Day 35: Happy birthday to me

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🎁 HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎁
 
My latest flip around the sun puts me at 53 years young. I don’t look a day older 😜
The usual morning routine but this time, I made a big helping of 🥓🍳.
It’s also the only time I have to use dishwashing liquid and a scourer to clean the pots. All other meals are rehydrated in the Forever Fresh silicone bag and eaten with a silicone spoon. These get a quick dip in the ocean, and that’s it. Clean as a whistle.
 
On one of the many crossings, I remember taking a yacht to its new owners overseas. We cover almost every surface inside in plastic to prevent any scratches or stains. The stainless steel sink and stove are not used, so they’re brand new on the other side. The washing up is done on the transom with a shallow square plastic bucket using seawater.
 
On this occasion, we had just departed St Helena Island, and it was Doc’s turn to do the washing up. He had finished washing the crockery and tossed the dirty dishwater over the side without thinking. Unfortunately, the cutlery was still in the bucket under the dirty water.🍴 😜
 
On Osiyeza, I tie the spoon and bag with a cord and attach them to my wrist so they can’t disappear over the side. Once bitten, twice shy. See, I learn from other’s mistakes as well.
 
After breakfast, the SMS’s started to come in from the hard-working shore team. Albert had set out my instructions clearly over three or four messages.
The unit actually did have a hard reset button hidden under the cover of the sim card. So I need a paper clip or similar to push the reset button. Why would there be something like that on board? Would you believe it? In my USB cable bag, one was purposely added for removing my SIM card so I could exchange it for a Brazillian one. 👍 Lucky
 
I had to do several things in the correct sequence and log in to the unit using its Wi-Fi. I found it a bit of a struggle and possibly a hit-and-miss on my side, but the green light eventually changed to BLUE, meaning it was connected to a satellite. 🛰
Whooohooo!
 
Then the WhatsApp messages started to pour in on my phone. It was like music to my ears. It took me at least an hour to go through all of them and respond.
 
Blue lights usually have a negative connotation in my mind. Like our ever-important politicians in their blue light brigades, I can tell you that this little blue light has brought much joy to the team. 💙
 
The sunset was a spectacular round-up of a wonderful day. After a lasagne dinner, I got to blow out a candle 🕯, sipped on some soetwyn and ate a box of chocolate smarties for dessert. I even impressed myself and ate them one at a time. They were still finished way too soon.
New moon tonight. There is a lot of cloud cover, meaning it’s as dark as possible. I think I saw disco lights??
 
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE BIRTHDAY MESSAGES. 🙏
 
The best gift was to get back online.🎁
Now the next 30 odd days are not wasted, and I can still do some fundraising to get 70 smiles for the little ones via Operation Smile South Africa. 
Money raised for Operation Smile: R208575
No of new smiles: 38
To donate, please click here.

Day 34: Remembering my dad

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What a stunning sunrise. Coffee in hand and with the kids out of the house, I could relax and watch the twilight slowly turn into daylight. A new day and a little closer to my goal.

Quite a few little flying fish in the cockpit and two inside the cabin. I hope there are only two inside, but if I have missed any, I will soon smell them. For some reason flying fish 🎏 smell much fishier than non-aviator fish.

Today marks the first year my Old Man is no longer with us. Shew, it’s been an emotional day. More tears than I thought possible. Being out here alone makes it terribly challenging to control my emotions. The rest of our family went out together for lunch. I managed to call them using the satellite phone but kept it short and sweet so as not to blabber over the phone. I am glad my Mom has everyone else with her today.

The first Pilot fish has joined Osiyeza and me. I popped the 360° camera into the water and watched it cruising next to the keel, getting a free tow.

The Dorados seemed to have left, but maybe they felt insulted by the lure I have had out all today. Well, they came back an hour before sunset, and both had a go at the lure. I had flattened the barb to make releasing easier. The first one threw the lure with an impressive leap. The other one hit the lure straight away, and I pulled him on board for a quick photo and then released it, not without a little struggle.

