Richards Bay-Nope Durban-Nope 47 Sea Day

After a night of wild seas, we woke up and got dressed for a safari in Richards Bay. We were scheduled to arrive in Richards Bay at 7:00 AM at which time we were required to have a face to face interview with the South African immigration.

We were not in port by 7 so after breakfast we went back to the stateroom. We were watching the ship tracker and I noticed a slight change in the ship's direction. Sure enough, the Captain came on the intercom and said that the local pilot from Richards Bay was helicoptered onboard. After consultation with the local pilot, it was determined that it would not be safe to dock in Richards Bay due to poor weather conditions.

Captain said that he would update us later.

I was concerned about Henry as he was scheduled to get off the ship for medical care along with one other passenger who has contracted malaria. I texted Krystal and she responded that Henry was in stable condition and they are hoping that he just has an intestinal bug.

Bob and I then proceeded to nap. The India trip was exhausting due to lack of sleep from having to wear a mask for two nights due to mold in hotel, no air conditioning on the third night and Bob waking us up at 2 AM the fourth night. So a morning to catch up on sleep was wonderful.

The Captain announced that the ship is going to proceed to Durban and dock in the afternoon.

There were many people who were scheduled to disembark in Richards Bay for overland trips in Africa. It has been estimated that there were around 200 people who had overland trips scheduled. By docking in Durban, the people with overland trips could still make these trips.

We reached just outside of the bay of Durban and had to wait for a ship currently docked in the spot where we will dock. By the time that this ship had moved, the weather deteriorated. We made three circles to try to enter the bay. Once again, the Captain came on the intercom and said that he just could not make it safely into the bay.

We had lunch and relaxed for the afternoon.

We had dinner in the World Cafe early and headed back to our stateroom.

We are sad for those who had overland trips scheduled.

We are thankful for the extra sea Day.Read more