Wild Coast Wanderings
First things first: an apology.
You may have noticed a slight delay since the last blog post… which ended in Richards Bay, South Africa back in November. 😬
In my defense, sailing around the world has turned out to be rather time-consuming.
Between ocean passages, provisioning, boat maintenance, schoolwork, occasional sleep, actually exploring the lands we reach and the general business of living aboard a floating home, the blog quietly slipped down the priority list.
But the stories deserve to be told, so we’re going to catch up.
This will be the first of four newsletters that together fill in the gap between Richards Bay and where we are now. Think of it as the “previously on Sailing Pure Joy” recap of the last few months.
So… let’s rewind to Richards Bay, South Africa.
Safari. In Africa. (Still Not Over It.)
While in Richards Bay, a group of boats from the fleet headed inland for what turned out to be one of the most magical experiences of the entire adventure: a safari atThanda Game Reserve.
We stayed in beautiful tented huts that were definitely on the glamping end of the spectrum. Think canvas walls, outdoor showers, and meals so good you momentarily forget you are in the middle of the African bush.
Each morning our guide would wake us up for the 4:45am game drive by standing outside our hut and singing.
Not just any song.
“I’ve got Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy down in my heart… where? Down in my heart.”
It’s hard to overstate the surreal nature of waking up in the African bush to someone singing your name.
Over the course of four days we saw the entire Big Five and so much more. Lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, leopards, giraffes, cheetahs, zebra… the list goes on.
But what made it truly special was experiencing it alongside so many of our friends from the fleet. Evenings were spent around campfires sharing stories, cocktails, and some truly wonderful meals.
It was one of those experiences where we kept having to pinch ourselves. At least once a day I would turn to David and say something along the lines of:
“We’re on safari. Like… in AFRICA. Safari.”
And every time, David would reply: “And we sailed here on our boat.”
Huge thanks to Dawn Voyage Travel for helping us find this absolute gem among the many safari options. (Seriously check her out for any upcoming travel you have - she’ll save you hours in research and will likely be able to secure you perks or save you money or both. Not a paid advert, just seriously so grateful!)
Thanksgiving, World ARC Style
After four days in the bush, we returned to Richards Bay and immediately pivoted into another major project: Thanksgiving for the fleet.
This was a joint effort between myself and my partner-in-crime, Virginia from the sailing yacht Living the Dream.
Virginia brought the culinary expertise.
I brought the spreadsheets and communications.
Together we orchestrated a partially pot-luck Thanksgiving dinner for the remaining World ARC boats in Richards Bay where most of the attendees had never celebrated Thanksgiving before.
Sharing Thanksgiving with newcomers is one of my favourite things in life. There’s something special about explaining the traditions and then watching people adopt them instantly. Doing it halfway around the world, surrounded by sailors who have become dear friends over the past year, made it even more meaningful.
Old traditions were shared.
New traditions were born.
And there may have been a heroic quantity of mashed potatoes.
Down the Wild Coast
The day after Thanksgiving it was time to continue south along South Africa’s Wild Coast. The name isn’t just marketing.
The stretch of coastline between Richards Bay and Cape Town is known for big seas, strong currents, and rapidly changing weather, which means sailors tend to move along it in short hops rather than long passages. The goal is to stay within safe weather windows and duck into harbours when needed. So we began the slow process of making our way down the coast.
East London (Not That East London)
Our first stop was East London.
If you’re picturing oat-milk lattes in Shoreditch and vintage shops in Hackney… this is not that. East London is primarily an industrial port, though the yacht club was run by a very friendly group of people who clearly do their best with limited activity.
We stayed just 24 hours. Long enough for a nice lunch, a bit of shopping, a quick trip to the beach, and dinner at the club before heading back to the boat to prepare for an early departure the next morning.
Durban: Making the Best of It
Next stop: Durban.
Durban… how shall I put this. It’s not on our “must return” list.
The marina water was, shall we say, less than pristine, and we were strongly advised not to walk anywhere outside the marina gates for our own safety. Uber everywhere.
But we ended up spending five days there waiting for weather, so we did what sailors do: we made the best of it.
Bright spots included:
• A genuinely welcoming yacht club
• One of the best Italian meals we can remember
• And dinner in what is apparently the Southern Hemisphere’s only active rotating restaurant
Yes, a rotating restaurant. Naturally we went.
At one point we also ventured overnight into what we fondly referred to as “Suburban Durban,” where we discovered a charming farmers market, some leafy streets, and a few nice meals before returning to the marina.
Not every stop on a sailing journey is magical. But every stop adds to the story!
Knysna: A Storybook Town
The next stop, thankfully, was Knysna.
Knysna felt like it had been lifted straight out of a storybook. A charming coastal town with an active sailing community, beautiful scenery, and plenty to explore.
It also happened to be my birthday. To celebrate, I selected what turned out to be a surprisingly aggressive hike. We had slightly underestimated the difficulty… and slightly underestimated how much water and snacks we should bring. But the scenery made up for it. Bright orange moss painted across the rocks. Vivid turquoise water stretching out below. Absolutely spectacular.
That evening we returned to the boat for a champagne toast with the fleet who happened to be in Knysna at the time, followed by a date night with David. Perfection.
We could easily have stayed longer, but our next destination was calling.
Cape Town (And Falling in Love)
Rounding the Cape and arriving in Cape Town was another major moment in the adventure. Sailing into the harbour with Table Mountain towering behind the marina felt deeply satisfying. And within about 24 hours, we had completely fallen in love with the place.
We spent a full month there over the holidays, which allowed time for both exploring and hosting an incredible parade of visiting friends and family. Before Christmas we welcomed Jacob, Lauren, Marcus, Becca and Nathan, followed by Christie, Jon, Ernest and Monte. We stayed in a fabulous (if slightly quirky) Airbnb and spent the week exploring Cape Town, eating wonderful meals, and simply enjoying being together.
After Christmas we moved to Bloubergstrand, a coastal community about half an hour outside the city with jaw-dropping views of Table Mountain.
From our apartment we could hear the ocean as we went to sleep. This has now become a life goal. (It’s very different from hearing the ocean while also being tossed around by it.)
There we had a beautifully quiet Christmas before welcoming another group of visitors: Helena, Tilde, Ellie and Oliver from Sweden. The days were filled with long beach walks, bodyboarding in chilly water, sand surfing in the dunes, a picnic on a wine estate, and an outdoor New Year’s Eve concert.
It was one of those stretches of time you wish you could bottle.
Maurice from The Netherlands joined our merry crew in Cape Town. An avid sailor, he decided to join Pure Joy as part of his research ahead of circumnavigating with his wife in a few years’ time.
Upon joining, we of course promptly initiated him to PJ with a game of squiggles.
Time to Move On
After the holidays we probably could have used a week to recover from the holidays. But alas, it was time to prepare the boat for continuing the adventure.
Leaving Cape Town after a month felt surprisingly difficult. There was still so much we wanted to see, do, and explore. But the ocean was calling again and we left South Africa with a certainty that we’d be back someday.
Next up: Namibia, the South Atlantic, and the long sail to Brazil.