world_arc_rally – Sailing with Saphir

Celebration with World Arc

It was nice to lie still for yet another week. I managed to clean and do laundry, and I even brought out the sewing machine after we went to the village and bought canvas for the forward hatches. The only water-repellent material I have on board is sailcloth, and it’s too stiff for the hatches. The hatches gets sun protection, clothes are being repaired and some re-sewn into linen, I’m also sewing a storage bag for the clothespins, and I’m sketching and planning how the last part of the Arc flag will look. We are six boats that will fit in the last available spot. I’ve decided to use sails with the names of the boats. I sewed one and will leave the rest to finish in Marigot Bay.

During the week, the Swedish catamaran Think Twice showed up with Björn and Nilla, who are on their way to Trinidad. The next boat to arrive is Cepa with Britta and Thomas, with whom we did the first part of the Arc around the world. Another pleasant surprise was that Rebecca, also from the last Arc, showed up. It was so nice to see each other, even if it was just for a short while.

The rest of the week went smoothly with some more grocery shopping, knitting, reading, and socializing with the other Arc boats that came in one by one to Bequia.

On Monday morning at 5:30 AM, we cast off and headed up to Marigot Bay, arriving at the dock by 3:30 PM.

Now we have a few days before the others arrive. I take the opportunity to prepare to sew some storage boxes and bags from sailcloth by cutting out the different pieces before bringing out the sewing machine.
The first sewing is finishing the flag. Those who have their own logo get it sewn into the sail, while the others I write on with a marker and zigzag stitch. I let my creativity flow a bit and try to create some waves and a whale fin. It’s so much fun to sit at the sewing machine and be creative. The flag itself is a trophy that is given to a boat that has done something special on a crossing, which in turn decorates it with, among other things, its boat name. I also made two boxes and a bag. The boxes are for Andrew and Swade as a little memory from me and Edgar, and the bag is for Sian on Bahati, as it’s their sailcloth I used. In between, I help decorate the boat by hoisting signal flags at the bow and the national flags of the places we have visited at the stern.

In the following days, our Arc friends arrive, and the celebration begins. One evening, there’s a Rompunch sundowner offered from the harbor, and the loo Arc treats us to a sunset cruise on a catamaran with food, drinks, and dancing that continues until we’re back in the harbor. It was an incredibly fun evening. The next day, we take it easy and hang by the pool with several of the others.

Saturday, April 19, is a bustling day at the dock. Today is the big day when we have all decorated the boats with flag displays and are ready to sail in an escorted group up to Rodney Bay, where the finish line for World Arc 2024-2025 is located. It’s an amazing experience to end the sailing this way, with all the boats lined up. However, it seems not everyone has complete control of their boats, as some are maintaining very wide distances or steering out of line, but we made it to Rodney Bay and crossed the finish line, receiving a fantastic welcome from our Arc friends from 2023-2024. Onboard Renegade are Julia and Jeff, of course, Ken and Cheryl, Maria and Oscar, Luc and Cory, and Clare. Once we docked, we enjoyed amazing music, snacks, Rompunch, and other drinks. What a wonderful atmosphere it was now that everyone had arrived. It was one big hug fest filled with cheers, congratulations, and dancing, which ended with most of us jumping into the water.

In the evening, we had our farewell dinner with a slideshow from the entire journey, and Swade and Andrew gave fantastic speeches to each boat and its crew, and we also got to share a bit about ourselves. The evening concluded with dancing before it was time to take the bus back to the boat. We enjoyed a nightcap onboard Mistral before it was time to crawl into bed. We fell asleep with big smiles and tired feet.

Our body boat true good and bad Karen&Chris

Here, our adventure with Arc World comes to an end, but our Arc boat friends remain, and we will surely see some of them again very soon.

We continue to sail and so will the blog. Now we only have 6.000nm left to get home which is nothing compared to the 36.000nm we have done since we left Sweden.

Hugs Eva

We have sailed around the World and celebration have started!

Wow, absolutely incredible!!! We have sailed around the world. Our own path has been crossed. We are five boats that have sailed around the world here in Grenada while most have done it when we arrive in St. Lucia in mid-April, where the big celebration is going to be or have been since at this writing moment it is 15 May and we are on our way to Azores. But first let’s go back to our arrival in Grenada on the 22of March.

