Richard’s Bay was our first port of call in South Africa and after thousands of miles under the keel we had a long list of work to do on Shenemere. However, the boat yard had no space for us when we arrived, so we made the best of our time enjoying the cultural events that were being offered to the ARC Rally cruisers and we went on a quick overnight safari. When we came back and had Shenemere hauled out we hit the ground running. We spent four long weeks living on the boat in the boatyard. It was hot and dusty, but we had good support and had some help with the bottom job. The Rand/Dollar exchange rate is about 17/1 so our dollars went a long way in making a very comprehensive boat refit more affordable.

A long list of boat maintenance / repairs was not limited to the grinding, sanding & painting the hull, replacing the rudder bushings, steering cables replaced, bow roller manufactured, new starter motor for the engine, new spinnaker pole and we had to build a new battery box.

Off to Durban, South Africa where the dream to sail around the world started a long time ago

We had a great 3 weeks in Durban visiting with friends and family.

We will be heading to Cape Town next; a few stops along the way.