Day 33: No more internet access

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At sunrise, I removed the antenna and inspected the connection for any signs of water ingress. There was no sign of anything untoward, so I bolted it all back in place. Next, I inspected all the connections on the terminal box. All fine there. I then switched the unit on and tried to log in using the wifi to do a reset, run a self-diagnosis and possibly do a factory reset. Unfortunately it won’t let me log in and keeps giving me a login error. The only other way I can see is to access it is via LAN cable and a laptop which we don’t have on board.
FAAAAK. I looked for a reset hole but could not find one.
 

It looks like that’s it for internet access. No more blogs for social media. That’s going to have a negative affect on the fundraising as well. Terribly frustrating and sad.

Maybe I can do an alternate day voice message via the satellite phone. Texting is old school, with three letters per button. Push number 2 three times for ‘C’ etc. I will hve 2 rmbr the abbreviations.
 
Another concerning thing is the Spoortracker device that sends hourly positions to the shore team has also stopped working. It is a totally independent unit with its own solar panel and is glued on top of the cabin.

Spoortracker

Fortunately, the AIS is still working, and the team can see where I am at all times still.
 
Maybe tomorrow will bring some news of a hack to access the terminal via WiFi to get it up and running. Holding thumbs.
 
Please consider a donation to Operation Smile South Africa. Any amount can make a difference.
Click here to donate.

Day 32: Half Way

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🌓 HALF WAY 🌗
 
For most of the day, there have been Dorado following us. They seem to do laps around Osiyeza. Surfing the waves like dolphins at the bow of a ship. Four in a row, sometimes. Now and then, one would leap out of the water for no apparent reason. It is quite remarkable to watch.
 
After thirty-two days aboard Osiyeza, I know every movement, every sound, and everything that she and the ocean are capable of doing.
Yet just before sunset, something unnerving happened. Osiyesa started to shake in a way that she had never done before. It was a series of short sharp shakes. Almost as if someone was wiggling the rudder left and right. It got my attention right away. At first, I thought there might be a problem with the rudder. Then the shaking happened again and again. I am standing looking back at the rudder and can see that there is nothing wrong with it.
 
I started to look into the water all around Osiyeza for something to explain what was going on.
 
My thoughts went to the infamous pod of Orcas on the South coast of Spain. They have developed a rather nasty habit and like to play with yacht rudders. Their playfulness has been a little over the top on several occasions. They take turns biting down on the rudder and shake it about. The poor crew of the yacht can only stand by, hang on and watch. There’s little they can do to stop them. The marine biologist is unsure if it’s playfulness or aggression, but many rudders have been damaged, and a yacht sank after its rudder was ripped out of the hull. Imagine climbing into a life raft knowing what the killer whales just did.
 
Anyway, I could not see anything to explain the shaking. My best guess would be something to do with the Dorados bashing the rudder to scrape sea lice off. It must have been quite large to make that much of an impact. Perhaps a Marlin chasing the smaller fish under Osiyeza?
 
The day started the same way as every other day. If I am not paddling, I like a cup of black coffee while watching the sun rise over the Eastern horizon. Most days now, it slips up behind the dark clouds hiding its true spender. Another overcast day but I am ok with that.
 
Today we crossed the halfway mark in distance. Thanks to the first two weeks of howling SE winds, I am a few days ahead of schedule. I was all ready to celebrate this milestone with another sip of Soet Wyn.
 
Last night I switched on the satellite communications and started typing some WhatsApp messages. A while later, I was surprised to see nothing was going through. I checked the unit’s lights, which only showed three green lights. The middle light should turn blue when it connects with the satellite. This was not happening. The unit would reset itself and do it all over sans the blue light.
Faaaak Houston, we have a problem!
 
Earlier in the day, I had opened the “grab bag” and taken the satellite phone out to charge it. It’s been in the bag for a month, so it’s best to charge it now and then.
 
