Day 366: Cape Town, SA – 07/01/11

When we wake up, we find that the fridge and freezer are still working and not long after I hear the happy sound of riggers trundling overhead to fix the new stays.  Great.  Not so wonderful is that they are trundling all over the boat in shoes and making a merry mess of my newly cleaned boat.  If the deck had been dry it would have been OK but it was a cold night in comparison to the very hot day yesterday and there is a thick layer of condensation all over the deck which causes dirty shoeprints.  I am well and truly pissed off!

I’m having a moan to Ana on the boat next door, but don’t intend having a go at them as they have already apologised to Mike for the mess.  However, Ana gets annoyed with them on my behalf and has a go at them to the extent that they promise to come back with a hose and clean up afterwards – if they come back that is!

Mike and I go to Hout Bay again and deal with the immigration process and I get the first stamp in my new passport but as the customs people fail to turn up we are told that if we can’t hang around for them to arrive (and who knows when that will be) we will have to go into Cape Town.  We make the decision to do that as we have such a lot to do today.

While we are there we pick up our meat, fillet steak and chicken thighs, all cut up and vacuum packed into two meal portions.

Mike misses the turning for the marina and heads into Cape Town by mistake so he decides to complete the customs work while we are there.  There’s a long queue when we arrive but luckily the guy that came out to our boat yesterday is there and calls us forward, completing the formalities quickly.  On the way we pass the junction where the motorway flyover just stops.  Suddenly.  End of build.  I presume the authorities ran out of money or something.  Apparently it gets used as a set for disaster moves.

  Photo:  The end of the road – literally!

When we get back to the boat, the riggers have finished and it looks like they have hosed down the boat.  OK, it’s not as good as it was yesterday but better than it was this morning.

Mike drags the gas bottle out of the locker, I get the washing together and we go down to the Royal Cape Yacht Club to do the laundry and get the gas bottle filled.  Leaving the bottle at the chandlers, Mike leaves me in the laundry and goes back to make a cover for the generator out of an old shower curtain.  A tiny amount of salt water has apparently been coming in which the engineer that re-wired it up on Monday said had probably caused the damage to the first one.  Mike and I are not convinced as we hadn’t been through any rough weather at sea (which would cause the engine compartment to leak slightly) by the time the generator failed, although we have been through lots since.  Whatever! 

While I am down at the laundry (a bit of a euphemism for a hovel with no windows and just two washers and driers) I meet Richie from Grand Filou wandering around outside.   Grand Filou is not joining the leg of the World Arc from South Africa to Brazil but is instead competing in the Cape to Rio race which starts next week.  Good luck!

I give Mike a missed call when I am ready to be picked up and decide to start the walk back to Elliot Basin.  Wrong move.  It is really hot today (37 degrees) and I am over 90% of the way back before I see the car heading down the road towards me.  It turns out that he has to come back to Royal Cape anyway and while he goes to retrieve the gas bottle, I am left sitting in an oven with no air conditioning.  If I was a dog I would have died.  At least being partially human I kick the door open and lie back grumpy and tired until he returns.

They have been unable to fill the bottle (wrong connectors for them or something) so Mike has to go off and get it down elsewhere after dropping me off at the boat.  I drink about a litre of water and am starting to cool down in the air conditioning when Ziggy turns up to check that the fridge and freezer are still working (well to get his money really).

I hang up laundry up, glaring at my dirty cockpit and deck.  I can’t blame the rigging guys for that – it was probably Mike and I trundling in and out this morning on our regular trips up to the loo (the holding tanks are full and we can’t empty the toilets in the marina).

When Mike returns, thankfully with a full gas bottle, we go to do the food shopping at the smaller of the local malls.  It may be smaller but it has everything I want – a Superspar and a Woolworths Food Hall.  We manage to get everything that we want but it takes an absolute age to unpack it all, repack some of it for the freezer and get rid of as much of the packaging as we can.

Then it’s a quick and absolutely freezing shower (Mike forgets to put the engine on for hot water for me as he goes to the marina showers) then our last meal at Panama Jacks.

