Early January brought us face-to-face with an uncomfortable and fast approaching reality: Pete and Jen were leaving us! Or rather, we weren't going with them. (See my prior admissions on this topic here.) By January 6, Pete and Jen were already scampering about hauling Steel Sapphire out, painting her bottom, completing ship repairs, and tucking more and more pasta into Steelie's remaining nooks and crannies.

Though our departure was weeks off, yet, Andrew wouldn't dare deny Sonrisa the pleasure of having her own niggling issues tidied up. So he, too, got busy tearing apart the spinnaker pole, refreshing running rigging (Ropes!) looking tired, rebuilding Sonrisa a new bow pulpit, galvanizing our anchor chain, cleaning up the rust on the anchor and repainting it for a bit of protection. He installed a new AIS antennae, re-stuffed our cushions with better foam, sanded away and added a new layer of varnish on all outdoor teak, re-greased winches, purchased and installed new diesel engine injectors....the “minor refit" list grew long indeed as he sketched out his projects on yellow sticky notes stuck to the wall.

“We couldn't leave with Pete and Jen even if we wanted to," I said, perusing the project wall.

And, we didn’t want to.

“Have you seen the forecast for later this week?” Andrew asked Pete and Jen over one of our last games of Kalookie.

“Yeah...” Pete said. Sailing a strong, heavy, steel hull, Pete and Jen have a broader range of sea state they would feel comfortable sailing into than a smaller, lighter, fiberglass boat might. Thirty knots and four-meter seas may not be “fun” but entirely manageable for Steelie. “Yeah, I think we will wait until the next weather window.”

Even though it is Summer in the South Atlantic right now, Antarctica is still only a stones’ throw away, with its “roaring 40s" latitudes and fierce storms. One of those storms had been brewing and now, in Cape Town, the forecast for the weekend showed enormous waves hitting the coast. The surfing contingent were polishing their boards, and the sailors were hunkering down to wait it all out.

“We should go watch the chaos from shore!” someone in the group suggested.

Hoping to see surfers, I grabbed my camera and away we went. We parked the grog-wagon, picked our way between the small corridors between beachfront cottages and came around a corner to see waves crashing against the shore.

“Holy, moly!” I say. We scrambled over giant boulders to get the best angle. “Look at that teeny, tiny surfer in those big waves!”

We weren't the only ones, this day. Even the non-sailor contingent heard the waves were going to be a sight to see and there were both birds and sunbathers perched on rocks, watching an inspiring sea. We pick our own viewing spot, and sit for a while to enjoy the magnitude.

Until...

As the day progressed, the waves only became bigger! Eventually, they were crashing against our very boulders shooting spray into the air and threatening to douse us. We stood to relocate, and we could see an absolute monster approaching. Being a few paces back, I remained safe from being swept to sea and I threw my camera in the air to catch the magic. Andrew on the other hand...

“Whoa!!!” He takes off at a sprint sideways like a wide receiver dodging a massive linebacker. “I don’t plan to die at sea while perched on dry land!” He says.

Looking at this massive sea, hearing the roiling foam and crashing curls, and with the frigid salt spray settling on my face, I could feel the size of this sea in my bones. My passage-making mood dial remained firmly planted on “Shore Leave” status.

“I’m not ready to leave either,” Andrew said. But, I suspected this had more to do with the status of his Grog Supply.

We had another “provisioning run” to wine country scheduled, this time to another area near Stellanbosch called Francheok. Matthew “Perry” arranged an overnight field trip for a whole group: Kevin and Janine from Fluid Motion, Mark and Susan from Erie Spirit, Matt and his wife Jen, and the Oddogdodfrey. But this time, our focus was not limited to the wine.

“I hope you are hungry!” Matt said. In addition to a champagne cave tour, he’d made reservations at the Chef’s Warehouse for lunch and Protoge for dinner. “The use Protoge to train the chefs and the service staff for La Colombe! I bet it’s good.” Matt explained. (La Colombe being one of three restaurants in Cape Town ranked as in the top 100 restaurants in the whole world.)

“Oooh!” I say, I love it when someone else plans an itinerary for me.

“I can’t believe you guys are going wine tasting without us!” Pete whinged as the crew hauled their overnight cases down the dock and past Steel Sapphire.