For three days, we were busy cleaning and fixing on our boat, and in the evenings, we had great parties on the dock with our friends. Dancing late on Fatjax and drinking rom punch and Abides Sangria we learned is dangerous strong. The marina also wanted to celebrate our arrivals with a rom punch sundowner party.

Edgar was doing different maintenance and I was busy organizing the boat, emptying both cabins for our friends Linda, Kalle, Leif, and Marita, who will sail with us up to St. Lucia. That was the plan, but now we’ll have to rely on the engine, so we’ll see how far we get. We won’t have our new D1s, (which we ordered to Martinique), until the end of April. Thankfully, the engine is working, and the distances between the islands aren’t too long. The only thing we don’t want is too many waves that put extra strain on the mast.

Our friends surprised me by showing up earlier than I expected. They arrived during our ladies’ lunch. It was so wonderful to see them. It has been a while since we met at our cabin. I’m looking forward to spending time together again and showing them parts of the Caribbean. First, they will join us for our festivities for another day, culminating in a prize-giving dinner.

Both D1s rolled and attached to the boat.

We leave the harbor in the morning of the 27 of March and set off towards Sandy Island. It was a tough start for our friends with a very bumpy sea as soon as we got out a bit, and it got worse when Grenada didn’t shield us from the waves. Normally, we travel at 6 knots with the engine, but unfortunately, we encountered a strong current between the islands, so we only made 3.5 to 4 knots. This meant the journey took an extra two hours. When we arrived, I was glad that Kalle and Leif were with us when we docked at the buoy. It wasn’t easy in the strong wind and waves. Despite the lack of sun and calm weather, it didn’t stop us ladies from swimming before dinner. For safety reasons, I tied a fender with a long line from the boat. It turned out to be a wise decision, since as soon as we got into the water, the current took hold of us.

The next morning we navigate into Tyrel Bay to check out from Grenada. As we go along the coast, it is very clear how badly the storm hit here in Carriacou, with trees down, empty houses, and boats washed up against the rocks. The storm was strongest here and around the islands up to Union Island and over to Tobago Keys, which is very evident as we continue sailing past these islands.

We spent one night in Chathambay, and there was not much left. However, we had a lovely afternoon and evening on board with swimming, trying out the paddleboard (which still leaks a bit), enjoying sundowners, and having a fantastic dinner prepared by Linda and Marita. Our attempt to check in here failed as it was a bit too far to walk in the heat, so we chose to head to Canuan and Sandy Lane Marina. Once there, we got a ride to the airport for check-in and walked back. We enjoyed the pool and the sea for two days before we made our way up to Bequia.

Even though Port Elisabeth is a large and sheltered bay, it was quite rolly and very windy. After two days and some seasickness, we moved to a mooring bouy closer to shore. The rolling eased but not the wind. After checking the weather, we realized that the conditions were not good for reaching St. Lucia in the next few days, so we looked for the best way for our friends to get from Bequia to Martinique. There are flights, but they go via Bermuda and were fully booked. Eventually, it worked out: ferry to St. Vincent, flight to St. Lucia, and ferry to Martinique. Now we can relax and enjoy the last days before they leave Bequia.

The weather varies with sun, rain, and wind, but it doesn’t stop us from taking a trip around the island. Many beautiful views, but also a bit tragic how the Atlantic side of the island has been affected in recent years, with lots of seaweed making it tough for hotels to attract guests since the beaches are filled with meters-high piles of seaweed. It’s not pleasant to swim when it is so far out in the water, and we won’t even mention how it smells. Coming from the west coast and being used to the smell of seaweed, I can say that this is worse. It was nice to be back at the boat, enjoying the lovely sandy beaches, Port Elisabeth, and everything the village has to offer. There was some swimming, snorkeling, drinks at sunset, good food, drinks, and lots of laughter, along with a game night or two. Time flies when you’re having fun, so it’s time to wave goodbye to our friends on Saturday morning. We will stay another week as our reunion with the Arc is on April 15 in Marigot Bay, which is the next island.

