Snug In Knysna for Christmas

It may not have seemed like Christmas as a Canadian would know it, but by golly, we had Christmas lights up so it must be Christmas. No snow, no Christmas tree, no eggnog even, but Irena, at long last, had Christmas boat lights. Yes, two strings of classy white lights ran up the backstay, over the top and down the forstay to decorate Conversations where she lay alongside the town’s quayside village. She looked pretty nifty that night untill the rain started. Tragically, the lights only lasted a couple of hours before they all failed So much for outdoor lights! We took them back for a refund next day. The hunt continues for real outdoor lights…..

Since coming to Knysna, it’s been a whirlwind. The day of our arrival, Irena and I left the boat in the capable hands of Eitan and Mark to drive 1000 km round trip to Cape Town to pick up Breanna at the airport. Now we have five aboard.  Two days later, all of us piled in a rental car for a two day road trip up the coast to Addo Elephant Park, where we drove around the reserve dodging, you guessed it, great mounds of steaming elephant pooh. 486 elephants churn out a heck of a lot of it, which they seem to prefer to drop on the road. This however, only adds to the viewing experience: Armies of dung beetles carve out great balls of the stuff, and race it off into the undergrowth where they lay their eggs and bed down in comfort. And, oh yes, and we also saw lots of elephants too!

Next day we stopped at a research centre to pet a Cheeta and pair of lion cubs. Real cool, but tame. So off we went to the world’s tallest bridge bungey jump where Breanna, Mark and Eitan put down a $100 each, and jumped! Very courageous. I must say they made it look like a walk in the park. Irena and I caught the action on closed circuit TV in the bar and bought the beers for our returning heroes. Also fun.

Back in Knysna, we moved Conversations  in from the hook and tied her up in the only vacant place in town - smack dab in the middle of the town quay.  We are sort of on display here, right under the nose of the waterfront restaurants, shops and charter operators. Lots of curious vacationers stumble up to the dock with questions, people from all over world. This too is fun. Yesterday, a gentleman of 87 came up told me of his 6 year ordeal as a German prisoner-of-war in a Russian concentration camp. On a lighter note, within 10 feet of the boat is the Gelato stand, much to Breanna’s delight.

Christmas eve, we had a great Polish dinner of Borscht, Pierogi and Nalesniki prepared up by Irena, with Mark and Breanna's learned assistance. Christmas day was, of course, turkey day. Mark took over with Gertrude (what else would you name a turkey?) to see she was properly dressed for the occasion and stuffed into our pint sized oven. Yesterday, boxing day, we had a “left over party” aboard s.v, Papillion with Jim and Julia and Mike and Cathleen from s.v. Content.

A very nice weather window is shaping up tomorrow for our departure for the Cape Town suburb of Simon’s Town. Thanks to Irena we have a long term berth booked in the False Bay Yacht Club. It’s a 250 NM passage, the last passage on our voyage to Cape Town from Singapore and Indonesia. It’s hard to believe how fast the time has gone by: We left Singapore early June with Dennis and Rita, and we left Jakarta, Indonesia in early August with Eitan. By New Year’s we will have arrived and it will be over. We are glad to be here and glad to be moving into the next phase - working in South Africa!

Reflections:

At this time of year, many of  us reflect on our good fortune, a time for review if you like. Here in Africa, where most have so little, I think of my own life and I wonder more generally, where does good fortune come from? Is it purely about the circumstances of our birth, does it show up one day in a lottery draw, or is it something we work for. Is it chance or design or both?

Suppose good fortune does live at the intersection of circumstance and luck, design and choice. If that is so, then there is some chance to our fortunes about which we can do nothing. So be it. But where can we influence our good fortune beyond our good luck and bad? How do we 'get in the game' and do things to help along our good fortune?

Do the 7Cs apply here? I think so. Together they can  be a framework for pro-activity. 

There is another big question in our experience of people in Asia and now Africa - what is the link between good fortune and happiness? When I see how happy so many are who have so much less, I wonder, is happiness not much about good fortune, but more about something else, and if that is so, what?

I think a partial answer to happiness is opportunity to be pro-actively engaged in creating good fortune! To be self responsible (Captaincy), to have a Course, to have Companions, live a life of Curiosity, be building Courage and overall Capacity, and to be doing so in self Compassion is to be in the game, which itself contributes to both happiness and good fortune.

Enough! Irena and I both reflect on what  enormous good fortune we have had to live the lifestyle we wish these last 7 years since leaving Canada and look forward to whatever fortunes appear as we seek to find work in South Africa.

Stunning

South Africa is stunning. Its landscapes are bold, the people friendly.

