[password] brucelaura
[position] 29 51.8S 31 01.5E
[Status] Saturday, Nov. 2. We left Richard's Bay on Tuesday afternoon with
the high tide (to get over a sandbar) and arrived in Durban the next
morning. Richard's Bay marina was pleasant enough but RB is a coal shipment
port and we were appalled by the amount of coal dust covering the boat! We
were eager to move south and hoped to go farther than the 90 miles to
Durban but the weather would not allow it. Durban is disturbing. There are
two very friendly yacht clubs in the marina complex but outside the gates
is a section of the city that has been taken over by squatters and the
homeless. We have been told it is not safe to go out day or night so we are
prisoners in our somewhat guilded cage. As someone who loves to explore new
places on foot I am appalled. Like the Caribbean, the black population may
be in charge but they are still the underclass, without capital, education
or experience and the country is in an obvious decline. This feeds the
prejudice and anger of the disenfranchised white people who rail about the
incompetence of the blacks. No one is happy, crime is an ever present
threat, and the word 'distopia' comes to mind. Keep in mind I've been in
this country a month so this is simply my observation of the tiny slice of
life I have seen. Perhaps my South African friends can enlighten me, but
they've all sailed away to the US, Australia, or New Zealand.
Rant over. We will wait here for an opportunity to continue south, perhaps
next Friday. Looking forward to putting the challenges of the South African
coast, both on land and sea, behind us.

[END]