This is the most current photo of Nini, taken 17 August 1997,
ready to hit the water after three months on the hard.
This page will be the history page- everything that has happened to date. Here we go:
Nini was bought on a whim and a feeling. We were in Cape Town and thought we'd find out how this boat-buying business worked. Off to a broker we went and next thing we were looking at boats and then we were buying one and then we had one. Easy as that, more or less. Leanne and I schemed and plotted, approached banks (not worthwhile as we weren't married and so they wouldn't recognize our joint income. Thank goodness- very expensive to borrow money that way). We settled on a low interest (lower than prime) loan from my mother for half the total amount as we had half. At present we are paying back about half our income every month on the interest and the loan.
Enough of that. Before I continue, a bit about brokers. Even if you buy through the broker, try and meet the owner. That is, assuming you have an interest in what you are buying. We never did and I seem to regret it. I'd like to be able to phone someone (in my case the builder) for help every time I am not sure how something has been done.. Also, our broker didn't know that much about our boat. Not that we were or are yacht experts, but I have come across a number of discrepencies between what we were told and what has since been discovered. I don't think we were told lies as such and fortunately most discrepencies have been to our advantage ("Look what I found, dear. Didn't know we had one of these, but now we don't have to buy one"). Lastly, don't rush. Look until you find what you want, rather than buy the first thing that comes along. We bought the third boat we looked at, and oddly enough, I'm happy. What makes me happier is that we don't need to buy much more than a few bits and pieces to hit the high seas- everything is there (says I who has probably spent as much as 10% of the cost of the yacht on repairing and maintaining all these fantastic bits in the last six months alone, and am no-where near happy) and I swear and curse a bit occasionally, but she's the yacht I have and that's that.
OUR MAIDEN VOYAGE
We bought Nini in November 1996, and on 8 December 1996 left False Bay Yacht Club for Mossel Bay, our future home port. Needless to say, I was drunk (three mitchells draughts (two of which I won for doing a Rubics cube) and one tequila the night before and I started hurling straight away. A delivery skipper, Wilhelm, his friend Jacques, my friend Juan and myself had a fairly uneventful trip.Juan slept the first day. I slept and hurled and slept for 36 hours, right across the Aghulus bank. A wave hit us side-on in the night and washed my feet for me (a moment where sea-sickness was not even remotely on my mind). We stopped at Gansbaai, a quaint little nothing around a small fishing harbour. I was never happier to be on land. After that I was better, and the next night was an absolute pleasure -it was clear, I was well rested, and we arrived in Mossel Bay after 46 hours. Not bad going, I thought.
THE NEXT DAY
Here started the fun. All was well up to now, but I am no sailor. It was nice to have a paid skipper around, but the next day it was only me- very daunting. I thought I had read a lot, but only found out that of all that I had read, very little of that was on the yacht, and what was on board was not looking familiar to me. Suddenly I was the skipper, a position held up till now by an experienced sailor, now held by a supreme novice.
I don't find the concept behind sailing difficult at all, and as such on the open water with the sails set I have never been too worried about much. I suppose it's because there is nothing to hit, and if we sink we can paddle to shore in the liferaft. I understand about angles to wind and leeway and how sails work and can sail from A to B and navigate enough to not get lost. But, I am starting to gather, each boat has its own quirks, and what is fine in theory and on paper just doesn't always work out. There is a bit of frustration, swearing, but no danger to life or property. The real stress lies in leaving and entering the mooring. And this is where things get untoward for a landlubber like me. This is where you smash your or your neighbours' boat. The crux of the matter is to understand that the boat is always being acted on by some force or other and will always want to move somewhere else, until it is tied up securely or hits something solid. It is not like a car which, when parked, stays where it is (or should). I learnt this the hard way as Nini slipped quietly out behind me one day.
Leaving the mooring is usually a fairly controlled exersize, and already Leanne takes the tiller and I cast off the ropes.The approach to the mooring is something else! One must beforehand guage all the potential forces which could act on the yacht, and act accordingly. If the wind is side-on you must come into the mooring sideways, head on means more revs for the engine and so on. The trick is to approach with enough speed at the right angle to overcome these forces, and then stop dead, with no brakes, I might add. This is the real stress of sailing for me (granted, I have not sailed through a hurricane- yet!). I hear there is some really fancy yachtmaster diploma one gets, and the practical test consists of taking a yacht out of her mooring and back in again- under sail. I can well believe this to be the test of a competent yachtsman.
We have been fortunate enough not to have hit our neighbours yacht (very expensive hobby), but have smacked the mooring twice. It was an odd thing (to me then) that Nini didn't stop when I cut the power. I have learnt subsequently how to complete this manoeuvre with more success, and get more comfortable with the concept of reversing to stop. But let's get back to the history.
CLEAN-UP
The next three weekends consisted of cleaning and scratching. We had not gone through the whole yacht and had fun scratching everywhere and finding interesting things we weren't expecting, as well as interesting places to put things in. A lot of what we found was unfimiliar, as, actually, was pretty much everything on the yacht. And we cleaned and cleaned. Nini had stood for about a year and had accumulated grime in hidden places. Our friend Kay came to help. It's a pretty big job cleaning a yacht- everything is a nook and cranny. Fortunately, though, you don't have to worry about using water- it just runs into the bilge and gets pumped out later. A warning to men buying yachts- have assistants (wife, kids, labourer) close at hand, else you'll work forever and still feel like you're getting nowhere (serious tip this!)
Phew! that's a lot of typing. That which is below will be expanded on in time, as, possibly will the above.
STILL TO COME
ED THE SKIPPER
Our first 'solo' sail took place.... Voyage experience (little that I have).
OUR FIRST PROBLEMS
Here starteth a tale which lasted two months and get nowhere
OUR FIRST HAUL-OUT
Pretty self explanetory-will post before and after pics shortly.
edone
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Copyright © 1997 -last updated 19 August 1997 Have a Nice Day.
