Brai at Frank and Maureen's
Saturday was a good day for Mary Ann and crew.

We finished fixing the bow thruster, put all the mess back together (boiler, tools, spares, etc...), changed all the anodes, and were ready just in time to go to Frank and Maureen's for a brai (brai is a local institution, and translates into barbecue and lots of booze).

We packed 2 huge T-bones, rhum, rose wine and drove to Meerensee, a short 15 minute drive to Frank's place.

Pretty suburban house with frangipani trees, hibiscus, a great dog (Sam), and a BBQ equipment worthy of professionals.

Lunch was a late one (needed time for drinks), and included millipop (a local millet based puree), T-bone, lamb chops, booreworst (local sausage), and some weird booze, distilled by friends of Frank's. Conversations revolved around South African life, the decline of the country, the gloomy outlook, and the pity in living in a place that used to function and is slowly going down the drain.
Also, jokes about the scotch (Maureen is of Scottish origin), and the sailing community.

Home at 8pm, internet and bedtime...

This morning, I am walking towards the club, and meet Simon, who towed us from Tuzi Gazi to Zululand Yacht Club 2 weeks ago.
He's hauled his boat out and greets me with a huge "Bonjour mon ami!": he did some French at school, and starts reciting verses from Les Fleurs du Mal (Baudelaire), tells me about Raimbaut's time as a shop keeper in Ethiopia, and here I stand in the Richards Bay sun, listening to poems I haven't heard since high school times... Weird!

The nice weather has returned after the cyclone a few days ago, and we will take it easy today.
Mary Ann should be back in the water next week, and work has progressed well. Still a long list of things to do, including the anti-fouling paint, but no rush, a bit of rest will do us all good.