Returning to Jeannius, we reluctantly turn down two offers of boarding other boats for drinks (Isis – scene of the tequila and Nesquick cocktail, and with Ana and Brent next door).  We just have too much to do now and can’t afford the hangovers in the morning, just in case.

I’m just getting ready for bed when I remember that I haven’t put teak oil on the back steps and tonight is my last chance if I want to get it to sink in before it gets wet with condensation overnight.  Quickly pulling on a tee-shirt I sneak out and treat my newly cleaned wood, then while Mike snores beside me, I catch up on some blog and e-mails.  It’s gone midnight when I finish.  So much for an early night.

Day 365: Cape Town, SA – 06/01/11

We reach a major milestone today.  One year ago, on 6 January 2010 we left St Lucia to start our circumnavigation.  Theoretically, today should be day 366 but as we crossed the international date line and lost a day, it is day 365.  I can’t believe that we’ve gone so far and done so much.  When I look back it seems like yesterday in some ways and a lifetime ago in others.

The guys turn up again to continue the cleaning – I really don’t know how they work in this heat but they are doing a great job.

Matt takes Mike to get the hire car while I wait for the refrigeration guy to arrive ‘first thing’ but of course he doesn’t.  Matt comes back and stops by for a natter and to keep me company until Mike arrives bringing the guy from customs with him.  The guy goes through all my receipts and the goods (even my new knickers.  He tells me that if anyone else had answered the phone we would have just been able to turn up at the customs office with the receipts and that would have been it.  Trust me to get the stickler for the rules.  He takes away all our receipts and assures us that in due course the VAT refund will be paid onto one of our credit cards.  I have no idea how much is due in total as I forgot to add them all up.  Oh well, it might happen.

Mike rings the refrigeration guy but he doesn’t answer his phone and his voicemail is full up.  Ever persistent though, Mike keeps trying until eventually, just before noon, he gets through and is assured that ‘he is on his way and will be there in 15 minutes’.  Well I don’t know which way he goes but he does, at long last, arrive over an hour later, and to be fair, gets it all going by removing all the faulty joints.  He leaves without being paid as he wants to drop by tomorrow and check that everything is still working well.

We have to leave really early for the WARC function as Mike has arranged for Brent and Anna on the boat next to us to visit Tucanon to talk about possible additional things to equip the boat with for a long passage.  We get ready and head off to Hout Bay, taking Lee, the new crew member from Ocean Jasper, with us.  It’s a lovely journey through the hills and when we arrive in Hout Bay, the beaches are heaving.

We leave Lee to his own devices and go over to Tucanon.  Brent and Anna are already there having a look around and we spend some time chatting and catching up with Irene before going to the skippers’ briefing.  It’s good to see some familiar faces, most of whom I haven’t seen since we left Richards Bay or Port Elizabeth but sad too to learn that Anna and Udo are leaving Destiny, our Privilege 435 sister ship.

At the beginning of the meeting Paul points out that as we are 6 hours behind St Lucia, exactly one year go to the hour, we were all crossing the start line at the beginning of the rally.  I sit through most of the skippers’ briefing, not really taking it in – that’s Mike’s territory.  Most boats are now in Hout Bay and the start line is there.  Unless we come out of Elliot Basin and head south for an hour and a half just to make it to this start line, we will not be deemed to have started the race and will end up with a DNF (did not finish) beside our boat name.  No problem.  We are not in this to compete and have far too much still to do to waste a few hours.  Anyway, the last time I saw that bit of coastline from the sea I was not enjoying it at all and would rather not see it again!

After the skippers’ briefing it’s back to the bar and then a wonderful sampling of South African cuisine, including a rather wonderful babotie which I have to say gives Heine’s a run for its money.  Then more drinks and chat.

Photo:  Sophia, Sean, Moe, Mike, Eline, Bev and David

Photo:  The beauties – Sophia, Eline, me and Bev

Photo:  And the beasts – Anna joins in too!

