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The
Indico Project is complete!
3 months and about 15000 km after squeezing through the
Torres Straits, we rounded the Cape of Good Hope on the
South African coast and slipped into the lee of Table Mountain.
I have now sailed 72% around the world.
The night before, we rounded Cape Agulhas,
Africa's southernmost point and the true divider between
the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and cool currents of
the South Atlantic. That night, during a sudden squall of
25 knots, the water became ablaze, the phosphoresence glowing
all around us and illuminating the wave tops, eeiry white
horses galloping by in the black night.
A
week earlier, we reached the African Continent farther up
the coast at Richard's Bay after crossing the Mozambique
Channel, which separates Madagascar from Africa. The channel
offered up some of the most aggressive sailing one can experience
with high winds, huge seas, and salty spray stinging your
eyes as it dumped into the cockpit again and again. I wore
my foul weather gear for 24 hours straight, spending 12
hours outside in the cockpit, alternating between steering
and sail trim, then clambered down the companionway before
falling asleep on the floor, fully clothed with not much
more than a handful of crackers in my belly.
In
the delirium, a smile crept over my face. This is the sort
of thing we dream of an ocean crossing to be full of, although
it rarely happens in this age of minute-by-minute weather
forecasting and pinpoint navigation. The smile quickly faded
to something a little more slack-jawed and drool-covered.
After 4 hours of dreamland, it was back outside to relieve
the helmsman and watch the sun rise and take a first glimpse
of Africa, a thin but lumpy shadow on the horizon.
An Ocean of Challenges.
The
Ocean has been one of the biggest challenges in my life;
somewhat physically but mostly emotionally. The stress of
constant travel, confinement, and separation from loved
ones wearing me down, but the solace and serenity of the
ocean, no matter how rough the weather gets, is a source
of comfort. It's familiar now. It's hard to take anything
the ocean throws at you personally.
Being at sea changes people. Maybe it's the constant company
that makes our tempers run short with eachother. For me,
my temper blows when I'm given instructions for mundane
jobs. I don't care what the best way to stitch up my underwear
is, and I don't care what the consequences are of not doing
so - I can live with my mistakes or buy new underwear later.
In
fact, one thing I have learnt is that making mistakes and
learning from them is one of the finest things in life.
I only learnt that from making the mistake of not wanting
to make mistakes. Now I make them with zeal!
We came for the Braai!
We are staying in Cape Town until January, a good opportunity
to see the countryside and learn more about the cultural
struggles that still exist. My partner Alison whom I haven't
seen in a year will be visiting for 2 weeks - so I will
be in very good company for the holidays. I hope you all
are too!
Hopefully
I will post a couple more blogs about South Africa before
long. I have already seen that this is one of the most fascinating
countries on the planet. It is the friendliest place I have
experienced, yet still seems remains strongly segregated
amongst its citizens. Politically they have achieved great
things in the past 15-odd years, but it will take a much
longer time to eradicate bigotry and strife. Will they ever?
2 Oceans down, 1 to go! Bring on the Atlantico Project!
Our boat will be crossing across the Atlantic in a race
sponsored by Heineken, leaving on January 2.
All the best from Table Bay,
Clive
