Well friends we finally finished the massive round of repairs and refitting undertaken in Durban. It was a lot of hard work and wasted time.  We did most of the hard work while the South African suppliers or artisans wasted the time. It seems that Durban is famous for delays and procrastination. We can now vouch for that fame as well earned. There were times we thought the work would never end.

When we finally did escape the boat was in pretty good shape, looking and functioning as well as we could hope for. Much of what we did accomplish would never have been possible with out the help of Graham Alcock, from the yacht OPUS. Graham took us under his wing and helped guide us through the jungle of finding materials. Graham helped with ideas for reticent projects and even acted as our ad hoc banker during the whole process.  Bless you Graham, ya’ sorry old s*d, we still wish you could have sailed with us a bit further.

As to Durban, it is not a place we can recommend to the average cruising yacht for a stop over. Durban is noisy, dirty, expensive, and crime is rampant everywhere.  The marina is constantly trying to grub more money from the passing boats under every pretext imaginable.  If you stay more than a month beware of the exorbitant “ harbor fees” (yep lads they even charge you rental on the water you sit in).

That said we did make a few good friends like Jacob and Judith from Whiskey Galore, and Tessa from Tony’s shop, Cruising Connections (the place for charts and publications). Tessa and Judith both helped enormously with the painting and sanding.  Three lovely girls on the pier in their bikinis chatting and laughing away while they worked did wonders for my lecherous spirit at least. Tessa’s artistically painted block now adorns the inter jib’s sheet.  And did I mention me good mate Graham Alcock?

Thanks are also due to Harrald Hagan, master rigger, who not only helped with several complicated long splices, but also provided us with the key to Vegas history. (See history for more on that.) Lastly if you must stop in Durban the chandler to use is Nick Hasties, Sea Port Supply. It’s just across the road from the marina. Nick is great, what else can I say. He finds things that others can’t and then pitches up on board to deliver it. That alone saved us a lot of time and aggravation. 

Rob Bowman deserves a mention here also. Rob runs the small boat yard beside the marina, is a bundle of energy, and a wealth of knowledge. The nice thing we discovered about Rob is how “straight” he is to deal with. That is a rare thing these days and especially in Durban.

One other good contact is Evan Williams, who has the only boat yard for slightly larger yachts. Evan is a “good mate” and knows his business. Thanks to his advice we were able to save a lot of money on marina fees, electricity, and many other items. If you need a bigger yard than Robs, Evans is the best you could choose. 

We finally sailed from Durban with a scratch crew of friends, and pirates for Richards Bay. That was a good shake down cruise. The trip only uncovered a few small things that needed our attention. Small things like the variable pitch propeller refusing to maintain a setting, the shaft generator not responding in a Christian manner, and some minor odd and bobs in the rigging.

Richards Bay is as peaceful as Durban is hectic.  There is a small chandlery there with the basics. Sue, the owner, can usually get anything within reason for you in a day or two.  Unreasonable things take longer.  Peter from Quantum Sails visits every Wednesday for sail repairs.  He’s a really likeable fellow who really knows his rags.

One great thing about Richards Bay were the two new friends we managed to make there. Peter, from the workboat PADA, was incredible. His energy and experience just seemed to melt away problems. He almost single handedly repaired our shaft generator. Not only  “fixing” it but doing so in a manner that is much better than before.

Pet also has the fuel concession on the pier and if he doesn’t know where to find something in town it is because it simply isn’t available.  Thanks Pet! From all of us aboard VEGA. The only thing we didn’t manage was to get him up in the rigging.

Tanya Lewitton simply appeared one day wandering down the pier. Tanya was an enormous help and wonderful friend. She also found us a Winblows Computer at an amazing price. Thanks to that computer we have an (almost) steady stream of weather faxes available, and hopefully will have direct access to the Internet soon. We are only missing one small bit. We couldn’t Shanghai Tanya this trip, but we have high hopes that she will be joining us in Thailand to once again occupy her favorite bunk. We couldn’t keep her out of the rigging!