Photo:  Anna from Destiny joins me and Bev

Photo:  A hug with my mate, Jutta

The music provided by a local DJ is good too although frankly, I’m too knackered to dance, and after arranging for a delivery of meat for when we come over to clear out tomorrow, we leave for the journey back to Cape Town.

When we arrive back at the marina, there is another party in full swing on the party boat opposite.  They are a group of fun guys who won’t take no for an answer when they ask us to join them.  We give in although Mike only takes a beer and I ask for water.  Fat chance.  They refuse to give me water or a soft drink.  I end up with some strange concoction which is tequila mixed with something like strawberry Nesquick (that’s what it tastes like anyway).  The lads even conjure up some fruit for it too, and laugh as I drink it.  If I’m not ill in the morning I’ll be very surprised.

Photo:  Me, Mike and my strange pink drink onboard Isis

We leave after one drink – probably one drink too many, and get back on board our gleaming Jeannius ready for a good night’s sleep. 

Day 364: Cape Town, SA – 05/01/11

Ann,Terry and Alice prepare to leave.  They have a long journey back to Knysna and want to do as much of the journey before it gets really hot in the afternoon.  As they are removing all their stuff, the cleaning guys arrive to start their mammoth cleaning job.

Unfortunately, the refrigeration guy fails to turn up but he rings and says we’ll be his first call tomorrow.  I am now beginning to really panic about getting it fixed before we leave.  I know we don’t actually need it – I can cook from dried and tinned goods but it just makes for a better mix of food if I can have fresh stuff as well.

I go to lunch with Annie, Jim, Matt and Lee, once again to Panama Jacks.  The staff all recognise me now – I’m a real regular!  I have tuna tartare which is absolutely fantastic.  The barman fills mine and Annie’s glasses to the rim as he wants to get the bottle finished.  We are glad to be of service!

Leaving Matt to continue cleaning his engine room, and Mike to wait for workmen, Annie, Jim, Lee and I go shopping to the V & A Mall.  There are a couple of bits I want to get before the customs visit tomorrow so that I can get the VAT back.  Annie and I shop alone, doing some girly stuff then join Jim and Lee for a drink at one of the many waterfront cafes.

Sitting at the table, I start to talk to a fellow Brit.  Amazingly, although he is a south London boy, his dad lives in Kidderminster and he knows Bromsgrove and Worcester well.  Just one more example of what a small world it can be sometimes.

Photos:  Replica Chinese junks and pirate ships leave the Waterfront laden with tourists

We don’t get back until nearly 7.30 pm by which time Mike is beginning to think that he has been abandoned.  Actually he’s probably just realised that he is hungry!  The boat looks fabulous already.  She is clean and ready for her polish.  I have never seen the teak looking so good – I make a mental note to keep it in that condition.  Mmm.  I wonder how long that will last in a heaving sea!

We see Suzanna and Paul on the dock and go over to do our Happy New Years.  We intend going out to Panama Jacks but I think twice in one day is a bit much and we end up staying on board.

Day 363: Cape Town, SA – 04/01/11

The rigging guys arrive and Mike goes with them to get a quote for the rigging.  It’s about what he expects which doesn’t make it any easier but at least it isn’t a horrible shock.

Because we are expecting the refrigeration guy, Mike has to wait in although the rest of us decide to go out for a bit of sightseeing.  Before we go, I spend ages on the phone arranging for a visit from customs to get the VAT back on all the goods we have bought that we are exporting.  It turns out that producing VAT receipts is not enough to get the money back (which was good enough for Australia).  Instead, we have to go to the customs office, pick up an official, bring him back to the boat, give him the receipts, show him all the matching goods, take him back to the customs office, sign documents, and then, maybe, some time later when we have cleared out and are in the middle of the Atlantic (or probably in Brazil!), the money may appear as a refund on Mike’s credit card.  Or not!

We head for Simons Town, a naval town rich in history from the time of Nelson.  By the time we get there it’s lunchtime and none of us have had breakfast (remember, nothing in the fridge).  We stop and find a restaurant overlooking a boatyard, and watch lots of people working on boats.  Terry remarks that we probably shouldn’t tell Mike that some workmen to actually turn up!

