Day 68, Year 6 New Year’s Eve
Date: Friday, December 31, 2010
Weather: Clear; Winds Down to 25 Overnight, Then Back to SE 35-40
Location: Simon’s Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Last New Year’s we were aboard Windbird in Patong Beach in Thailand watching a five-hour long fireworks display with our friends Gerry and Donna of Scot Free II and Tina and Zbyszek of Shirena. Happy New Year to you guys. This year we are in South African and we went to a party at the Yacht Club. But we didn’t stay until midnight. It is now 11:45 pm and we are back on Windbird waiting for the magic hour. We shared our evening with Carla and Pieter of Odulphus (Netherlands), Dominique and Dominique of Kea (France), Marisa of Huarya (Argentina), Lisa and Paul of Kire (Germany), and John and Joanne of Out of Africa (South Africa). But it was breezy and cool outside and just too crowded and loud inside, so we came home early. The catamaran next door is now providing our New Year’s entertainment. Four young guys arrived this afternoon, had more than a few drinks, and then plunged into the water. Now there are four young women with them and they are having a grand time-a little loud, but joyous.

Break, break-as we might say on the radio. It is now exactly midnight and the ships in the Navy yard just a stone’s throw away are blaring their horns. We went outside to take in the moment and we think that the ship’s horns are equal to a fireworks display. Happy New Year from South Africa!!!

Our morning started with Dominique (male gender) of Kea coming by to borrow our water jerry jugs so he could deliver water to fill his water tanks. Then Giovanni (Nadine’s father) and his wife Nola came by to visit. Nola brought us a signed print of one of her African penguin paintings which delighted us and we just had a great visit on Windbird. After Giovanni and Nola left we spent a few hours searching for other possible places to meet up with the kids in the Caribbean. The US Virgins were our main focus today. Still we have not found he perfect place, so the search continues.

At 5:00 we went to Odulphus to join the other cruisers who traveled here with us from Mossel Bay for some delicious Dutch dough balls made by Pieter and Carla. We don’t remember the Dutch name, but these were basically deep fried raisin dough balls. And they were very good. We then went back to Windbird to get a little something to eat before going to the big party at 8 pm.

101231 Day 68 South Africa– New Year's Mad Hatter Party