Sailing across country borders, International Sailing, South Africa to Namibia | Land Rats | EP70
July 9, 2022 · 41 min · 853 views · Cape Town
Sailboat heeling hard under South African flag in rough seas
What this video covers
A van der Stadt 34 departs Cape Town's Royal Cape Yacht Club for Lüderitz, Namibia — roughly 500 nautical miles north — after a two-month layover waiting for a new mainsail.11:51 The new main, fitted with three deeper reefs, goes up cleanly for the passage.8:06 Customs and immigration clearance in Cape Town is described as straightforward before departure.9:08
The three-day offshore passage runs along the South African and Namibian coast in light-to-moderate conditions, with persistent fog on days two and three limiting visibility significantly.17:52 A close-quarters AIS encounter with another sailboat at 0.1 nautical miles overnight highlights the value of AIS monitoring in low visibility.21:20 Large swells build on day three, requiring a reefed main.25:16 The crew fishes with two rods and lands a tuna on the third morning.22:53 A genoa halyard block fails when a rope chafes through at the masthead; the crew fixes it at anchor in Lüderitz by climbing the mast, replacing the rope with a shackle, and applying PTFE spray to the mast track.32:57 Lüderitz is reached after the swell eases; immigration check-in is completed the morning after arrival.35:22 The passage confirms that AIS is the primary collision-avoidance tool when fog eliminates visual contact.
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