24 Jun. 12


We arranged a lift with Anne down to Amamzimtoti since she needed to go to Durban anyway. Coming back we all piled into my mothers car. I drove, so didn’t have to feel like a sardine in a can but Lola, the kids and my mother with her grandchild all sat on top of each other in the back seat. Fortunately it’s only a two hour drive so they all survived. Getting my mother onto the boat was an experience all by itself. She is getting on a bit, and at seventy has lost her eye sight in her left eye, and her right eye has cataracts so doesn’t work either. Coupled to this she also has a water phobia and can’t swim. Both my Mother and stepfather seemed to enjoy their time here even though it was only for one day. They were captured by the beauty of this place and I think they considered for more than a moment packing up their lives in gangster’s paradise and moving down here.

It was a very pleasant visit and I found myself understanding their lives a bit better. It is such a pity that sometimes it takes so long before you grow up and get wiser. Only now do I see things from their perspective, it took me nearly half my life to have this epiphany. Sadly parents are just big kids themselves and don’t have all the answers so just do what they believe is a good idea at the time. I don’t believe that there is any family out there that is perfect and we all have our own dysfunctional family relationships. Kids are born with no instruction manual and as such parents can only do what they believe based on their upbringing and their parents. Unfortunately this isn’t always the correct formula.

Toti Cabanas

Toti Beach

Keagan arrived after a very long bus trip and we collected him at McDonalds. His ear was in pain and I could see he was obviously irritated with the ride that took over two hours longer than advertised by the bus company. Last night he went out with some friends he has down here and I don’t expect to see much of him today as he will probably be in recovery mode.



This morning I bought a second hand Macski from another guy here that said they don’t have the space to take it with. It seems to be in fair condition and anyone that knows me is probably thinking why would I buy something that goes on the water. Yes I know we live on a boat but I am not much of a swimmer. In fact I think that I have a water phobia. I am okay swimming in a swimming pool, but as soon as I can’t see the bottom, I panic. A few years ago I tried to conquer this phobia and entered the Midmar Mile. This is a mile long swimming race in the Midmar dam. Lola had full confidence in me since I didn’t mention my phobia to her. So the big day came and she stood on the side watching as I prepared to run into the water along with about five hundred other swimmers. The gun was fired and I sped off towards the water. Upon reaching the waters edge I executed a beautiful swan dive and started swimming in the air before I even reached the water. My body glided through the air and landed perfectly on top of the water and since I was already swimming I took off like a bullet. Suddenly the hype of the starting gun and all the competitive racers around me wore off and I looked around. Discovering to my surprise that the water was muddy and I couldn’t see the bottom, panic set in. I wallowed and splashed, gasping for air. Fortunately an old man sitting in a wheelchair noticed my plight and taking pity on my soul, wheeled himself into the water till he was next to me. Then he reached over and grabbing my flailing arms he spoke in a calm clear voice. I will never forget those words of wisdom that were uttered to me that day. he said, and I quote, “son! You can stand.”

14 Jun. 12


I am still busy trying to close the hole that I created in the water tank. The job is just not as simple as I originally thought it would be and I have landed up cutting grinding and fitting more times than expected. I should have known anyway, with this being the norm on a boat. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems.

I watched some guys fishing earlier today. The water behind our boat was alive with small silvery coloured fish jumping around. They cast a line with about six hooks and a sinker on it into the bubbling water where the school of small fish are jumping. Then they try to hook one of the fish. After a few attempts they managed to hook one and then transferred it to another fishing rod by removing the hook and forcing another hook into its mouth. Then they threw the line with the small fish attached back into the middle of the school. Wow I am so glad I am not a fish. Imagine, first you get a huge hook stuck in your throat. Then you get surf skied through the water, dragged by this hook in your throat. Next you get half drowned in the air whilst being manhandled by some huge land creatures ie man. Now they tear the hook out of your throat and pierce another one straight through your cheek. To your surprise you get flung though the air suspended from the hook in your cheek and land back in the water. Just when you think you have escaped you again get dragged by your cheek through the water and after a moment’s suffocation in the air get flung back again. This process will be repeated until some or other giant fish decides that you are lunch and you try to escape but keep getting pulled past his open mouth with no escape possible.

18 Jun. 12

In summer the dolphins don’t seem to come up the estuary very often, they seem to come more in winter. Last night at about eight they arrived here in full force. I am not sure how many of them, but it was more than one. Unfortunately it was dark so we couldn’t get any camera footage but Lola and I stood in the cockpit for at least an hour as they entertained us swimming around trying to catch some late supper for themselves. We stood watching trying to spot where they would surface next, their distinctive breathing sounds leading us to them. Lola commented a few times how they manage to fascinate us every time and that it seems we never get tired of seeing them.