To continue…..

Hugs Eva

Recife to Grenada

All is well on board Saphir, and we are ready to cast off and sail our last leg with a stop at Fernando. There is full activity on the bridge among the boats, making sure our vessels are ready for the long sail. One of the tasks is to get a clean propeller and bottom with the help of divers. We also receive assistance from them to check our propeller, which turned out to be full of barnacles and other things. It feels good to get that fixed before we head out. The list of things to do never ends; we just have to prioritize: safety first, comfort second, and lastly speed. When the diver is almost done, I hear the start of the Vhfn, and for the first time, we are not at the starting line but pass it 20 minutes later. It’s a bummer to miss the start, but I’m glad we got a clean propeller.

As we round the breakwater, Mistral is waiting for us. I am so grateful to have them close by in good times and bad. Our mainsail is not functioning as it should, and Mistral’s radar is not working either. What I unfortunately realize as we leave is that I made a huge mistake: the seasickness patch was not on, and it’s quite rough out here. The waves are coming in from the side, making it definitely an uncomfortable sailing. None of us wanted to go down below. You can guess how it went; not well, there was no cooked meal on board during the crossing, just some dry crackers. Luckily, it was only 200 nautical miles and about 48 hours to Fernando. After several attempts, Edgar gives up getting the last meters of the mainsail in, so it will have to be tied to the mast. It’s nice to have some shelter behind the island when we have to deal with rain. Luckily, at least I have put on my rain jacket. Edgar gets quite wet but soon sits under cover again while I prepare to drop the anchor. After a tour around the anchorage hoping to find a good spot without being too close to other boats, I free drop the anchor. We end up a good way out from the harbor and land. It’s certainly not the best spot considering the rolling, but the anchor holds well, and the boats around us are at a safe distance. A little food and a couple of hours of sleep, and we are ready to head in.

We check in and make a joint decision with Karen and Chris to only stay for two nights, as it’s going to rain a lot in the coming days and it’s very rolly on board, so we might as well be on our way.

This how it rolls on anchor. I am not moving my foot deliberately

The next day, we have rented a beach buggy to get around the island. It’s a bit bumpy in the back, but we enjoy the sun that peeks out as we drive around the island. We have lunch at a cozy hotel with a fantastic view, then spend a few hours on the beach before it’s time to head back to the marina and return the car. The evening ends with dinner at the restaurant up the hill, overlooking our boats.

The next morning, Chris comes to pick up Edgar, and they head in to check us out. It takes a little while, so we leave around 3 PM together with Mistral. It turns out that most others have also decided to depart a day earlier. We keep ourselves no more than 1-2 nautical miles from Mistral so that we can inform them during the night if a storm is approaching and if we should change course to avoid the worst of it. Not only is their radar not working, but now they’ve also had trouble getting their mainsail in. It’s clear that our boats are tired and need to rest. We sail on with the genoa and small foresail out, and a little bit of the mainsail as support to reduce the rolling. The days and nights pass, and we get into a sleep rhythm. Cooking goes somewhat okay. It’s difficult to cook when it’s tilting and rolling. I gave up after all the food ended up on the floor after a serious roll, and the stove locked up. The rest of the trip, we served meals that only needed an oven. Luckily, I had filled the freezer with ready-made lasagna, pies, and pizzas. The weather varies from fantastic sunrises and sunsets to cloudy and pouring rain. Our blue canopy keeps us dry and goes up and down.

On day eleven at 03:45, I hear a strong bang. The starboard shroud is very loose with just a tiny wire remaining. The engine is started, and down with all sails, and incredibly we also got the whole mainsail in. We discuss what to do when we hear another bang. Now the shroud is lying over the boom and down to the deck. Thank goodness the boom was where it was; otherwise, we might have had the shroud through the window. Now we have no choice. Edgar is hoisted up to the first spreader so he can secure a line around the mast, tightening it down and around the shroud’s attachment on deck to the winch so we can tighten it properly. We inform Mistral of our mishap and that we have the engine on. Now we just want to arrive with an intact mast. They try to keep up, but they end up behind since they can’t use their engine due to noise. Luckily, we have passed all the bad weather, so there’s no danger from that and only 190 nautical miles left, which is just over a day’s sailing/motoring. Not far to go now.

