Western Cape
Day seventeen saw the team take on the might of the Cape of Storms and head from Millers Point to the V&A Waterfront. The trip to the point was calm with a tail wind pushing the team. There was much bird activity in the distance and gannets could be seen wheeling in the sky, turning and diving on an unidentified baitfish species. Once at the point the monstrous seas that greeted us put paid to much of our animal spotting and the trip on the inside of “The Bellows” and “Southwestern Reefs” seemed never ending. We encountered seals at regular intervals and two sunfish were spotted between Clifton and the harbour wall.
Day Eighteen and the team travelled from Cape Town Harbour to Saldanha Bay. The wind had calmed down for once and the large swell was all that remained of a triple whammy of cold fronts that had dogged the team since Struisbaai. Once again sunfish and seals seemed to be the order of the day with a lot of this activity in the Yzerfontein area. It was at this point that the plankton net used to collect the water samples was lost over board and a mad scramble would ensue to find a replacement net. As always Mike Farqhar, curator at the Two Oceans Aquarium, would step up and find a net as well as valuable efforts by Steve Benjamin of www.animalocean.co.za <http://www.animalocean.co.za/> to ensure that the marine component of this campaign could continue. At Saldanha Bay the team were treated to thousands of comorants performing a fly by which was an incredible sight. On this day we saw the first of what was to become many Heavisides Dolphin encounters as well as a dusky dolphin in the vicinity of Blouberg.
Day nineteen saw a weather enforced lay over at Saldanha as the team sat out yet more gale force winds and seven meter swells.
Day twenty saw the team make slow progress around Cape Columbine to Lamberts Bay as they inched their way up the west coast. Heavisides dolphin sightings were frequent with group sizes never exceeding five individuals. The only other marine animals spotted were seals but the bird life stepped up a notch as many species of petrel were sighted including the northern giant petrel and the Wilson’s Storm petrel , gannets, comorants, terns, gulls, sub Antarctic skua’s and a black browed albatross completed the line up.
Day twenty one and the team were in sight of the finish line but the sea seemed hell bent on ending this epic adventure before the finish and yet again the team faced a barrage of wind and sea that reduced progress to a snails pace and the team beached at Brand se Baai. Although there were many sightings of Heavisides dolphin and seals on the day the best was yet to come with a group of over thirty Heavisides in the Bay. They put on a spectacular display, surfing in front of the ski’s and breaching all around the team.
Northern Cape
Day twenty two and the team faced a big swell but otherwise windless conditions. This break in the weather allowed the team a chance to complete the journey a distance of 346 kilometers on the day. Heavisides dolphin were everywhere and little groups of three to five individuals were seen along the entire stretch of coast. Seals and sunfish were the other notable encounters and the sea birds were once again a treat. No feeding by the sea birds was witnessed by the team however. The team passed two huge seal colonies where, literally, thousands of seals could be seen both in and out of the water. On entering the Orange River the team were greeted by a huge flock of pelicans and many other waders in the tranquil waters.
This epic adventure by a team of intrepid adventurers and lead by Russell Symcox have now travelled from Coast to Coast to raise funds and awareness for the fight against Cancer. The marine census and water sample collections have gone well and will serve as a message in a bottle for future generations.
Species of animals sighted:
Humpback dolphin, Heavisides dolphin. Bottlenose and dusky dolphin;
Cape Fur seals;
African Penguin;
Brydes Whale;
Ragged Tooth Shark;
Sunfish;
Manta Ray;
Various species of game- and bait fish;
Sea Birds: petrels, skua’s, albatross, gannets, comorants, gulls, terns.