Since it was still out, I sent an SMS to the shore team telling them of the latest problem. Albert responded to the message and even called for a quick chat.
 
They will chat with SMD Africa Marine tomorrow morning to see what they can suggest. I have a nagging feeling it’s the antenna. Water must have gotten in, and there is some corrosion. I suspect it’s the main terminal, but I will do my utmost to solve the issue.
 
I am super bummed that I may not have WhatsApp coms for the second half. I won’t be able to get any blogs posted. The charity drive will suffer because of it. All in all, it’s a great shame. I guess it’s back to old school. Calling ships up and asking for weather reports etc. Sort of be on my own.

Old school SMS

 
Coordinates: -19.30736° lat / -10.31184° long
To donate to Operation Smile and help me change 70 smiles, please click here.

Update on Richard

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Rich is doing well; sunny skies and calm seas. All is good on board. 
 
There has been a glitch with his communication systems which sadly means we are unable to receive Whatsapp and emails for the time being, so unfortunately, we don’t have Rich’s normal, amusing blog posts. He is writing about his daily adventures; we will update the blog with this once he is back online. 
 
The satellite system that gives Rich internet access has stopped working. We can communicate with him via sms on his satellite phone, but this limits us to 160 characters. We are slowly working through a troubleshooting list to get him back online as soon as possible.
 
We rely on the same system for data on his trip progress, so the dashboard is a little sparse for now. We can still get enough data from other sources to feed Rich weather data and track his progress. Hopefully, we can get this connectivity issue fixed soon.
 
The latest news from him is sunny skies and good progress. He finally put out a fishing line and caught a dorado, which he released. He has a new travel companion. A pilot fish has joined the expedition. 
 
And another milestone has been reached, another trip around the sun. Today is Rich’s birthday, happy birthday to one crazy, inspiring man. 
 
Coordinates: -18.50167, -12.15438

Day 31: White gold

/in /by
PS. if you only read this post and don’t click through to the link, you are missing out on half of the story.
 
It’s odd to say, but I am enjoying the rain squalls. Long dark shapes appear on the horizon and slowly float towards you like a dark ghost with its black train being dragged across the water. As it starts to pass over, the wind gets a little angrier, and then the rain starts to sting my back. I probably get four or five a day. They cool everything down for a while, making paddling far more pleasant than in the beating sun. There never seems to be enough rain to shower, so I guess that’s why on a sailing boat, we would stand under the main sails and wash under the water running off them.
 
My prison calendar is coming along nicely. Thirty-one stripes in groups of five representing my time out here in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s double the time spent on the first attempt, the one where I ended up in Walvis Bay.
I guess that must be a record on its own. The first person to kayak from Cape Town to Walvis Bay. 🤣

My days at sea calendar

 
As I approach the halfway mark, I am taking stock of food and gear to make sure I don’t run out of anything.
 
Before leaving, I did technical research on how much gas I would use to boil water, etc., and then added a margin for safety. Ultimately, I took ten eight 500g gas canisters on board. To date, I have not finished any. 🙃 I guess that’s definitely an over cater!
 
The rice and couscous I cooked and dehydrated at home went into big square plastic bottles. If I recall, I prepared 6kg of rice and 2kg of couscous. Each bottle takes 2kg of cooked and dehydrated food. I have almost finished one rice bottle(2kg), leaving 4kg, so that’s another over-cater!

The end of the first container of rice. Two more to go

 
“White gold”
I packed 12 rolls of toilet paper, each individually sealed into a Ziplock bag. I have used six, so it looks like the exact amount was packed, but I must remember there is nothing spare.

White Gold. Only the best. Two ply. Each individual wrapped in a Ziplock bag

This reminds me again of that trip back from Rio with my brother, Anton, on Argonaut. Being only boys on board, it did not cross our minds to buy any loo paper.😬

 
Instead, I lashed a toilet seat to the transom ladder. I rigged up a pully system so you could lower it into place to drop the kids off. Once the deed is done, you lowered it further down and let the speed of the boat and water wash the toosh clean.
 
