[password]seabird14
[position] 34 11.48 S 018 25.96 E
[heading]
[speed]
[weather] 0-5kts, 1017 mb, 20% cc
[status] On the dock, False Bay Yacht Club, Simon's Town, South Africa. We have been here 3 weeks - prepping Kailani and waiting for the wind to calm down so we can make it around the Cape of Good Hope. After almost steady 30s gusting to 40s for 3 weeks, we have calm to the point of no wind. Sailors, are we ever happy with the wind?! We hoped to leave earlier this week, then we thought we could leave yesterday, and then thought again for today. Tonight we have decided we will motor out around tomorrow morning and maybe anchor up on the west side of Africa to wait for some wind for our passage up to Namibia.

We got up this morning thinking we would be throwing off the dock lines by noon. So up early we went for a walk to see the penguins one more time, and we were greeted by a peloton of bikers. Although we had heard there was a planned road closure due to "the race" we had not quite sorted it out that it was the "Tour de Cap" or Cape Town Cycle Tour, the largest timed cycle race in the world. Over 40,000 riders took part, and we learned cyclists come from all over the world to participate. Wow. Turns out the only wind we had today was the "whoosh" we felt whilst standing as spectators when a peloton of riders zoomed past. Impressive!

We have met many delightful people here in Simon's Town, and accomplished great refit work on Kailani both by ourselves and the vendors here. We leave with 3 working autopilots, new running rigging, repaired sails, a host of electrical and hydraulic repairs, and happy hearts. As ever, we have been inspired by the the many sorts of folks that have crossed our gunwales while here, as well as with the spirit of the Africans we have met about town. To read about our adventures in Cape Town, down to Cape Point, visits with penguins, etc, see our website www.LaughterJourney.com.

We will send an update once we are at sea and have started our first leg of many to cross the Atlantic.
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