Transatlantic sailing. Dodging ships in the fog. Boarded by Pelicans and Seals in Namibia.

[@klemsaba]

Every fall we have White Pelicans stopover at our little lake in Kansas. We love fall sailing and watching these great birds. None have ever approached our boat. That would be awesome!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

They were awesome to see up close. Clearly the local charter boats have been feeding them.

[@NJ-Cathie]

The seal has excellent taste in yachts!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ha Ha. If I didn't see it with my own eyes I would never believe that a seal would jump on the back of a boat while it is moving at 7 knots. Crazy, but I have the video proof that it did happen. And, yes he had good taste. :-)

[@bonzotalonzo9072]

Very nice ! The wildlife & dunes are memorable for sure.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Alonzo

[@sailingequinox1900]

The Pelicans were awesome, love watching your trip...

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Equinox. Glad to hear it.

[@Zarih67]

What a treat having guests onboard. So great. The like the Xquisite too. :) This will be a fond memory for you for years.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes. It was cool having such unique guests. So cool that it happened all at the same time.

[@Zarih67]

@@Bowmans-Woods I'm so happy for you that you got to experience this. Wild life at its best.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks

[@richardcremer]

waow Craig the invasion from the pelicans and seal was super, great episode again ⛵️👏🏻🌎

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Richard.

[@Niagra2011]

Really cool video with the pelican party and the seal joining in cause he needed a lift. Lol. Great job Craig! Cannot wait for the next one.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Niagra.

[@sausage5849]

Another great video! Thanks for sharing Craig!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Sausage.

[@whotknots]

With regard to the radar contacts encountered in thick fog If, the masthead mounted high definition camera were able to gimbal. It could be made to synchronize with the radar and lock on to manually selected contacts. It could also easily be made to focus on any contacts which approach within a minimum safe distance and maintain a steady lock and imagery using techniques already employed by UAV/drones. This would provide a system comparable to 'dash cam' which already exists in most modern motor vehicles. It would be a very useful tool for law enforcement and insurance agencies in the event of collisions or questionable/reprehensible behavior by other vessels and entities. In fog, the forward looking infrared imaging capability should be, a particularly effective and useful safety feature if used in conjunction with this. This is because it would enable crew to maintain a watch in specific directions for vessels they cannot see due to darkness and lack of lighting on a target vessel or poor visibility such as fog or squalls during daylight hours. If, a form of personal duress alarm were to be activated by crew in the event of a boarding or other irregular or even criminal, activity. Apart from remotely activating the Epirb and thus decisively recording the location of an incident, such a system could also stream any video footage obtained by the masthead camera to the same or a similar dedicated satellite channel, thus preventing it's destruction by criminals.

[@FlesHBoX]

I love how the Seal and Pelicans were all just like "sup!" chilling out with you. Definitely not the idea one gets when they imagine undomestic animals in the wild.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes. It shocked us for sure. I guess the tour boats around this area feed them so now they have gotten so use to humans (and the food they get) that they just jump on board moving boat. It was a cool experience that I was not expecting. Glad I was filming at the time.

[@markduncan6690]

Stay clear of those Pelicans! Very unpredictable!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes. I didn't trust them enough to sit amongst them like Neil. Those are some long beaks. I was happy just filming from more than arms-length away. :-)

[@marceld6061]

Count me in with Tamas, Warm weather sailing is where it's at!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Oh ya ! Count Janice and I in that same camp. We will not be doing any high latitude sailing (especially in their winter) when we have our cat. ;-)

[@Starmania_FR]

Very nice video Craig !

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Jacques.

[@Stikker021]

So nice to see my home town again. A lot has changed in the 40 odd years since I lived there. I really hope you had the opportunity to visit Swakopmund just to the north of Walvis Bay. 'Walvis' is a dutch word meaning whale but when I moved to Walvis Bay in 1965 there was already no sign of the whaling industry, having been superseded by pelagic fishing (sardine, anchovy and Cape horse mackerel). Being the only protected natural harbour in Namibia it is naturally the major import/export port, hence all the industry.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

No. We didn’t see Swakop. Next time I’m sailing by I’ll try and get there.

[@creatingmemorieswithmike4617]

Great! Namibia is a great photographers destination by the way.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

The dunes were cool. We didn’t have time to explore more than that this time. Maybe next time we see more.

[@TheCossak]

That cold fog must have been so uncomfortable for you guys, but watching the video it looks so cool. Like an eerie scene out of a movie

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Glad you liked it. It was eerie. Especially at night in the fog. Sailing blind. Radar is our savior.

[@waynemcphail7825]

Love your video!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Wayne

[@dgeorge852]

Thanksgiving dinner!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

ewww. I'd have to be pretty hungry before I stoop to that. ha ha

[@dgeorge852]

@@Bowmans-Woods BWAHAHAHA

[@matthewaustin4946]

Those fisherman are fishing with hand lines in small open boats. Come to africa ..the wild life abounds even I the cities. Great to see the ocean wildlife showing you a great welcome..... although i can only assume that they all wanted a handout for showing up... well done on not feeding them

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes. We saw the excursion boats feeding them. So now every cat looks like a feeding station. Cool to see up close but we didn’t feed them because we didn’t want them living and pooping on our boat. The seal learned quickly that we were not giving out handouts. Very cool experience though.

