East London Update
Hello All!
Spoke with Zac a few minutes ago. He is tied up in East London and has spent the day tidying up Intrepid, eating and sleeping. He had slowed the boat down to about 3 knots just riding the current during his night and hopped out of the current and in to East London later than expected. He was greeted warmly by the other cruisers who threw out some fenders for him to side tie (the last of 4 boats tied together!).
Many thanks to Will for keeping an eye out for Zac and reporting back. I got a little worried there for a minute but we had arranged with Zac to call in our morning unless he had a problem. He'll be in East London for a few days until the front passes through and then on to Port Elizabeth.
He was planning a quiet evening and will send over his blog this evening.
Cheers,
Marianne
Spoke with Zac a few minutes ago. He is tied up in East London and has spent the day tidying up Intrepid, eating and sleeping. He had slowed the boat down to about 3 knots just riding the current during his night and hopped out of the current and in to East London later than expected. He was greeted warmly by the other cruisers who threw out some fenders for him to side tie (the last of 4 boats tied together!).
Many thanks to Will for keeping an eye out for Zac and reporting back. I got a little worried there for a minute but we had arranged with Zac to call in our morning unless he had a problem. He'll be in East London for a few days until the front passes through and then on to Port Elizabeth.
He was planning a quiet evening and will send over his blog this evening.
Cheers,
Marianne
posted by Zac at
8:53 AM
31 Comments:
Saw something on the Argulas Current last night on History Channel and all the ships that have been lost in and around the cape. I thought about Zac getting thrashed about out there. It is nothing to mess with when you have 2 different oceans coming together. My prayers were amped up a notch last night for my sailing buddy. Keep it safe Zac.
Chris Carnaghi
Alhambra, CA
that's scheduled i.e time is money commercial vessesls, who when they have to go, go.
rec. sailing round happens every day at leisure and weather permittimg.
a small consolation is that zac is going the 'other' way, into the bosom of the 'mother city' cape town, as it is called.
She'll take good care of him and guide him around safely :-)
Yippee! Thanks so much, Marianne, for letting us know -- was hoping for an update this morning that the passage to East London was successfully complete. Looking forward to the next post... Take care, Peace, Your Oklahoma Well-Wisher
Zac,
Happy to hear you have successfully completed yet another leg of this amazing journey.
Stay safe!
Mona
Tucson, AZ
Hi Marianne,
Thanks for the update.
Zac, glad to know you made it safely to East London, where you can get reenergized for your next leg.
It sounds like you had a fantastic time in Durban and I'm sure it must have been sad to leave your old and newfound friends.
Keep safe and Godspeed!
Dick & Gin
Upland
East London Port:
I managed to get Zac out of his boat, I actually asked skipper nr2 to call skipper nr 4 (Zac) in line.
Being close to supper time and Zac had to do some things in town, we landed at my place where my wife, Mom Diana, had some Steak & chips & South African wine for Zac.
Had a short chat about general things and I brought him back to his boat. Weather is very quiet at the moment after a day of wind...
Pretty sure that Zac will sleep within 5 minutes (the yawning said enough.....)
We'll meet again tomorrow morning and I will take some pictures to send to this blog.
Will
Marianne, Thanks for the update and letting us know that our boy is safely in port
@ Will, Thanks for being a loyal zac packer driving from coast to harbor to welcome Zac and also for sharing your knowlege of the Argulas Current
Zac enjoy your short respite as you mark off another notch on "your belt of adventure"
Our Prayers will continue for your safety
Sherna T
Marianne, Thanks for the update and letting us know that our boy is safely inport
@ Will, Thanks for being a loyal zac packer Driving from coast to harbor to welcome Zac and also for sharing your knowlege of the Argulas Current
Zac enjoy your short respite as you mark off another notch on "your belt of adventure"
Our Prayers will continue for your safety
Sherna T
Hey Zac,
Glad you made EL safely. Hope you enjoy the down time with your friends.
A fellow homeschooled friend :)
HI Marianne,
Thanks for the good news, excited to hear Zac made the voyage to East London with out a hitch! YEAH!!
Will keep all in prayer.
Anita
Captain SV "Wombat"
Waterloo, NY
Zac-
We are SO happy to hear that you are moving again. I'm sure you enjoyed catching up on sleep. We look forward to reading your updates about the last half of your journey and can't wait to meet you when you get back home. We were at the So Cal event and met your wonderful parents and can't wait to be there to see you reunited with your loving family. My 11 year old daughter Megan has taken our family Zac calendar as her own and looks through the pictures daily. You have replaced one of her Jonas Brothers posters, and that says a lot. Safe travels.
Lori Love
Great going! That's one down. Thanks for the update, Marianne!
Scott
@ Will,
How great that you were able to welcome Zac to your port and nourish him with a home cooked meal. I'm looking forward to the pictures!
Mona
Tucson, AZ
Great news that Zac is in port... Let us know if he finds out more about Marta...
Daveh & Skipper
dave@davehickson.com
Hooray! I had been praying for a good passage for you (especially after Marta's incedent). Speaking of her, do you know why she would anchor between ports? Many prayers for a continued safe voyage, captain, and some for Marta too.
Keep on truckin' (or sailing as the case may be!)
-Halle S. in Oregon
skipper of the Dread Pirate Roberts
@ willvp: thanks to you and your wife for the warm welcome and wonderful meal you provided for Zac. Zac has been so blessed to be welcomed and doted upon by so many truly wonderful people. I can't tell you how much it warms my heart as Zac continues on his journey and is buoyed by the kindess and good deed of others! Great stuff!
