Tuesday, January 20, 2009

More of the Volvo Ocean Race Cape Town Leg

I recently recieved some more photographs of the Volvo boats leaving Cape Town. Enjoy these photo's courtesy of Michael North!

If you need a photographer (outdoor, underwater, indoor etc.) let me know.




Sunset or Sunrise?

It is an amazing thing to watch the sun set across the vast Atlantic Ocean. And I am sure you have your favourite place in Cape Town to do just that where you can enjoy the colours that go so well with the surroundings. I recently enjoyed one from the top of Kloof Nek Road overlooking Camps Bay.
(Picture taken from Kloof Nek)
(The colours seen from home)


But putting the land lubber in me aside, to see the sun rise above the Hottentots Holland mountains aboard a boat is truly another thing altogether. Unfortunately for this experience to come true you have to be at sea 530am. It’s early, I know, but a cool experience as you ride from Table Bay to Hout Bay in the calm of the morning. The early activity of the birds and seals is always a treat.


Enjoy some of the early morning photographs and my favourite, Lions Head shielding the sun from view…for just a bit.



(Lions Head Sun Rise)
(Making the most of great morning...coffee in Hout Bay next)




GO BIG OR GO HOME... we go forward

Cape Town “2008” was awesome!



We saw our fleet double from one to two boats. The slow build of "Zangetsu" was worth the wait! The awesome 8.5m Gemini really performs well and is more than capable of handling the rough seas around Cape Town (although we prefer NOT to test those capabilities). The weather was great making the boat trips fun and the tourists were really rewarded by a bumper whale season as well as a relatively mild south-easter.


Another reason to be joyous was the latest upgrade to "Zangetsu" - two brand new Honda 225 outboard motors provide massively more power. We are now able to keep up with the big boys in the industry. I guess it’s a case of go big or go home.



On the sea-side of things: on our recent trip to Hout Bay we spotted, not one but two sunfish soaking up the rays, a pod of dolphins and plenty of seals. Also a southern right whale off Sea Point (although we thought it was a bit late in the season). It might have been this one (follow the link) who ended up in the paper not too long after we spotted him. Well done to the brave divers who jumped in to help, one of them being the skipper who took the pictures of our Red Bull BIG wave experience (see below).



We look forward to 2009 and having you experience Cape Town the Conquest way.