When we are least expecting it, Andre suddenly does a balletic manoevre over the wreck of the Winston and we land neatly on the beach.....I guess it's lunch time! We all unfold ourselves and step out on to the sand.....never have I had an experience like that....& clearly neither has a small boy who is running along & pulling his dad behind him to investigate. They are parked a little further up the beach fishing and the wee one is almost hyperventilating he is so excited....he can't believe a plane has just landed on the beach right next to him. Andre very kindly opens the door of the cockpit and let's him sit in the pilot seat & explains the function of the various levers etc....bless him! And if that little boy doesn't become a pilot when he grows up I'll eat my hat.....so sweet! Seriously, I think this rates as one of the coolest things that's happened to me as well.....so I can identify..
This will give me a chance to introduce you to Alpha Mike Yankee....otherwise known as AMY....our trusty little plane....isn't she just beautiful?
Paul is very glad to be able to unfold his long body from the front seat....the rest of us are slightly shorter so we don't feel it as much....This photo gives you an idea of just how vast the spaces in Namibia are....there is nothing here for miles & miles.....can you imagine being shipwrecked on this coast with no food, water or shelter? I've read the account of the survivors of the Dunedin Star which went down not far from here & the rescue attempts...seriously challenging is all that needs to be said....
Lunch on the wing, anyone?? After lunch, we stretch our legs and explore a bit....that's the wreck of the Winston with the lovely AMY in the background....the Winston was an East German trawler & ran aground in 1970 due to thick fog about 2 miles south of the Ugab River mouth or 23 km north of Mile 108 (the camp sites are all numbered as you go up the coast - the higher the number the further north you are). She has slowly disintergrated over the years and all that is left of her today is parts of the engine block.
And we are on the Skeleton Coast after all....couldn't find any really impressive whale vertebra so this will just have to do for now....
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