Why sailboats are reserved for the sea

If you are a local, particularly of central Namibia, chances are you have been to Lake Oanob. It is the ideal summer weekend getaway for Windhoek and Rehoboth residents because it is close, comfortable and cost-effective if you are camping. And if you got a boat the whole experience is reminiscent of those American movies where the rich kid’s dad has a lakehouse.

We did not have the proper boat for the occasion. A proper boat would have been a speedboat or a motorboat that can haul a bunch of screaming tweens on an inflatable tjoep (tube). I was way too young to even think about going on the water, so my sister babysat at our humble campsite while my parents took to the lake on a Hobie Cat. You are absolutely right if you are thinking a sailboat does not belong on Lake Oanob. Sailing boats are reserved for Walvis Bay, where there is wind to be sailed with and where there are other sailboats to complement the look of yours on the water. My dad is a diehard sailor and does not really believe in motorboats. The Hobie was a recent purchase, so he and my mom set sail on a lake looking very out of place amongst the curious motorboat owners.

At this stage, my dad was an amateur sailor, the Hobie was his first boat and this weekend its first spin on the water. He reversed down the launch ramp until the trailer with the Hobie on top was somewhat underwater. With lots of effort, mom as his inexperienced assistant and many onlookers (including my sister and I), they cranked all the levers and unhooked all the hooks. The Hobie was bobbing in the wake of another kid’s rich dad’s motorboat, my mum holding on to it in the shallow water for dear life. Dad quickly parked the car and trailer, hopped on the Hobie, helped my mum up and off they went – sails in the sparse wind, heading towards the centre of the lake.

The great thing about Lake Oanob is that almost all the campsites have a view of the water, so when there is exciting activity you barely have to get up from your camping chair to see. That is a pro for most people. On this day, however, for my parents sailing on a lake with a Hobie Cat, it was definitely a con.

The great thing about Lake Oanob is that almost all the campsites have a view of the water, so when there is exciting activity you barely have to get up from your camping chair to see.

Just as the two of them were beginning to get a hang of the whole thing, sails flapping in the breeze and sun in their faces, my dad noticed the water level slowly approaching the top of the hull. It was at this moment that they realised they forgot the prop – the thumb-sized plug that prevents water from filling the boat and inevitably causing it to sink.

As the lake’s water level came increasingly close, and the spectators on the shore grew in numbers, my dad aimed the Hobie at the ramp and whistled, calling on Poseidon to conjure up some wind. With a brisk movement and unparalleled luck, my parents surfed onto the launch ramp.

The only thing that was missing, other than the prop and my parents’ last shred of dignity, was one of my mom’s leather sandals. Rumour has it the sandal is still floating around on Lake Oanob, unlike the Hobie Cat did.

Charene Labuschagne