Ahhh…Never thought I would set foot on the Continent of Africa…but here we are…in Richards Bay!!! After the 12 day passage, including our 3 day stop in Bazaruto, Mozambique to wait for a weather window, we were finally setting foot on land!
Where to dock to clear in
On the morning of November 8th, we asked SV Starry Horizons who was just ahead of us, to hail us to let us know what the situation was in the Small Craft Harbor wharf. The informed us there was not a lot of space left and there were already 10+ boats on “the wall” and many were rafted up to one another. We knew of 2-3 boats coming in behind us so eager to be tied to something permanent, Trevor saw a space right at the end of one of a “wall” and squeezed us in…like a pro…I was so proud! There are no cleats and it is a concrete wall so lines have to be adjusted for the tidal swing (3 feet). There are metal rings you have to tie your lines through but thankfully there were many cruisers to help catch lines and pull us in the final few feet. Soon we were returning the favor and helping 5 other boats tie or raft up to others in a matter of hours. When the space was all filled…literally as full as the channel could be to let a boat out if they wanted to leave….other vessels tied up to the TUG BOAT wharf. Though later those at the tug wharf wall, and even us at the small craft wharf wall, were asked to move…it is at least a place to land to sort out clearance in procedures and marina berths. We know of 2 boats who made night arrival in Richards Bay and anchored right off the hotel/resort in the little bay. If it was blowing hard, I might not want to anchor here as it is a lee shore in every direction…but for them it was fine until first light.
Google image of the small craft wharf. You could really only raft 2 boats in the alley but we did 3 in the corners…that’s how full it was. 
View from Slow Flight looking down the east alley way… 
Some spots had these ladders, some didn’t. SOme were close to water or electrical plug ins, some didn’t. It isn’t strange that it was full as there is supposedly no charge to stay here for 30 days…at least that is what we were told….what a deal! 
Pepe from SV Beez Neez who was rafted up to us….saw her adorable face every morning!
Marinas
Well, most of us would of gone to Zululand Yacht Club after clearing into the country but the World ARC race was here too and had priority….needless to say the yacht club was full. Tuzi Gazi had experienced a lot of damage from a storm 3-4 years back (?) and when we arrived there were lines tht ran across the slips holding the docks together..literally!. Most of us were pretty happy on the “the wall”….but after a few weeks, more and more boats came and the tug wharf needed to be cleared so “they” asked us to leave. We immediately went to the Tuzi Gazi marina to see if they had space for us…we wanted to move on our terms and not while it was blowing 30 knots and raining (hahah). They made room for us but had to place us in the “corner” because the weight of our boat.
Immigration
Assuming it was “busy season”…we didn’t have to call anyone. An immigration officer would show up to look for yellow “Q” flags in the harbor. One note…they don’t like to come while it was raining and it seemed not a problem to leave your boat if you haven’t done the process…. 
The official stamp… 90 days granted upon arrival for US passport holders.
Customs
Next up was to visit Customs…you’ll need a ride there…. 
Lionel runs a taxi business and during busy season, he walks the small craft wharf almost every day… 
..or you can call him and arrange a pick up and drop off. Mind you we heard that he charges a small amount at first but then raises his prices as you use his services…we can’t attest to to it as we ended up renting a car but just an FYI. 
The SARS Customs building…. 
Trevor completing the form that took all of 5 minutes. 
We were never asked for clearance outward paperwork from our last port of call…it seems as the info we received back in Madagascar that we didn’t “need” to clear out was correct….but as always…skippers choice. 
Google maps of the location of the SARS Customs building you will need to visit when clearing in/out of Richards Bay.
Police
We were told to stop off at the Police station just above the Tuzi Gazi marina on the 2nd floor. When we arrived there was a bit of confusion…Others came here to report their arrival after visiting customs….we were told that we come to the police when we clear out of Richards Bay Port….not sure…but nothing happened to us : )
Internet, Shopping, Provisions
Propane/LPG
Laundry
There was a guy who walked around the wharf weekdays mostly at 8 am to collect and drop off laundry. I forgot his name and every time I tried to call him, he never answered…but there is this service available to you here.
Restaurants
Let’s just say Trevor didn’t cook much and for good reason…food was cheap and with 6-7 different places to eat there was good variety of food choices…. Our favorites were Dros, KNK Curries, and Mojitos. Mind you when you are here…be warned there are “night clubs” and some play music until 5 am!!! Granted this is on the weekends…it didn’t bother us but many others complained…but again, we were all staying along the wall for free and for this I am sure made complaints decrease….you can’t have everything…right?!!!!
Next up: Getting settled in at Richards Bay: Boat work, chores, and way too many monkeys (and beers)!!!