During my last night watch, my thoughts swirl while my knitting grows. It’s hard to digest that we are almost in Grenada, thus having sailed around the world. This last stretch has been a bit too dramatic, with boats appearing without showing on the plotter and boats dragging a long pipe/line behind them for 3 nautical miles that we had to keep a distance from and avoid. In the midst of these thoughts, I hear a bang. No, not the next shroud too… yes, it is. It didn’t break but several wires came loose. I wake Edgar up and go lay down. It was almost the end of my watch anyway.

On Monday morning just after seven, we cross the finish line! Yippee, we have sailed around the world! We were especially happy when we saw a dinghy coming out to meet us. It was Mark and Clare from Amanzi and Julia from Renegade. Once inside the marina, we are welcomed by many of our sailing friends and receive some rum punch. Tears come as I step off, and the hugging party begins. We have arrived, and the mast is still intact. Now it’s time to celebrate for a few days with our Arc friends.

Brazil part 2

Now that everyone is healthy and well, it’s time for us to fly back to Recife and the boats to see that everything is okay. We were a bit concerned about our batteries, but they had lasted up until this point, so our freezer and fridge were still on. This is good since more than half of our freezer is filled with Mistrals food. They are waiting for a part that will arrive a few days before we leave. So now we are keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes well and that their freezer will work again. It seems that our solar panels had done their job. When we are not on the boat to avoid galvanic electrical currents, we do not use shore power. In other words, we want to protect corrosion as Saphir has an aluminium hull.

Here in Recife, we are noticing more of the Carnival than in Rio. There are concerts almost every evening that we hear from the boat, and the official events haven’t even started yet, so one wonders how it will be then. Karen and I are going with Arden and Jim from Kalli into Olinda for a guided tour. Our guide told us that every weekend from September, there is a carnival celebration that continues until the carnival ends in March. Absolutely incredible.

Olinda is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and I can understand why as we wander around the town with all the beautiful architecture of the houses. Some are well-preserved, while others need a bit more love. It’s a very hilly city, and from the top, we have a fantastic view over the town and out to Recife.

Our holiday travels are not entirely over, as on the 25th we will be picked up and driven along the coast to Nannai Beach and Resort. Here we will celebrate our wedding anniversary with Karen and Chris, as well as theirs a couple of days later. It is a truly fantastic place to celebrate. We enjoy just being, hanging by the pool, at the beach, enjoying fantastic food and each other’s company. We are the only foreigners at this amazing resort hotel, Nannai, and on the 27th we celebrate Chris and Karen’s wedding anniversary. A perfect conclusion to our holiday here in Brazil.

It’s time to prepare for the final stretch of our circumnavigation. 2300 nautical miles, and we will have sailed around the world. It’s a bit hard to understand, but first, the boat needs to be stowed, provisions purchased, etc. Once we are on the boat, we realize that Carnival is in full swing. There are lots of people moving around and live music even in front of the hotel in the marina.

Karen and I are going to Olinda with several others from Arc to take part in the carnival. It’s absolutely amazing to see all the people who have worked hard on their costumes and music. We had a great time with lots of Capirinhas.

The last grocery shopping is done, our fork for the stays (D1) is in place. Unfortunately, Edgar notices that a small part of the wire against the mast has come loose, not good, we hope it will hold until Martinique, where we will get a new D1. Pool

We are concluding our stay here with a sunset cruise around the canals arranged by WARC. It was a great evening with nice scenery.

Now we are ready to set sail and head to Grenada with a stop in Fernando.

Hugs Eva

Exploring Brazil part 1

We spent the first day fixing small things on the boat as getting our blue water runner hand rolled back around the furler and also ordering a new thing to the shroud.. Since it was very hot, no wind and our air con working we moved in to Novotel next to the harbour. Once again we can see our boat from our hotel room. Lovely to have access to the pool and a room with a lovely view.

After a few days of work, it’s time for a break from fixing the boat and to explore parts of Brazil. Along with Karen and Chris, we start our adventure by flying to Rio, where we will stay for three nights. Our room offers a fantastic view of Copacabana Beach, and from the rooftop, we can also see Christ the Redeemer.

