Mauritius to Richard's Bay, South Africa - Day 1
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Tue 22 May 2012 08:37
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22:09.913S 55:53.247E
May 22, 2012
So far, so good.
We got off to an earlier than planned start yesterday morning
at 10am after the quickest clearing out process on record. After
motoring the short three miles from our anchorage at Tombeau Bay to the
custom's jetty in Port Louis, we were immediately met by the immigration
officer, who processed our clearance in a quick five minutes. Ten
minutes later, we were done with customs and the coast guard. There were
no fees and no forms to fill out. Unheard of! Correction - there was
one form. The coast guard/harbor police asked us to fill out a survey
regarding their organization's behavior, professionalism, helpfulness,
etc. We gave them high marks. What else can you do when several
officers are looking over your shoulder as you fill in the form?
Even without the supervision, we would have given them good feedback.
Compared to most countries, Mauritius bureaucracy is minimal for folks traveling
on a boat.
A good start led to a good first day. We've been sailing
and motoring in relatively light ENE winds since our departure (just as Bruce
said we would), and it's been (dare I say it without jinxing the rest of the
trip?) pleasant. Having John on board has had a huge impact in a very good
way. Imagine our delight after enjoying a full six hours of
sleep last night when normally we squeak by with two 2 1/2 hour snoozes
interrupted by 3 hour watches. Pure heaven. Gone are the usual day 1
headaches caused by too little sleep. John has already adapted well to the
Harmonie way of life - with nary a grimace or an unkind word, even when filling
out our extensive, ridiculously detailed ship's log every hour (a
task some might consider cruel and unusual punishment).
Bruce says to expect some rain today (although at the moment,
it's sunny and beautifully cool at 80F), and the wind to pick up to a moderate
level tomorrow. It's possible we'll get some higher wind later this week,
but even if we do, it is supposed to be relatively short-lived.
So far, the extended forecast still looks good - we'll know more in a few
minutes when we pick up Bruce's latest update.
More tomorrow -
Anne
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