With 85 miles before the mainland and 55 miles before I must cross that famous river of current called The Agulhus Current, the decision is made and, come what may, we will make this last final dash to the coast of Africa. With two fronts somewhere, a small one closer to Richard's Bay with SW winds up to 20 knots and a massive one packing winds of 45 knots, it became clear that simply getting in, somewhere, was the priority. Taking the longer route to Durban only increases the chances of meeting something horrible. I still dont know for sure if I will meet the smaller of the two fronts tonight. I have edged north for the last 24 hours in anticipation of the current taking me south at 3 knots and expect to meet that river in about 9 hours or 11 pm. Its a very narrow band where the current is the strongest, about 15 miles, and we pray no southwest wind is there at that time to whip it into a frenzy. Then its a short 30 mile hop to Richards Bay.

This arrival has a certain poignancy for me. It was on a late night about 50 years ago that we as a family boarded a Pam Am flight out of Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia bound for the United States. In all those years, I have never returned and as I put my foot on African soil once again tomorrow, I will recall those visions of a 9 year old boy that still remain so perfectly intact in my mind.