The World’s Toughest Inflatable Boat Challenge – The Trans-Agulhas Challenge – dropped into Struisbaai last night and headed out West again this morning. We went along to watch the start, which was delayed by 45 minutes because the local sea mist was preventing the spotter plane from spotting stuff.
When it came, the start was interesting, if rather unexciting. With the boats taken about waist-deep into the water, the pilots walk back to the beach, then, at the drop of the starter’s flag, leg it into the water, start the engines (some more successfully than others) and race out of the bay towards today’s destination – Gansbaai.
The waves weren’t particularly big today, but the boats are light and there were still a couple of mildly dramatic moments to keep the patient crowd on their collective toes. Briefly.
I don’t think it was the bright turquoise sea, blue sky start that the local ‘toggers were hoping for, but it was something different for the kids, and after the ridiculous heat of yesterday, the early-morning murkiness was actually rather welcome.
More boat pictures here.
And then, much like the last little rubber duck leaving the bay… that was it.
2015 has been a particularly rubbish year, and I’m hoping for much better things in 2016. Even if you’ve had a superb 2015 (because I’m sure someone out there must have had one), I hope that 2016 exceedings your expectations and is even better.
As I write, I am unaware of any successful plan to get this blog banned from the interwebs, so I’ll still be here, peddling my wares and entertaining at least myself, if no-one else.
Happy New Year, reader.