Tooth and Mainsail

Brenda arrived in Cape Town thinking that she was past the complication of a tooth extraction that had left fragments of loose bone in her jaw.  Last Saturday the pain returned and after a bad night we made the decision on Sunday morning to seek emergency treatment.  I got on the internet and soon found a dental practice with 24 hour emergency service, Kromboom Dental Centre, in Rondebosch East, about 15 km from the marina.  I made the call at 8.30 AM and our appointment was for 9.30 AM, no later, which meant that we had to hustle in preparing ourselves and finding our way to the practice.

Just before 9 AM we had the marina call the cab driver who seems to service RCYC, and just after 9  AM we were on our way.  Fortunately the driver knew where we had to go, drove fast, and got us there at 9.25 AM.

Dr Khan attended to Brenda, and impressed her with her skill and state of the art digital equipment that she had not seen in Australia.  Bone fragments were not the problem, and that area was healing well.  The problem was an infection underneath the tooth next to the one that had been extracted.  Brenda was given a choice between extraction or a root canal.  It turned out that a root canal would be much cheaper here in Cape Town than in Australia and on Monday Brenda made an appointment next Saturday for the first visit of a root canal procedure.  Some if not all of the treatment should be recoverable from Brenda's travel insurance.

The cab driver had stood by waiting for us and after the emergency treatment drove us to the V&A where Brenda obtained prescriptions for two different antibiotics.   He then drove us back to the marina an we were back on the boat before 11 AM.  The cost of the cab service was R350, about $35, which I considered to be a bargain.  After a bad day yesterday (Tuesday) the antibiotics have kicked in and the pain has finally stopped.

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Since Saturday we have confined ourselves to the marina but fortunately for me the wind died down to practically nothing at times, which enabled me to do some work on the boat.  Better yet, Steve delivered the mainsail, its cover, and the "heave to" sheets for the cockpit frame on Monday afternoon.  There was a screw up with the measurement for the cover and there were grommets missing on the two sheets so those two items went back for modification.  However, Steve left the mainsail and yesterday I was able to take advantage of the calm conditions to set it up and try it out.

New Main Halyard Jam Cleat

Third Reef

Shock Cord for Binding Excess Sail

I hoisted the mainsail all of the way to the top by jumping the halyard at the mast  with amazing ease.  The enclosed photo will show the new third reef.  The three sets of cringles (grommets) running horizontally denote the reef lines.  The new 3rd reef at the top has two cringles.

Another photo shows the use of black shock cord for holding the excess sail to the boom with the first reef.  This will prevent accidental ripping of the sail if I forget to free the cringles before shaking out the reef.  I found that the second reef did not need the shock cord treatment because the excess sail seemed to ride nicely on top of the 1st reef, but I decided to tie it down anyway to deal with high winds. 

I had decided to try Steve's idea of using the first reef line at the leech (back of the boom) also for the 3rd reef.  This was because there are only three sheaves at the back of the boom, two dedicated to reefing lines and the middle one for the outhaul.

I tied a loop of strong cord from the 2nd to the 3rd reef cringle, leaving a tail of loose cord at the bottom of the loop.  When I went from the 1st to the 2nd reef I freed the 1st reef line from the sail then tied its end to the tail at the bottom of the loop of cord.  I then used the cord to pull the 1st reef line up through the 3rd reef cringle then back down to my eager hands.  I then secure the line around the boom and was now ready for the 3rd reef.  It all worked very well.

Buoyed by this success I decided to implement an idea that I had run past Steve who pronounced it to be a good one.  When jumping the main halyard at the mast I have had the problem of how to hold the sail up while I rush to the cockpit to take up the slack at the winch.  I had been forced to wind the halyard around a bollard which meant that when I loosened the halyard from the bollard I would lose a precious 18" or so of sail height.

I found a jam cleat that I had been carrying from Fremantle and thru-bolted it to a flat surface at the tabernacle.  This will enable me to cleat off the halyard then take up the slack at the winch without losing any sail height.  I'll then be able to free the halyard from the jam cleat then return to the winch at the cabin top and finish the raising of the sail.