All the while having this magnificent view of the yacht ⛵ and its sails in front of you. One thing about this method is it soon became apparent that we were moving further South as the water temperature slowly dropped to single digits. 🤪
 
My sprouting (mung) beans have run out. The latest food bag did not have any inside, so I desperately unpacked two more bags, but alas, they also had none. I think I will have to check the others tomorrow because having fresh sprouts is a wonderful treat, and I would hate for that to end, which would lead me to eat more energy bars.
 
My bottom rash has thankfully stayed away, but I have noticed the start of “crotch rot”. Not to worry, I won’t post a picture this time!
It is not from the salt or chaff but from the heat and humidity. The air temperature rarely gets below 25° because the water temperature is almost the same.
More special cream and fresh air will stop it in its tracks. Hope not to 🌞 burn anything while doing the fresh air bit.🙃

At least there is a category for my age

The calmer conditions make cooking scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast much less challenging. I still think it’s unbelievable that this is possible on a kayak crossing the ocean.
 
The clouds cleared for a few hours last night, and I spent some time star gazing. Zero light pollution out here. I switched all my NAV lights off and stared at the heavens. I saw two satellites and tried to identify as many constellations as possible using an app on my phone. ⭐📱
 
I let my mind wander and eventually realised that we are so small and insignificant compared to the universe. We, however, still live our lives like the ancients that believed the earth was the centre of the universe. We believe each one of us is the most important and the centre of everything. If we changed this thinking, what would happen, I wonder?🧠🕊
 
Co-ordinate: Latitude -19.811570°
Longitude -9.078800°
 
Please consider a donation to Operation Smile South Africa. Any amount can make a difference.
For those that have already, I am eternally grateful. Don’t forget to share, like and comment.

Day 30: 📆 A month at sea 📆

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It seems like I was feeding the fish only yesterday, and it was my first night on the big ocean, heading more to Walvis Bay than South America.
So much has happened since then, yet it has already started to blur into a bunch of little snippets rather than 30 long days on my own at sea.

Trying to show a beautiful sunset but the camera did not get it.

I was told to stick to a routine out here because routine helps you take each day or minute one at a time.
My approach has not been as fixed a routine as suggested.
 
The only regimented part of my day is dropping the kids off at the pool and the three scheduled check-in via satellite. All the rest just falls into place.
 
I paddle when and for how long based on my mood or the conditions. I might do a 3hr session, and it feels like it’s over in a flash, and sometimes I can’t even get through the first hour. I know if I don’t get enough paddling in, I will be bobbing out here for longer than I really want. It’s a very powerful motivator.
 
Later in the week, I should reach the halfway point and then the count DOWN will begin. 🎉
 
My paddling seat has started to come apart again. It tore on the left side during attempt #1. I will attempt to repair the right side, but the whole frame must be dismantled. It’s quite a job, so I will see when the mood grabs me to sort it out. It’s still usable but will definitely be better when repaired.
I have had full cloud cover for a few days now. I hope it will clear up some time so I can do some star gazing. The moon 🌒 is almost gone, which is the ideal time for it.
I spotted a satellite a couple of days ago, just after sunset. It lasted only a short while, but in that time, it had travelled almost half way across the sky. I wonder what speeds they travel at? 🌟🔭
 
The sailing yacht Always Saturday that I chatted to the other day is at St Helena Island, and today my brother, Anton, sent me pictures from them. He got them from a solo sailer; they met while sailing down the coast of South Africa at the same time. She is also at St Helena Island and is friends with Always Saturday’s crew hence how Anton got hold of the pictures. Small world isn’t it?

Photo from Yacht Always Saturday showing their position relative to mine.