The next day, we visit the Christ statue and Sugarloaf Mountain. These are typical tourist attractions, but they are also places we were eager to see. The statue is impressive, and the views from both locations are breathtaking, though there were long queues to get to each site. Fortunately, with our guide, everything went smoothly as we had access to a separate line. We took the train up to the statue and walked the final steps to see this enormous Christ figure. There were many people around the statue taking photos, and we did the same.

We started the evening with a drink in the hotel bar and ended with dinner at Churrascaria Palace, where we could eat as much as we wanted. Not always a good idea. I personally enjoyed seafood, sushi, and salads. Usually, it’s the meat that people go there for, and certainly, Edgar and Chris were very happy and became quite full. It’s hard to say no when so nice piece of meat after another comes and is served at the table.

The next day at breakfast, Karen informed us that Chris wasn’t feeling well and therefore wouldn’t join our guided tour in the city. Edgar also decided to stay back at the hotel. So it was once again just Karen and me on an adventure. The best company. Once inside, I was surprised by how few people were there on a Monday morning; it felt like a Sunday morning. The city is preparing for the carnival, so many buildings are being equipped with fences to protect them from damage. Some have metal fences, which make it hard to see much, while others have grilles, which I prefer as a tourist since I can see the buildings better. Rio still has the monument for the Olympic flame, or rather they made two, so that’s why they have one still. They are allowed to keep it burning while the Olympic Games are taking place around the world. We walk around and look at the fantastic architecture of many buildings, although some have seen better days than others. The state library belongs to the better category. We conclude our visit to the city with coffee and cake at the famous café Confeitaria Colombo. There was a long line here as well to get in. Once again, our guide manages to get us in without waiting too long. The decor is amazing with all the beautiful mirrors, lamps, cabinets, etc. The coffee and our cake were also exquisite.

Satiated and content, our next surprise awaits. We travel to Selarón’s Steps, which we had both completely missed knowing existed and is a major tourist attraction. Once there, we understood why. In the 1990s, local artist Jorge Selarón transformed this completely ordinary staircase into a colorful experience filled with captivating mosaics. People from around the world have contributed tiles to the staircase. Unfortunately, I didn’t find anyone I recognized from Sweden, but there were tiles from Frankfurt and San Francisco. Our next visit was to the neighborhoods in Theresa, which have many shops with handicrafts. Unfortunately, it turned out that most of them were closed, so we returned to the hotel.

Now it was Edgar’s turn to feel unwell, and there was no improvement for Chris. Karen and I decided to bike over to Ipanema Beach. Just around the corner from the hotel, there were bikes available for rent through the Uber app. We thought it was convenient and easy. Ha ha, Karen got her bike, but I didn’t. I had to prove that I was over eighteen. In the end, I had to go up to the hotel room to grab my passport, take a photo of it, and finally, it worked. I had a picture of my passport on my phone, but unfortunately, the app didn’t recognize it.

It felt so nice to move around again. Once we arrived at Ipanema Beach, we left the bikes at the bike station. We enjoyed a lovely long swim before cycling back to the hotel. It turned into a girls’ night out, having dinner at one of the many food stalls along the beach. We did a bit of shopping for paintings and each got a sarong.

The next day we are on our way again. This time we are flying to Iguazu Falls where we are booked for 3 nights. Here we have booked two trips to the falls, one on the Brazilian side and one on the Argentine side. Chris is still not feeling well, so he stays at the hotel while we go to Iguazu Falls on the Brazilian side. First, we take a speedboat tour on the river. Everyone puts on these fancy yellow life vests that are so uncomfortable and hot. It’s so amazing to see the falls from the river, and I think the captain finds it extra fun to soak his passengers because he drives very close to the falls several times. Luckily, they told us to bring extra clothes. We needed them after that trip. Now it was time to see the waterfalls from the land. Along the walkway, we also saw some animals like the common coati, monkeys, and lizards. Iguazu Falls is the largest in the world, with a total of 275 falls and 2700 meters long. I am completely taken by these waterfalls. I have always been fascinated by waterfalls, big and small, but this was more than I could have imagined, both in terms of the amount of water and the sound, which is so powerful. I have always wanted to see Niagara Falls, but I realized that I have now seen the best, so we’ll see how that goes. I guess I will have to see smaller ones in the future where you can bathe, like in the Marquesas. Even though we are at a distance from the falls, we get wet, which is why the pictures turn out a bit blurry.

