Well, the blog is a week behind. I’ve been very busy entertaining our distributors, going to formal business dinners, delivering presentations, and doing my regular day-job as well. My days have been starting around 7:00 a.m. and ending around midnight. Sure, we managed to have some fun (as the video will attest), but we also worked really hard. Work hard, play hard…that’s our way!
My first impression of Cape Town is that it’s windy. We may have the “Windy City” of Chicago, but it can’t hold a match to the winds here. This became evident when we decided to charter a catamaran out of the harbor for a few hours’ sail. On board was my friend and coworker Sue Dommeyer, her husband Jay, Todd Radtke, the captain, first mate, and me. As we were leaving the harbor for the open ocean, we clocked 60 knots of wind on the wind indicator.
60 knots converts to 69 miles per hour. Hurricane winds begin at 74 miles an hour…so we were experiencing what hard-core sailors would call a “stiff breeze.” For a moment, our captain had a look of sheer and utter terror on his face as we all grabbed on to handrails to hold on for dear life as our catamaran bobbed about like a cork. I had always heard the “cats” were supposed to be very stable in rough weather, but I quickly learned otherwise.
Once we entered the open ocean, the wind and seas died down. The captain relaxed and even told us that we’d set a new speed record…22 knots! It was smooth sailing from here on out. We encountered whales (we never actually saw them, but we could see their tale-tell signs of breathing through their blow-holes), big cargo ships, and a shark. All in all, it was a very pleasant day to be on the water.
One of the most striking features of Cape Town, whether viewed from the land or the water, is Table Mountain. The mountain gets its name from its very flat top and steep sides. It rises approximately 3,500 feet above sea level.
One of the coolest aspects of the mountain is the clouds that form on the top. On an otherwise perfectly cloudless day, the Table Mountain will often be covered by a “table cloth” of white clouds that form and dissipate as if by magic. Oh, sure, there’s probably some fancy scientific explanation for the phenomenon, but the local legend is much more fun. Apparently, the clouds are actually the visible results of a smoking contest between the Devil and a local pirate named Van Hunks. How cool is that?
Over the next couple of days, I will try to get more South Africa video edited for the blog. In the meantime, enjoy a virtual sail around the Cape Town Harbor…
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2 comments:
Lively sail. But does Todd really think Capetown is on the Pacific?
Did I say Pacific? I swear I said Atlantic.... I knew there was a down side to a video camera. The only thing I will say in my defense is Robert didn't catch it either.
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