 
My music on Spotify stopped working, meaning I had to log in online so the app could check that I was still a paid subscriber. I did not have to be on for long for this. I went back to playing in offline mode for another 30 days. 🎵🎧
 
My legs have definitely become weaker. I noticed for the first time last night that I am using my arms much more to pull myself into a standing position. I wonder how much weaker they will still get. I must check if there is a possibility of doing some squats without falling overboard. 🏋‍♂
 
Coordinates: Latitude -19.966270°
Longitude -8.606630°

Day 29: Tools of the trade

/in /by
Rain squalls out here are like VW Polos on the roads back home.
There is one wherever you look. The nice thing about being on a kayak vs a yacht is I either keep on paddling and have some extra wind and fresh water on me, or I listen to the pitter-patter of the raindrops on the hull if I am inside. No need to take any action.
Sailing, however, gets a little tricky with squalls. Usually, the wind will increase, so you have responded quickly to change sails or reduce sail area to avoid damage, and when the squall is passed, put up more sail area again. Over and over again.
 
This morning, the squall that hid the rising Sun stayed above and around us for four hours before it finally rolled past. It was massive but had no more power than the average squall.
 
Some Q&A today.
 
How strong is Osiyeza, and what is she made of?
 
Osiyeza is light, stiff and strong. She is constructed with carbon fibre, and epoxy resin and has a 10mm foam core sandwiched in the middle. AerontechSA, Green Poxy and Sicomin kindly sponsored the bulk of the material.

10mm core with carbon fibre on either side.

 
The super-stiff construction significantly amplifies the noise inside.
It’s akin to being inside a drum. This is one of the reasons the inside is lined with silver foil-coated bubble wrap. It buffers the noise, it acts as cushioning when I get tossed about and is a fantastic insulator. It keeps the surface temperature down by about 10°C compared to the outside and eliminates all condensation on the inside.
 
What tools do you have?
I carry a reasonable tool kit. Spanners🛠 screwdrivers 🪛, small socket set, hacksaw, shifting spanner, box cutter, pliers and a hex key set.
The only tool I could add is a hand drill, but holes can be made by other means.
 
How much does the wind blow you?
 
As an ocean paddler, let me tell you, crossing an ocean is no walk in the park. It’s more like a wild rollercoaster ride with Mother Nature as the operator. So many factors can affect my progress, from wind direction that changes faster than a teenager’s mood to swell size and period that can give me seasickness just by looking at it. And don’t get me started on the wind chop and size; it’s like trying to paddle in a bowl of soup!
 
But the most challenging thing is trying to paddle against the wind. It’s like trying to swim upstream with a boulder tied to your feet. It’s impossible! That’s why all South Atlantic crossings by human power have been done from east to west, because who wants to paddle into a headwind? Not me!
 
The key to successful ocean paddling is adapting to the ever-changing conditions and making the best of the situation. It’s like playing a game of Tetris with the elements; you just have to keep moving and adjust to the shape of the blocks. Sometimes it’s a breeze, and other times it’s a hurricane. But one thing is for sure; it’s never boring!
 
Do you still sometimes feel seasick?
 
I have not felt or been seasick since the first night, and long it may last.
 
Just in case you thought I had forgotten about Nurse Honeydews Tinder profile picture, here it is.
I wonder if she keeps anything for “Ron” in her beard?
 
Co-ordinate: Latitude -20.317120° Longitude -7.721430°
Temp today 26°
Water temp 24°

Day 28: Unpacking for week 5

/in /by
It started with 100% cloud cover and rain squalls dotted around the horizon. One dot was on the same path as Osiyeza and me. The dot steadily grew in size until it filled up half of the horizon. Ten minutes before it reached us, it had sucked up all the wind. The ocean around us went calm, but I could see the dark line in the water out in front of the menacing squall cloud.
 
A few light raindrops. I could feel it on my skin. I could see them on the water. It’s about to envelop us.
 
What happened next was quite extraordinary. Absolutely nothing happened. The ocean and wind remained calm. The rain stopped.
The cloud moved over us and past us.
Ten minutes later, it started raining again but passed us. The normal wind started filling in again about 10 minutes later.
It was as if the squall had lifted her skirt up and over us and dropped it back down once it was clear of us.
You are never too old to witness nature do weird and wonderful things.
 
