4 Months to go.

4 Months to go.

Yep, 1st December is the start of the Governor's Cup, 1 800 nautical miles, Simonstown to St Helena.

Our race schedule had it that the boat was to be slipped at the end of July. So late yesterday afternoon I went and fetched the boat to bring it home for it's preperation to start.

Now bringing the boat haome is not that simple.

Firstly, I drive to the harbour. Leave car at harbour to collect later.
Then motor from the harbour to the mouth of the Kromme River. About 4 n/miles. To catch the last of the incomming tide which would give me that extra half a meter of water over the bar and the tricky channel which runs parralel to the beach, then the sharp turn right into the river propper and the the short distance to the entrance to the St Francis Bay marina canal system.

I was banking on Jamie to come along and give me a hand. But Jamie (now 13) has discovered another 13 year old living in Humansdorp. And that's where he was. I had no chance of getting him to help.

Boat and Dad versus 13 year old girl. I was on my own.

Quick motor to the river mouth. Watch the surf, count the sets. From behind it looked okay. Not great, just okay.
So I make a run on the back of a set. The boat is fast and we decide to overtake the wave in font of us and test the boat's surfing ability. It surfs well!

Then the sharp left turn, parralel to the beach. You now have the big sandbank on your left, with waves breaking on it between you and the open sea. On the right you have some more waves breaking onto the beach. You are in a channel that's about 10 meters wide. Or rather the bit that's deep enough to use. With the rudder full down we draw 950 mm. I had drawn the daggerboard up to match that.

The first bit of the channel is always bumpy and yesterday afternoon was no different. Then it smooths out and about 500 meters further you turn sharp right, a horsehoe bend, and you're in the river. Danger is over and you have something to drink. Believe me, by then your mouth is VERY dry.

All went well. Beached the boat at the canal entrance and with the help of Barry the Boeing pilot who came paddling past, I lowered the mast into it's cradle.

Still all well.

Then the fun began.
I must motor round the corner into the canals and moor the boat there, to wait for low tide at midnight so we can pass under a little road bridge which rather inconveniently blocks our house from the open waters.

That's all I had to do!
It is now dark. I shove the boat off, start the motor and proceed up the canal.
The engine cuts out.
This engine NEVER cuts out. As in NEVER, EVER.

The tide sweeps us out of the canals towards the river. I drop the anchor but the stern is going to hit some rocks on the oposite bank. It is now pitch black dark. To protect the boat I lower myself into the water and shove the stern clear. But cut my hand and my leg on the frikken rocks.

Now check whats wrong with the engine. In the loom of the white stern navigation light I see the problem. The cradle that supports the lowered mast has been placed over the fuel pipe! Who did that? ME!

But there is no way I can lift that lot. So I grab a screw driver and wedge it underneath the cradle, lift it enough and then shove a pair of pliers under it to act as a spacer so the fuel pipe can open up. Those were the tools lying in the cockpit from lowering the mast.

Wroom! Off we go to our temporary berth around the corner. Get there, secure the boat with a bit of a struggle. Hell, wish Jamie was there to help! But I manage. The boat is strung up between two walls in a little cove, well clear of any walls. All done, I give Tanya a call to come and pick me up.

All I must do is get ashore now. No problem, the water is only about 400 mm deep.

I pack my little rucksack, car keys, camera, cell phone.

I easy myself off the boat.
I go down,
and down,
and down.

Up to my nuts,
then my chest,
then my armpits.

When the water reaches my chin, my toes touch the muddy bottom.
Only just!

All this would have been okay.
Except it's 7 p/m and winter!

My dear Tanya collects me. I go and have a warm shower, dry cloathes. Then off to the harbour to go and fetch my car.

Jamie gets home from his new bokkie.

At midnight he takes me around with Tanya's motor boat to go and bring the Banjo home to the beach in front of our house.

As we chug along the laaitie tells me, "Dad, when we get to your boat I will go alongside for you to climb straight on and I will go to the side and cast you off. No need for you to get your feet wet Dad."

Hell, where was the little bliksem earlier when I really needed him?

Anyway,the boat is now home.

This week we will lift the mast off for a good inspection and to fit a VHF arial.
I will start the work inside the cabin and fit some deckhardware we need to make things easier up top. I have completed the spinnaker pole and its fittings and will try it for size.

I will also do the fitting of the solar pannel posts on the stern.

Hopefully the liferaft is back from Cape Town and I can sort out the mountings for that in the cockpit.

The countdown has started and the jobs need ticking off. An new ones will be added.

Oh, yes. This afternoon I got into the waste deep water and cleaned 90% of the bottom. So it will be almost clean when the boat comes out onto the drive way.