The last of the morning mist had just dispersed as we arrived at Walvis Bay’s Harbour to join the sailing catamaran ‘Fairweather 1’ for one of her daily cruises to Pelican Point. Whilst smartly dressed crewmen helped us aboard the 40’ yacht, the skipper gave the command to release the lines and ‘Fairweather 1’ slipped gently away from the Harbour Wall.

As we motored out of the main channel en-route to Pelican Point, the Skipper introduced himself and gave a brief safety talk (Port is Left, Starboard Right etc) before inviting us to enjoy a glass of complimentary champagne – immediately I realized that I was going to enjoy this trip! The gentle hum of the motors soon faded as the crew set about hoisting the sails, and before we knew it we were making good speed towards the Oyster Farm on the West side of the Bay. It was surprising to see just how fast and stable the boat felt under sail – unlike mono-hull boats, a catamaran with it’s twin hulls lies flat in the water and experiences far less rocking motion, all of which pleased those aboard prone to motion sickness!

Approaching the Oyster Farm our crew invited us in to the Saloon area on the boat where we sat around the table and greedily tucked into a platter of fresh Walvis Bay Oysters. There was a pleasant breeze propelling the boat towards Pelican Point, and before long we found ourselves just a few metres off the Point watching the seal colonies as they played. It was the Skipper who was first to spot the Sun Fish lazily warming itself on the surface, we approached under sail, the skipper guiding the boat gently past the huge fish just feet away – a fantastic Kodak moment!

The return journey was a moment to relax in the sun, take in the splendid views, and let the Brötchen lunch digest! The peace and quiet was disturbed only momentarily as we crowded onto the trampolines at the front of the boat to admire a school of spinner dolphins as they played between the hulls of the catamaran. All too soon the crew busily set about dropping the sails, and as the engines hummed their rhythmic tune bringing us into the Harbour, I realized with some regret that the trip was nearing it’s end. As Fairweather 1 came to rest against the jetty I looked at my watch and was startled to see that three and a half hours had passed. With great reluctance I stepped off the catamaran back onto dry land, sad that the moment had passed, but grateful for the experience. It was the Skipper’s parting words to me that brought the smile back to my face "don’t worry, we run Sunset Cruises as well"!