BEST WEEK EVER???? JUNE 2019

BEST WEEK EVER?!?

JUNE 2019

Welcome blog readers and adventure lovers!
i might have just had the best week ever! but it's a long story so tuck in...

THE SETUP
after living in sleepy, quiet stanford village for three years in a lovely sizeable cottage, with a lovely rescue cat named Yoda, i started getting restless. i found as a working actor in cape town i was working 10 days a year, and when i was teaching it was another 10 days a year. so that's 345 days a year with not much to do. i was feeling disengaged. i was craving something more. i needed more adventure. the way i am wired i start getting too comfortable, too content, too lazy, things are too familiar, i get bored and the itch begins. i know it's time to move onto the unknown but don't really know how or even what that is. i love my friends, my neighbours, my things, my cat, my house, my outdoor kitchen, my agents, western cape, but i need something more/new/challenging/engaging!

THE SOLUTION
the solution seemed to be to buy a catamaran and sail around the world. watching La Vagabonde on YouTube inspired me. a great couple of ozzies.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdQjaSoLjIzFnWsDQOv4ww

so in my mind it was getting time to sell up and buy a cat and shove off.
baby steps included signing up for a sailing school in south carolina where i could get several ASA certificates whilst staying on a catamaran this mid july.
i also am sailing with a family from ZA in Sardinia on a week-long charter on a cat, early july.

THE OBSTACLES
the obstacles in this grand circumnavigating scheme is selling my cottage during a bona fide recession in south africa. the housing market is flooded and things are not moving. and i can't buy my dream cat (40') without first selling the house. so what to do? a couple of viewings but no nibbles. i'm stuck. it could be a year.

THE BREAK
i'm not on facebook much these days but one day i popped on and saw a notice for a group i joined called 'Capt and Crew' with occasional crew listings. Bingo...here it was: 

"Brazil to the Caribbean and onwards to the Med.
We will be looking for crew from Brazil to the Caribbean starting around October and plan a shop in French Guiana before Tobago and other islands in the Caribbean. As of May we plan to depart the Caribbean for the Med with several stops on the way in the Azores, Portugal mainland, Spain and south France, etc.. Sailing experience is needed and we share the cost. 
My yacht is a Hallberg-Rassy 53 and is set up for long distance sailing. 
Please PM me giving your CV including sailing experience, availability (dates), some photos and contact details.
Regards.
Paul.

I P.M. paul right away and send my sailing CV. then opened word doc to update my CV with a Diesel Maintenance and a VHF Radio course i had completed. before i could send the update (or say Jack Robinson), he responded. it was positive. sounded promising. this october i could be in brazil sailing to the Caribbean on a 53' beautiful yacht and then come May i'd sail over to the Med. too good! then crickets. was i in or out?

THE OVERHEAD
so now if i was in, and sailing away on this million dollar yacht with an old pro skipper, what to do with said cottage, said cat, and my flat in the city centre?
i could be gone for a year! as we say in Hollywood, it was 'set but not set-set'. i was in limbo. and my trip to Sardinia and Charleston is closing in in one week.

THE SUDDENLIES
then suddenly my ace realtor, ros nale, called to say she had a rental for the cottage and we could keep it listed. they want it august 1. can they see it?
and suddenly i hear from Alix, a screenwriter gal pal, who said she'd love to housesit K-04 in Adderley Terraces while i go sail away in October.

and suddenly i hear from Victory Stage one of my top students who says she's keen to teach my Hollywood Acting Master Class! (hearing from Victory was significant, i actually had been thinking about her recently and handing off HAMC to some selected graduates in the Nederlands, Cairo, Nairobi, Joburg, and CPT, so it seemed like a fab way to carry on the training which i have been honing for 8 years now. suddenly i'm excited to teach others how to teach! and pass the torch. they start their own HAMC acting schools and have their own business whilst i supply course materials and my training philosophy. perfect!
and suddenly i hear back from capt paul: 

"Hello David. Many thanks for your message. As far as I can see it my plan is to start sailing in October and leave the boat somewhere in the Caribbean while I will be back home for a while. Not sure of the timetable but if we sail back to the Med, I believe the departure should be sometime in May, as I have done twice before. I plan to stop in the Azores and perhaps a few other places. Perhaps I will haul out in S France? Or Greece or Turkey?"  i like the "we" part.

suddenly things are really falling into place! i'm in! i'm no longer stuck! things are appearing to sort themselves out. i'm getting traction! i'm sailing with an old pro on someone's else's boat, my bond/home loan will get covered with the rental if it happens, i can keep K-04 and might be back from New Years to May to grab some more work in CPT before crossing the pond with Paul to the Med. 
plus i found two commercials i shot this year which are always fun to see and share...

