Wednesday 6th February 2013 +2.00 hrs GMT: At Sea En Route to Durban SA ­ A Chance to Catch My Breath!

It is good to have a day at sea en route to Durban tomorrow for our last call in South Africa before turning for home across the Indian Ocean.  I have spent the last 8 days off the ship in the Etosha National Park Namibia and then in Cape Town, Mossel Bay and Port Elizabeth yesterday.  Don’t worry I am going to prepare postings on the wonderful sights and experiences of the last few days but they take time to draft so I thought I would send an interim posting.

As I write its 12.00 noon and we are making slow progress against a very strong current off East London, South Africa.  The ship has all four engines running which should give her a speed of 18.5 knots but the current is slowing us to 13.5 knots.

I have just been to an excellent lecture by a couple who have set up a Tiger Reserve in mid-India – the first in a series of 5 talks which promise to be riveting.

The picture is of course Table Mountain with the so called ’12 Apostles’ to the right as we left Cape Town in the early afternoon of Sunday 3^rd March having disembarked some 300 guests and embarked a fresh 350 guests for Leg 2 of this Grand Voyage to Dubai which we reach on 28^th February.

Today we have a South African BBQ, poolside on the stern deck from which I have just returned, replete with game sausage and ostrich steaks – my first taste of ostrich – served with a sweet tangy sauce.  Even the chefs were saying ‘Yum Yum”!