What have you done this weekend...?

Not this weekend but the previous one.
Here my family at the Manzaneda resort.

Cheers.

 

from here to here in a week big shock
kept car--not smashed one so may come spain NEXT time, umph, how many times said this, times are tuff now

 

Since it's holidays, I guess this week could count as a long weekend.

I cought my first rainbow trout, and it's higly overrated. I would rather catch canaries instead, they fight much better.

I cought a female (top) and my friend cought the male and a female. We ate them, which was much better than catching them

 

and we spent a whole night on Tuesday on Aldam (old Allemanskraal dam) and did not even had a bite This dam will not see me soon again. Been there about 30 years ago and it will only perhaps see me 30 years from now again

However, Im off to Bloemhof dam later today (115km) with the big boat and 4x4 for some afternoon and night fishing from the boat - will go out of the dam into the Vaal river...

 

Well well
best of the best for all of ya for 2009
back at work = it sucks - HOWEVER i was SUCH a good boy this holiday that i can now get back to my garage and carry on building my little cat without the missus complaining that i spend my life in the garage

Last week my wife and i spent the week at a lodge at the Maputo border across the river from the Kruger park, we only went into the park one day, but were very fortunate to see a lot of animals

and to all the saffas, i hope that we can do some serious damage to the "Jack" at the around the island race on the 30 Jan 2009 - i am allowed to go now because i was good in Dec

and yes, the search for crew will continue

go well boys

 

Thanks Manie, I'll take it !!

Have you moved your bed back into the house then

Only ONE day out ? What have you done the rest of the time ? No, I don't want to know. You said the wife is happy and that's what counts You must be really tired though

Mmmm... One... two... a lot. I see. Or have you counted the tic birds also then

I don't know why you went so far Manie. Everyone overseas knows that those wild animals including lion and elephant roam our streets and back yards.

I wonder how things went for Wynand at Bloemhof...

 

Shitty again, and the bad part; I nearly turned my boat turtle and drowned
A bad storm get hold of me running rather close to shore just as I round a "Cape". It got hold of the boat on the beam as I tried to run the trough to climb the next wave, but the chop was so close that the next wave just lifted the the already badly heeled hull over and luckily the bow fall off the wave and plowed into the water and the stern turned to the waves that just cam crushing over the engine and transom. The 140hp Johnson could not get me out of that and I let the boat beach and sat on shore until it cleared a bit.

Fanie, I was never so scared in my life and believe me, if you have never braved a storm on Bloemhof (it is notorious for sinking boats) , you don't know what evil is all about. The ocean is child's play in the surf and open water.
At Bloemhof we had waves about 1.5 meter high about a meter apart, with the crests streaking in 2 - 3 ft plumes off the waves in that blow - how do you ride a boat on them...

My big boat is a 5 meter LOA cathedral hull, 2.2m beam with lot of freeboard with an offshore Cat C clearance and used regularly in the big blue pond, but Bloemhof dam made it look like a cano in ****.

Wont ever get me on that evil water with clouds in the sky..

Ps, Sprang leaks in the hull with the pounding when beached and the apprentice is still busy fixing up the hull

 

Manie, why is it every time I go your way it is pouring. Passed close to your house on the freeway today at about 11h30 in that pouring rain on my way to Schallies to collect a load of marine ply.
When I came back it was still pouring - I wanted to come over for a bit of coffee, but I left the GPS and your Cell number at the shop in my haste and no way will I find my way to your mansion without my GPS.

Going that way soon again and see you then and we can go and make a nuisance of ourselves at Fanie's place.

 

Wynand - hey man you missed out on some serious fun
because the builders got rained out today i was watching Vendee Globe videos on Youtube

farkit man i wanna go sailing now - beeg time
**** when you one-day finish the Lightening 6 we gonna smoke them

 

He he... been there, done that, got the t-shirt, burned the video...