“You were invited, you just have more important things to do.” Matt says, pointing to Jen who is making her way across Steel Sapphire’s stainless steel arch with polish and a buffer. Pete scowls. In reality, they were working on repairing a few last minute details to be ready when the sea calms down again.

And, so, we were off without them to explore the Methode Classique!

Methode Classique

Our first stop in Franchoek was not for wine per say, but South Africa's version of bubbly: MTC. MTC stands for "Methode Classique" and is exactly as the phrasing sounds - bubbly prepared in accordance with the classic methods from Champagne, France. As you might know, the only true “Champagne" in this world comes from a region called Champagne, France. Any other "bubbly" is a bubbly of another name. If it is made in Italy, it is called Franciacorta or Prosecco, if it is made in Spain it is called Cava, if it is made California they call it “sparkling wine" and if it is made in South Africa, it is called MTC. 

To achieve a state of purity, Matt has selected an MTC vineyard founded and owned by a French Family who arrived in South Africa wearing their "marching boots." Searching for soil with sufficient clay content to mimic the soil for their vineyard in Champagne, France, the patriarch of the family hiked and hiked. Eventually, soles stuck to the hollowed ground of Franchoek. This, was to be the place.

We arrived to get he "full story,” explore the caves, and receive a demonstration of the “Methode Classique” for opening a bottle of bubbly with your sabre: “Sebrage.”

Andrew is going to need a dungeon of like kind to protect Sonrisa's ship's stores at the rate he’s going.

Food Paired With Your Wine?

By the time we were finished with our MTC, we were all feeling a bit peckish. Good thing, too, as next on our list was a stop at the Chef's Warehouse.

"Would you look at this!" I said as we emerged through the hallway leading from the front door through a restaurant lined with glittering wineglasses hanging in rows, to arrive in an outdoor yard with colorful chickens, a dining table made of a long, solid slab of oak stretched out beneath the shade of a beautiful tree. Just beyond, lay a stretch of vineyards reaching into the distance. Colorful Roosters and fluffy white chickens roam the grounds and cluck at our feet.

We perch ourselves before the long table and wait as the courses of a pre-fixe menu arrive one after the other. Color, intense flavors, crafted from beautiful produce and meat. This area has such lovely fertile farming ground that the grocery stores and the restaurants are filled with the most lovely of foods. And while I'm all for a pack of instant Ramen at sea, the art of a lovely meal is all the more intense after a long absence.

Small and Large

There are so many kinds of wineries here, industrial operations that churn out enormous quantities at various price points as well as mom & pop wineries run from family farms. Our next stop was one of these, a vineyard that also happens to boast a wine made from one of the oldest still-producing sauvignon blanc vines in South Africa. “My great grandfather planted it." The owner of the vineyard explained as he sat with us in his backyard, pouring various wines. We compared this wine to a wine made from cuttings of the same vine, but close to 100 years younger. They tasted different. The wine from the older vine smooth, soft, golden-green and refined. The younger vine, crisp, bright, more acidic and lively. Just as you might expect.

“My fifteen daughter has already made her own wines, too." We finish our tasting with a sample of her fortified red wine, designed with a label depicting her grandfather's old truck.

Andrew stocked up on a case (or two)

For contrast, then, we headed off to one of the larger wineries. Halted by a security guard quite disappointed in us for failing to arrange an advance appointment, we were pointed to the "tasting room for the masses” where we found one of our favorite economical "easy drinker” varieties, Protea. Everyone groused about this, however, given that we'd all swilled more than our fair share of Protea since arriving in South Africa. The woman at the tasting room hushed us and showed us to a table in the corner where she plied us with their top of the line options  from the "secret tasting room" up the street, the one the security guard was charged with defending.

With a group as large as ours....our table was soon scattered with wine glasses emptied and replaced by clean.

With our wine adventures done for the day, we checked into our accomodations for the night. Rooms for rent in a historic cottage in downtown Franchoek, within walking distance of our dinner reservation.

“What do you think, guys? Will Protoge satisfy your curiosity for what La Colombe or Fyn might offer? Or is it just going to pique your interest and send you on a spiral for more?" We considered this question after a lovely meal, again pre-fixe menu with wines thoughtfully paired. Perry-Jen, known for keeping a spreadsheet tracking the costs she has incurred as a result of producing offspring, shook her head and confirmed Protoge will do it.

Andrew, agreed.

“Pete and Jen went with Skylarks, and they raved about it." Susan said.

I plot in silence.