Thoughts from the Cape of Good Hope

CARANGO AMEL 54 #035
PETER and VICKY FORBES
Tue 29 Nov 2016 16:20
34:18.84S 023:26.82E

Nearly 35 degrees South, this is as far South as we go on this circumnavigation, about 12 degrees South of the Tropics. It is cool in the evenings and actually quite cold at night. Blankets on beds and coats on watch.

The sea is calm today, a big change from the battle down the East coast. The Cape is peaceful and we are watching the wheeling flight of some spectacular sea birds of various species ; Gannets, Terns and Noddys. We have also been lucky to see an enormous Southern Ocean White Capped Albatros - what a magnificent bird. He was huge and unbelievably elegant as he arced through the sky just above the wave tops sometimes high, sometimes low - then as quickly as he came he is gone.  Impossible to photograph with our standard of skill and equipment, but very certain as to his identity - hugely different other sea birds.


 A memory from Rorkes Drift - this is the memorial to the Zulu dead - am extremely elegant tribute to unbelievable courage. A leopard on top of a pile of Zulu war shields.

We are back in the routine of the ship now as we tackle this final leg to Cape Town - weather permitting we are not planning to stop again. There are various weather bolt holes and we leap from near one to near the next watching the weather indicators all the time. So far so good.
 Sea round the Cape - we have seen various ‘rises’ of large dark shapes in this Ocean - but not well enough to identify.
 Mark and Willie contemplating Aloe in Port Elizabeth.

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