In mid Feb we headed off on Amanda’s planned diverse five day road trip.  An hour’s drive from Knysna the Outeniqua Pass climbs over the mountains above the town of George, on the Garden Route. The pass was originally created in 1847 (and known as the Montagu Pass), as a trade route inland from the coast, for horses and wagons. It was one of those hard-to-comprehend projects that took a significant toll. It has since been re-routed, re-built and re-named as technology, machinery and vehicles have evolved. After driving back and forth along the N2 (between the mountains and the coast) several times it was exciting to head into a landscape that had only been a dramatic backdrop until then.   We’re going to run out of superlatives if not careful, so let’s just say the pass has steep, lush, green and rocky slopes (a bit like Scotland on steroids) with huge views down over George at the foot and on towards the Indian Ocean. It’s often shrouded in the clouds but we lucked out with a crystal clear conditions.  The pass leads into the Karoo – a sort of cross between desert and rocky flatland pastures. The Karoo is hotter and drier than the coastal areas – over 30°C when we were there, with huge plains and red rocks. In the Outeniqua region the Karoo is also home to ostrich farms on, of course, another grand scale. Ostrich generated wealth through their meat, leather and, it now seems… monster feather dusters. Locals sell them on street corners in the ostrich capital Oudshoorn and we wanted one, but it would be a touch unecessary on a catamaran.   Next stop was the spectacular limestone Cango Caves - one of the world’s longest and largest cave systems and it’s best to let the photos do most of the talking. The stalactites and stalagmites have formed over millions of years and, of course, in caves they’re not subject to erosion or other degradation. Standing next to these incredible formations, in cathedral sized galleries, put us and our lifespans into perspective.    From the caves we drove along Route 62 which, like Route 66 in the States, has its own T-shirts, mugs and tea towels. It’s justifiably renowned. The best stretch came the following day, so we’ll jump to our first night’s stay. Amanda had found a converted old, seriously rustic barn on an olive farm in the middle of… nowhere. Let’s hope Avis don’t read this blog because off-road use of the car was banned (how’s that ever going to work in Africa?). By the time we tracked down our barn the car was an indistinguishable dusty lump. Mountains towered above the barn on one side, with huge views over the karoo on the other. Utter silence. We wandered around the olive trees, cooked a braai (South Africans tend to burn wood rather than charcoal, so you have to light it long before you’re hungry) and lay on stone benches gazing at…

Well… to be honest, we didn’t have the best of starts after arriving in SA on Jan 9th… But before we get into that, we did have a fabulous time over Christmas and New Year, prior to heading off. Christmas Day at Lepe Farmhouse with the Redmans and Heeley/ Stevens and their families – Boxing Day in Kent with Martin’s family – New Year in Staffordshire with Amanda’s Mum – numerous suppers and lunches with mates before, between and after - culminating in many of our very local clan joining us for a send-off drink or two at Montys pub in Beaulieu. Hectic – as it seems the South Africans say. Until three years ago we were accustomed to coming and going from home, off on sailing and work travels. In fact in 2019 it was the end of June before we spent more than four consecutive nights in our own bed! This time, preparing to leave after being largely home based since the start of the pandemic, we were surprised to discover we’d put down roots! Our families aren’t actually very close to us geographically, but we’re definitely close. And our community of friends is amazing.  So all the farewells added up to us feeling pretty emotional and wrung out. We landed in Cape Town, picked up a hire car for the drive to Knysna... and the rampant UK flu bug hit us. Properly. As many of you know, it can be quite severe and we were the most ill that we’ve been so far this century.    Fortunately, we’d booked a great apartment to live in while the boat is completed but it took almost three weeks to stop feeling rough, stop coughing and get our energy back. We weren’t up to spending much time at the factory and anyway, we really didn’t want to infect the team. Don’t feel sorry for us. Fat chance. There are far worse things going on in the world and we’re now back on form, in South Africa and focussed on the boat… while it freezes back home! There are a fair number of outstanding finishing jobs on the boat, some caused by supply issues, some just taking time. The upside is that we’ve been able to participate in many decisions (including detail changes such as interior flooring, which we’re now happier with than the original plan) with a visibility we wouldn’t have had from home.    We’ve been here nearly a month and settled into a pleasant routine. Most days include a visit to the CM factory or one of the local suppliers (upholstery, graphics, domestic appliances etc), local sightseeing and walking, coffee at White Wash Café served by the very smiley Mr Stone and Abigail, swimming from the stunning beaches around Leisure Island, Wednesday evenings at the Yacht Club, Friday late afternoons at the Knysna Gin Distillery with a semi-permanent bar akin to Solent Cellar at Bucklers Hard (mind you at 280 Rand for a round of five G&Ts and two…

After an amazing trip to South Africa, visiting Current Marine, equipment suppliers and spending a few days at a safari game park we feel such a relief to have been able to get back out into the world again - and very fortunate.  The situation in Ukraine, which developed while we were away, and the hardship that many people are enduring makes it seem wrong to talk about our pleasure trip. But, it’s also the case that people in South Africa are very happy to have international visitors once again and they welcomed us. Many have struggled over the last couple of years. Furlough didn’t exist. This blog will form our lasting record of travels, thoughts and experiences and sadly, withholding our memories won’t help those suffering in Ukraine right now, so we’d like to write them up while they’re fresh. While we’ve been holed-up in the New Forest for the last two years some deeply sad Covid events impacted our family yet, on the other hand, we also enjoyed unexpected upsides. We live in a beautiful area with beach and countryside playgrounds on our doorstep. We couldn’t complain. Having been perpetually on the move, we metaphorically drew breath – spent time with local mates, worked on the house and even, courtesy of the previous Rush’s lovely new owners, escaped for a few weeks of UK south coast cruising each summer! So, even when travel restrictions were eased, we’d not been outside the UK. This trip to South Africa to see our new boat in build and a bit more of the country was, in every respect, a BIG deal! South Africa is simply stunning. Our only other visit to the African continent was when we went to Current Marine during our catamaran research process. Following that, the prospect of spending more time there during a boat build was a major upside. There’s always a risk when you wait ages and build something up in your mind, that it disappoints. It didn’t. Never thought we’d be happy to remove belts and shoes, dig out devices and schlep through security… but even that felt part of getting our old lives back - pressing Play again. Much of the world isn’t vaccinated or out of Covid the woods yet. Recent years have taught us all to appreciate things in a way we didn’t necessarily before.  After flying into Cape Town, we picked up a car, loaded it to the gunwales with stuff for the boat and headed for Kynsna. The nav’s not taxing… leave the airport - join the N2 - drive for five hours along the well-known Garden Route – arrive (still on the N2) in Knysna, home of CM.    Knysna is like the Salcombe of South Africa – a holiday town on a pretty estuary, surrounded by hills and with a sometimes seriously iffy entrance. It’s a great place to hang out. Several catamaran builders are based there. We’re not experienced SA travellers but, after initial trepidation on our first…