Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Africa

Africa! How improbable. It's amazing where you can get on a sailboat if you just keep at it.

Our experience of South Africa thus far could not be more shallow. We have spoken to exactly one South African - whoever was on radio watch for Cape Town port control this afternoon. We've made it into the Royal Cape Yacht Club ahead of the easterly gale but too late to handle our clearance today. So all of that will wait until tomorrow. And tonight we enjoyed our dinner on board in a strange limbo, clearly in South Africa, but not yet processed by officialdom and given permission to be here.

And now that we have made our passage from South Georgia, and I am sitting here wearing shorts, our big southern adventure is over. Fifteen months from Valdivia, Chile to Cape Town, via Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, the Falklands, and South Georgia.

This trip, more than any other that we have done, was clearly a one off. No "Twice In A Lifetime" nonsense about it. I don't expect that we will live long enough, or that the energies of middle age will last long enough, for us to ever find ourselves retracing that route.

I'm glad that we enjoyed it so much that one time that we did it.

And now, to follow up on my three hours of sleep last night, and a long night and day spent sailing in fresh breezes through shipping...to bed!

~~
This post was sent via our high-frequency radio as we're out of internet range. Pictures to follow when we reach internet again. We can't respond to comments for now, though we do see them all!

5 comments:

  1. Well done all four of you! Enjoy this next chapter. J&B

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  2. An incredible achievement, one most of us will never get to experience but we have had a taste, thank you for sharing and allowing the world to be right along with you. Enjoy the zzzzzzz

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  3. What an achievement! I have been in Antarctica with no internet and didn't realise you had decided to brave it and go to South Georgia. Good on you! And now you have already made it to Africa as well. I am totally behind the times. Big hugs and love to you all. Enjoy rooibos, rusks and lion! xo

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