The current outside of RB was the opposite as when we arrived (before 4kts South right up to 100m line).  This time there was 1-2 kts counter current out to the 500m line!!  You had to beat SE something like 10 miles or more to around the 1000m line to pick up 2kts southerly, and stay well offshore beyond 1000m (I was like 50 miles off shore when rounding Durban), people further in got no current or counter current, I made a current map based on reports from the radio but giving it to you is useless as the damn thing seems to change all the time.  SO 2kts average most the way to EL then you can move in to 200-500m line and get 3 to 5kts!  WOW, for one 24 hour run I AVERAGED 9.5 KTS!!.   Once you hit the shallow (<200m) area East of P.E. you loose it all again or maybe you keep up to 1kt at times.

To truly appreciate Richards Bay one must only sail to Port Elizabeth.  :-).  Actually I know NOTHING of the city here (other than it is BIG) so I am referring to the docking situation.  Sime, Vintas, and Shearwater all got in before us, (us being Luna, Parpar, and Salsa).  And we three took the very last births (there are still some fore and aft mooring balls open and MAYBE a small boat could squeeze between two other small ones, maybe.  You can always tie to a fishing boat, and I don’t think you can anchor anywhere.   Its DAMN calm outside the harbor (1-2m seas)  and STILL there is a surge here so you have to be VERY carefull how you tie up to this (barely) floating dock. Fenders need to be ALL the way down at water level, the jetty you tie to is HOSTILE with sharp metal bits sticking out (use a fender board) and for this they charge 50 rand a day ($6usd) and another 15 (2usd) for shower access.  But I guess its not all bad.  I got in at dusk last night and have not even had a beer at the YC yet, just slept, it was a good passage but a bit more of motoring in the calms than I would have liked but this is one coast where I’m not going to drift around waiting for wind because half of the time the wind you get won’t be what you want!, otherwise great passage, no beating.  Next weather window looks like Saturday or Sunday.  Holger;  You get your rigging sorted yet?   Mom; I copied you so you know I’m OK, this is not for the website. James; Captain Cook (roy from Peri Peri) had very fond memories chatting with you when you were sitting N of Madagascar for a while something like 15 years ago, then laughed his ass off about the time you were caught off Cape Point (Chapmans Peak Dr?) in a gail (I vividly remember you telling me the same story! but you didn’t seem to find the same humor in it as Roy does today)  So anyway Roy said he still thinks about you all the time and I gave him your email.  That’s it for now! Oh what the hell, Mom go ahead and post this to sailing salsa in case It takes me a month to write up something better :-).     -Kirk

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