ABSABANK: i'm at 0:28
https://www.facebook.com/594357154/posts/10156120308392155?sfns=mo

and Xarelto which i posted in the last blog:
https://ispot.tv/a/oOeS

PLUS WORKING ON A NETFLIX SEQUEL ALL WEEK! THE KISSING BOOTH 2!
this sleepy high school crush movie i shot two years ago in cape town as a cheat for LA became the most watched movie on Netflix that year and has since become the number one re-watched film of all time on Netflix. incredible!

i play Principal Mark. besides being left off the callsheet one day (it happens) it's been a jol to be back on set and they doubled my day rate so that's always nice! to be fair i have very little to do, but it might take 6 days to do it! excellent! very blessed! i feel like a working actor. getting back in the groove. making some money. life is good! (plus i just booked another voiceover job for thursday this week!)

STILL PENDING
so a few loose ends are at play. 
we'll see if the cottage family actually takes it.
we'll see if Yoda gets adopted by the new tenants.
we'll see if i can make my flight 4 July to Sardinia via Zurich.
we'll see if i can pass my ASA course in S.C.
we'll see if paul stays in contact and if i'm going to brazil in Oct.
we'll see if Alix works out with K-04.
we'll see if the cottage finally sells (new family wants first refusal to purchase apparently.)

so that's the latest installment of the ddm africa blog...with new life adventures!
thanks for journeying with me!

now for some pics!  

a grumpy old man in the Absa bank spot.

time for one more!

my only proper date this year and i flopped. 

with a mad Argentine i shot a steakhouse commercial with. cheers Guillermo.

Capt Tzulu! a new boat owner and explorer! i'll sail with him in August in Knysna.

with anri, annie, mary and other loved ones for my magical birthday river cruise in stanford!

stanford river. aka Klein river. 

twas a perfect sundowner cruise.

so many lovely peeps! 

And some stunning lighting.

a cold crisp winter day in cape town. i pass this hotel on my way to cinema. always a photo op!

my view from K-04 in Adderley Terraces!

beer-thirty with my brewer/actor friend willem.

willem and i hiking Fernkloof.

there's an overnight shack you can reserve in advance. Galpin Hut.

part of Fernkloof nature reserve.

white rock.

sculptered corner is next!

the nature

lots of nice trails.

with rebecca, an MK to Bali.

quick beer back from seeing Tzulu in Simon's Town.

day one. The Kissing Booth base camp. yes, a big shoot. a three-camera crew.

impressive telescopic jib arm.

Always fun to watch the lighting. watch and learn! 

scenic Lourensford wine estate

A capt in search of the perfect cat.

my buddy matt visiting from the USA

he used to be in politics. looking very Air Force One.

lovely birthday gift from friend Annie! thanks!

and a birthday gift from Yoda. eish.

At the memorial for Grant's dad with grant, griffin, and ros nale.

new bar at the cottage. thanks, Ray, for seeing the potential!

my new mini M50 canon. for sailing and adventures! mirrorless.

these are my texts books to get my Int'l Proficiency Certificate. plus two more.

stanford in winter

cozy fire at Zesty Lemon

the sun came out

my hand made Explorer's Club flag. thanks caitlin!

passed!

KaylaDogg

yes i've been shopping....

most are out of my price range!

but good to know the market.

there's a lot of boats out there!

marina life...Langebaan Club Mykonos.

dirk is now an official Springbok Scout! well done!

Capt. Paul is from Belgium. 

a New Dawn awaits me. no jokes, that's the name of Paul's boat!

dressed for set...Kissing Booth 2!

got a nice dressing room this time! #honeywagon

huge cast!

i'm #23 on the callsheet. good to know!

the smash hit!

time to wrap it up!

still life...cape town.

UCT upper campus. the iconic palm.

three camera shoot. lots of gear and nice glass!

with my secretary/cohort Robyn Sara Scott!

with selected HAMC grad Ilecia Adams...each one teach one!


UNTIL NEXT TIME!!!!!! ALL MY BEST! NEXT STOP ITALY AND THE MED!