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Give the gift that keeps on caring — for health, for family, for every sip. 💧 From Nov 20 to Dec 1, @waterdropfilter is up to 42% off! Use my code [FROTHLYFEBF] for an extra 5% off and make every drop count this holiday. Check the links below. Amazon: https://amzn.to/4p8V7Ei Website: https://bit.ly/3XV7uHU Life is NOT EASY, how many more challenges can we have? www.sailingnandji.com We had dreamt for years about sailing to Africa, so when we finally arrived, we were determined to make the most of the opportunity and explore the African continent properly. We bought ourselves a Land Rover Defender and set off inland on our very own safari adventure. But what was meant to be a dream side-trip, quickly became the beginning of a chain of events that would test us more than we ever expected. Events that continually plague our journey It first begun with constant car troubles… and ended with a complete engine failure in the middle of the desert.One tow-truck ride, a weekend sleeping in a shed, and two long weeks waiting for a replacement engine later, we were finally back on the road driving 2,000 kilometres toward the life we know best: Sailing, and our floating home, Nandji 2. We have always sailed with our dog but Travelling with animals adds a layer of complexity, therefore our hound dog Marley has been living it up at a doggy resort while we’ve been away. We couldn’t wait to get back to him. But as we reached the border into South Africa, we were hit with another curveball. Even though we had been out of the country for months, immigration granted us only seven days and advised we must fly home. Suddenly everything changes again…
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Well that was all over before it begun... Six weeks ago, we rolled out of South Africa with one goal: to explore Southern Africa in our trusty Defender, Landji. But as it turns out… Landji had a completely different adventure in mind. Somewhere in the heart of the Namibian desert, casually bouncing along a lonely dirt road, everything changed. In an instant where Landji suffered catastrophic engine failure. A trip ending kind of problem By midnight, Landji was being winched onto the back of a tow truck, and we bounced along in the darkness back to a town while we tried to figure out what on earth just happened. Subsequently the weekend was spent sleeping in a shed, then two long weeks waiting in the desert, waiting for a new rebuilt engine to bring Landji back to life. And now—here we are. Stuck in the middle of nowhere. slightly delirious… and absolutely losing our minds. We have just spent the last month on the adventure of a lifetime, over landing through the vast African desert in a Land Rover Defender. It’s been wild, rugged, sometimes frustrating and dusty… But honestly, even though we have been miles away from our sailboat and the ocean, we still can’t wipe the smiles off our faces! And I know what you’ve been thinking as you’ve watched us bouncing around down inland dirt tracks: why on earth are there surfboards in the car? Well, there was no way I was coming all this way to the country home to what many call the best wave on the planet, without trying to catch a few myself. After weeks of desert roads, starry nights, and bush camps… we’ve finally made it to the coast. And not far down the road is a place every surfer dreams about… Skeleton Bay. Right now, we’re thousands of miles from the ocean, surrounded not by waves, but endless dunes of sand… and somehow, we are still happy! We took a massive leap of faith on this trip, setting off on the adventure of a lifetime across Southern Africa and now here we are, deep in the Namibian desert, bouncing along in Landji our Defender. The landscape is dry, rugged, and unforgiving… yet, it’s alive in ways we never expected. This striking contrast — the beauty hidden in the barren land is exactly what we came looking for. Africa is unlike anywhere else on Earth. And sure, our car has tested our patience more than once… but that’s how memories are made and what makes the journey unforgettable. Before leaving Africa, we wanted to see as much of this incredible continent as possible. What better way to do it than the African way, Overlanding in a Land Rover Defender Now here we are, hundreds of miles from the coast, surrounded by endless sand, deep in the Namibian desert. But things haven’t exactly been going smoothly. From day one, our Defender’s been giving us headaches, it’s chewing coolant and overheating. We feared the worst: a cracked head gasket and engine rebuild. On advice, we headed to the remote desert town of Keetmanshoop, where we could find a Land Rover mechanic. To our surprise it was not a head gasket, but a cracked radiator. A quick replacement later, and we’re back in business. We had prepared ourselves to be stuck here for days, maybe even weeks… but now, with a brand-new radiator and fresh energy, it’s time to pack up, hit the open road, and keep this African adventure rolling. It has been 9 years since we begun sailing around the world and whilst we love boat life and sailing, we love travelling and enjoy an adventure of any kind. Arriving to the shores of South Africa, we thought what better way to experience this continent than in the most iconic way possible, a Land Rover defender. Sure you haters out there only think of the air conditioning and reliability of a Toyota, but we are all about the adventure. Memories are not made from the comfort of a Hilux. Therefore we introduce you too Landji. Our Land Rover Defender, currently full of problems… Whilst we made it across the border in time, we now have a challenging 800 miles of Namibian desert to cross to reach the mechanic we have been advised that can help. However what lies between us and the mechanic and us is the harsh barren Namibian desert, sand dunes, rocks and dirt roads but also, a trip of life time and a journey we won’t forget anytime soon. We are in the desert now... Huge thank you to Holzkern for being a sponsor on the channel! Head on over to http://www.holzkern.com/Sailing and use our code SAILING to get 15% off ALL PRODUCTS. Be sure to check out all of their catalogue, for both yourself or a gift for a loved one! After the most stressful border crossing of our entire lives, we have found ourselves a couple hundred miles inland and in the country of Namibia! The feeling is surreal. We are used to being surrounded by ocean and now, we are in the desert. The contrast couldn’t be more extreme. This trip was always a gamble, but before leaving Africa, We wanted the full, iconic African experience, just us, the open road, and our Land Rover Defender. But ole "Landji" has other plans. It’s losing coolant with no visible leaks, clean oil, and that dreaded EMS alarm won’t stop and with my seriously lack of car knowledge showing through, We’re starting to suspect a cracked head gasket… and potentially a full engine rebuild, both, we can’t do in this town. Whilst we crossed the border in time, the hard part isn’t behind us... it’s still ahead. After a few days of downtime to regroup and plan our next move, we are off to the Land Rover guy in Windhoek, 800 kilometres away. Through the desert. In Africa. What could possibly go wrong? We have spent the last six months enjoying the raw beauty of South Africa… but before we were prepare to set sail across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, we realized — we weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to Africa. We spent years dreaming of sailing here to then leave after such a short time didn’t feel right. With winter in full swing and our time in the country running out, we made a bold decision: to squeeze in one final adventure — the most African adventure we could dream up. So we emptied our bank account and invested in a once in a life time opportunity Meet the newest member of our family. Landji. A 2010 Land Rover Defender Nandji 2 is now safe and sound in the marina, the Landji is packed, and finally we are on the road heading north to Namibia. But we had no idea this border crossing would be one of the most stressful experiences of our entire 10 year journey thus far… |
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