News from the south Atlantic is that the 40 ft single handed sailing vessel Kim Chow sailing from east to west on the attempt to be the first Canadian to do this was at 42 south and 7 west and going fine.

Jacana the 30 ft steel yacht was today at 90east that puts her at 3000nm from Cape Town and 1200nm to her home port in Australia, and they did this in over just one month , that was good going they were having 100nm runs every day.

It sounds from the way conditions are at the moment that we will have to move to a higher frequency to talk to these two boats. Radio propagation works on seven year cycle's and unfortunately we are now at the bottom of the cycle, that means ssb radio talk does not go that far.

We have had some very interesting French and English yachtsman visiting the club Johnny and Allan from the yacht Syzygie said they really enjoyed there stay at Durban Mariner and our Yacht Club, Borus Cousins from the sailing vessel Ouma arrived in Durban on the 15 March after a 2500nm trip from the Seychelles and having close encounters with cyclone Ivan were glad to be here. Boris a 28 year old civil engineer from France had this to say in a letter to me, people here are very helpful and smiling, its true if your told it will done tomorrow don't be surprised if it is the day after, but we always meet only charming and helpful people who always make certain we find what we need ! I never saw a French ship chandler run to the other side of town to get me a gas hose, another example is the sail maker when he delivers new sails he does not drop them on the pontoon ! He spends the afternoon setting them up check that all fits and fold them etc, helpful is the word I think, also at the mariner office they helped me with the paper work for our clearance the people of immigration office came to see us and make jokes then stamp our passports.

A favorable window started yesterday so we said Au Revoir to our French friends ,and other boats that left for East London on there voyage around the world.

Good sailing and fair winds
Roy Cook