There were two potential problem areas.  There was the question of whether my Bosch portable drill was up to the job of drilling through the 12mm thick aluminum plate.  I fully charged both of its batteries and was hoping for the best.  The other question was whether I could manage to position the lower nut in the extremely narrow space between the tabernacle and the mast.

Fortunately the Bosch did a sterling job on just one battery.  I used a center punch in the center of the circle that I had traced with a pencil then drilled slowly using a small bit, watching the continuous spiral of aluminum working its way out.  I then used the same slow drill technique with the full sized bit.  For the nut problem I used a thin screw driver to slide the nut over the hole and managed to get the bolt thread started.  Once the lower bolt was snug I punched at the center of the upper aperture of the jam cleat and finished the job with no major drama.

I then went to the boat shop at the end of the jetty and purchased 14 meters of 10mm line to replace the 12.8 meter 1st reef line which was just barely adequate for the new 3rd reef role and might cause me trouble in rough weather.

The photo shows the black jam cleat at the center, slightly angled to match the angle of the halyard.  the halyard is hanging naturally to it left, which means that the jam cleat will present no problem when I drop the mainsail.

Overnight Visit to Simonstown

On the way to Simonstown

Approaching Simonstown

Brenda and I caught one of the frequent trains to Simonstown on Thursday morning.  It was an interesting ride, particularly during the second half where the track was impossibly close to the water's edge, giving us wonderful views of the coastline.  The one hour ride was a bargain at an amazingly cheap R14 (about $1.40).

We spent about 2.5 hours exploring the town from the train station at the northern end of the town to the Cheriton Guest House  at the southern end, where we had a booking.  The town lived up to its reputation of being quaint, old world, and very very British, with names like the "The British Hotel" and "Captain Cook Cellars", and there were splendid views of the marina and naval base.  Along one of the brick walls were plaques denoting famous visitors to the town, including Captain Cook and Rudyard Kipling (who visited often).  One interesting plaque denoted the visit of the Confederate ship "Alabama" under Captain (later Admiral) Raphael Semmes in 1863.  Until then I had no idea that the US Civil War had been fought on a global scale. 

After a light lunch overlooking the harbour we made the walk past the naval base up the hill to the Cheriton.  We arrived hot, tired, and early, and were uncertain of the reception that we would get.  We need not have worried.  When Denise came to the door she knew who we were and welcomed us like old friends.  Soon we met her husband Dirk and were then introduced to Margaret, one of the employees, who showed us around.  Every room in the guest house was richly decorated with all sorts of interesting memorabilia, and the view from the upper floor was superb.  Down below the bar below was particularly interesting, and in an adjoining nook was an extensive collection of old cameras.  The selection of beers, wines and nibblies was run on an honor system.

"Protea" Room

Seaforth

Penguin Checking Out Seaforth Restaurant

Brenda Checking Out Desert

Simon's Town Main Drag

Margaret then took us to our room named "Protea" which I was to learn the next day at the naval museum was a survey ship that did 25 years of service in the SA navy.  It was an impeccably decorated room with a nautical theme, which suite my taste very well.  For Brenda there was the bonus of close proximity to the small but lush garden teeming with birds which were new to her.

Orange Breasted Sunbird

Cape Sugarbird

Orange Breasted Sunbird Munching on Australian Bottlebrush

Robert exploring old cemetery

View from Seaforth

FBYC and Naval Base

For dinner we took Margaret's advice and walked down the short hill and across the main road into Seaforth, which offered good coastal walks with plenty of penguins as well as a fine restaurant where we had a great meal overlooking False Bay.

In the morning we had "the works" for breakfast: and "entree" off yoghurt over a medley of fresh fruit followed by a "main course" of eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, juice, and coffee. 

At checkout time we visited Dirk in his office and got into a lively conversation where we described the sailing and the bus tour of Mexico.  I reminded Dirk that there was a bar tab to be paid but he said that it was such a small amount and he had enjoyed our travel tales so much that it was on the house.  Dirk offered to drive us into town but we insisted that we would be OK with the downhill walk.  The Cheriton Guest House more than lived up to its web site (http://www.cheriton.co.za/) and we highly recommend it to any prospective visitor to Simonstown.

