Sailing Magazine
by Richard Crockett
Here’s a cruise with a difference for two reasons. Firstly it is about a passage from Cape Town to Sydney along the edge of the Roaring Forties, and secondly because it was written by Margaret Kennedy and gives a woman’s view of sailing.
There’s possibly a third reason too, which is the fact that they sailed this passage in a Miura, three-up. We all know how bullet-proof a Miura is as a cruising boat, despite its 30-foot length.
On just their second night at sea they were hit by a black south-easter which lasted for a day and a half. “I am ashamed to say that I just lay on my bunk and cowered, in between being sick, while Norge and Neville took three-hour watches and battled it out” reported Margaret.
A Filipino ship’s Captain, when he heard the size of ‘Juluka’, replied that crazy Europeans were all the same – thrill-seekers!
Five weeks after leaving Cape Town they anchored off Amsterdam Island and were welcomed ashore. But the story of how they got to the island is just one of many delightful insights into their passage.
For those with an enquiring mind and a thirst for cruising, this is one of those “must read” features.
READ IT HERE: Pages from 1990 01 – SA Yachting – OCR