We also take a trip over to the Argentine side with our guide, and this time it’s just me and Karen again. Edgar feels he has seen enough, and since it involves a lot of walking, Chris opted out. He is feeling better but doesn’t have much energy. We were definitely not disappointed with this experience. Now we walk along the edge of the waterfalls and across the river. Since the distance is very long, we take a train for part of it. It would have been a bit too challenging even for us to walk the entire distance in this heat. Satisfied, we head back to the hotel, and I enjoy the rest of the day by the pool while Karen and Chris go to see the falls so Chris can experience them.

Time to fly back to our boats and make sure everything is okay.

Hugs Eva

Crossing south Atlantic

Friday 31 Jan we leave St Helena and heads to Recife which is 1800 Nm away. It will probably take us 11-12 days. The wind is perfect for our Blue Water Runner . Hoped that it will help stabilise the boat a bit but it rolls quite a lot even if the main waves comes from behind. The fishing heats comes out and we are very lucky this time. We got a tuna that is 79cm long. This will be some nice meals for us. This is the first time ever that we get a fish onboard Saphir. Previous we lost quite many kurs so we gave up fishing until Chris came onboard.

Day two we discovered that the BWR was loose so sail down, new cackle on and the sails goes up again. Sadly after four days we have to take down the blue water runner due to the endless line got stuck. Unfortunately the sail was not rolled in so we didn’t dare to hoist it again since we didn’t know how to avoid the sail to blow out before we managed to gett it up full and had everything in control.Today we know how we can do it. But hopefully we don’t need to. We sail on with our genua poled out on port and staysail on starboard.

The sea keeps the boat rolling and it is not always easy to get a good sleep even if I try to make my best very tight. Our watch schedule is rotating so we all get to see the sunset, moonlight, stars and sunrise.

One positive thing with the waves are that dolphins love to jump in front of the boat. This time we saw them twice and first time they stayed for almost an hour. We also saw some whales. They were not that close but we saw the squirt and I got a photo of the whale . Not the best one.

On the 8th day we hear a bang. Me and Edgar looks up at the schrouts since we thought we recognised the sound from the Indian Ocean accident. But the shrout was standing so not that we thought. Chris went up to check and when he lifted the cover we saw that one side of the “horse shoe shape”was broken. It was still hanging together. Wise from last time we knot it with dynema and hopefully it will hold until we are in Recife. Two days later on my “dog shift” at 03.00 I hear a bang. The other side of the “horse shoe shape” went of. The dynema holds it together but not tight enough. Me and Edgar went up on deck and secured it with dynema and some sticks. Let’s hope we get some help in Recife.

Enough about things going wrong. Or not halfway of the crossing we calibrate with nice food and a glass of wine if wine.. Hmmm I think Neptune was saying something to us. We cheered started to eat and Neptune knocked Saphir so the food and wine came on me and Edgar.

After 12 days in the sea we reach Recife. Before we do anything it’s beer and bubble time. We done it and it is Chris first ocean crossing he says. Now we have 3 weeks to explore Brazil and fix the boat. Chris is leaving us to go back home. Thank you Chris for joining us from Cape Town to Recife. It has been a pleasure to have you onboard. Hope to see you soon.

Hugs Eva

Days in St Helena

After motoring around between all boats, we find a spot to drop anchor. It is quite full at the anchorage, since it’s not only us from Arc rally but also Oyster rally with 8 boats and some other sailing boats as well. This is not a protected bay so we are prepared to have it a bit rolly. Very happy we are not using the dinghy. First it is hard to get ombord the dinghy from our boat with the waves and second there is no dinghy dock and getting a shore is a bit tricky when the waves hits the pier. Luckily we have Craig our water taxi guy that makes sure we get to land and to our boat safe. After done the check in which was very easy and smooth since everything was taken care of in the same building we head up to town to have a look around.