Lunch takes ages to arrive, apparently held up by the kitchens producing a new batch on babotie, the lovely South African minced meat dish that Alice and I order.  I have to say that it’s not as good as the one Heine made for us.  I wonder what mine will taste like when I actually get around to making it (I’ve got to use up the ton of soya mince somehow!)

Photo:  Terry looking very fetching modelling my sunglasses

Photo:  A busy boatyard backed by the naval base in Simons Town

Photo:  Ann and I with Able Seaman Nuisance (I forget the story)

From Simons Town we go to Boulders Bay to see the penguins again.  Alice is like Victoria and I about penguins and we spend a happy little time watching them.  They have started to build nests on the beach now although it’s weird that none of them seem particularly interested in the little plastic nesting boxes thoughtfully provided by the reserve.

They seems to be having some sort of stand off.  There’s two camps of penguins; one consisting of penguins standing by the water’s edge and the other standing in the nesting area with their mouths open, lying on the nests or still building nests.  The ones by the water are real wimps.  Every time a wave reaches a little higher up the beach, they shuffle further inland so they don’t get their feet wet.

Photo:  One of very few penguins still moulting

Photo:  Heads up, beaks open

Photo:  Boulders Bay Penguin Reserve

Having only seen Cape Point from the sea (and I didn’t really see it as it was dark) we decide to visit it on land.  On the way there we pass a parking area which has been taken over by large baboons.  So large, and so vicious they are that there are three wardens on duty armed with whips to keep them from harming people.

Photo:  Huge baboons prowl the car park

We continue to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope but when we reach the main entrance point in the road (still miles away) a sign announces that the car park at the cape is full and we will have to go in a shuttle.  We decide that as the day is hazy anyway, we’ll give it a miss.

On the way back, we stop at a tidal pool, a safe place to swim in the sea without being swept out to sea. 

Photo:  Tidal pool

This is obviously a local hotspot at this time of year.  People have brought tents to the beach behind the pool and whole families are sitting around their braiis (barbecues) with chairs, picnic tables and cool boxes.  Walking down to the beach, Alice’s flip flop breaks and she continues for a while limping on the hot sand until Terry loans her one of his shoes.  He earns himself a scathing look from Alice when he enquires whether it was the flip or the flop which has broken.

Photo:  Alice in need of a new flop

Photo:  Ann finally finds a use for Terry – as a windbreak!

Photo:  Alice heads in for a paddle and heads right back out again – it’s still freezing!

Suddenly Ann spots a huge, black, hairy bottom disappearing into the bushes and presumes that Terry is off for a quick wee, before we realise that it is in fact a huge, black hairy baboon.  Oh, it IS Terry!  (He knows I love him really.)  There’s suddenly chaos on the beach.  It really is a huge monster, and people gather up their children and shout ‘shoo’ in menacing voices.  Alice chooses this moment to need the loo and instructs Terry to stand guard at the door of the ladies’ toilet.

Photo:  Terry on guard outside the ladies toilet armed with a broken flip flop

We watch the baboon stroll confidently around the picnic area, going right into the middle of a family, opening their cool box before running off with a bag of crisps.  He drops it afterwards, obviously looking for something more to his taste then continues to prowl around the beach.  This is too much for Alice who heads off as fast as her mis-matched shoes will allow, and watches from the safety of the car.

Photo:  Alice watches the marauding baboon from her safety perch

I hang around for a while and take photos, but I’m not sure if there’s just one or more so I join the others back in the car.  We go back to the V & A Waterfront so that Alice can get a new pair of flip flops then Alice and I race to the MAC shop, Ann heads into Woolworths and Terry stops for a cappuccino.

Photo:  The Cape Town ‘Eye’ at the V & A Waterfront with Table Mountain in the background

Photos:  Behind the glamour of the waterfront, the real working side of the port of Cape Town

I am hoping to find an old stock of the bronze eye pencil which I love that MAC, in their wisdom, decided to discontinue (as they seem to do with all my favourites).  No luck, but they do have a similar one in kohl, although I am out of luck again as they are out of stock of this particular one.  Typical.

