Touring near Knysna

1st December 2010

On Wednesdy we got a rental car and drove to some sites such as the Cango Caves. At the caves we were split into 3 groups, the groups were German, English and Scandanavian. The German group had  10 - 15 people, the Scandanavian group had 9 - 11 and the English had 30 - 40 not including us and a baby.

Now babies and I are not exactly  happy match and everytime the guide spoke the baby would start calling his mom and dad but more like Mummy! Daddy! and yelling and moaning and crying and guide already whispered so you could not hear and that made it extremely disappointing.

We went ostrich riding at Highgate Ostrich farm where there were lots of random things to do and buy and Rauen rode an ostrich.

The next day we drove the garden route and went to a 3D maze which when you look at it it looks easy but it is the very opposite. It took hours to solve that was followed by a puzzle walk which was complicated.

When I was finished I went back to the ones I missed because they were busy and stumbled upon some kids. I got to the puzzle machine and waited. One of the kids asked for help and I pointed out the Fibonacci code...0,1,1,2,3,5,8,...? I answered the question but they ran out of time. I played next and got the answer right and left.

We went to buy KFC and then it was back to Yrumoar!

Dragging anchor

17 November 2013

Ian helped us get into the Knysna heads and helped us anchor and out on the bridle...the cursed bridle...and to make matters worse it is ours. Ian found a way to uncurse it by tie wrapping it on because it keeps falling off.

This was just one of the curses but what we do not know is that it moves up and down. I was writing my previous blog while my dad is working on the leaking motor and my mom is earning money on the internet while Rauen is playing on his phone when all hell breaks loose.

My dad yells to us to come out then a loud bang. We are all out there running, pushing kicking off a big boat, getting fenders down. My mom fends off the bow spirit when at full speed it smacks uor boat. While I am fending off the bow with my feet and every now and then kicking the fender down between our boat and the other boat, but still we were being scraped at the bottom of our hull. It seems impossible but the shape of the other boats bow was like a sword.

We screamed for help from a boat that came flooring past. We called the NSRI. The NSRI must have only taken a few minutes but it felt like 3 hours.

The boat boat that came flooring past did not hear us but another boat did and they gave us the idea to swing our back out. This was impossible because that would break our rudder.

They kept telling my mom to calm down. She was calm, I know when my mom is not calm and she was calm.

Another boat came and the owner of the boat we had smacked into came and they tried helping push the boats apart but our boat was stuck underneather their anchor bridle. By this time we had 2 fenders by the place where I was trying to fend off.

The NSRI came and to explain the rest of the story I have to expain how we were stuck:
The port side bridle was attached to the chain we were in the gap between the 2.What happened next is unexplainable to me but the NSRI went to fetch more men. They got back with more men and they dropped the starboard side bridle off the boat we had hit. This did not release us and they had to drop the port side bridle aswell. We were free!

But things got worse, we had no rudders and the NSRI boat got some ropes stuck in their prop. They solved this problem and asked us to release the rudders. We discovered the bridle was trapped in the rudders so they towed us to a mooring buoy.

The wind was blowing very hard and my mom and dad wanted more ropes on the mooring buoy so my dad and Rauen got on the dinghy and my mom and I held the ropes and moved them around the boat to the front. Luckily we got that sorted without any problems. I realised that is the NSRI had only dropped the port side bridle we would not need to dive down to get the rope off.

We have been up all night taking shifts on anchor watch. A few hours later my dad and I are discussing how we dragged anchor. We got to the conclusion that the cursed bridle moved making our boat get hit broad side on by the wind and current and we did not have enough anchor chain down and did not reverse it into the ground when we dropped it.

We checked the damaged, the stanchion buckled, the targa bar cracked and we may or may not have rudder damage.

 

We went across to shore and docked, we went to Game stores. I walked down and up the escalator. When I got to the top Rauen said: "Thanks for the running commentary" because the lift tells you what it is doing.

We went to Spar then walked home, when we got to the yacht club a man waved at us and we sat and spoke the entire time. I had to leave because there was too much noise so I sat outside wondering what to do then I saw a blue swallow. I ran inside got the camera but when I got back the swallow had left. So I waited and took photos, after a while I took a picture of everyone and we left for the boat.

Getting back in the dark is also a task because the dock has holes. But we got back tied up, put our stuff down and went to sleep.

Port Elizabeth to Knysna

15th November

Tuesday morning we left as planned and predicted by the media of the Newspaper.
I must explain...

We are in Port Elizabeth otherwise known as PE.
On the 6th of November we hired a car and drove tot he mall to meet my mom's friend. We went home and slept. The next day we got a phone call saying we were going to be interviewed for the Newspaper. The interview went well and we were leaving soon so that brings us back to leaving.

When we left Port Elizabeth I took seasickness pills so decided to try and sleep for a little while. Eventually I was sitting at in the saloon when I noticed the table had decided to start walking which meant the screws had come out.

The sea was rough so we decided to stop in Knysna, then my mom starting crying and telling my dad how much she hates sailing and him then immediately she calms down after saying we are never sailing again.

