Durban - A combination of trade winds and the need to be with others over Christmas has Durban’s yacht basin bursting at the seams with many foreign sailors.
The Daily News visited the “tightly knit” community of the seas this week to hear what brought them to Durban and how they would spend the holidays.
The Royal Natal Yacht Club has 20 yachts temporarily moored at the mole with some sailors waiting for perfect conditions. Many said they would “most likely” spend Christmas in Durban and New Year in Cape Town.
One visitor was Crystal Blues yacht owner Neil Langford and his wife, Ley. The couple sold their belongings in Sydney, Australia, and took to the seas in 2005.
Langford considers the yacht to be a flat because it is fully equipped and even has a washing machine.
The only hassle was to self-maintain the yacht – constantly checking and cross checking.
A highlight of his Durban visit was watching Star Wars and visiting the Drakensberg, he said.
Langford is in the engineering field, working in multi-media and on electronic systems.
“Boats are stronger than people. If you maintain the yacht it will look after you. I learned to sail when I was young. We have a few luxuries on board,” he said.
Their 50-foot boat was custom built in New Zealand and can reach speeds of eight knots.
“We alternate on watch and engage auto pilot. If not, it would be boring holding the steering wheel. Sometimes you walk around and fly fish on the deck. We listen to jazz and blues. The only television we watch is in port,” he said.
During the interview, Ley Langford was sewing part of a damaged jeno (foresail) sail, with an industrial sewing machine they keep onboard.
“We have children and grandchildren who we visit back home. With yachting, if you don’t like your neighbour you move,” Langford said, laughing.
Kenneth Bryce, a retiree who owned a stainless steel fabrication business and his wife, Christine Goodman, of Queensland, are sailing on their yacht, Code Zero. Bryce’s custom built vessel is spacious.
He lived in Richards Bay and eMpangeni for three years in the mid-80s. However, this was his first trip back to Durban in 28 years.
He said visitors were wary of violent crime in Durban but experience had taught him that it happened throughout the world.
He has been on 4x4 trails, wildlife game reserves and hikes during the few weeks he has been here.
“I would love to see a Stellenbosch winery and Namibia. I learnt to speak isiZulu back then. Now I am using it around Durban. I have been to most parts of the world by sea and air. I regard the South African coastline as the most dangerous because the sea just stands up to you,” he said.
Andrew and Karen Deeley of the Gold Coast in Australia have been sailing for six years with four children on board. Karen was a qualified teacher in Australia and is now home schooling her three boys, Josh, 17, Tristan, 14, and Max, 11, and a girl named Ava, 10.
The children do chores and, while sailing, they are occupied with movies and games.
They stretch their legs when they stop at cities and islands. The Deeleys have spent three years between Asia and Sri Lanka. They once spent six months on an island spear fishing, snorkelling and diving.
Andrew, a former computer software company employee, said it was his idea to take up sailing.
“I was living in Colorado in a land-locked state. I decided to try something new. I moved to London and then Australia. I hope we get to spend another four years together on the yacht,” he said.
Out at sea, Andrew said they engaged the autopilot and relaxed. They bake cakes onboard, read books electronically and play card games.
They have four double beds a lounge area and three toilets.
“The person on watch has to monitor the navigational instruments. You have to stand every 15 minutes to check for obstructions ahead. Maintaining the yacht has been a continual learning curve for me. I outsource any major repairs when we come into ports,” he said.
“The strange part is the kids feel sea sick when they are learning maths but they don’t get sea sick watching movies. When we stop along the way they study hard and complete their homework,” Andrew said.
The Deeleys are travelling with another family with children, so at ports they play together.
“In Durban, it was good to see supermarkets and malls. We stocked up on what we could. It’s been great, the people are friendly. I think because of the piracy on the Red Sea route most of the yachts are travelling down the African coast,” Andrew said.
The yacht families have a bond and will spend Christmas at the yacht moorings in Durban.
The families are all travelling on to Cape Town, then Namibia and eventually Brazil.
Daily News
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