One of the “to do thing” is the Jacob’s ladder with its 699 steps straight up. The time record to get up is around 5 min. That is very fast, you need to run up to get that time. I can tell you it took me more than double of that time to get up. My condition is not the best, specially after being on a boat for so long. I knew that this was not for Edgar or Chris so my dear friend Karen came with me. Lovely view from the top with all the boats on anchor.

Together with a few others Arc friends we went on a guided tour to see parts of the Island. First stop was on the top of Jacob’s ladder, then of to visit the Plantation house where the Governor lives and also George the tortoise. He is the oldest living creature with the age of 194 year.

An other thing to see here on St Helena is the humpback whales . You are allowed to swim with them when you go on a guided boat tour. We saw two but only one that half of the group swam with. There is a law that only eight people can be in the water per whale. I missed the opportunity since I was standing on the upper deck and was not fast enough to get in to the water, but I got to see it from above and it is huge. Karen got in the water and swam with it. We made a stopped so everyone could snorkel. After a few minutes in the water this beautiful xncjray came and swam around us all like she wanted us to see her. Unfortunately my camera was not charge so only got a few pictures . Lesson learned charge the battery the day before going out snorkelling or diving.

72 hours is what we are allowed to stay which is a pity. Would have love to stay a day or two more to se Napoleons place where he stayed. And also to make at least one hike. Anyway time to leave and head to Recife.

Hugs Eva

On our way to St Helena

Thursday 6/3 we are leaving Brazil but first we have to go back to Monday morning the 20 Jan when we are checking out from Namibia. (So sorry very late in updating) Same procedure as when we arrive. All crew to immigration to check out and then the captain to customs and we are good to go. Back at the boat we have a few things to do before we leave. This time we don’t have a common start, so some left already yesterday and some will leave later in the day. We left just after lunch and hoist our sails.

On Tuesday late afternoon Edgar shouts out Dolphins !!! So nice to see them. While I was filming I see that a flying fish jumping high up I front of me, never seen that before. Didn’t catch it good on the film though.

On the forth day we have hoist up the blue water runner and enjoining the day. I was in bed sleeping (since I had have the 20-23 and 5-8 watch)when Edgar told Chris that he saw a squirt from a whale. Luckily Chris was reacting and took a photo when the whale dived just next to the boat. A bit to close to us but at the same time Chris got a photo of the back and the fin and he got to see his first whale on his journey .

We had some lovely sunset and sunrises between all the rolling. Happy that we had some preparerad meals so it was easy to do the dinners, and I am very happy for having our own private live dishwasher onboard. Thank you Chris for keeping the kitchen clean.

What a nice sight when I wake up on my last watch at 5 on this leg (day 8) to see our friend Mistral on the plotter and having only 20 Nm left until we can drop the anchor.

So happy to arrived and looking forward to enjoy the Island, Jacobs Ladder, Napoleon, Whale sharks etc

Hugs Eva

Days in Namibia

Late again but will try to work on it…at the moment we are in Rio but let’s get back to the days in Walvis Bay

In the morning we hoist the anchor, or the guys pulls upp the anchor and we go in and moor next to Far. The location is definitely not the most charming place we been at, with the big harbour behind us but it is great to be moored on the pier away from the waves and knowing that we don’t need to jump in the dinghy every time we go a shore. The Walvis bay yacht club is just five minutes walk along the pier. They provides us with facilities and have a restaurant, a bar and a small beach. Next door is a few more restaurants and some souvenir and handicrafts stores. So we didn’t need to go far to have some food and meet up with our fleet friends.

First thing is to get in to town to check us in and at the same time we take the opportunity to get us sim card. Getting a sim card took much longer time than check us in. They need our passport to register our sim card. It is so much easier when we can use e-sim.

A bit maintenance needs to be done before we feel we can explore Namibia. Things that needs to be done is, oil check, filter change, cleaning, washing , extra this time is the windless and filling disel. Grocery shopping can be done before we leave. The windless was not broken which was huge relief, since next place is only anchoring. It turned out to be that the bluetooth remote was broken, so we are back using the one with a cable , but that is only working on getting the anchor up so down is a free fall…. Filling disel took us half a day since the fuelling place was at the other end of the harbour and when we arrived we was the first filling up and some how the information had not gone all the way to the guy in charge. A few calls and we got diesel. It was a new experience for us to fill up next to all the fishing boats with lots of guys standing in the pier and all curious of our sailing.