There’s an ARC function tonight at Hout Bay, but we get back from the Waterfront too late to get a lift there so we have to give it a miss.  Still, there’s another one on Thursday and we will have a car by then.

In the evening Ann, Terry and Alice go to NOBU, the sushi restaurant back in The One And Only hotel, while Mike and I, (aka the paupers)  go to Panama Jacks.  

Photo:  Mike enjoying his banana split – not as good as the one I make, apparently probably due to the lack of rum

Photo:  Jeannius in the night time shadow of Table Mountain

Photo:  Lit up like a Christmas tree, the working port behind us

On the way back stop to talk to Brent and Anna on the Lagoon cat berthed next to us.  What a small world.  Although South African, it turns out that Ann lived for some time in the UK, earning her living as a headmistress.

Day 362: Cape Town, SA – 03/01/11

It’s still windy when we wake up but there’s not a cloud in the sky.  Today promises to be HOT!

I do the last bits of cleaning and tidying then have a quick shower and wash my hair before the Roses arrive at about 10.30 am.  It’s great to see them all, especially Alice who I haven’t seen for well over a year.  There’s lots of going backwards and forwards to the car as they have brought all their bed linen, pillows and towels with them so that I am not left with a mound of washing, something which would be a bit of a nightmare with no facilities here.

The generator guy arrives and within minutes the generator is purring away and producing electricity.  The guys in Richards Bay had just failed to wire it up correctly which is what Mike had suspected.  With a level of trepidation, Mike starts the water maker up.  This hasn’t been used since October and we expect it to have problems filtering or with air blocks, but it works well – result.

The refrigeration guy fails to turn up – again.  What is it with these people?  He promises to be here tomorrow.  At least the freezer seems to be working now although Mike doesn’t know how long it will last.

We call Charles, the guy everyone has been raving about as ‘Mr Fixit’.  He seems organise people for all the jobs which he doesn’t do himself and he arranges to come over late this afternoon.

At lunchtime, everyone is hungry but of course there’s no fresh food in and Mike can’t leave the boat as we are still waiting for people.  Ann and I go over to Panama Jacks to get some menus for a takeaway, then I take her over to meet everyone of Crazy Horse and Ocean Jasper.  Only Matt and Bill are there and we stand and chat for a while in the blistering heat, now over 30 degrees.  Thank goodness for the breeze.  Matt brings Rosemary over to meet everyone when they are going for lunch.

The guys turn up to do our free rigging inspection.  Unfortunately, they find that one of the strands of the starboard mast stay has frayed and needs replacing.  This means that we will have to replace the one on the other side as well.  Given how hard to boat has been hammered by the sea over such a short space of time, I’m not entirely surprised, although disappointed that we have to spend more money unexpectedly.  We also get a quote for getting the boat cleaned – just under £120 to scrub the whole thing down, give all the surfaces three coats of polish, bring all the teak back to new, polish all the stainless steel and scrub the waterline free of the green gunk that so loves to cling to it.  It will take two guys two days.  The supply of all the cleaning products will cost twice as much as the labour!  Why am I not surprised?  We book the work to start on Wednesday.  Our bits of plastic are taking a real hammering again.  Thank God for the Atlantic crossing where there’ll be nowhere to spend money for a month.  We won’t even be able to spend it during our three days in St Helena as there’s nothing there to spend it on either!  Just as bloody well!!

After lunch we leave Mike to wait alone for workmen and head out for a tour of Cape Town.  Still being main holiday period though, the roads are choked with traffic and Terry turns the car around and we come back to the V & A Waterfront, ending up having a drink at The One and Only Hotel.  It has a fantastic setting but unfortunately, the setting is not matched by quality service today and we wait over half an hour for four cocktails. 

Photo:  At the One and Only hotel with Ann and Terry

When they eventually arrive, mine, a honey froth mohito, looks ominous.  The froth, instead of being the honey colour I expect, is a sludgy green, and unfortunately resembles the sludge you sometimes see around lakes which have polluted waters.  Not a good look for a drink.  It tastes fine but the smell is a little weird too and I try not to breathe in or look at the froth as I drink it.  Definitely an experience!  However, the toilets are quite an experience.

