Richards Bay

Lydia
Donald Begg
Fri 23 Nov 2018 06:25
The Zululand marina is cosily sheltered up the river, it’s slightly decrepit, but it has charm, and the welcome in the clubhouse is undoubted. Shopping in the town is good, the chandlery is reasonable, and the  quality of technical support appears to be first class. There are lots of places to visit in Zululand, and we enjoyed a day’s safari in the iMfolozi Game Reserve.
We had some luck in our weather while crossing the Mozambique Channel. Now the weather gods are exacting their price. The wind coming up the coast is stormy, the chances of getting to Cape Town by the time Nicola arrives on the 23rd November are nil.
So I have revised the plan. I will leave the boat in Richards Bay, take the opportunity to have all the pre-Atlantic maintenance and servicing done, fly down to Cape Town to meet Nicola, proceed with our South African holiday, Christmas at home, and then get the show on the road again in early January. We may miss the restart of the ARC in Cape Town, but will aim to catch up in the Atlantic.
Simon Ashworth left the ship in Richards Bay. I thank him for his excellent crewmanship and friendship over the last four months. He had originally planned to leave in Richards Bay, then sportingly agreed to continue to Cape Town in order to cover for Doug Nethery’s departure. In the event he is able to get home from Richards Bay after all. 
New year, new crew.