The worst part is when you launch from Zandveld and go left around that 'cape', it sounds like that was where you were. I've been there in about 2m waves, actually it's not waves, it is more like lumps of water springing up out of no-where and in any direction, similar to the washing machine in CT, only CT is not as bad

I've seen many a boat capsize and sink on Bloemhof, that place is no joke in stormy weather, which was the reason I came home one day from Bloemhof, cut all the interior out of my boat and refitted everything with the 2m^3 Sondor foam. Life jacket or not you will drown there. My son was with me and we rode into it from the Vet river - he was crying with fear. We didn't have much choice, an even worst storm was fast approaching from the south and I wanted us out of there. Got him looking aft which helped, I didn't need the distraction. Couldn't wear glasses, the spray makes visibility impossible and without the glasses the drops sting your skin and eyes. Half blind in a place where you must see

I don't know how long it took us to get through that patch, it felt like forever and I was dog tired and shakey. (couldn't smoke all that time )

That is what pisses me off terribly when SAMSA's female surveyor who obviously has zero experience comes here and surveys my boat, tells me I must be able to change a spark plug on the water, tries to sell me a flimsy bracket and a piece of pipe as an alternative steering and I must have oars on the boat. I challenge anyone out there to come and row my boat with oars, steer the boat with that 'steering' or change a spark plug on those waters Sorry, couldn't resist that

The only boat I ever saw that performed well on that dam in a storm was an 8m semi rigit with twin motors on. I was impressed. Godzilla was right, size does count

Ski-boats - for get it. Seen too many of them getting flipped right at the launch. I hate those bloody unsafe things they allow people on the sea with, yet every one tells you how safe they are. Do the Bloemhof test china

Anyway, Wynand, that kind of thing mostly happen to people who goes fishing and does not invite me along, ok ? Some people are punished immediately

 

Fanie, the first thing I done last Monday morning after that trip from hell, was to let the apprentice loose with the baby grinder and took the whole floor (double bottom) out, dumped the few Coke bottles and reinforced the hull in the forward part of the hull (flimsey) where she took a pounding and reinforced with 3 layers of 450g CSM with a 2mm Coremat sandwiched for good measure. The hull was then turned on its side and the "3 hulls" properly reinforced with another 4 layers of 450g CSM.

Right way up again we start pouring in two part closed cell PU foam right up to the floor level - about 60% done today and already 610 cub liters went in and still the aft part to do. When done I will have in excess of 240% flotation in lieu of the 30% SAMSA requires for boats <9m.
Over the foam "floor" we will lay a 4mm plywood floor covered with a couple of layers of CSM. This procedure will stiffen my boat to the extreme and noway will this captain goes down with his ship

Next time I will be ready for Bloemhof /zandveld.

Yes Fanie, that was the "Cape" that freaked me out and damage the boat. I actually pulled the boat from the water up the sandy embankment and thru the dunes with the 4x4 - no way I could make it to the launch in that mess. That was actually fun; shore fisherman that help getting the boat on the trailer made bets we would not get that boat on its 4 wheel trailer and the truck out of the drink, never mind up the sandy embankment and through the dunes... Did not even spin a wheel after locking the diffs and low range hooked.
But earlier I had a similar spell, albeit not as bad - going under the bridge towards the river intake and traveling about 5 minutes from the bridge at 3/4 140hp throttle, you round a Cape that take you to the entrance of the bay that runs into the game reserve. There I also had a close shave when we entered around it into the dam and had to beach on the sand and wait for things to calm down.

 

I took the big grinder

My friend many years ago (passed away since) split his dragonfly's hull in such a storm during a Free State championships we had there. They sank 50m from shore, then had to hold their breath and push when a wave came, between waves they rested and breathed. They got it close to shore that way. There was about 8 differnt 4 x 4's that didn't make it. Then the guy from nature conservation rocked up with his little Valljapie, and pulled the whole bunch out. It was quite a thing, half the population was there to assist. Times were different then. Those sands are famous for humbling the city yappies with their 4 x 4's

There is a submerged pole just around the corner from the launch, many guys have holed their boats there, and there are some towards the dam wall to the right... big ones. You should maybe add another couple of layers for that

Have you noticed there is no Hyacinth taking hold in Bloemhof ? Easy to explain. The waves are too big and throw the hyacinth out on the shore.

There is one other place that is very dangerous, past the bridge on your right, the entrance of the very first sloop, makes enormous waves right there.

Now for the big Q Wynand.

It was nice hearing about your self inflicted troubles, but did you catch anything ?

 

now must I embarrassed myself any further

Already planning my next trip for the 23rd weekend at Renosterkop dam past your way - wanna catch some nice big blou kurpers (bream) which I am a master at

 

Wynand, you need some help with the fish, ok, talk to me. Pap swaai is not the answer




Manie and myself went traipsen around Harties today.

Note pic 4... 'The Thinker'

 

I must say Manie is really a pleasant chap to have aboard. Not much to do though. We tried some things with the ropes and once that was done that was it... just cling to stay on top as you can see

Wind died late afternoon. This is where the sea is better, more constant wind.