East London - Zac
I spent the day I arrived in East London cleaing up the boat and catching up on lost sleep. It was hard to leave Durban and all the good friends I had made there over the past weeks. When the weather window opened though, I knew it was time to press on towards Cape Town. Overall I was happy with the trip to East London. Sure enough, once I got into the current I was hauling along under sail at times as fast as 9 knots! Pretty good for old Intrepid! It was a bit of a trick mooring up alongside 3 other boats that were, in the end, tied up to a jetty. That evening I had a great dinner at Will's house. When I got back to the boat I crashed so hard that I slept through my alarm set for 3:00am so I could be a part of a PBS interview being done at the house. Sorry about that - hopefully, we can reschedule...
All is well here. Still checking the weather forecasts looking for the next weather window. There was a question asking if this is the last leg of my trip. My trip will end in Marina del Rey, California sometime in late May or early June. This leg was the first leg of several that will take me around the Cape of Good Hope though. My next stop will be at Port Elizabeth, then Mossel Bay and then on to Cape Town. This next leg to Port Elizabeth is pretty short - only 130 miles or so. I'm looking forward to getting there and seeing Marta to find out what happened there. I don't know anything more about that right now.
@John G. At this rate I'll probably arrive in Cape Town after my dad but he usually likes to have a few days to adjust to the time difference and get hooked up with the marine people in port so it should be OK.
@Lauren: I have been cold in my bunk at times but not recently because it is so warm where I am. I did get hurt a few times on my trip. Once when the boat lurched suddenly I fell across the boat and hit my arm on the counter in the galley. Another time a glass broke during a wild wave and cut my foot pretty badly.
@Brennan: I have seen sharks and whales in the Pacific Ocean but not so much in the Indian Ocean. Pretty soon I'll be in the Atlantic Ocean so maybe I'll see some there. I have not seen any black things in the water! I have seen sea turtles in Mexico but not on this trip. Sea turtles are funny because they have very bad eyesight. When you sail up to them they seem to be looking really hard at you trying to see what you are. When you are really close they suddenly swim away! That must be why there are so few of them left. Turtle soup used to be a favorite dish in Mexico!
Cheers,
Zac
All is well here. Still checking the weather forecasts looking for the next weather window. There was a question asking if this is the last leg of my trip. My trip will end in Marina del Rey, California sometime in late May or early June. This leg was the first leg of several that will take me around the Cape of Good Hope though. My next stop will be at Port Elizabeth, then Mossel Bay and then on to Cape Town. This next leg to Port Elizabeth is pretty short - only 130 miles or so. I'm looking forward to getting there and seeing Marta to find out what happened there. I don't know anything more about that right now.
@John G. At this rate I'll probably arrive in Cape Town after my dad but he usually likes to have a few days to adjust to the time difference and get hooked up with the marine people in port so it should be OK.
@Lauren: I have been cold in my bunk at times but not recently because it is so warm where I am. I did get hurt a few times on my trip. Once when the boat lurched suddenly I fell across the boat and hit my arm on the counter in the galley. Another time a glass broke during a wild wave and cut my foot pretty badly.
@Brennan: I have seen sharks and whales in the Pacific Ocean but not so much in the Indian Ocean. Pretty soon I'll be in the Atlantic Ocean so maybe I'll see some there. I have not seen any black things in the water! I have seen sea turtles in Mexico but not on this trip. Sea turtles are funny because they have very bad eyesight. When you sail up to them they seem to be looking really hard at you trying to see what you are. When you are really close they suddenly swim away! That must be why there are so few of them left. Turtle soup used to be a favorite dish in Mexico!
Cheers,
Zac
posted by Zac at
10:39 AM
20 Comments:
Sir Captain Zac, "You ARE The Man"
nothing better than to awaken and see your new posted coordinates...
If the earth were 12" around you've covered 7" with only 5" to go...way kewl and coming up on the most southern point of your journey, then to be heading home North to MDR... and all in seven months..and seven full moons...
You've done so incredible, and are such an inspiration, to all of us, Zac Pac'ers, you've so grown before our eyes...you thrill our hearts with every passage...
there'll be the rare opportunity
to encourage "Marta", as only you can, for no one knows her "hurt" as you do...and what it means...
be a good listener and listen with your heart, the right words will come...
you've had such wise counsel, and much prayer on your behalf, all to your safety and HIS glory...
17 and 46, every tick of a degree, and "old intrepid", like a faithful hunting dog...knows the way home... we all can't wait...
Sail on Captain Zac, sail on...
it'll only get better with each and every passage...
"YOU are the Man"
"tried,tested and tempered"
always in our hearts and prayers
mark n adino Vicksburg,Mississippi
Great report, and funny about sleeping through the alarm clock.
When you see Marta the solo circumnavigator, you might ask about the second person aboard. Would also be interesting to learn why they decided to anchor in such an exposed spot.
@Daveh sent me a link to a story about the beaching of Marta's boat: http://teoni.wordpress.com/2009/01/
Would be interesting to learn more.
The harbor hopping should leave you with plenty of great memories of the places you've seen and the people you've met on the south end of the African continent.
Have a safe voyage around the Cape and home again.