After she is calm she says." I think we should take Ian with us on the next leg"
Ian is a person we met way back in Richards Bay and he helped us through the heads which worked out fine.

East London to Port Elizabeth

5th November

On Sunday morning we left the port at 8:30am and got out the harbour at 9:30am. I was so excited because my mom said we would see 1000 seals. She was right about 1 thing, we saw 1 seal.

I took a seasickness pill, it makes my mom and dad sleepy while it seems to make me scared of everything:
Rauen moves fast I almost have a heart attack
A loud noise and I almost have a heart attack

Even after we docked for 2 days I was nervous and feeling like I was going to have a heart attack.
Anyway we are in Port Elizabeth!

My Dad's dentist visit

2 ays ago my mom and dad decided to go to the dentist. On the day somebody decided I was going to be a psychic. The first phone call to the first dentist I was thinking "they are going to say a year". My dad says:" Hello, I need to make an appointment." They say something I do not hear. My dad answers: "A Year?" in a shocked voice and says no thanks. The next phone call I am thinking " A month". My dad says: "Hello, I need to make an appointment.". They answer and again I do not hear. My says in a surprised voice: "A month?". My dad calls a third dentist and I am thinking "Today". My dad says: "Hello, I need to make and appointment." They answer again and I do not hear them again. My dad answers: " I will take it so what time is it? 11:30...see you in an hour and 30 minutes!

Our trip to Mozambique

19th September

We showered and went shopping. We prepared for the escaped convict driver but to our surprise a new taxi driver came and he drove nicely while the car moaned and groaned from old age.

We got to the shop and bought a little of a lot.

As we were driving back Rauen saw a tow truck towing another tow truck and says;" That's quite funny!" My dad replies:"You know they drive over pavements, tow trucks and taxi drivers, only difference is that tow trucks are more intimidating."

We all start laughing as he insulted the taxi driver sitting next to him. The driver then says:" Shall I just just pull over and drop you off here?" and my dad says, "no, the turn is just up ahead." We are all laughing now and my mom says:" Wow that was bad Barry." and he suddenly realises what he said and starts laughing with us. My dad turns to the driver and says:"Sorry, not you."

We got home and unpacked the groceries and were just settling down when a man comes along the dock and says:" You must move." My dad says:" When?" and the man answers:"Now."
So we dropped the lines after preparing for an hour to leave.

My mom and I get intensely ill. At about half past 11 the weather is worsening and we decide to turn around. In the morning we anchor in port again and all go to sleep.

20th September

Yesterday Roks, another catamaran, was anchored next to us. At about 8pm we noticed that they had dragged anchor, my dad starts blowing the fog horn but they do not hear. I yell but get no response so we have to drop the dinghy and oar over to them and tell them and as for the long exhausting journey back? Yes we had to oar that too!

21st September

We docked against the wall and I slept. When I woke up I ate food and enjoyed what I had wanted for a long time, Cottage Pie, Roks, the other catamaran, had another Kyle on board. We spoke to t hem and got invited on board which was quite a task walking down the ladder, going across the thin wooden plank and finally climbing aboard.

The conversation was goin well but it suddenly stopped, I said:"Oh it must be 8:30pm" and my mom corrected me and said:"No, it must 8:20pm" Rauen checked and sure enough it was 20 past the hour. When we decided to go home we went back with their dinghy as it was easier.
 

9 October 2013

On Tuesday we got on a bus my first bus ride. We drove and drove and you won’t believe what happened...we drove some more. Then we stopped and my mom smoked with my dad, we ordered pies as we got out the bus was driving again without us. We ran after it saying: "Wait, stop the bus!" We caught up to it, got on it and it started driving again. We made it to the next stop the we rushed to the bathroom, we get there and only 2 stalls are working the rest are out of order and the entire chinese Army is in front of the 2 working stalls. We get to the bus and it is leaving, oh I forgot to mention that Rauen is sleeping on the bus and is running up and down the bus trying to stop it to let us on. It came back as it was meant to and we drove to our destination.

 

We got to my mom’s sisters house slept. Stayed the next day then left to Richards Bay then went to the border got into our new transport. We were driven into Mozambique.

 

 

I held onto the window the roof and the floor. We got driven into by another car, there was no damage checking, no swearing, just move along. They take what is in the past stays in the past way to seriously. We had the wedding, enjoyed our time and drove back. I spoke to Devon in Richards Bay and the next day drove to my mom’s sister’s house. We stayed the night and here we are back in East London in the present.

Seals and Penguins

14th September

Yesterdy we did not stick to our normal routine, instead we walked to the beach. We saw a restaurant called Y-Knot and walked in, but it did not open until 11:30am so we walked on. We saw the German monument and went to the aquarium and saw seals wave and salute like a navy seal.

I learnt that seals are very smart and we found ourselves laughing at the trainer because he had no control over them.

We watched them feed the penguins then went to a restaurant Guido's and walked home.