Sailing along the coast of South Africa has its challenges, rushing from port to port dodging low pressure systems. Patience has its virtues because we were able to explore and reconnect with old friends along the way. Martin was able to reconnect with an old friend Keith and his family in East London.

Hout Bay was a sleepy fishing village just South of Cape Town and a good place for us to get some major boat projects completed in preparation for the Atlantic Ocean crossing. We had our sails repaired, rigging refit and we had a new exhaust water trap fabricated. When we weren’t working on Shenemere or provisioning we managed to explore the Cape. We are grateful to Lieben & Philma for lending us a car which allowed us to explore the beautiful scenery, enjoy spectacular hikes and visit with Martin’s extended family.

We had to cut a hole in the floor and make a new hatch in order to remove the old exhaust water trap. Further complications in getting the exhaust fabricated to fit made this a labor-intensive project.

Table Mountain hikes and road trips from Blouberg to Franschhoek we were able to explore the stunning sites of the Cape and enjoy visits with Martin’s family.

The highlight of our visit to South Africa was a visit to Storms River and Knysna. We have been traveling on and off with our “buddy boat” Argo; Pepe and Blanka are from Czech Republic, and we have been exploring with them since Tanzania. Pepe and Blanka make great travel companions and are always up to do things a bit differently.

Martin’s friend Ivan invited us to stay with him in Knysna and “wine & dine” us in spectacular style.

We are forever grateful to all of Martins family that took time to visit us and invite us to their homes. South Africa is on the top of our list of places we have visited impart to the wonderful family, friends and cruising mates we have met.

We are now heading off to Namibia. From Walvis Bay, Namibia we will start our passage across the Atlantic Ocean for the final leg of a 6-year journey… homeward bound.