And the walk was OK pleasant and interesting.  Brenda headed for the library and other places and I paid a visit to the False Bay Yacht Club where I met Pam who had sent me an email while I was still far out at sea on the way from Brazil.  We talked about the great confusion over the new Customs procedures that had started in November, and she understood why I had been forced to change my plans and go to Cape Town.  During the visit I made the long walk along the outer jetty to get a good look at the entrance, and everything was as I had picture it from the charts and Google maps.

I them met Brenda at noon next to the statue of the dog "Just Nuisance" (that's another story) and soon we were on the train back to Woodstock Station near the Royal Cape Yacht Club, and at 2 PM we were back on the boat, satisfied that we had gotten to know Simonstown reasonably well.

Visit to Robben Island

Yesterday Brenda and I did a tour of Robben Island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robben_Island), where Nelson Mandela and other luminaries of the SA freedom movement were imprisoned.

I booked the tickets via the internet the night before and in the morning Diana at the office printed them out for us.  We then took the MiCiti bus to the VandA harbor and walked across the bridge to the Nelson Mandela Gateway where we were to catch the 11 AM ferry.

Glenn IV Making Her Entry

We arrived early and while we were waiting a large ketch waiting for the first bridge to open caught my eye.  It was flying the Q pratique flag and it did not take me long to conclude that just by chance we were within a few yards of Francois and his crew aboard his 54-ft ketch Glenn IV arriving from their passage from Brazil.  I knew that they had spent the previous night at anchor and now they were making their way into the VandA marina.  I hailed Glenn IV and soon Francois and I were exchanging greetings.

The ferry ride to the island took 30 minutes in a calm sea because the wind for once was calm.  As we approached the island Brenda and I wondered how the visit would be structured.  In fact it turned out to be tightly structured which is understandable given the need to manage the large crowds and protect the island's ecosystem.  Buses were waiting for us at the dock and soon we were on a bus tour of the island with a guide giving us a running description and history of the various structures, including the cemetery, leprosy hospital that had been staffed by Irish doctors and nurses (driven there by the Potato Famine), the cemetery,  some defunct military installations, etc.  One building that I took special interest in was the Governor's House, where visiting luminaries stayed after it became a World Heritage site, including, we were told, Barack Obama and his family before he became a U.S. Senator.

Brenda in Front of Robert Sobukwe's House

The guard dogs had better quarters than the prisoners.

Governor's House

Our ex-political prisoner guide

Cape Town from Robben Island

Prisoners slept on mats

Shore along Robben Island

Describing prisoner identity cards

Cell 7, block B - Nelson Mandela's cell for many years

In the prison yard

We the left the bus and were put in the hands of a tour guide who had served 7 years of a 15-Life sentence for "terrorism".  He took us on a tour of the prison giving us detailed account of what had gone on both within those walls and at the quarry where the prisoners spent day after day in mindless hard labor.

I won't go into any detail about what we saw and learned, but I will say that the harsh condition and gratuitous brutal treatment were far worse than I had imagined.  The history of Robben Island during its use as a prison that spanned centuries is a testimonial to man's stupidity.

Brenda with Friend

At 1.30 PM our terrorist tour guide showed us to the door and told us that we were free to go.  We thanked him and shook his hand, as did many others.

Glenn IV Safely in Marina

The ferry departed at 2 PM and at 2.30 PM we were back at the Gateway.  We then walked over to the marina and found Glenn IV at her slip, all in good order, and with no hint that she had just completed a long passage - other than the Q flag still flying, which told us that Francois and his crew were probably still in town going through the clearance formalities.

Quiet Weekend

Brenda was having trouble shaking off a stomach problem that she thinks that she picked up during her trip to South Africa so we decided to have a very quiet long weekend to give her a chance to get over it. 

On Friday afternoon I went alone to the V&A marina and paid a visit to Alice and her boat True Blue.  What I had expected to be a short visit turned out to be 2 or 3 pleasant hours of conversation in the cockpit the entire crew - Alice, Ann, and Maryanne who recently joined the boat - over refreshments an finger food.  We also got a visit from the chap on the next boat who had arrived that morning from Simonstown.  It was a lot of fun talking about our common experiences in Hawaii, Port Townsend, and down the West Coast of the USA.  Alice is waiting for favorable winds further up the coast before setting off for the Panama Canal via St Helena and the Caribbean.  Their destination is Hawaii which will mark the end of their circumnavigation. 

