[quote=the-renovator]I was hired on to help crew a Swan 65-1, sailed out of port, Durban, South Africa, 65' of beauty even for a mono-hull. We left in the evening and had a gentle on-shore breeze of 12-15 as we headed SW on a reach down to Port Elizabeth, perfect evening, ocean full of luminescent jelly-fish, when we hit them the stern of the boat would light up from the exploding luminescence. The 65' Swan had a flat area along the keel to help get the boat planing down waves, we had a stern swell that would creep up on the boat, lift the stern as it tried to pass under the keel, the boat would accelerate down the face of the wave and get planing, it became a contest to see who could surf the swell for the longest, many years of surfing gave me a distinct advantage. Because the swell was coming at a slight angle on the stern, the bow would "slew" off to port, the trick was to steer slightly to starboard as the wave lifted the stern to compensate and watch the speed accelerate from 8 knots up to 14 knots and try hold it there.
Arriving Port Elizabeth 2 days later, we found the mooring lines that had been stowed up forward on our departure from Durban had been fouled with algae, and the stench of rotting algae permeated the boat, so I hauled the lines out onto the dock, borrowed a power washer from a local fisherman and cleaned the lines, what a relief. Locals were very impressed by the yacht and would arrive to take pics and invite us for supper/drinks etc.
Next leg down to Cape Town, I was getting slightly bored, so I grabbed a fishing rod and some tackle I had seen stowed forward and dropped a line in the water, we were cruising at 12 knots and I did not think I would have any joy, but chancing on a bright pink lure I was into some Tuna, wound up with several 30lb fish which the on-board German Chef promptly turned into Sushi. That night was roused from sleep by a call for "all hands on deck", the clew plate on the jib had disintegrated and the jib was flailing in the wind, took 4 of us over an hour to subdue the jib, get it under control, and replace with spare. Arrived Cape Town Harbor with a Nor'easter clocking 40 knots, we tried to pull up to the dock but the wind kept catching the bow and swing us away, it was after midnight and there as no one around to throw a line to. After the 4th failed attempt I told the skipper I would go into the water and swim over to the dock, it had ladders into the water so I was able to get onto the dock, secure a mooring line thrown from the boat, attach it to a bollard and they were able to winch the Swan in and moor up to the dock. The next morning the Cape Yacht Club was buzzing about the late night visitor that had come in during a howling Nor'easter and had managed to moor without assistance. Many drinks were handed out during the regaling of that tale.
Unfortunately, I could not get a Visa for Brazil, the Swan was head over to Rio for Carnival, then after a few weeks cruising up the east coast of South America, the boat was going over to the Med for a year of pleasure cruising.
I still today wonder what became of that yacht, a 65' Swan called "Show Me", and how different my life would have been had I obtained that Visa to Brazil.
Renovator[/quote]
