HOUT BAY WEEKEND
Hout Bay Trip November 29 - 30
With the Dassen Island cruise cancelled due to no liferaft being on board, it was decided to re-route our weekend cruise to Hout Bay instead, as this does not require the safety of the liferaft to be on board.
We dropped lines at Royal Cape at around 14H00, and headed out into some glorious weather in Table Bay. The wind was 12-15knts WNW, and promised to be a good ride to Hout Bay. Sadly this was not to be, as the wind headed SW,with the approach of a frontal system, that brought with it a fair dose of rain and very poor visibility. We did however encounter quite a few whales off Sandy Bay and Karbonkelberg. The weather lightened up as we approached The Sentinel. We were safely docked in Hout Bay Yacht Club at around 18H30. After squaring the boat away, it was a dash for the clubhouse for a hot coffee (and a shower for Sandy).
After which we went in search of food. First we tried Dirty Dicks, only to find that the building was no longer there! We settled for a dinner at Mariners Wharf.

Sunday morning, breakfast was served aboard, thanks to Sandy. Dale, Bernice and Daniel made an appearance at the marina before we left home. The sails were hosted inside the harbor and we sailed out, as Dale took a pic or two, on our way passed. There was a good 12 knt SE wind blowing, which gave us a steady 8.5 knots out of the bay. The views of seal island and the sentinel being enjoyed by all. Matej tried his hand at the helm, as we rounded the Karbonkelberg and the crane wreck. Once again we were met by the whale brigade, a good twenty plus of them, spread out across the horizon. This time we managed to keep well clear, as we made our passage passed Llanduno and the Twelve Apostles, still maintaining a good 8 knot average. We were tested by a few gusts spinning off the mountain.
As we closed in on Camps Bay, the wind become more and more fickle. I started the motor from about Clifton, as the wind sucked away, for a short motor home. Our return trip, running in at around 2.5 hours. Not Bad ! All in all, a very enjoyable week end.
The crew aboard for this trip, Ian, Walter, Sandy and Matej.