Port Cable from Mast to Keel Bolt

Starboard Cable from Mast to Keel Bolt

On Saturday and Sunday I pottered around the boat as I usually do and managed to do several small jobs that I never seemed to have time to do.  One satisfying one was the cleaning up of the joint between the heavy cables joining the mast to keel bolts.  I installed these cables to pass the electrical energy of a lightning strike to the mast straight through to the ocean below.  I was informed in Fremantle that the solid lead keel has the mass and surface area to effectively dissipate the electrical energy. 

Because the mast is of aluminum there is an inevitable galvanic corrosion between it and the more noble copper cabling.  Periodically I clean up the interface to minimize the electrical resistance at the joints. 

There are in fact two more similar cables, connecting the chain plates to other keel bolts.  All of the shrouds are joined to these two chainplates so this lightning protection measure should be very effective.  Because no aluminum is involved there is no corrosion issue with the chainplate cables

Day Tour to Cape of Good Hope

Coastline on Way to Cape Point

At Hout Bay

Hout Bay Marina

Another Beautiful Beach

Resident of Ostrich Farm

Peter, Mark the Guide, Robert

Rock Hyrax, Related to Elephant

Coastal Vegetation near Cape Point

Contemplating the Meaning of Life ....

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden

Wasp Dragging Paralyzed Spider at KBG

On Wednesday night we telephoned Rachel at her home and booked a day trip on a minibus to the Cape Point at the southern tip of the Cape peninsula for the next day.  There is a lighthouse at Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope is a group of low lying rocks only 100 meters or so to the west.  What attracted us about the tour was that it would give us the opportunity to see both sides of the Cape peninsula, including Hout Bay and Simonstown.

We were picked up here at RCYC at 8.30 AM on Thursday morning by Mark the driver/guide then we proceeded to pick up the two other members of the tour, Peter from Sweden and Unis (?), a Moroccan from the Canary Islands. 

The drive along the western coastline to Hout Bay gave us a chance to see the beautiful beaches (though too cold for the average person) and the many residences with splendid views of the beach and ocean.

Hout Bay was as I had seen on the charts and Google images; nevertheless it was good to see it in real life.  The marina is well sheltered behind good breakwaters but I've been informed that it is subject to periodic bouts of katabatic winds.  Tom, a local acquaintance, told me that at times “the boats jump on the jetties and the jetties jump on the boats”.

We then proceeded through through sections of the Table Mountain National Park where we got good views of the native vegetation.  Brenda commented that the colors and plant families of the coastal heath vegetation were very similar to that of the southern part of Western Australia.  I suggested to Brenda that it looked so good for Western Ground Parrots that she might consider smuggling in a breeding pair.  (Just kidding.)

We then visited the Cape of Good Hope, discovered in 1487 by the Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Diaz.  It is the southwestern-most tip of the continent of Africa.  It is not very impressive to look at, being low lying rocks little more than a reef.  (But as they say, location location location!)

We then drove a hundred yards or so to the base of Cape Point, site of a light house and good tourist facilities including a restaurant.  We began that visit with lunch at the restaurant then three of us took the funicular to the base of the original lighthouse and enjoyed the panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and False Bay to the north.

Then we drove along the eastern side of the peninsula through Simonstown and visited a small colony of “Jackass” penguins (because of the noise they make) and Mark took us to see “Lucy”, a penguin sitting on an egg very close to the carpark wall. 

We then drove through some wine country and visited Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens at the southern base of Table Mountain.  This area was very lush because it gets the most rain in the Cape Town area due to Table Mountain.  The garden was large, beautifully designed and maintained, and contained a wide variety of indigenous flora.  For Brenda the visit to Kirstenbosch was an appetizer and she plans to go back to make a day of it.

At 4.30 PM we were dropped back at RCYC and bid farewell to our three companions of the day.