There to Here – Namibia and Across the Atlantic
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Lüderitz anchorage with the waterfront park in the foreground.
Arriving in Namibia in 2015 by sea was dramatically different than our previous land touring in 2007. We hadn’t visited the tiny, out of the way, coastal town of Lüderitz on our previous trip and we found its people to be most welcoming.
Midst the usual repairs and maintenance requirements, we enjoyed time with many new friends and took full advantage of exploring the area and its unusual offerings. Ghost towns, wild horses, desert wildlife, diamond mining … we wanted to see it all. We’ve just updated the JALF Namibia page so you can take a closer look at our travels!
The drive to Windhoek was long and dry over potholed, gravel roads, but there were stops along the way with some unexpected delights ... like Helmeringhausen shown above.
An unexpected request to drive a new friend to the airport in Windhoek, a nine hour drive away, gave us access to a vehicle for a couple of weeks. How could we resist? Road trip!! We revisited some places we’d seen before and included several new venues on the itinerary.
We finally left Lüderitz, Namibia bound for St. Helena Island on a cold, sunny August morning … and cold and raw it remained for days. Want to sail along with us on this passage? Warning … bundle up! Remember south of the Equator, August is mid-winter.
The passage from Namibia to St. Helena Island was cold and raw. Shivering selfie at sea!
We’d visited St. Helena Island back in 2007 on our second Atlantic crossing. We were interested to see how and if things had changed and to visit with friends we had met on our last visit. We weren’t disappointed in the least. We renewed acquaintances with old friends, met new friends, re-visited some of our favorite places and thoroughly enjoyed being on-island again. We just updated our St. Helena Island web page. Take a look!
View of Cups from the top of Jacob's Ladder, St. Helena Island
After a week or so at St. Helena, it was time to get a move-on. Settled weather was in our favor and we set out on a 3,200nm passage bound for French Guiana. The nearly month-long passage was warmer and mostly pleasant. Things broke … of course! But there were days of perfect sailing and days of boredom. We actually made our Bob the Stink video on this passage which we think you’d enjoy watching.
Sunsets were stunning.
If you’re so inclined, you can follow our Atlantic passage from St. Helena to French Guiana ... day by day by day. Interested in an Atlantic Crossing Highlights video. You’ve come to the right place.
Anchored at Iles du Salut, French Guiana ... a beautiful sunrise after 26 days at sea.
We arrived in Les Iles du Salut, French Guiana on our 27th passage day. We were back across the Atlantic back in South America. It was warm, the end of a passage and we were elated. Don't forget to check out those videos I mentioned or the new website pages. We think you'll enjoy them.
Join us next week when we’ll explore the Guianas … French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana, and head on to Trinidad.