Digging out some old newspaper to clean off the braai grill last night, I stumbled on a back-issue of “Tread Magazine – Mountain Biking with Soul”. It was sufficient motivation for me to buy the latest copy this morning, stirring in me a long-dormant love for riding my bike in the wilderness. One of the things that grabbed me was how the techno-scene has moved on. 29′ers and disc brakes are now all the rage. Forget the fact that for a dualie, with 100mm of travel, if you’re short, then there’s no way you’re actually going to get a bike like that to fit! So, in the current MTB scene, I fear my [by my own standards at least] ultra-cool Silverback carbon-fibre hardtail with Rockshox Duke’s up front, boring 26″ wheels and standard friction pads on the rim is positively retro. Quaint dude!

And so too it is with IT tech gadgets. iPads are the current cool “must haves”. Forget the inconvenience of dragging around a smartphone, a PC, an iPad and a Kindle. You’ve just got to have the full electronic portfolio to be in with the cool kids. I’m not immune, however different. I’m seriously shopping for a graphics tablet add-on for the Acer to allow me writing and drawing capabilities direct into electronic format. Not a necessity, just an emotional want.

And I guess this malaise it also translates to sailboats and sailiors. There’s always something newer. cooler, more hip to buy. I’m thinking it may be an option to trade in the kids for that new Harken roller-furler, or better yet upgrade to a larger boat. After all, they do say “bigger is better” and just maybe a bigger boat will entice my non-sailing family to become regular crew? And what is all that “I must sail around Cape Horn” before I’m a proper sailor?

The only satisfaction in the new, the different, the cool is the immediate and very, very temporary rush of the purchase. It wears off all too soon and becomes yet another “thing” in the clutter bin. Something else to drain emotonal energy, cash and time.

And so, I intend to stick with my aged, yet beautiful little sailboat. Sure, she needs a bit of work, but she sails just perfectly and I get a lot of enjoyment out of her. I cruise her regularly, sometimes in company, most often alone. She’s my escape from city living, my weekend cottage, my “sanity bench”, and I don’t need a bigger, newer, flasher boat than her to fulfil all these desires.

And there are plans afoot to acquire a trailer and perform a slow and relaxed refit on the hard. Maybe while she’s out of the water, and in between weekend refurbishment, I’ll dust off that old, aged and “un-cool” mountain bike and head out to the mountains for a different kind of solitude…..!

 

It’s that time of the year again – the Round The Island Race. So here’s a shocking thought – “A perfect opportunity for a day-sail, a gentle cruise.

“You’re not racing !?” I hear the incredulous cries from all quarters. Nope! I had thought about it, but here’s the thing. I don’t personally understand the racing thing, and for me I’d much rather just gently sail the boat without the pressure of crowds, crashes and curses.

If the main event was on the Saturday I may have taken part. That way I would have sailed for LDYC on Friday evening, dropped the hook somewhere and been within striking distance of picking up crew in Deneysville and being at the start on Saturday morning. Then, once the sail was done, I’d have all of Saturday and Sunday morning to slowly make my way back home to PNYC. Having the race on Sunday changes all of that. If the wind is light, it means a late afternoon return and right now I’m not up for that. I’m looking for relaxation out on the water, not more rush!

And so, I’ll be taking a few friends out for a leisurely cruise to the Island. If we’re in time we’ll see the first of the fleet as they turn the corner. If not, there’s still plenty more sailing action to watch from anchor as the “amateur” racers continue to drift past. For my non-sailing friends it should provide an interesting and fun day out on the water. The shade cover will be up, the braai will be simmering and the day will be good! 

So if you happen to see Sole at anchor, living the good life, don’t forget to wave in the midst of the racing stress!

 

 

Relaxing after a HOT cruise to First Weir.

 

  There’s always something to be repaired or improved !

 

Doing this kind of work while afloat is definitely a little harder than being ashore with power close by. But it does have the advantage that you can keep sailing the boat in between spurts of maintenance effort.

 

…looks like a good destination for a cruise…

 

 

I thought this was good enough to share [plenty more available from John Vigor - worth the read!!]

Cannibals in the Congo captured a missionary as he was traveling up the river in a dugout canoe. They were about to drop him into a pot of boiling water when he cried out: “Wait. Don’t touch me. I possess powerful magic.”He went to the canoe, and patted the outboard motor. He pulled the string and it burst into life with a loud roar.  “See,” he said. “I have power at my fingertips.”

The savages fell back muttering in amazement.
 
“Well, I guess we’d better let him go,” said the chief. “That really was magic. I’ve never before seen an outboard start on first pull.”
 

Happy Sailing in 2012 !!

 

I’m at anchor in Fish Eagle Bay. The Fillet, Sweetcorn and Red went down fantastically well. A beautiful sunset, followed by Venus, high on the western skyline. This is really living the life man. But, about a 2 miles off to the south-west – a Klippies-n-Coke hero, revving the crap out of his automobile! Why? What the hell is wrong with the people of this world!? Fortunately he’s fallen into some kind of silent slumber. It reminds me of one of the reasons I cruise my yacht. If the immediate location doesn’t suite, I pick up my anchor and move on. Total freedom within the confines of my small, floating universe. If I don’t like the view I move to a new location. Magic!

Sunset at anchor - Fish Eagle Bay

 
 
 

While you probably get a better view of the action on DSTv, it was still something to see these HUGE yachts racing north up Table Bay.