Never thought we would need the NSRI!

14 Nov. 13

We left PE six o clock on Tuesday morning and beat into a choppy uncomfortable Algoa Bay for four hours before rounding Cape Recife and turning west towards Mossel Bay our next stop. Once we turned the swell direction was more comfortable but still gave us a bouncy ride until we passed Saint Francis, about 45 miles and 10 hours later where we finally turned west and placed the swell behind us.

 

The sun set just after seven and we had a relatively good sail across Plettenburg Bay overnight.

 

At sunrise our speed dropped from almost six knots to under three and we started beating into an unpredicted South westerly wind. As the hours passed and the sun rose in the sky the sea became increasingly uncomfortable and our speed dropped to under two knots. The wind kept building and sea became more and more uncomfortable. Yrumoar was bouncing into big waves and was taking a beating as her bridge deck slammed onto the water each time she crossed a wave. Sometimes she crashed down so hard I thought her windows would smash. It was not even nine o clock in the morning and we still had a long way to go to get to Mossel Bay. At this point we started looking for options. We couldn’t carry on like this and wanted to get off the boat and off the ocean. Lola and I discussed our options, could we turn around, run downwind and anchor in Plettenburg bay or not. We searched through the pilot guide hoping to find an answer but the pilot guide did not recommend using Plett as an anchorage and especially in a big South Easterly which was predicted to arrive the following day so we discarded that option. Fortunately we had met up with Ian on HQ in PE and knew he was in Knysna so we called him and asked him for some options. Ian is a very experienced skipper and we needed help. We were not making any headway and started to panic. Ian told us he would come out on his duck and meet us if we could get to the Knysna heads. The entry to the Knysna heads is reputed to be quite adventurous and it is not recommended without local knowledge so we had no intention of trying it but now with our choices limited we decided we would take him up on his offer and continued beating into the wind and swell for the next nine hours till six in the evening when we finally arrived at the heads. Yrumoar took such a beating that her big heavy saloon table ripped off the floor and is now still loose.

  

About an hour before we arrived at the heads Lola finally broke down and released her tension. As the tears flowed she told me she hated me, she hated sailing and she hated the boat and it was all my fault. I did nothing to defend myself and understood how she felt. I actually felt much the same way so just kept quiet and let her get it all out. A few minutes later she was done and started smiling and talking about our next leg down to Simons Town. I was confused but still kept quiet. Was there two Lola’s on board and I hadn’t noticed? Anyway Ian met us on the leading lights and climbed aboard. He powered Yrumoar through the heads without a hitch and we finally dropped anchor behind HQ just after sunset. Ian was a lifesaver and we all thanked him multiple times before sending our aching overtired bodies off to bed.

 

16 Nov. 13

Yesterday morning when I got up I had no idea that yesterday was the day our trip may have ended in disaster. It was a beautiful morning and the sun was shining as I sat in the cockpit drinking my morning coffee thinking about the day ahead. I asked the crew what they wanted to do for the day and we thought we would head to shore and check out the waterfront. Knysna is a stunning place and my view from the cockpit is amazing so we all looked forward to a fun day. But first I had to fix our dingy motor since it leaked petrol and we had anchored quite far from land so needed it to work. I started stripping the motor when a friend called on Skype and asked how things were going. I told him things were good and we were excited about the trip except off course the money issues. With this mentioned I joked with him to go onto our website and make adonation. He then asked my why he should make a donation since we are living the dream life and he has to slave at work all day. He even equated my suggestion to the guys begging at the robots on his way home from work. I could see his point and understood what he was saying but told him our donation button on the website is not the same as begging. We take a lot of time to write about the trip and the places we visit. I think Lola spends about six to eight hours a day loading photos and making the website as attractive and user friendly as possible. For this “work” we do not charge anything. So the donate button is there for those people who enjoy reading what we wrote about and wish to continue reading so decided to “donate, or pay” for what they have read and seen.

 Anyway after saying goodbye I continued stripping the dingy motor. I don’t know how it happened but when I looked up I suddenly spotted a catamaran right next to us and we were heading rapidly towards it. I shouted to the crew, “oh shit our anchor has dragged” and everyone rushed outside. But it was already too late and we smashed into his bow with a loud crunch. I shouted for someone to get me the keys so I could start the motors and Kyle ran inside to get them. I started the motors and tried to motor off but our rudder was tangled in his bridle and we were stuck. A fishing boat was sailing by and we shouted for assistance but he couldn’t hear us over his engines and just continued on his way. Behind the catamaran we were now stuck to a low bridge crossed the road and I was concerned his anchor would also drag with our combined weight wrecking both our boats onto the bridge. I told Lola to call sea rescue for assistance and passed her the phone. She dialled the number at the same time as pushing our boat as hard as she could away from the bow spirit of the catamaran that was jutting over into our cockpit. She managed to get through the second time she dialled and sea rescue was on their way to us.

 In the meantime another fishing boat had spotted us and made his way over to help. He dropped his anchor some distance from us and tossed a line for us to cleat. He then tried to pull us off but couldn’t. The NSRI arrived about ten minutes later and took control of the situation. The owner of the other Catamaran also arrived and wasn’t in very good spirits. I suppose I can understand, I would also not be impressed if someone had dragged their anchor and got stuck on Yrumoar.

 For the next three hours we watched as NSRI devised a plan and saved our boat. Our rudder was no longer working so they, together with the fishing boat, towed us onto a mooring buoy and tied us up before departing back to wait for their next call. I can’t begin to tell you how thankful we are to them and the guy on the fishing boat for their help but was really glad we donate money regularly to the NSRI even though we never believed we would need them.