Year 3 -2 July 2026 -Durban -South Africa
We woke at about 7-8.00am and everything seemed quiet although there was a Southerly Buster coming through today. We thought of having smoothies but we had no bananas. I therefore decided to make poached eggs on toast which we all enjoyed.
We waited for the laundry man to come which he eventually did and so that was on its way. Hish decided to clean the deck and Jenny and Keith got on with provisioning and working out what we had and what we needed. In the rolling we had lost some forks from the drawers which must have slipped out the back. This meant emptying the locker under the galley floor and taking up the floor and getting them from the bilges.
I got on with admin and sorting out our next steps. I looked at the weather and thought that the opportunity to get to East London might be coming up on the 5th or 6th. I therefore emailed Des.
Hish also cleaned his heads and we got sheets out for the beds. Kieth and Jenny had completed the stocktake and I had done some internal hoovering. We were ready for lunch and so we had the chicken and salad and bread that John and Terry had bought.
Thor came back to sort out the water heater and to measure the pipe for the engine fan. He should come tomorrow with the motor for the engine room fan.
We carried on with jobs after lunch and Hish went off for a nap.
The temperature here is quite cool so Keith and I got our duvets prepared and tidied generally. We had noticed how much cooler it has been and for the first time in years I put on some long trousers and even some socks and a jumper. On the passage I had put on some wet weather gear. It was all a bit of a shock.
By late afternoon we had done a lot of the jobs needed and chilled. We had a sundowner – although it was a little chilli and we had had strong winds in the harbour due to the Buster coming through.
We went off to the Natal Yacht Club for drinks and supper and it was closed!. We therefore went to the Point Yacht Club for drinks but they had no food. We therefore headed over to 9th Avenue which was a fairly sheek restaurant. We had a good meal and relaxed.
We returned to Stormbird and will be joined by another crew member Mark Spittle from London.
The picture of the day is Stormbird in the marina.
Need/Opportunity Year Three
I am now on the way to Durban and will then head for Cape Town and then on to St Helena, Azores and back to the UK.
I am now in need of 1 additional crew from Cape Town to the Azores. The new crew member would need to be onboard by 10 August and it is likely we would get to the Azores by late September or early October. If at all interested in joining me please contact me on my email below or WhatsApp +44 7931360372.
The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com