Are we nearly there yet?: 1 February Wheels and flowers

V and A Waterfront

On Monday we picked a hire car in central Cape Town. Getting in to Cape Town from Hout Bay is easy – we catch the bus from just behind the yacht club which whisks us along the coastal route and into the city centre. We've got the car for four weeks which should give us time for boat shopping and sightseeing.

Our first day of wheels we went to Southern Ropes to drool over their extensive locally manufactured range at bargain prices, were disappointed by the lack of product at the largest chandlery in the area and picked up a special fuse at the electronics shop. What we also did was linger too long and ended up in the rush hour traffic. A forty five minute journey turned in to an hour and a half.

Next day we were at a an upholstery foam warehouse to replace the worn out foam in our salon seats, to drop the head sail off at Ullman sails for repair to the Sunbrella strip and Southern Ropes to buy new mooring lines, sexy, black 12 strand for less than half the price we were quoted in Thailand, new halyards, Dyneema equivalent for the main sail out haul, braid to replace the rust staining wire of the lower guard rail. We're lovin' Cape Town for the investments we're able to make.

Leaving town early afternoon our route takes us past the Kirstenbosch Gardens. Originally a fruit farm and then a botanical garden, owner Cecil Rhodes gave it to the city. It's situated on the lower slopes of Table Mountain with views over the city and is stocked with only African plants. We were delighted to discover a mature African Mahogany tree which is the same wood as the interior of Jackster. Further up in the park there's a new tree canopy walkway which we had to walk and then it was meander here and there as the fancy took us. The entrance fee is small for what you get and I'd love to return on another sunny afternoon with a picnic and my book it is such a peaceful place.