[@BreakingWavesSailing]

so stressful when the other boats dont have radar. Good job!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks. Well, we are not sure they didn't. I assume if they were larger fishing boats they probably did? But, who knows. Assume the aren't looking for us so we were extra vigilant to listen for the sounds of motors or any lights.

[@The_guy_on_the_internet]

@@Bowmans-Woods 3 years late to the party but I wonder if you guys tried radio them?

[@srqlisa7881]

The only thing that could make my envy go higher is if you found wild life (lion, lepoard). Looks like yall had a good time. : )peace

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Well, We did go on a safari in an earlier episode but they were not really "Wild" Lions. :-)

[@allynonderdonk7577]

Radar sure does come in handy. Some of the newer radars can paint moving boats if they are on a collision course. It is also handy to alert you of potential pirates in certain places. Off Honduras and Venezuela now there is a lot of piracy going on. Boats have to run dark to keep disagreeable people off the boat at night, and operate 150 miles off the coast. Radar helps paint those targets, so you can at least expect them...usually the boats are Pangas and not equipped with radar. The pirates are pretty easy to spot as usually there are a good number of boats traveling together headed straight for you. Cape Verde is also a hot spot, along with others in Indonesia and the Philippines. The spots off of East Africa have cooled off a lot, the warship patrols have put a stop to that activity. Anyway to change the subject. You continue to wear your Spinlock jacket even in calm waters. You and that other guy which I see wearing his are pretty much all that are concerned with staying safe. I knew somebody who drowned on his boat because he had a heart attack and fell overboard. If he had been sporting an inflatable life jacket the man might have lived. Sure they are a pain to wear, but as I say all the time, "Humans don't float so good!" Well in conclusion, the video was pretty decent and I can't wait for the next one. Are you going back to the Annapolis boat show this year??

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks for all that. Yes. We will be at Annapolis.

[@bmjforbes]

Cold and foggy is a drag... Must feel good to get on solid (warm) ground for a while.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes. I always prefer warm. Won’t miss Canadian winters when we one day live on a Sailboat.

[@lentongrovetrust5201]

The mist normally clears by 10 am in the morning when the sun burns it off, perhaps timing is more important in cases like this

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes. It was winter so the water and wind was cold. In summer I’m sure the fog would burn off fast.

[@waynefederico9396]

Fog is mother natures hangover.. it'll clear after a good sun downer.... carry-on

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ha Ha. Thanks.

[@markduncan6690]

It probably " isn't that cold"!!!

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ya, It's no Canadian winter, but our winters are dry. The fog was a damp and breezy cold. It sort of stung the exposed skin. So it felt colder than it really was, especially to those, not use to cold. That's, most of the people on the boat, except me.

[@tomwilliams8675]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks Tom

[@saiamar7547]

Warm ocean current + Cold ocean current = Fog

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yep.

[@TraneFrancks]

Brings Janice. Does once in a lifetime thing twice.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I would have loved to bring Janice. This voyage was too long for her to be off work. Next time I’m offered to do a shorter passage I’ll only go if Janice is invited. I missed her company on this long voyage. So I got seasick and homesick on this passage. 😔

[@TraneFrancks]

@@Bowmans-Woods You'll get off the hook together and make your own adventures, no doubt!

[@mutestyles]

Lol Craig. I didn't see any lights on the coast of Namibia as he sails from South Africa to Walvis Bay. I'm guessing the 1200 or so mile desert on the coast may have played a role in lack of coastal population :)

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ya. That probably is why. But we didn't see any light as we got closer to Walvis Bay. But I am sure the fog had a lot to do with that too.

[@clayfarnet970]

What are your thoughts on the rib? Do you prefer that design over a standard an inflatable? Great video! 👍👍👍

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I think the standard RIB. More stable and this one, you tended to get splashed if there were any waves.

[@thedriverseye]

Great video quality. And quick question. What precautions and drills you guys followed for safety and security, for example: pirates or random boats getting close. Thank you

[@Bowmans-Woods]

We stayed away from areas known to have pirates. That is about it. We had no weapons. But many Cats travel this same passage from Cape Town to the Caribbean. It is not a Pirate infested route.

[@cujoemblakka1041]

They're probably drifting and catching some rest after working all night.

[@tihomirrasperic]

they expect fish from crew....

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Yes, They are looking for handouts. The charter companies feed them to entertain the guests.

[@aponoypi]

Thats the why the US Navy is going back to standard watches..with lookouts with binoculars. Radar cannot catch everything

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Our radar did a good job but yes that’s why we were vigilant to keep a lookout. Just in case.

[@liamlad1]

Mine mine mine mine mine mine....

