Launch delay and a hike to Camps Bay
Well, the launch has slipped one more day, to Tuesday 19 July. I’m OK with that, because I want them to do as much as they can at the factory. The teams are working over the weekend to prepare the boat, and I don’t want to rush them. Liz leaves late Tuesday night, and I want her to be here for the launch, and so do the folks at Balance. She needs to get back because of her work at home, and there isn’t really a good way to delay her flight. So, Tuesday it is, and any remaining details will be handled while the boat is in the water at the V&A waterfront. The anticipation is increasing. I’m trying, mostly unsuccessfully, to remain cool.
The weather has been spectacular. This is winter like in Los Angeles; temps are warm, the sun is shining, and there’s a light breeze. From our AirBnB in Mouille Point we look out into table bay, and there are sailboats dancing on the waves and dodging the commercial traffic. I’ve taken to looking at vesseltracker.com to identify the ones with AIS. Yesterday morning the folks from Two Oceans (the same factory as the Balance Cats) took the recently launched Rescue 3 out on sea trials, and we saw them from the window after spotting them on the AIS.
With Liz feeling a bit under the weather, I took a long walk from Mouille Point all the way to Camps Bay. Along the way passing through Three Anchor Bay, Sea Point, Bantry Bay, and Clifton Bay. The houses along this stretch from Bantry Bay to Clifton Bay are spectacular, hanging off the cliffs. Many have parking on the roof and the house is below the road, closer to the beach. This means the view from the road is not obstructed by houses, which is nice.
Clifton Bay in Panorama.
Along the way I found a historical marker about the wreck of the São Jose, a Portuguese slaver that wrecked off Camps Bay in December of 1794. Another reminder that the beauty of Africa, and Cape Town in particular, has history.
Made it to Camps Bay!
Camps Bay is a beach town, and on a sunny Saturday it was packed with beachgoers. Lots of moderately aggressive vendors selling paintings and sculpture. I was hungry after my hike, so had a plate of fried calamari and a beer to refresh at one of the beach front chip shops, Nothing to write home about.
Springboks Logo
I then took the bus back into Green Point, where the stadium was rapidly filling with fans for the rugby match between the SA National team, the Springboks, and Wales. Many green and yellow Jerseys all converging, and I could hear the stadium announcer getting the crowd worked up. The Springboks won the match, a tiebreaker in a best of three series, so I imagine all the local fans were thrilled. Not being a follower of rugby (or any other sport, really), I returned to the AirBnB to continue counting the minutes until Tuesday Morning.
I posted a few new pics to the Build Galleries, and I’ll visit the factory on Monday and get a few last shots before the launch, keeping tabs on what is still undone. I’m sure the first few weeks in the water will be hectic as the Balance team finishes all the details, but at least she’ll be floating on her own!
Thanks for checking in. More soon!