Willvp --
Way to Go!
By the Way: Do you, or any of your pals have a friend in Port Elizabeth who could provide a welcome and a home-cooked meal as your were so kind to do?
Maybe you could touch base with folks down there for another nice welcome.
You are probably way ahead of me on this, in which case, thanks for your additional efforts as Zac heads south on his journey to the Cape.
-- Grant Fjermedal, Seattle
Mom Marianne:
Thanks for such warming news! It relaxes me. Your kid is amazing. Before it sounded like a very complex leg of the trip, not helped by information on the traffic, the currents, and Marta's situation. For Zac, it was "Ho-hum. Just another day at the office."
@Willvp: Will, you are a prince among men. Thank you for the kindness of you and your family to Zac. You must realize that you have had the opportunity to do what all of us Zac-Packers would love to have done. I express sincere appreciation for your acting as our proxy!
@Zac: Congratulations on another leg well done. Keep on keeping on with it and soon you'll be home to your very dry bed which does not pitch and yaw.
The Croaker
Here's hoping that the hardest part of your world wide adventure is behind you now. Would you consider this the last leg of your trip. If so, I realize it is yet a very long leg. How much of a problem do you see the weather of the Atlantic crossing and the Caribbean to be. Being from the Gulf coast, I know the Atlantic hurricane season is well behind us but I am sure you and your Dad planned it that way.
I wish you had time to stop on the Gulf coast but I know your timetable will not allow it.
Smooth sailing for the remaider.
Craig F. Schreiber
St. Gregory Barbarigo School
This is a very interesting blog discussing Marta (the Jan 7, 2009 entry): http://teoni.wordpress.com/2009/01/
Hi Zac,
Been a while since we commented (Calabasas family). We've been following for quite some time. No need to answer, but just know there are lots of us that are enamored by your amazing feat.
Lauren (6): have you been cold when you are sleeping?
We've been trying to keep track of when you are sailing because I think it is really fun!
Also you are a really good sailor (I think). Have you gotten hurt on your ship at all?
I heard you are trying to sail around the world to try and beat a girl's record. Is that true?
Brennen (4): Did you see any sharks or whales when you are sailing?
Did you see any sea otters when you are sailing?
Did you see any black in the water when you are sailing?
Did you see any sea turtles?
I hope I see you really soon. I hope I see you some time.
Cheers,
Hill family
Yeah Zac! This seemed like a hop,skip and a jump!!
Good Job.
@ Will..... as everyone else said so wonderfully, you and your families kindness is so appreciated.
You rock!!
Liz & the Fam
@Will-
Thank you so much for having such a kind heart. What would the world do without people like you? You and yours are in my prayers!
-Halle S. In Oregon
Will he be able to make Capetown before Laurence arrives?
Good going zac!
Port hopping around the cape is the way to do it, and I bet these two day jaunts are a pleasure after some of the legs you made.
Rest up some more, and have a little fun. Keep the equipment in good order for the next leg.
We had a cup of coffee and Zac had a chat with one of the local sailors who knows the East London - Cape Town part very well. They interchanged little sea-secrets..(hiding places for bad weather, not on maps) and the like...
Then I arranged an interview/ pictures with the local newspaper which Zac dealt with "professionally".
When Zac went to his boat with the photographer, a lady came to me asking : Isn't that the young guy that does the circumnavigation...? They read about Zac in the Durban newspaper and were holidaying in EL..
I left him at lunch time in order for him to get his blog sorted out, otherwise you Zacpack'rs are not getting updated.
We'll meet tonight because it seems that he will have a window to hop to Port Elisabet tomorrow and 2 days later to Cape Town..where he should be on the 20th to meet his dad, he told me
regards, Will
Will......got to add my thanks with all the rest, for your kindness to Zac.
Amazing.
Caring for him like a brother.
Pure goodness.
Photos....did someone say photos!!
Glad you are resting up Zac.
UK friend
Hello Marianne,
Thanks for keeping us posted. It's always appreciated. Well another leg has gone by, a short one but one of the most dangerous is under Zac's belt now.
Please let us know if you hear anything about Marta.
Enjoy Land Again,
Douglas Pistone
MDR, California
Thank you, Will, for taking care of Zac in port, and us by posting the update! Zac's trip has been such a testament to the kindness of people across the globe. Combining Zac’s and his family’s bravery with the kindness of friends old and new all over the world has made for an incredible and amazing journey. Thank you all! Peace, Your Oklahoma Well-Wisher
@ Douglas Pristone -
Re: Marta Story - I just sent you an eMail, check it out...
Sadly, it sounds like it's true (that she had persons/people on board with her "solo" persona flag waving proudly across the net and her homeland of Poland…)
I’m still quite curious why they anchored offshore, cRaZy…
I’ve done a lot of sailing and there is typically somebody in every port wanting to hitch a ride with you to the next port, hitchhikers without the roads if you will… They do their best to befriend you, help you out with small tasks and of sometimes of course, embellish their sailing and electro-mechanical experiences and skills.
They can be quite persistent, to the point, that you have to be rude and say NO, or leave in the dark (metaphorically speaking…)
So, while I’m by no means sticking up for Marta’s deceitful actions upon the world stage she put herself on, I am saying that she probably had a persisting flea wanting to hitch a ride, and should have said no, but most likely her heart overruled her logic and she said yes…
Daveh & Skipper
dave@davehickson.com
Hello Daveh,
I never received the email you wrote on this blog.
Please try and send it again.
Thanks,
Douglas Pistone
MDR, California
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