We are out of here tomorrow--finally!
17 December 2015 | Richards Bay, SA
Bill/calm and cool
Tomorrow is the day. We are finally out of here. We've been in Richards Bay for almost exactly two months, far longer than we had expected. Once Tracy came back from the US, we had planned on getting out of here just a few weeks after her return but Mother Nature decided against it so here we sat. Tomorrow, the winds will shift to out of the Northeast to East and be in the 20-30 knot range so it's going to be a fast trip west along the coast to Durban. Two boats left this afternoon planning on an overnight to get there sometime in the morning. We like to start in the day so we can get adjusted to being out sailing again and become one with Zephyr and the wind and the waves during daylight.
Having been at a marina for the last 60 days, we've become one with all the electric we can use and and a never ending source of water. Now, it's going to be going back to watching all the volts we use knowing that we will be needing a generator instead of an outlet on the dock to replace them. There may or may not be a place at the marina in Durban. Not a big deal as we hope to only be there just a few days before we take off again. Marinas are strong magnets and it's hard to escape their power. It becomes easy to enjoy the good life of everything that makes life easier and less work. Over the last 6 years, we have spent our share of time in marinas as well as a good bit of time at anchor with civilization and without it. We enjoy them both but once we get into a marina, it can be hard to escape its draw. While we really liked Richards Bay, it's long past time to move on. Our visas expire in mid January and we need to be in Cape Town long before then so we can see it's sights and decide if we want to get our visas renewed(a trip out of the country would be required) or just move on.
Right now, we are anchor in the middle of the river just off the marina all set to start the engine and get out of the bay around 0430. It's about 90 miles to Durban and we will need all the help Mother Nature and our engines can give us to get there before the Sun sets. I'll let you know how that works out.