Setting off on the Ocean Waves

While our first day in Cape Town was exceptionally hot , sunny and 41 degrees, the next was the opposite, cloudy and cool. We took an open topped bus tour of the city's more interesting and colourful sights before joining the Saga Ruby at 2 pm.
The ship which is to be our home for the next four weeks is just wonderful. The staff, who are mostly Philippino, went out of their way to make us feel welcome and we were soon settled in our comfortable cabin. We just managed to squeeze in the Afternoon Tea and buffet listening to the sound of the resident pianist. When we first got on board those fellow passengers who had not gone ashore looked somewhat elderly, we thought we had arrived in one of Martin Parmiter's Care Homes by mistake. As the day wore on more people came back on board and we were soon chatting away and making new friends.
As we prepared to "Sail Away" from Cape Town at 10 pm an enourmous BBQ had been set up on the rear sun deck with every kind of meat and fish. Dining to music from the Saga Ruby Orchestra ( it's actually a six piece band ) but good enough to make JB get up and dance the odd jig with Sue. The Waterfront looked beautiful with the twinkling lights at dusk and the backdrop of Table Mountain, as we pulled away from the dock with the aid of a large tugboat. A very romantic start to our cruise as we sailed into the Atlantic, soon to be Pacific Ocean under a moonlit sky.
Winds were force 5 to 6 which meant a slightly choppy ride as we sailed round the Cape of Good Hope to our next destination East London where we have arrived this Sunday morning. Not very impressive at first sight, in fact Sue said,"East London in the UK looks positively attractive by comparison". We are off to visit an African village so more news as we go along. We cannot add photos off the ship's system so you will have to wait for those until we find an internet Cafe at Durban.