• All food and drink (non-alcoholic) onboard
• Safety equipment including lifejackets
• Overnight accommodation onboard
• All mooring and port entry fees for the boat
• Sailing tips and learnings
• Accommodation is included whilst in St Helena for approx 5 days, bed & breakfast with your own room. Full day tour of the island sights is also included and organised by our friends at the “Blue Lantern” hotel

• Transportation – to the departure destination / from the arrival destination.
• Travel Insurance – including personal accident/personal
  liability/medical and repatriation
• Clothing – we will provide a recommended kit list
• Any shore-based activities/food/drinks
• The route may change depending on the weather but we have allowed plenty of margin so we can make the arrival dates. You can therefore book onward travel with confidence
• We can connect with local tour guides on St Helena island and have lots of ideas of things to do on the island – any tours or activities on the island will be at your own cost

Vessel

“Aurora” is an Atlantic 49. Fully kitted out 14.9 metre monohull expedition vessel, based in Cape Town. She is built for crossing oceans rather than luxury but is spacious and comfortable below and above deck.

Skipper

David ‘Wavy’ Immelman

• Wavy grew up in Cape Town and has sailed these waters all his life
• He has amassed over 500,000 miles of ocean sailing
• A professional Skipper of many years, including the prestigious Clipper Round the World Race 19/20
• A well-known RYA instructor who loves to pass on his passion for all things nautical
• This will be his 18th voyage to St Helena so you’re in safe hands!

Life Onboard

Keeping group size small, with a maximum of 6. This ensures plenty of time to learn, or fine-tune all aspects of sailing, navigating, and preparing for an ocean voyage by provisioning. We can cover navigation, meteorology, or other topics if desired. It’s also a perfect ‘mile-builder’ trip.

You will be encouraged to ‘get involved in all aspects of open water sailing, including taking turns to prepare meals onboard and all the other aspects of sailing – a hands-on Masterclass with Wavy, tailored to your needs.

Accommodation

“Aurora” has four cabins. Each cabin has two berths (bunk style) and its own ‘heads’ (toilet and basin). You will have your own berth with plenty of space for luggage.

Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town, South Africa

Various Dates for Round Trip

25 March – 11 May 2024

17 June – 5 August 2024 (Sold out)

16 September – 4 November 2024 (Sold out)

07 October – 23 November 2024

13 January – 3 March 2025

10 March – 26 April 2025

25 August – 11 October 2025

27 October – 13 December 2025

Price

£9,995 per person – Single Berth – Round Trip

£6,995 per person – Single Berth – One Way

Itinerary: Cape Town to St Helena

Preparation Week

You will be involved in victualling and all aspects of preparing for a long Ocean voyage – what to think about, what to organize in order to be both safe and comfortable – it’s all in the preparation!

You will also get to know your fellow crew and get to know the local area sailing to get used to life on board before the big trip.

Cape Town to St Helena

This trip includes a short anchorage in Lüderitz, Namibia, between Cape Town and St Helena Island. Lüderitz is a historic, slow-pace-of-life, Germanic provincial port-town of fishermen – full of rich history and a welcoming community.

Life on the open Ocean! Navigation, Helming, and Trimming are all under the expert, patient tuition of Wavy – at the pace you need and the level you want.

You can learn celestial navigation and Ocean sailing at night as well as have plenty of time to sit and absorb the majesty of the wide Atlantic Ocean.

You will be a fully involved crew – which means taking turns cooking and cleaning as well as sailing.

St Helena Island

After around 2 weeks of empty Ocean, St Helena will rise above the horizon. St Helena Island is a British dependency, 1,200 miles from the African coast. It has been described as the Emerald Isle – a sub-tropical paradise, rich in bio-diversity and steeped in history.

You will spend 5 days (approximately) on the island. Accommodation is included, bed & breakfast with your own room. Full day tour of the island sights is also included and organized by our friends at the “Blue Lantern” hotel. Discover where Napoleon lived his last years, meet Jonathan, the world’s oldest living animal, and explore the isolated capital of Jamestown with local guides.

After exploring St Helena you will be preparing for the journey back.

St Helena to Cape Town

The route back will take you South towards Tristan da Cunha – this is a
truly isolated spot, with a population of just 4,500 people. You may stop off there if the weather allows, but it is often impossible due to the conditions.

Past Tristan Da Cunha we will head West and back towards Cape Town. Arrive back in Cape Town after an educational, memorable trip with new friends for life!

It is important to be comfortable as well as safe on board. We provide lifejackets and wet weather gear. You will need to bring with you enough clothing for the trip as well as a sleeping bag.

In our experience, it is not requirred to spend money on lots of expensive kit, but good sailing boots and a sleeping bag are important. Clothes should have UV protection for hot legs, but cheap fleeces and layers are great and do the job just as well as ‘specialist’ marine-branded clothing.

Please consider the season and likely weather when packing.

Contact us directly with any questions on the kit list for your trip. It is much better to ask before you join, than risk being uncomfortable on board.

• Sailing boots (hiking boots or wellies if you have those) and deck shoes – Crocs are fantastic on deck and below deck!
• Sunglasses (cheap as they may go overboard)
• Sun cream (even out of summer season)
• Wash bag and towel (ideally a quick-drying, travel towel)
• Torch (red light preferable)
• Good sleeping bag and travel pillow (suggest an inflatable camping pillow is best. Avoid ‘down’ sleeping bags which will get damp. Look for a marine or outdoor sleeping bag with man-made fibre. You can also put a regular camping sleeping bag inside a waterproof / Goretex ‘bivvy’ bag as an alternative.)
• 5 pairs of socks minimum – merino wool is best
• Merino thermal underwear
• 2 additional thin long-sleeved tops (running or hiking clothing is perfect) – even on ‘hot’ legs, we recommend long sleeves as protection against the sun.
• Hiking trousers and shorts
• Fleece
• Body warmer (the extra night-time layer)
• Woolly hat (cheap as it may go overboard)
• 1 full set of street clothes, including shoes to put on when we are in port (keep in a plastic bag)
• Soft kit bag, ideally a dry bag for easy storage. NO suitcases!
• Digital devices – such as a phone/ camera, but note these are generally not waterproof and are
  carried at your own risk
• Personal sailing logbook (if you have one)

PS: This is a recommended packing list. Please take into account if there are other items you may need on board.