We have quite a planned week ahead which is unusual for us now since we don’t have anything planned anymore. Yesterday Lola and I discussed just how different our lives had become. Early in the morning we took the dingy and dropped Kyle at the scout camp that was taking place this weekend. Then we returned to the boat and sat around having coffee for about an hour. At some point we walked up to the bathrooms and on our way back stood watching a plate floating in the water for about an half hour. In normal life standing watching a plate floating in the water would have rated level with watching paint dry on a wall. Now however we find that we have enough time and get fascinated by trivial things, discussing various options about how the plate got into the water and why we are studying it. The subject about our different interests came up again last night before the dolphins arrived as we were just walking around in the boatyard with no particular destination in mind. As we were walking I grabbed Lola and gave her a huge smooch. Then we walked a bit further and noticed a motorcycle driving towards the gate. The motorcycle noticed us and turned around coming in our direction. It stopped a few feet away and the rider got off and started speaking to us. We stood about chatting, about nothing in particular, for a half hour or so and he was on his way again. Then we made our way back towards the boat and found two other yachties just hanging around. We stood talking to them for another half hour. A short while after we got back to the boat, the dolphins arrived. Then we went to sleep without having to set an alarm clock for this morning.

I suppose I had better get back to my original topic, our fully planned week ahead. This morning I have a doctor’s appointment to find out what is wrong with my still painful arms. Next we have to find a way to get to Amamzimtoti on Wednesday to visit my Mom and Stepfather. On Friday we will drive them back here to the boat in their car to visit us for the weekend. They haven’t been before so we are excited to show them our boat. My son Keagan is also arriving on the bus on Friday for a visit of about three weeks. So the week ahead is fully booked with appointment after appointment, almost as busy as if we went back to work. Okay so perhaps not quite as busy as that but busy for our new life.

06 Jun. 12


The day before yesterday we drilled some holes into the saloon roof. Next we mixed some epoxy and took an old kitchen sponge, cutting it into small pieces, we dipped the small pieces into the epoxy and once they were wet through we pushed them into the holes. Yesterday we drilled smaller holes into the cured epoxy and sponge holes and tapped the holes to fit a 4mm machine screw. Afterwards we used the holes to fit our two new solar panels. I did some tests yesterday before we connected the new panels and found that our regulator only supplies about one and a half amps to the batteries. This morning I tested it again with the new panels connected and had exactly the same result. It appears that our regulator doesn’t work properly and we will have to replace it. I already replaced one of our old solar panels with a new one after I tested the old panel and found that it gave me eighteen volts, but absolutely no amps.

In Durban Lola and I discussed the wind charger and I told her that it was a waste of time piece of equipment that doesn’t give enough power to justify its weight. I even told her that I consider tossing it overboard. However two days ago the wind howled at about twenty knots for the day and the wind charger gave me a consistent charge of between two and three amps so perhaps I won’t toss it overboard after all.

Some time ago we bought a box of smarties made by Nestle. We opened them and they were mouldy. I have never before seen mouldy smarties in my life and didn’t think that they could mould. This morning I decided to call the Nestle call centre and ask them why they sold me mouldy smarties. I took the number from the box and dialled it. A voice on the other side answered “ambassador hotel reservations.” I asked the voice if I could complain about my smarties to her but she said no. I don’t think that Nestle will get any complaints about the smarties since the Ambassador hotel refuses to cooperate and forward the complaints to them.



08 Jun. 12

Our power woes are still not over even after installing two extra solar panels and replacing a faulty one. I still have to run one battery charger to keep the batteries charged. We are getting closer though since I now only have to run one battery charger and not the two that I previously had to run. Lack of space to put more panels and of course the biggest obstacle, money, made Lola and I research some other options. Our original regulator that isn’t working has to be replaced so we decided to replace it with something called a MPPT charge controller. This thing is supposed to make the panels more efficient by about 30 percent. Since I have discovered that all manufactures lie about their products, we will do our calculations on half of what they proclaim. The fridge for example, according to the manufactures, draws four and a half amp when the compressor is running. Lies lies and more lies. We tested the fridge and it draws eight amps when the compressor first starts up and slowly draws less and less until it ends at five point seven amps when the compressor finally stops. Same thing with the solar panels. They claim that the eighty watt panel will provide three point seven amps, lies lies and again lies. Not once have we managed to get even two amps, even when directing the panel directly at the sun. So now we base all our power calculations on half of claim by manufacture, or in the case of something that draws power, twice the claimed amount.



