We've started settling in and getting needed projects scheduled with phone calls to some businesses in Cape Town. Quite a while ago when we were in Madagascar, Tracys scuba gear developed a problem as did mine and we want to make sure it gets repaired before we set off. Calls were made but with it being a holiday weekend, we will have to wait for Monday to get thing moving. We also need to take one of the new Acer computers Tracy brought back in for service. It won't turn on. I've already been in contact with a repair firm in Cape Town so we will be heading there also.

Tracy is looking for a wine vineyard tour for us to go on next week. The western cape of South Africa has some great vineyards and we want to visit some. We've been told that getting a rental car here is almost impossible for the next month or so with so many people coming to visit over the holidays. With this being New Years day, everyone is closed.

Last night, we attended the New Years Eve party at the False Bay Yacht Club(where we are moored). Throughout the last two days(since we got here) the winds have been howling through the area hitting into the 30 knot range. Shortly after we dropped out anchor, we were assigned a mooring, one of the biggest we have ever seen and quickly hooked up to it, in the end using three lines to make sure we had no problems. The DuoGen wind generator is humming away on the stern and there are times I have to shut it off as the breeze is too strong. One of the nicest things is that the Yacht Club/Marina runs a ferry service to the boats that are on the buoys. We found out about that yesterday and used it to get to shore and get checked in. Very nice people at both the club and the marina helping us get all the paper work filled in. When we were checking in to the marina, we again asked about the possibility of getting a slip. We were told by the manager we were too big for the marina. We looked at him and told him we were only 13 meters long. His response was we were too wide. Nope, just 4 meters. He looked at the papers he had on file and couldn't understand what the problem was. He'd been told we were too big to fit in the marina which is why he put us on the biggest, stoutest mooring they had. OOPS! Well, now he is trying to see if he can find a place for us. Boats are coming and going but we really need a slip so we can get refueled and get our water tanks refilled. There isn't a fuel dock at the marina and everyone has to bring in their fuel in jerry cans. We'll be needing a good 150 gallons to get ours topped off. Not going to be fun but it is a big priority for us. Once all the papers were filled in, we met with the Yacht Club folks about the up coming party. There was a planned "BRAAII" which translates into a "Barbecue" with drinks and loud music, all set to start at 1630 with the fires in the pits getting lit. Since we were out on a mooring, I asked about when the ferry service stopped. The office manager picked up the phone and started making phone calls. No one had thought to make arrangements for the late night party goers. More calls were made and they finally settled that it would run till 0100, News Years day. Great, we didn't have to rush off or take out dinghy in.

It was still early in the day and we planned of hitting the grocery stores at one of the malls. We hitched a ride with Amy from Morning Glory and took off for the Long Beach Mall, about 17 kilometers away. Lots of stores and at least three grocery stores. We had a quick lunch at McDonalds(a little bit of home) and then hit the ATM for money and started checking out the grocery stores. Our needs were not that great, but if we would something we found special we grabbed it. We have learned that in a grocery store, if you see it, grab it because it might not be there the next time you come. It didn't help that it was December 31 and everyone was gearing up for the parties for New Years Eve. It was a mad house. the best thing I can say is that every store had every checkout running so the lines were not that long. We hit three stores and stocked up on what we could carry(included 4 bottles of cheap South African wine called Obikwa. A great Shiraz that costs just under $2.00US per bottle. With hands loaded up, we called a cab company the Yacht Club had recommended and we taken back to the Marina. Into the ferry and out to Zephyr. Everything got stored and we made plans to go to the party.

With the winds howling around us, we decided to add on a third mooring line so Tracy started up the engine and I slowly pulled up the existing lines and added a third for safety sake. It took a while but that was fine. We were a bit safer. I called the ferry driver and a few minutes later he showed up and in we went, with lots of food to barbecue. Two great looking rib eyes(cost less that $3.00US each, a foil pouch of small potatoes that had already been cooked but we added garlic and butter to for the reheat and a nice salad. We also packed one of the bottles of Obikwa Shiraz to have with it.

This party was the "DO" of Simon's Town with over 200 people set to come. Just getting a space at the barbecue pit(it's now 1945) was a chore. You just sort of butt in and find a place for the food. They had all 5 pits running and there was still a wait. We'd joined up with Karen and Jason from Yolo and staked out a place just inside the club where we could hear the music and were out of the wind that was still blowing. As I barbecued our food, the gust of wind would regularly come through throwing sparks and hot ash all over all of us as we stood at the grill. One nice spark went right in my shoe!! Yeow that stung. Once cooked, we all met at our "place" and had a nice dinner. Karen and Jason were smart and ate before the party started. Jason snacked on some of our potatoes and what ever else he could find at the different tables around us. The party went well, though the music was notched up way beyond where it needed to be hurting my ears. Couples were dancing the night away. Promptly at midnight, all the South African Navy ships that were berthed near by started blowing their horns. It was a wild sound coming from all areas of the harbor. By 0030, we were on the ferry back to Zephyr and slowly wound down from the festivities. We didn't bother getting up till well after 0700 this morning.

During the night, the wind pulsed out side from almost calm to back in the mid 20+ knot range. Up and down over and over making our wind generator hum away on the stern. By day break, it was finally calm but by 0900, the winds were back up again and it looks like it's going to be another windy day.