American Spirit II - Day 319; Clearing Out in Durban, a Snapshot of Vlado from Civetta II & Dinner at the Moyo Restaurant; Thursday, November 20, 2014

Up at 6:45 AM. Turned on SSB radio at 7:03 AM to listen to the Roy Cook Peri-Peri weather net broadcast. I asked him about leaving Durban for Port Elizabeth and he said we had 40 hours of good weather. We need 58 hours. We'll look at another GRIB weather file tonight. A low pressure system that will create some rain Sunday under sail is weakening and may not pose a significant threat to us. I talked with Russ on Nexus later today and he feels pretty good about the Friday weather window, saying it will stay 'open' until next Thursday.

At 8:00 AM we headed up to the restaurant to have breakfast. Joel and I ordered French toast. I added some toast, eggs and bacon. The French toast wasn't very good because not only did they not put syrup on it in, they ran out of honey. French toast without syrup or honey isn't very good. The eggs were good, and the what I was served as 'bacon' was in fact ham. That happens a lot. Its good; but its just that strips of bacon that we're used to in America doesn't always happen as we travel around the world.

At 9:30 AM Vlado from Civetta II and I walked up to the marina office to start the clearing out process. We had to submit another flight plan (float plan), even though the one I put together in Richards Bay was still accurate. And we had to fill out some additional paperwork; have copies of our passports made again and turn in our swipe cards for the gate access to the dock. It didn't make sense to turn in our swipe cards because we're going to need to be able to come and go from the boat until Friday morning, but that's the rule. They wouldn't take a deposit for each swipe card. One of the ladies in the office said the guard is always in the guard house so he can let us in and out. A little while later there was no guard and I couldn't get out of the secure area. The office manager then set up a biometric access for me, whereby my finger could open and close the gate. Go figure.

During our walk and waiting at the clearing out offices, Vlado and I had a chance to talk. His background is quite interesting. He's from Czechoslovakia, now called Slovakia, and apparently quite a climber, having climbed El Capitan two times, taking 4 days and 5 days; and climbing around Half Dome in 3 days. His boat name, Civetta II, is named after a mountain Vlado climbed in the winter. For doing this he also received a medal from Czechoslovakia. Impressive. Like most of the Germans on Polaris, he grew up behind the Iron Curtain in eastern Europe; so his take on post communism and democracy is quite interesting. Fascinating, really. We've got some very interesting and amazing people in our World ARC retinue. People that I'm sure will remain friends long after the Rally ends... I hope.

At any rate, Erling from Saphir and Vlado and I then walked the 30 minutes to the Port Control building, gave up some paperwork and had some papers stamped and returned; then walked to the Custom's building not far away; then back to the Port Control building where our flight plan was taken from us. I hope we don't need it again. Then we walked back to the marina and were there around noon. A 2 1/2 hour process of clearing out. I saw a South African couple doing the same thing, so it appears that the clearing out and in procedures apply for natives, also, sailing into certain ports. What's interesting is that when we go into East London, Port Elizabeth or Mosel Bay we don't have to clear in and out any more. But we will have to clear in again when we get Cape Town, I think.

Back on the boat I Googled the Royal Cape Yacht Club in Cape Town and then called them, telling them I'd like to have my boat pulled and the bottom painted. A haul out date of December 8 was given to me, not because that's the date I wanted, but because that was the date that was available. I was given some pricing and told that a contractor would contact me to do the actual bottom preparation and painting. The haul out and painting will take 3-4 days, so we'll have to stay in a hotel during that period. Or perhaps we'll go touring and return when the boat is ready to be put back in the water.

Next I contacted the Algoa Bay Yacht Club in Port Elizabeth and inquired about a berth and what I should do if I enter at night. I was told to just take any empty slip and they'd sort it our in the morning. Nice.

Finally I sent an email to the V & A Marina in Cape Town confirming that we'd be arriving December 11, in line with our reservation for December 11 thru January 11.

Starting around 2:00 PM the wind really started howling from the southwest. That's the reason we're in Durban now, because we knew this southwest wind was coming.

I showered in the Point Yacht Club at 5:15 PM, barely beating in 10 students from the sail training ship Argo.

At 6:00 PM we headed up to the yacht club bar, where Erling and Gro from Saphir; and Vlado and Jack from Civetta II, joined us and were going with us to dinner at the Moyo restaurant. A dinner I had orchestrated based on a strong recommendation from Tom and Sandra from Sweet Pearl; who had visited the restaurant before we got here and were now in East London waiting for the same Friday weather window we were waiting for. We were waiting for the guest of honor, Bob Fraser, the yacht club gentleman who greeted us when we arrived in Durban. Once at the restaurant, we were given a table overlooking the Durban skyline and the ocean, with a sliding large door open so we could enjoy the view and the fresh sea air. We ordered crocodile, ostrich, and kudu antelope for dinner. It was all very good. My kudu antelope came on a skewer that was set in a device so that it hung vertically 24 inches above my plate. The meal came with mealies, which I read about in the James Michener book about South Africa called 'The Covenant.' I had no idea until tonight that mealies is corn on the cob. Who knew. Please pass the mealies! That doesn't sound like something you eat. After leaving the restaurant we were back at the boat at 10:25 PM.

Bob Fraser, our new fried from the Point Yacht Club, showed me an article that was printed in the Annapolis Boat show book in 1969, where Bob had sailed one of his two boats that he sold in America. He had sailed a 30 footer he bought in England, thru France's canals, along the coast of Italy, into the Mediterranean, thru the US 6th Fleet, just missing the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy, then down the coast of Africa to Cape Town. There he turned right and sailed across the Atlantic, stopping in St. Helena first. Finally he ended up in Annapolis, Maryland. In time to see the boat show. Over drinks and dinner Bob said that he has greeted over 2,300 boats at the Durban Marina on behalf of the Point Yacht Club; and that 85% of the circumnavigators stop in Durban. One of the things I noticed in front of the yacht club is that 6 foreign flags were flying, five of them representing the boats from our ARC fleet currently in port: United States (American Spirit II); Slovakia (Civetta II); Italy(Lluiton); Spain(Festina Lente); Norway (Saphir) and one other boat not in the ARC but from a different country than what I've listed.

In order to finish out the clearing out process out of Durban, an Immigration officer has to come to the boat to clear us out, to make certain that we don't have any stowaways aboard. So... we have to call Immigration 3 hours in advance of their visit. Because we're tentatively leaving at 8:00 AM I have to call them at 5:00 AM. Isn't this fun?! So instead of all the boats leaving calling them at 5:00 AM I volunteered to call for most of them: us; Lluiton; Civetta II; and Saphir.

Back on the boat, Joel is in bed at 11:15 PM; Jeanine is working the phones talking to business associates and tenants in the USA; and I am getting the boat ready to go tomorrow and typing a log.

I'm in bed by 12:30 AM.

Brian Fox