After that, I cranked up the music and entertained myself on the paddles for the next three hours with ’90 tunes.
It’s the first day of week five, so it is time to unpack the week’s food into the cabin. How is it that you give a kid a chocolate, and he bounces off the walls for an hour before dropping like a stone? Give an old man a chocolate, and before he is finished, he needs to add another hoke onto his belt 🤪
I really have overdone it on the energy and chocolate bars, not to mention all the sucking sweets. 🍭🍬 Ah, well, it’s only for another thirty-odd days.

Food and watermaker locker filled to the brim

The all addictive Jungle Oats bars

Forever Fresh freeze dried meals. Each packet is a two portion size.

Biscuits

250grams of biltong, salami sticks and droewors

One weeks supply of food in the bag

 
My back is a complicated mess. I could not get back to sleep from 3 am because it was so blooming painful, yet it was right as rain by dinner time.
Believe me; I am not complaining that it’s feeling better but merely pointing out its fickleness. Maybe it was boogieing to the ’90 tunes that sorted it out.
 
I learnt a new trick today!
I can control my music via my watch.
The music is played on my mobile phone via the Bluetooth player. My watch shows artists and song titles. I can skip forward and back, plus control the volume. I don’t have to get up to change the volume anymore. Excellent!
 
Coordinates: Latitude -20.736730° Longitude -6.860730°

Day 27: Leave it for “Ron”

/in /by
A milestone that we celebrated at the end of our National Defence force conscription was the 40 days left or commonly called “Min Dae’ (Afrikaans for Few Days). I am officially past the “min dae” for the crossing 🎉
 
One of Judy’s best friends, who shall remain nameless, sports a good proper beard.🧔 Unfortunately, the poor soul is constantly nagged about it and the food left in it after eating a pie.
 
Now clean shaven folk have no idea what it’s like to have a big proud beard. It’s like having a pet but on your face. You feed it; you stroke it; you admire it, you wash it, and you walk it every day.
 
Growing it is literally a pain. The first week is fine. That rugged, unshaven stubble that some ladies find attractive is cool.
The second and third weeks, the face can feel like it’s on fire. It starts to itch like your face slept a night on a flea-infested pillow. Not even beard oil helps. Who knew that beard oil was even a thing?
 
After that, it settles down until the moustache hairs curl far enough and start digging into your top lip. This is an easy but ongoing fix ✂ a little trim.
 
This is the reason I start growing my beard before departure. To get the growing pains out of the way.
My beard does several things for me. Its main objective is to keep the sun off my skin, and the added bonus is obviously not having to shave.
 
A fun score is to lick my top lip and moustache. Then put the bottom lip over the top and suck. It is amazing how it tastes exactly like your last meal or drink. It’s like a pleasant memory but with real flavour. 🤪

My old man beard

 
It also makes me look about 20 years older, which in a way, puts Judy’s mind at ease because “the pretty Brazilian ladies won’t flirt with such an old man”. 😎
 
As for the nameless and the food he leaves for later, “Ron”, I feel for him. I really do. I am going to shave mine off ASAP to avoid any nagging.
 
This day was a cut and paste of yesterday, except I had popcorn with peri peri salt. 🍿 Hope to do another 100km + day.
 
Oh, and I also had some minor repairs to do on the main hatch latch system.
Instead of “lock tight”, I put Pratley steel putty on the thread, tightened it up and smeared the rest over the nut and washer. Working like a treat.

Steel putty keeping the nut fixed to the thread

Tools of the trade for today’s repair

 
Co-ordinates: -20.847100° lat -5.788570° long
Breakfast: Banana flavour smoothie
Food: Fragrant Thai Chicken Curry and rice
Junk: really furry biltong, jungle Oates bars, Fritos.
Sea life: nothing new
Total raised for Operation Smile R185,401
No of smiles changed: 33