-- Grant Fjermedal, Seattle
We had another evening of nice companionship with Zac tonight. Rather then stay alone in the boat (the port is quiet in the evening and Zac is the only on that sleeps in the boat...) we went to Pascale and Mark and Nicholas to have dinner.
A few pictures were sent to Marianne (Mom) who will show you the new musical talent of Zac (with Nicholas 7 years old)
Greetz
Will
East London
sounds like you're doing great zac! Keep going, and watch out for flying dishes!
-Halle S. in Oregon
Skipper of the Dread Pirate Roberts
@Grant, Seattle:
Yes, I arranged that Zac will have somebody to assist him in Port Elisabeth AND Cape Town.
Zac has the tel. numbers and the people are informed.
We will also try and follow up.
Just a pleasure!
@ willvp: your post made me smile! Looking forward to seeing those pics and thanks for making sure that Zac is getting some "good eats."
@ Mark and Adino- I've missed you and your most inspirational posts. You have a wonderful way with words!
@ Zac - Yes, Intrepid is a good old girl! I doubt that you will ever be able to think about selling her, and if you do it will be with a very heavy heart. BTW, I wasn't able to repost the pirate pic on your FB profile, but like to my profile and you can see it if you scroll a bit. Unfortunately, I'm a bit of a "techno-nerd" (not in a good way) and am unable to get it back on your profile page, although if you scroll down on your page you will see it there as well! I hope you find it!
Zac,
So glad all went well and very happy to know your getting much needed rest and good food!!
Take care & stay safe!
Laura BD
Zac............
Hi. Glad to hear that things are going so well. I hope the weather is good for the next week or so for your next leg. Also, please tell Marta that the Zac Pac is cheering her on when she resumes her quest.
Scott
:)
Good to "hear" from you Zac -- you're doing awesome! Peace, Your Oklahoma Well-Wisher
Zac:
Melanie, speculating on the future, suggests that you will never be able to sell Intrepid after all you've shared. I agree. My suggestion is to keep her up as well as possible for as long as possible like a beloved old Labrador Retriever. In the case of Intrepid, when the inevitable end arrives and she can not be kept afloat, have her bronzed and have the most unique lawn ornament in town. All the Irish gnomes will perish for having been so out-classed!!
Continued fair sailing, captain. We're all still aboard!
The Croaker
@ Willvp -
Loved your eMail a few days ago with the pics, but, I think some wouldn't understand the humor, but I certainly did, in a sobering yet humorous kind of way... My close friends clearly got your points…
Thanks very much for being such a great host to Zac... You are a good person…
Daveh & Skipper
dave@davehickson.com
@ 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
Zac, You are doing great!! Thanks for the good blogs. I hope that you can help Marta with her boat at the next stop and find out what happened. My wife went aground once at Catalina but didn't hurt her boat badly. When I first met her in the shipyard at Dana Point she was grinding away at a bad gouge at the base of her boat's keel. To this day she swears that: "It wasn't my fault--- the chart was wrong!" That happened along time ago and she has always stayed far away from dangers since then.
Carry on Skipper. We are all cheering for you. A bunch of us, like me, wish we were there with you.
Rusty
Reg Marta..i can't remember where but i googled her name and found a pictures of her and her "first mate" that's what they were calling her..she was a young girl too..it also said she left the area when they were rescued...it sounded like they had a disagreement and parted ways? They did say that she planed on repairing her boat and going back out.. wish i knew more.. don't know if it this info is correct but just glad she's OK.
Laura
Just think of your scapes, cuts,scares, and broken bones as souvenirs. When I was in India I got Delhi Belly... Mexico the Aztec Two Step. Prague a hangover that took me days to shake courtesy of Bulchoc a nasty concoction of some very young wine. School of Hard Knocks seems to have a never ending supply of "humble pie".
Wow, I turn my head for a minute, and you're already done with that short leg! Way to go!
Dana
Santa Monica
Zac left East London early on his way to Port Elizabeth.
Weather is very quiet but wind will pick up later today giving Zac a smooth ride all the way into P.E.
A man has to sail, if a man has to sail !
Enjoy the rest of your circumnavigation, Zac. (the biltong (jerky) that I brought to you today, well...I am eating it myself now..
Will
East London
I like the part about sleeping through the alarm clock. I do that all the time, then am too sleepy during math so I have to do extra word probreblems.
About how many days are you from Calafornia?
Hello Zac & The Pac
@ Zac, it's great you're back in the groove of sailing. I know leaving Durban must have been really hard. Enjoy this short leg and the time you'll spend on the ocean.
Everyone here in MDR is always looking for a TIME window to just get out and sail. We cherish it when we actually get enough time to head out on the ocean and escape reality. Getting away from the busy LA schedules many of us keep makes us smile from ear to ear when we can spend sometime on the ocean.
@ Daveh, I picked up the article on this blog but never received your email. Thanks for posting the address here.
Sail On,
Douglas Pistone
MDR, California
To all the Zac fans out there :
I don't know if you are aware that there is a group on facebook about Zac.
It only has 369 members at time of writing.
I think considering his dream, this is way 2 low. So join please
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15906317503&ref=mf
Gunter (Will(from East London)'s son)
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home