We didn’t have many days in Namibia but we managed to do a sandwich bay 4×4 wheel tour in the dunes. That was an amazing experience. A bit like a rollercoaster, glad that we didn’t drive our self. We would definitely got lost and maybe also got stucked. On the way to the dunes we past huge amount of birdlife and most of them where flamingos, we also past the salt industry. Just before the dunes started we was told that there where some wildlife as gnu, antilops and even a schakal. The schakal we didn’t see but a few antilops,

After the tour me and Edgar went up to Swapkonmund for a night. It is a half an hour drive up along the coast from Walvis bay. I was amazed about the landscape. These huge sand dunes along the coastline. Not strange that they build the houses close to the water. We arrived to the Swapkonmund hotel late afternoon so didn’t have the energy to walk around after our tour. From now on we will always we try to book at least two nights in the future. One night is to short if you want to see something more than just the hotel although is was a very nice one a great food.

On the last evening the Yacht club restaurant was closed but they arranged a barbecue evening for the fleet. Nice to see everyone before we head off to St Helena

Hugs Eva

Cape Town days

Today we are leaving Cape Town. Can’t believe we have been here almost 6 weeks. It has been fantastic weeks with lots of positiv impressions travelling around in the neighbourhood. We have of course fixed things on the boat, such as got our main sail and genua repaired. Getting a new toilet which at the end turn out that it was nothing wrong with our toilet. It was a block in the pipes. The big KVH is gone and our starlink is using that pole instead. So happy to have the starlink in a better place on the boat.

Saphir also got new antifouling. That included at trip up to Saldana. Which I am really happy we did. On that trip up we saw a unge amount of humpback whales. It’s not easy to get any great photos with a mobil phone since they were far away so I was extra happy when one actually came up along the side of our boat. I got that on a video.

Saphir is up on the hard for some new paint on the hull.

I also went home for a week to meet up with family and friends. The most exciting was to meet Novalie in real life and not only on the screen. I had a great week home, having Ella, Filip, Nellie and Novalie staying with me the hole week, even Mia stayed for a few days as well. Max had to go to school so no sleepover for him. I celebrated my upcoming birthday twice. Nellie had her birthday party in the house and we also had Novilies baptism coffee. So a very busy week.

Back in Cape Town unpack and repack for the next trip, which was going to Camps Bay to celebrate my 60th birthday, where Elise came and joined us. She stayed with us for two weeks. I had a great birthday with a walk on the beach, laying by the pool for some hours, a manicure and a massage before we headed out for dinner together with Karen and Chris. So a perfect birthday in other words.

A few days back on the boat going to tabletop mountain and celebrating Christmas with some off the others boats.

Pink bubbles, ginger cookies and skumtomtar

After that off to explore the wine yards and celebrate Edgar’s birthday in Paarl. We stayed at La Rouche which was a lovely place where we had relaxing days by the pool and we did visit some wine yards as well.

Back in Cape Town Elise had a few more days before going home. First we celebrated New Year with family Svensson, our friends from Stockholm with a dinner at Pier Waterside continued with the fireworks on the boat.

Elise’s two last days we, me, Elise, Karen and Sonja almost manage to the top of the Lions head. The weather was really not the best rain and windy, so when we came to the ladders we decided to turn back. Together with Karen me and Elise went to Betsy’s bay to see the Penguin, which we sure did. It was quite windy and the waves was rough so the penguins stayed on land. We also went to the botanical garden at Betsy’s bay and had a lovely walk up the hill to Lisa Kloff waterfall.

Time for Elise to go back home and finish her studies to become a sea captain. Wish you all the best and see you when we are back home. It was so nice to have you visiting us.

One more week before we are off. First thing is to move the storage in to starboard side so when Chris ( our new crew) arrives he has a cabin that is not leaking. Food shopping, dinner preparation, sewing and knitting with the ladies.