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ha ha ha. Yes. I get that reference.

[@Paul_C]

Those pelicans, how did they taste?

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Im guessing fishy? ha ha

[@Ladybirdsin16mm]

How does this cat go to windward? Or did u not get to find out?

[@Bowmans-Woods]

We sail in the last leg at about 60 degrees to the wind. The boat really flies at that angle. But we never had to pinch the wind more than that. Im guessing you would not want to sail much closer than 40 degrees. Cats don't sail well close hauled, into the wind but at anything 40d or more the cat is much faster than a similar sized Mono.

[@Ladybirdsin16mm]

Most cats without daggerboards or a draft of over 5" (some cats 58' or bigger) wont really point into the wind much more than 60°. Tho really its leeward drift thats the issue more than pointing. Impressive she flys at that angle, will have to watch

[@jackvanderhyde8828]

Wouldn't a FLIR help you see thru the fog? Is the cat equipped with one?

[@rcrogers6]

Commercially available FLIR is unlikely to aid in fog. Advanced military FLIR has a better chance in fog and dust storms - but it's iffy. Some affluent acquaintances have FLIR and don't use it often enough to justify the cost. It has helped them in narrow waterways and entering ports at night. BTW, some video cameras can "see" in very low light. The Taliban has used them.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

I’m thinking the Flir is for seeing heat images at night. Fog would probably stop the heat so the flir would not register much.

[@rcrogers6]

@@Bowmans-Woods Correct! Except for some new hybrid military sensors which can do a better job penetrating dust storms and fog when heat signatures are not available.

[@websurfer44]

What one minute! "off to our left", is that any kind of sailor talk? You meant to say PORT. lol.

[@BreakingWavesSailing]

"Is there any Red Port Left?" ;)

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Ha ha. Only sailors change simple words to different words just to seem elite. Ha ha. Toilet = head. Kitchen = Galley etc etc etc. And heaven forbid you say the non sailor term or you should be forced to “walk the plank” Ha ha.

[@rcrogers6]

Isn't this the second time "we" are making this trip to Namibia? For someone with Transatlantic experience, your comments sound inane. First, indigenous fisherman off the coast of Third World nations are unlikely to have radar and AIS. Second, you complain about their not sounding a fog horn - where's your foghorn to alert them? [Two years in a row, the QE2 came up the Chesapeake Bay in fog and made Security calls on the VHF asking various little boats like mine what our intentions were. We all answered. Many had VHFs that automatically sounded fog signals. The real hazard is the type of fishing they were doing. It's good it wasn't long line or trawling. You commented on this before, the atmosphere on the boat is very poor and you are clearly uncomfortable. The first bad sign was when the preponderance of the crew decided that beer was a food group. So far, for armchair sailors, this voyage is not enjoyable. The only one who seems to know anything about sailing the boat is the company's founder and the boat's owner isn't seen learning anything. This just doesn't measure up to your standards. BTW, frquent wind speed and boat speed data would help.

[@tbonemc2118]

What more would you like them to do? They changed course to avoid very slow moving targets allowing a wide berth besides being very alert for targets the radar might not have detected. This is the skeleton coast and these boats may have been fishing for something other than fish and not wanting any attention. As far as data is concerned I was thinking the exact opposite after the views we had of the plotter. The wind was from the se at 15 to 19 knots, the boats course was 19 magnetic, , depth approx. 220 ft., speed over ground 3.5 to 5. What else is there? Oh that's right the life jacket, tethers and drinking on board nanny brigade. I didn't see any children on board or evidence of anyone under the influence while on watch.

[@Bowmans-Woods]

Thanks T-bone for coming to our defense. Not sure why people who always seem to want to complain bother to watch? No one forced them. You are right. We are a slow moving Sailboat going in a straight line. Fishing boats can move fast and tend to zig zag. And could even hit each other if they don’t have even radar so they should at least blow a horn or ring a bell to notify other ships in the fog that they are there. We were being super vigilant looking and listening on a Sailboat that is not running out engines. You can’t control the negativity and people the find fault in everything but it’s nice to have viewers like you that are positive, speak up.

[@rcrogers6]

@@Bowmans-Woods That's pretty funny, a law enforcement officer rationalizing breaking the saw of the Sea. You are obligated to sound your horn at an interval prescribed by law. Being on a relatively slow, that day, sailboat does not exempt. You take comfort in juvenile remarks - so be it. I am not negative as I like your boat reviews - and agree with them. But YOU criticized native fishermen for not sounding their horns. That was the height of hypocrisy. They were wrong and your vessel was wrong. They probably never sound their horns as they usually can see each other or each other's lights. Under sail only, they are required by law to avoid you, but it was not necessary. You and I have no idea what navigation aids those fishermen could afford, but you chose to pass judgement without any facts. BTW, if they had radars, you could see them as moving lines on your radar if B&G has that feature. Lastly, you have gained solace from a contributor who implies that the fishermen were engaged in illegal activity. Again, a presumption a policeman should not join in.