Hello from Knysna, South Africa

[hoplites]

Hi there all,

I stumbled across this site while searching for windvane advice and have been blown away with the wealth of info shared here. Hoping this will be the beginning of a beautiful relationship

As a quick intro, my name is Louise and I'm still pretty new to the world of sailing (two years, to be exact). More accustomed to chase lizards or be chased by rhinos while roughing it out in the bush (such is the life of a biologist), I was nevertheless quickly hooked on the sailing lifestyle which gives us such amazing opportunities to harness nature, respect her, and go out to explore her treasures around the world.

I've since met my better half, Nigel, whose skill as sailing instructor has taught me much about the finer art of trimming sails and choosing the correct curse when tackling stubborn fuel pumps. Nige has been in the game quite a bit longer, having skippered catamarans for a while. We're engaged now and on the brink of leaving South Africa for our first circumnavigation in Hoplite, a feisty little Muira.

Sailing from Durban down the South African east coast has been great practical experience, including a good blow of 50 knots. We're aiming to do our Atlantic crossing early next year, and can hopefully spend a bit of time in Brazil before heading to the Caribbean.

That's it for now - would greatly appreciate it if anyone can point my nose towards a good source of yachting info for the northern Brazilian coastline.

Keep the wine flowing and the beers cold!

Cheers,
Louise and Nigel

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Louise and Nigel,
Welcome aboard!! I hope you enjoy it here on the forum. Lots of great people with good information.
Most are friendly.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[Ex-Calif]

We have a Knysna 440 cat that showed up a few days ago at the club. Mid 30s couple from Sweden doing the world tour.

The Knysna 440 is a very nice boat. Huge beam it seams.

Welcome to the forums!

[sildene]

Nice place to come from, Knysna. Many years ago I spent 10 days walking along the Knysna coastline. Stunning natural beauty; deep forested gorges, waterfalls and huge, wild wave trains pounding rocky headlands.

Sailing down west from Durban is a non-trivial undertaking - if the Muira can handle that she's probably got what it takes.

Welcome to the forum.

[hoplites]

Thanks for the welcome. Yup, local yachties often remark how heavy the pick can be in the Knysna lagoon... After negotiating a tricky entrance through narrow headlands in shallow waters, the natural beauty and festive atmosphere always seem to tempt visitors to stay on for, oh, an extra couple of months! Highly recommended to anyone considering a cruise in these waters.

Definitely have as much confidence in our Muira as I have in my skipper

Louise

[Bob]

Tony Herrick (Durban) has written some Cruising Notes which cover the Atlantic Crossing and the Northern Brazillian coast.

Cruising Connections
Cruising Connections for new and used paper marine navigation charts, cruising guides and passage planning notes, pilots, flags, sailing books and marine ebooks . (see "books")

Good luck.