Photo:  Toilet experience at The One And Only hotel

When we get back, Mike is just going over to see Rohan who owns the spot we occupied when we first came into Elliot Basin.  He’s a South African guy who wants to hear about our sailing experience on a cat as he has just switched, after a lifetime of sailing monohulls, to a cat of his own.  Rohan is an interesting guy, the owner of a luxury train which travels through Africa rather like the Orient Express.  We stop for a couple of drinks while he quizzes us about the extra things that we found we needed for Jeannius above and beyond the manufacturer’s spec, and also about how Mike was able to get me to do the circumnavigation since his wife is a tad reluctant.

I spot Jim and Annie from Ocean Jasper on the dock and rush out to say Happy New Year as they just got back yesterday.  It’s great to see them again.

Terry books a table for us at Rubens, one of the restaurants in The One And Only Hotel but when it’s time to go, neither Ann nor Mike are hungry enough to bother with somewhere expensive, so just Alice, Terry and I go.

   Photo:  Mike and Ann trying to look upset at being left behind

We’re a bit early, so Alice and I amuse ourselves in the designer shop, attracted by the sale rack advertising 70% off.  However with clothes by Stella McCartney, Yves St Laurent, Chloe and the like, even 70% is well out of my price range.  A girl can dream though (as long as she also manages to lose about a stone as well!).

We are given a table tucked away in a far corner, either because we booked the table late or they don’t like the look of us, but we have a great time and I have a fantastic steak dish.  Again, the service, although very friendly, is extremely slow and it’s a good job that the food is good enough to detract from this.  For a five star hotel, the service should have been slick and quick.

Returning to Jeannius, we find that Ann and Mike developed enough appetite to go off to Panama Jacks although they are back by the time we arrive. 

Day 361: Cape Town, SA – 02/01/11

We wake up to pouring rain again, and it’s cold and damp on the boat.  With little incentive to get up, we hang around in bed, just slipping out occasionally for tea and breakfast to have wrapped up in the warm.

It stops raining around lunchtime but remains grey and dismal.  There’s so much cloud on Table Mountain that I can’t even see it.  Jutta had organised for us to go to a concert in the Botanical Gardens but the thought of sitting around after all that rain is not appealing and none of us want to go.

Mike removes a worn piece from the top of the downhaul, chopping it off with the hot knife (one of his favourite tools) and reattaches it to the mainsail then replaces some worn lines holding the trampolines to the boat.  He then replaces some of the bungee cords holding the mainsail to the cars on the mast (he’s dictating this bit – I haven’t got a clue what he’s talking about except that there were bits of old rope everywhere when he had finished).

Finally after lunch, I start the huge cleaning project that I have been putting off but which Ann’s impending arrival is now forcing me to begin.

Firstly I attack the nasty pooh smell which emanates from my wardrobe, a job tackled with rubber gloves, bleach, holding tank conditioner (don’t ask – bright blue and smells nice but probably not good for hair) and lots of open windows.  Mike removes the seal and I remove the foam which grows strange slimy stuff.  I actually don’t want to think about what this is but it really is peculiar.  The pipe that feeds into this is just an air vent from the holding tank.  Why stuff should grow I can’t imagine.  It’s like the day of the Triffids.

Then, still armed with rubber gloves and bleach, I completely wipe down the whole of the port hull, rinsing and drying as I go.  The smell of bleach is overwhelming but it sure deals with the black mould that wants to grow on every surface since we’ve been in cold waters with no air conditioning.

Then it’s sweeping and washing the floors and wiping down all the wood.  God, I hate housework.

At some time the rain stops and the sun comes out, although it’s quite a while after lunch when this happens.  Then late in the afternoon, the wind starts to come up again and by early evening it is blowing over 30 knots and gusting around 40, giving our hurricane lines a good workout and making the boat wobble from side to side along with all the other cats.  I hope the pontoon can hold us all.