We rented a car for a two day junket to Drakensberg Mountains. The first day we drove to Underberg and hiked a couple of hours up a meadow in the foot hills. Next morning, after a hearty 0630 breakfast at a B&B, we hiked up Sani Pass from the South African border to Lesotho. This was a 16 km round trip, climbing and descending nearly 3000 feet. Mark sprinted up in 90 minutes, Eitan in 120, and Irena and I staggered into Africa’s highest pub at the top after a 150 minute climb – it was a beast but we made it up. After the best pub chicken curry and coldest beers in the world we walked back down to the car and drove back to Durban before dark. Big enough two days for me!

After a couple of day’s recovery, a weather window cracked open for the sail from Durban down the East African Coast to East London. Its only 255 miles of coastline, but once we out of the comfort and safety of harbour, we would be committed. In this part of the world, the sea never seems to rest: Its either blowing in hell in one direction, or blowing like hell in another. The passage to East London happens between a 3 to 6 knot current down one side and an unbroken wall of coastline on the other. There is no place to duck in out of the storms that blow through every two or three days and wind against the Agulhas current conditions creates legendary monster seas.

As recommended, we left on the back of a passing system. We had about 36 hours before the next system was due to blow in from the SW and we hoped to get a head start. From 10 am until just before dark we beat into 25 knots of SW wind. It was really unpleasant sailing –  huge southerly waves were coming from ahead and a NE swell were bashing up from behind. It was, as I like to say, like sailing in a giant washing machine. After dark the wind went light and began to clock (change direction in a clockwise direction). With no time to hang around before the next system came in, we started the engine but after about an hour it choked from fuel starvation. From 1130 to 0300 I changed all three fuel filters and bleed everything living part of the fuel system I could think of. No joy. I was concerned we’d not make port before the next South Westerly. But by dawn the wind had come all the way around to NE and it started to blow. It soon hit 30 knots, but it was at our backs and we were moving with the current. We were doing 8 and 9 knots through the water and 11 and 12 knots over the bottom with genoa only. Wow, now this is sailing!

The first monster wave surprised us. We broached to wind and it pounded down over the port side, filling the cockpit, tearing the dodger, and soaking Eiton, Irena and I, leaving us open mouthed and gasping. We were more ready for the second wave when it hit, with a boom. It climbed over the transom, and tried to get into the aft cabin. Not able to get down the companionway, it re-filled the cockpit instead. Below I spilled my tea and clung to the nav station, glad I wasn’t in the cockpit to get soaked again. A few moments later, when the cockpit had drained, we hit an all-time speed record of 13 knots through the water surfing down another wave!

Under these conditions I was getting concerned we could get safely into East London harbour once we got there. It’s a river entrance facing into the NW seas. Without the engine to help bail out, we would have to sail into the narrow slot amidst breaking seas and it would be very tough to back out in 30 knots of breeze if we got in trouble.  I had visions of breaking seas overwhelming us and being tossed up on the beach or rocks beside the entrance. So near yet so far. Now that is  “instant failure”.

But by late afternoon, we had a break. The winds and seas eased back to about 15 knots and we arrived just after sunset and sailed into harbour, surfing over the entrance bar. No sweat. Well lots of sweat, but by 2000 hours we were safe alongside the dilapidated inner harbour shipping docks, tired but pleased to be safe in East London. Another passage done.

After a day’s clean up in East London, tomorrow we set off for Port Elizabeth in another weather window. Another passage, another adventure.

Reflections.

I climbed into bed soon after tying up in East London, exhausted but curiously filled by the success of a passage safely completed. It is enough for anyone to deal with the motion, the physical hardship of no sleep and the tension of conning the boat down steep seas, but as skipper, I feel the added burden of responsibility. The skipper is the one who has to make decisions (manufacture certainty) in the face of uncertainty, the one to whom the crew looks for reassurance that it will be okay, the one who takes ultimate responsibility for how it goes, the one who must make the right decisions or else.

It is no different for all the leaders of the world. Not the politicians who mascaraed as leaders, but those unsung heroes of the workplace who put themselves on the line every day for the success of others or the organisation; the silent heroes who put their own needs for reassurance second to supporting others; the people who risk themselves so others may succeed; the people who care more for creating the vision of the greater good than they care for their own comfort.

This is a great privilege in life: to be in a place where we can lead. There is something in us that calls us to this challenge, this challenge to bring not just ourselves, but those around us to a greater place, to champion others in crossing their own desert of adversity. And leadership is not reserved for those in recognized roles of leadership. Every person, everyday has a chance to champion others, to put and support the success of the greater ahead of the self. When we are response-able, we are able to make this choice.

 Captaincy is a gift that gives twice: first to the people nurtured by acts of captaincy, then to the person who practices captaincy.