With its dramatic landscapes and abundance of wildlife both on land and at sea, Namibia has proved to be very popular with all the participants with almost everyone stating, “we will definitely be coming back”. With magnificent sand dunes right on the doorstep of Walvis Bay town, crews have had the opportunity to explore, learn and have an enormous amount of fun in the sand.
Walvis Bay Yacht Club was home to the fleet and it’s thanks to the Committee and Members for making everyone feel so very welcome to Namibia. With a deck area overlooking the lagoon complete with a large fire pit, Sundowners and Braai evenings have been part of the social activities during the stopover. As a sign of our appreciation Club burgees were swapped between Commodore Leon van Aardt and World ARC Event Manager, Andrew Pickersgill.
There have been day visits to the coastal town of Swakopmund where there are popular attractions such as a museum, art galleries and authentic souvenir shops. Trips to the vast desert have included the incredibly beautiful Moon Valley, historical trails on quad bikes and 4x4 dune rides. The sand dunes are almost alive. With some moving 5-meters per year many treasures are exposed creating a historic trail with artifacts and footprints unearthed after 2,000 years.
For those wishing to explore further afield, 2-night stays on safari camps provide more spectacular views and close-up encounters with some of the very special and larger wildlife which roam the lands of Namibia. Elephants, giraffe, zebra and antelope were all viewed during their stay and it’s thanks to Seaside and Mistral of Portsmouth for sharing their amazing desert safari pictures.
With expert knowledge of the area, Honorary Secretary, Antoinette Lambert, assisted with car hire, tours and local information. The town of Walvis Bay has provided the fleet with good provisioning opportunities and with a very skilled mechanic onsite, any engine maintenance has also been quickly solved. On behalf of the fleet, we thank Antoinette and the team at the Club for your sincere efforts to ensure everyone had the very best time in Namibia.
After such a great visit the fleet are somewhat reluctant to depart, but the Atlantic Ocean is calling, and the volcanic and tropical island of St Helena awaits their arrival. With a route of 1,215 NM, the fleet will take around 8-9 days to reach this island full of history. With the famous Jacob's Ladder to visit there are already challenges being made amongst crews as to who can run up the 699 steps the fastest. The wonderful camaraderie amongst the fleet continues!
Following their stop in St Helena, they will head to Recife in Brazil which is a further 1,785 NM. We expect the first of the boats to arrive around 10 February. With such a vast and beautiful country to explore, there are sure to be many more expeditions to add to the phenomenal adventures the World ARC have already experienced.