I don’t actually finish cleaning until after 9 pm.  I can’t believe the time.  Doesn’t it fly when you’re having fun?!  And I haven’t even finished.  There’s more to do before the Roses arrive tomorrow.  I feed Mike lentil curry (there’s still bugger all in the fridge until it’s fixed) and he feeds me chocolate, a fair exchange I think.

Day 360: Cape Town, SA – 01/01/11

Judy and Joe invite everybody back to their boat for a celebratory drink so we head back there, Jutta and Jochem arriving shortly afterwards.  We manage to avoid the seals on the way although not their smell, which is pretty noxious.

Photo:  The seals on their specially built platform

After a while, Bev and Moe, along with some of their friends turn up as well.  Shortly after Jutta and Jochem leave, we leave too.  They have only got to walk across the road to the hotel where they are staying but we’ve got to get back to the marina and it’s not really safe to walk – that’s presuming we know the way anyway – which we don’t!  Judy and Joe offer us the couch for the night if we don’t manage to find a taxi.

We walk over to the Cape Grace hotel and walk in to use the toilets.  When we come out we approach the doorman confidently as if we are staying there and ask him to get us a taxi but apparently there are none to be had.  He advises us to walk down to the main road and wait there, but we can see thousands of people heading that way and we know our chances of getting a taxi there will be almost nil.

We walk down to the security gate and ask the doorman there if he can get us a taxi.  It’s the same guy that let us park in the hotel car park a few weeks back and Mike slips him some money to do what he can.  Although he tries to get one, he is unsuccessful and I am beginning to think we are not going to get back tonight.  Then he spots his friend, one of the waiters in the hotel, parking his car and manages to persuade him to drive us back to the marina.  He comes too as his mate doesn’t know the way, and after a while we are back.  He even gives the night watchman a piercing whistle to wake him up as we can’t get through the security gates without him. 

The Crazy Horse crew are now on board but from where we are berthed I can’t see any signs of life so after bidding goodnight to the guys partying just along from us, we go back to Jeannius.  I try to make a couple of phone calls but all lines are busy (surprise, surprise) so we head off to bed, glad to have made it back.

We wake up to torrential rain in the morning, but at least it’s washed the salt off the boat.  Amazingly it’s nothing for the dirt though – Jeannius is in dire need of a good scrub, inside and out and I think the ‘out’ part needs professional help!

I manage to get hold of Victoria.  I do wish we had been able to spend Christmas together.  Hopefully, next year we will, wherever we are.

We both potter around the boat until the rain starts to ease off and gradually Table Mountain comes into view and blue sky appears.  Jutta calls and wants to meet up with everybody at Panama Jacks so I trot down to Crazy Horse to say hello and welcome them back.  It’s great to start to get everyone back together again, even though we are here rather than Hout Bay.  Maggie and I worked out that over half the fleet are scattered around the 3 locations in Cape Town, and just 8 at the moment are actually in Hout Bay.  I don’t know how many of the Cape Town fleet will join the start line in Hout Bay.

The afternoon is hot and sunny, a complete contrast to the grey, wet morning.  Mike fixes the handle on one of the hatches that came off in his hand and I vow to start cleaning the inside of the boat but don’t.  We both end up asleep in bed in the afternoon, only getting up when it’s time for a cup of tea just before we need to leave for the restaurant.

Jutta and Jochem are waiting for us and Rosemary, Bill and Matt arrive shortly afterwards.  Panama Jacks is reputed to be one of the best seafood restaurants in Cape Town and it certainly lives up to its name.  We have a great meal.  It’s weird that such a good restaurant is in the middle of nowhere, well, not actually nowhere, but certainly alone in the huge area of the commercial port.  Everyone knows about it and as usual it’s packed.

We end up eating much later than planned and don’t get the early night we promised ourselves, but it’s worth it.

Photo:  Rosemary, me, Mike, Matt, Jochem, Jutta and Bill at Panama Jacks

Tomorrow I really must start getting the boat in order, not just because we leave to cross the Atlantic for Brazil in less than a week now, but also because Ann will have a blue fit when she arrives on Monday and sees the state of the boat!!!