Today was a clean-up day on STARSHIP.We removed the salt and polished the ship and removed the remnants of chum from the after deck.

Last night our trip around Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope was great. The weather co-operated very nicely. Around 23:30 we rounded the Cape. Last night there was a magnificent full moon. From 20 miles away we could see the light at Cape Point – one of the brightest I have ever seen. As we rounded the point the moonlight faintly illuminated the rocks and cliffs and cast a long line of grey over a gently rolling sea with a very calm wind. It was one of those scenes that is impossible to capture with a camera. There are times when only the vision of an artist or poet can properly capture the emotion and exquisiteness of a scene. There is something very impressive about seeing rock and cliffs emerge from the ocean at night, there is no definition, only shapes. The larger the rocks and cliffs the more imposing the shapes. This perfect scene is broken up by the flash of a lighthouse shining its warning which acts as an explaination point to emphasize the ruggedness and underscore the caution which must be exercised.

Enjoying a sundowner at Grootbos in the Fynbos region.

We arrived in Capetown at 0400h. All cities take on another character as they sleep, while the lights are on the bustle of activity is gone. During the day the activities of business and people are constantly moving on the landscape but while a city sleeps all the visual noise of that movement and activity is gone. There is something very fresh and solitary about the experience of coming into harbour while everyone sleeps. Everything changes a bit. The commands for docking that can be loud during the day take on subdued tones. The act of docking generally seems to be smoother. In many ways it feels as if we are tiptoeing into a room while someone is sleeping. Early morning arrivals allow you to sit and appreciate the beauty of a place without distraction. The interesting reality of this is that it completes a picture. Sleeping and waking are two unique states and to understand a place fully we need to appreciate all of its states.

Last night our internet connection was restored to working order, it had been spotty during the previous few days. Generally we uplink 4 times each day to get mail and web information: 2300h, 0600h, 1200h and 1800h. During our 2300h satellite uplink we downloaded some very nice emails from people in Gansbaai. One struck me in particular. It was from two people who watched us leave port. It is funny at the same time we were being watched we were watching back. Sometimes when the scale changes with distance we forget about the human connection and see only the environment, or structure – it was a nice email because it reminds us all to appreciate not just the what we can see but what we can’t see and in this case the people who disappear from view as the scale changes.

Exquisite flora in the Fynbos region.

The Great White experience was unique and memorable for all. We thank everyone we worked with JP, Andre, Michael, Ryan, Monique and Chris. The nice thing about STARSHIP is the transfer of knowledge and experience. While we try to capture and share as much as possible, little bits always fall through in the telling. One of our biggest challenges is finding ways to communicate and tell the story that expresses the impact it has on each of us. We do that through writing, photographs, videography and sound. Finding the best way to tell and share a story is also part of the quest on STARSHIP. Being able to tell a story in a way that touches the audience in the way that it touched the teller is as epic a quest as going around the world. The journey on STARSHIP is about so many things – it is about places, wildlife, experience, environment, crew, people and challenges. Every experience opens up a new path, every interaction makes a deeper connection.

Fair winds, calm seas

Brady