The prices includes professional crew and all boat costs, food costs are additional and shared between all crew members.
Further additional costs include flights, transfers, meals and accommodation ashore and personal insurance.
This 930 NM leg is an independent cruising segment of the World ARC, offering both adventure and the experience of South Africa’s scenic coastlines and vibrant culture. This journey offers an incredible mix of exciting, challenging sailing and the chance to explore the best of South Africa. We’ll round Cape Agulhas and the iconic Cape of Good Hope, concluding with a few days in Cape Town. The Cape of Good Hope is one of the legendary Four Capes that all sailors aspire to conquer.
The leg begins in Richards Bay, a large port on South Africa’s east coast, where the Mhlatuze River meets the Indian Ocean. We’ll have a few days to explore Richards Bay while preparing the boat for the 930-nautical-mile voyage to Cape Town. We will have a thorough safety briefing before we depart.
The first segment takes us to Durban, where we’ll set sail early to reach the port before sunset. After a few days in Durban, we’ll continue down the coast, planning stops at East London, Port Elizabeth, Knysna, and Simon’s Town. Depending on weather conditions, the exact itinerary and ports may vary, with each segment ranging from 50 to 250 nautical miles, typically taking 1-2 days. Taking part in a World ARC leg is both a challenging and rewarding experience. As a crew member you become part of the team and are involved in everything from navigating to cooking and taking care of the boat and your fellow crew mates. During offshore passages watch shifts will be in place. This means crew are on watch for three hours and off watch for six hours. The responsible ‘on-watch’ team handles steering, trimming, and navigation while off-watch you get a chance to rest, sleep and also prepare meals and help out with other duties around the boat.
At each stop, we plan to spend ample time exploring local attractions. South Africa’s weather patterns are unpredictable, which may affect the length of our stay at each port. Even in summer, we’ll need to watch weather systems closely and navigate the powerful south-westerly Agulhas current as we travel along the coast. A highlight of this journey is rounding Cape Agulhas and the Cape of Good Hope – an unforgettable accomplishment. Approaching Cape Town, you’ll experience the dramatic scenery of beaches and mountainous landscapes, including the iconic Table Mountain.
Planned stops along the route include:
Durban– South Africa’s “Surf City” and year-round playground, famous for its warm weather, beautiful surfing beaches, and vibrant waterfront from Durban Harbour to Umhlanga.
East London– Formerly Port Rex, featuring stunning beaches like Nahoon Beach, Hemingways Mall, and the scenic Nahoon Nature Reserve.
Port Elizabeth– Known for its beautiful beaches, unique museums, renowned wildlife destinations, and welcoming locals. Aptly called the “Friendly City.”
Knysn – One of the Garden Route’s most popular spots, famous for oysters and seahorses, located on a glistening lagoon between the Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean. This destination is weather-dependent.
Other alternative stops may include Mossel Bay, Hout Bay, or Pringle Bay.
We aim to arrive in Cape Town with enough time to spend 3-4 days exploring the city and surrounding areas. There will be opportunities for a wine tour or a hike up Table Mountain. We depart Celeste in time for the Christmas holiday.
Start: Richards Bay, South Africa, Crew Arrive 29th November
Leg: Richards Bay to Durban
Then passages of 1-2 days (50-250 NM): Potential stop-overs at East London, Port Elizabeth, Knysna, and Simon’s Town. Dependant on weather conditions.
Rounding Cape Agulhas and the Cape of Good Hope
Arrive Cape Town approx. 17th December
End: Cape Town, South Africa – 20th December
S/Y Celeste of Solent is always manned by a crew that holds Master of Yacht certification and has a number of skippers available. The crew rotate and for each Leg of the World ARC the skipper has been nominated so you can be confident of whom you will be sailing with. All skippers have many years of experience sailing on board Celeste and other yachts and some are also instructors for Master of Yacht. Leg 1-4 Skipper: Svante Jacobsson has sailed all his life and in recent years has been more adventure sailing in Europe, on the North Sea, across the Atlantic and in the Azores.
This 930 NM leg is an independent cruising segment of the World ARC, offering both adventure and the experience of South Africa’s scenic coastlines and vibrant culture. This journey offers an incredible mix of exciting, challenging sailing and the chance to explore the best of South Africa. you will round Cape Agulhas and the iconic Cape of Good Hope, concluding with a few days in Cape Town. The Cape of Good Hope is one of the legendary Four Capes that all sailors aspire to conquer.
On longer passages, over open sea with night sailing, crew alternate between the berths in the aft. Under way, it is most comfortable place to sleep.
The crew of Celeste are very happy to sail with clients who have limited offshore sailing experience. However, we would suggest that at the very least you have experience of an over-night passage on a sailing yacht prior to joining a World ARC leg.
