On his recent travels to Cape Town, Eclipse’s senior statesman John Edwards was thrilled to take handover of our brand new Leopard 50 catamaran. Overseeing as Eclipse was officially launched for the first time into the Victoria and Alfred marina, and then stepping aboard for her subsequent sea trials was a momentous and moving experience for John. In the following written piece, John fondly recounts this exciting time and what’s next in Eclipse’s adventurous journey.
On an unseasonably foggy January morning in the Victoria and Alfred docks in Cape Town, Eclipse was finally launched to commence the handover of our new baby.
Hearts were in our mouths as the crane lifted her from her cradle and gently swung her over the harbour. Relief was instant when she was safe and comfortably settled into the water for the first time.
As the fog cleared, we made our way under power out into the bay with views of the awe inspiring Table Mountain, Lionshead, the beautiful city of Cape Town and the historical Robben Island enveloping us.
The breeze was light around 8 knots, and we weren’t expecting much in the way of boat speed as the main and genoa sails were set by the handover crew. To my surprise as the engines were shutdown, Eclipse settled into a broad reach at over 5 knots. My mind raced as to what she might achieve in a stiffer breeze.
As if on cue, a huge pod of dolphins headed toward our port bow eager to get in on the act. These I’m told were Long-beaked common Dolphins after which I was then advised were really not that common. They have a very distinctive tan coloured flank with bright white underbellies. In the dark basalt blue waters of Cape Town Bay, they shone like exploding fireworks.
As they frolicked and surfed under the bow of Eclipse, we could only see this as the best possible omen of times to come.
After successfully testing Eclipse on all points of the compass under sail and being very impressed with her speed and manoeuvrability in very light air , we headed back into port for the less invigorating process of the technical handover. This entailed a detailed inspection of every technical element of the boat , checking off all the optional equipment we had selected and a close inspection of the finishes and general condition. All inspections went off without a hitch and we were hugely impressed with the full package.
I then signed the Bill of Sale, the cheque was cashed, and Eclipse was ours at last, signaling the commencement of our freedom of adventure.
Bill Signed
Designed to be equal parts sports and luxury, if the look of Eclipse’s seamless lines and open living spaces ignites your spirit of adventure like it does ours, reach out to our reservations team here to begin curating your unforgettable Eclipse Expedition today
