South Atlantic Expedition

Your journey starts in Cape Town at the Royal Cape Yacht Club, where we spend the week fully preparing “Aurora” for the expedition ahead. Over the week you will  get to know your fellow crew and the vessel from end to end. We have a detailed checklist, deciding on a Menu plan, shopping, passage planning and much more - there’s a lot to do, but it’s fun and all under expert supervision.

A gentle sail up the beautiful African coastline. You will get used to the watch system and sailing together. For those who need, you can use this leg for your skippered 60NM passage or just relax and spot the dolphins that often follow us up the coast.

 We stay a couple of days in the historic, desert town of Ludertiz. Time to relax, stock up for the voyage ahead and also perhaps take a trip out to Kolmanskop - an abandoned German mining town where you can get a guide to explain it’s history and then wander the town at leisure, exploring the buildings slowly filling with sand.

We set out to sail to  St Helena island, more  than 1,000miles in the middle of the South Atlantic. The weather and sea state tends to be gentle, but this is a true ‘blue water’ passage that will take between 10 - 12 days - far from the coast, where Whales are often our only company. 

St Helena remains one of the world’s most isolated places – only accessible by boat until a couple of years ago and still wonderfully remote and unspoilt.  Arriving by yacht is the best way to appreciate it.  Once ashore, we settle into the cosy Blue Lantern hotel (Bed and Breakfast include in the trip cost). You can visit Napoleon’s house and indeed his tomb or you can say hello to Jonathan the tortoise, the world’s oldest living animal (190years old!). Relax with a beer in the old-world charm of Jamestown or take a hike into the Jungle on one of the ‘post-box’ trails. There is so much to do and see. St Helena always gives Wavysail crew a fabulous welcome – we spend approx. 5 days on the island, before we wave farewell and return to sea. 

The return to Cape Town is a true expedition sail. Heading out into the wild South Atlantic, routing towards Tristan Da Cunha, you will experience every kind of weather and, at times, this is really challenging sailing where you will make use of everything you’ve learned so far. Out here is the perfect place to  learn and practice Celestial Navigation. We spend time each day on all aspects of sailing theory and practice. We’ve done the trip countless times and know these waters extremely well - so safety will never be a concern but it’s a long leg and when Cape town appears on the horizon, you will know you have achieved a truly “once in a lifetime” ocean adventure.