09 Jun. 12

We were invited out to supper last night by default since someone else cancelled due to a stomach bug or something. It turned out to be a really good evening and eventually ended by us being dropped off at the yacht club after we were squashed into the back of a bakkie like sardines in a can. These impromptu evenings always turn out the best. I find that most of the time a planned event turns out to be a bit disappointing. Perhaps your expectations become to high or something. But unplanned events, especially on evenings when you don’t really feel like going out, for some or other unknown reason have turned out to be some of the best evenings I have ever had.

11 Jun. 12

Another eleven days till my son arrives for his visit, very exciting stuff. Today I hope to close the hole I made in our port water tank. A few days ago I cut the hole to check the tank and now I will have to close it again. I hate jobs that remind me of changing a new car tyre that has been damaged prematurely, or replacing a stolen car radio with the exact same radio. So I decided to close the hole in such a way that I can at least see how much water we have in the tank. Previously we had no way of knowing how much water we have and since I had to check the tanks anyway I decided to make some improvements. I have been procrastinating this job since we were still on the hard, but figured that we have nothing else to do with our time now anyway, so might as well get this job behind me and ticked off the list.

Water tank cut open

We are still waiting for our autopilot belts to arrive but hope they will get here soon. Last night the wind howled at forty knots, but this morning it is flat calm with no wind.

We received a sms from some of our friends that left at the beginning of the season asking if we are still going to meet them in Trinidad at the end of the year. We replied that we will but Lola and I both agreed that we feel disappointed in ourselves that we didn’t continue on south to the Cape and instead came back north to wait for winter to pass.

On our trip down to Durban we discovered that our cockpit drains turn into water spouts. Every now and then the water shoots up the drain and wets the cockpit floor. The water comes up with such a force that I am sure it would give someone standing over the drain an unexpected enema. On our trip back from Durban we stuffed the drains with rags to try stop these unexpected enemas from surprising us. This only worked for a short time and we had to keep stuffing the rags back into the holes and drying the cockpit to save ourselves from sliding around and getting the occasional enema.

01 Jun. 12


Officially the first day of winter in the southern hemisphere. I am still able to wear shorts during the day but at night a jersey and beanie is required. There is a vast difference between the temperature here and in Joeys. In Joeys this time of the year is extremely cold and I would have to wear tracksuit trousers covered by denims, vest, t-shirt jersey and jacket. Not to mention two pairs of socks and shoes. In a way I am glad that we decided to winter it out here and not in the Cape because the Cape is also extremely cold. The cape has its good days but even in summer it can get very cold.



Yesterday I replaced one of our old solar panels with one of the new ones we had bought from GW stores. For about an hour I tried to figure out a way to make the old panel work. I just couldn’t accept that the panel could supply eighteen volts but have absolutely no amps. As far as my knowledge went I believed that you couldn’t have voltage without amps. After conducting the same test a few times and getting the same results I decided to go and ask someone for advice. They advised me to try connecting a twelve volt globe directly to the panel, if the light comes on, the panel must supply some amps. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought about trying that but I suppose it has to do with being too close to the problem. Sometimes a bit of outside assistance is required. In my specific case, a lot of outside assistance is required, all the time and should actually be mandatory.



Last night Lola loaded some airtime on my phone and unbeknownst to us it was mahala Thursday at MTN. Mahala is an African word meaning “for free.” Since we don’t have a TV we don’t know about these specials so it was a pleasant surprise getting R30 free airtime. Since the free airtime was limited to calls from MTN to MTN only, we decided to use the special offer and gave my son a call. Ten minutes of phone call and the thirty rand was gone. He was having a bad day involving an issue with one of his friends. I felt helpless sitting down here whilst leaving him up there having to solve this problem by himself. I think our phone call helped raise his lowered spirit and thought that someone up there in the heavens knew that he needed the call.



02 Jun. 12

Watching Lola do the washing this morning and she tells me that luckily she didn’t imagine this trip to be all about cocktails in the sunset but rather about doing hand washing in the cockpit. Her statement was just so true it made me laugh.



Washer woman


Being back on the walk-on has been so much more convenient with endless electricity and water on tap. Because of this we can have cold coke and keep frozen meat in the freezer. We will of course have to sort out our power problems before we leave again, but for now it at least, our lives have some semblance of normality.