys braved the kelp and cold water and I took pictures. We made friends with a yachty couple, Linda and Andy, and went for dinner on their lovely 'Corrimandel'.
We had stocked up on plenty of food and were all ready to leave the following morning, when JP hit us with the news, HE WASNT COMING. After spending 3 weeks with us in Namibia, everything seemed perfectly normal, Coen had even paid for his travel insurance not to mention all his other expenses. We were all shocked and pretty annoyed. He seemed to blame me and told me I spent more time with Richard than with him and that I didnt care about him, I was bewildered. He had turned into someone so insecure and strange I was glad he wouldnt be spending the next 6 months with us.
Now we would have to sail the 46ft cat with just the 3 of us and me and Rich probably wouldnt have enough time for school and chores, It was going to be a lot harder without JP but we didnt have enough time to look for anyone else. We got the boat ship shape , I wrote a very irratated diary entry and had a very restless last sleep in Namibia.
Part 2 will be about the trip to St Helena and Ascension. :)
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