THE LAST LEG -- SOUTH AFRICA TO THE ISLE OF WIGHT

Hazel Perkes

(Bill and Hazel completed their circumnavigation in mid June and circulated their last `Sherpa Bill Newsletter' a few weeks later. Oh that we were all such excellent and regular correspondents!).

We rejoice. We are once more home at Mill Cottage, safe and well. Sherpa Bill is on her mooring in the Medina River having a good rest. Biggles, Tyrell and his new wife Ementel (the coconut turtles from Carriacou) will exchange tales of daring-do with anyone who will listen and Bill has a brand new sail for his Scow and is so looking forward to a week's racing in Yarmouth before Cowes Week.

We left South Africa with all its pre-election strife, form-filling, flight plans and gales on Tuesday 11 January, being given a splendid send-off as we set sail for St Helena. Seasickness was again a problem for me but after three days I began to appreciate life at sea and we picked up friends on the VHF and our daily chats were great. We saw albatrosses, petrels and pilot whales and even managed to catch a bonito and three tuna which made our diet much more interesting. The sailing proved to be quite magnificent and I, for one, have never enjoyed a passage so much. Sitting sewing in the sunshine all day, and listening to music on the headphones under the moon and stars each night was pure heaven. We touched neither sail nor sheet for days on end. Those who have braved the Agulhas Current merit such conditions, I told myself!

We crossed the Greenwich Meridian on 20 January and arrived at St Helena four days later. A more delightfully `English' place is hard to imagine. Customs quickly came on board and there was a ferry to run us ashore. Luckily there was not much swell but even so, landing interesting. You jump from the boat onto a metal grating and use hanging ropes to cling onto rather like monkeys! We quickly joined up with friends and together toured the island. The capitol is set in a steep-sided valley with the famous Jacob's Ladder going straight from bottom to top in 699 steps. Churches, a castle with a moat, pretty gardens full of flowers and fish cakes as Annie's Place. A visit to Napoleon's grave and house, a call on the huge ancient tortoises -- who love their necks being tickled -- at the Governor's House and we felt once more like real travellers visiting far off and remote places. It was all so green, with narrow country lanes and nerve wracking sheer drops to the sea far below.

After a few splendid days we left bound for islands off the coast of Brazil. This would be about 1700 miles, the same as from South Africa to St Helena give or take a few miles. Once again we were blessed with the most perfect sailing conditions -- wind 8-10 knots, speed 5-5 1/2 knots. Fish for dinner, and on the radio we heard Trudy in Barbados sending greetings to us, which was very special and gave us a warm glow! My birthday brought the mail-man, a harvest moon, a cloudless day and, for dinner, meat bottled in South Africa and a jar of blackberries give to us by Jean Cook in Cowes so long ago. Perfect.

We saw dolphins in their hundreds but only a few tropic birds, gannets and petrels. No whales. Arrived at Fernando de Noronha on 9 February and quickly got the formalities over and set off to explore. The trees in full bloom were glorious, all such vibrant colours. Inflation was running at 1 percent per day, but we worked it out that we could afford a few bottles of rum to go in the store cupboard as it was only about œ3 a bottle! There was no water available on the island but lots of rubbish bins -- a nice change. Goats wandered everywhere, their long ears a source of amusement, and cows and cobbled streets and fresh bread. We were interested to note how many Brazilians had chosen to stay on the island to escape Carnival.

The passage to Trinidad was very different -- 2000 miles of fast sailing and lots of squalls which meant constant sail changing, but no doldrum calms. We crossed the Equator at 1850 on 15 February at 3748'W, and then it rained. And forgot to stop. Very rolly, humid and uncomfortable. But fast. We towed the generator as there was no sun for the solar panels. We stayed 200 miles off the Amazon delta to avoid any debris such as tree trunks which float far out to sea, but it was not until we neared Trinidad that we once again got clear skies and sun. Bill completed his circumnavigation in the Dragons Mouth on 26 February at 1100 with sea eagles, frigate birds and pelicans all around us.

It was very good to be back in the Caribbean and we very slowly went north, luxuriating in having the time to stop in our favourite anchorages. Easter saw Bill as part of the crew on Stormy Weather in the Bequia Regatta, then to St Croix in the Virgin Islands and up to Tortola for the OCC meet. Bill had been made a Roving Rear Commodore and was very honoured. We were in need of a real rest now and spent our days swimming, diving and wandering the islands. So many wonderful anchorages so close together and `food parcels' given to us by people on charter yachts leaving for home. Marvellous. It was a good time.

The sail to the Azores was greatly assisted by all the information gathered from South Bound II in Bermuda via the radio. Doing as he advised we turned east, kept south and had an eighteen day crossing which was most pleasant. Horta was, as always, magic. We refurbished our wall painting, getting it up-to-date, managed at last to see the volcano in sunshine and felt homesick at the sight of all those windmills! It is a source of great happiness on a cruise to meet up over and over again with boats you have met previously. There we were in Horta with friends met so long ago in the Canaries. The social side is most important and the exchange of news, passage experiences and lessons learned make a very strong bond.

Then the last passage of this cruise -- Horta to Cowes. The winds were not kind, being too much from the direction in which we wanted to go, but with strict instructions from `the powers that be' to return on Sunday 19 June at 3.00pm we did just that. The wind eventually turned in our favour and will full sails, sunshine and flat seas we raced home. Even Customs helped by clearing us at sea as we passed the West Country. The Needles glowed in the evening sunshine on Saturday 18th and there were tears of joy in our eyes on seeing our Island once more. We picked up a buoy in the river at Lymington, dined well and slept. Sunday morning, and we were joined by our son and daughter-in-law and together sailed up to Cowes to be met by Captain Henry Wrigley and a flotilla of boats. Our daughter and two grandchildren were waiting at the Island Sailing Club, who threw a Champagne Reception for us and gave Bill his `Round the World Cup'. What a welcome home!

Some facts and figures for those who like that sort of thing:

Length of cruise: 1001 days

Distance sailed: 36,000 miles

Average speed for long passages: 5.1 knots

Countries visited: 28

Islands visited: 86

Anchorages: 211

We both want to thank all those people who contributed to the success of our cruise. The letter writers who made such an effort to keep in touch, giving us news of home, friends, the Archers et al. The friends who `adopted' us, showed us their way of life, their country, cooked us meals and give us baths. Fellow sailors without whom life would have been very empty and lonely, and the dozens of supporters who organised medical kits, spare parts and repairs for us. Maggie and John who gave me a home-from-home and finally our family whose love, support and sheer hard work in looking after our affairs while we were so far away made it all possible. Thank you each and every one.

We are proud, happy and very content to be home. A dream fulfilled.

(1437 words)