South Africa: Boats, Good Friends, and Fishbowl Gin & Tonics

Our trip to South Africa with our friends Jenn and Matt had two main objectives: visit the Vision Yachts factory in Knysna and take a safari in Kruger National Park. Along the way, we stayed with friends, got out sailing, and discovered that South Africans serve gin and tonics in fishbowl-sized stemware. They quickly became the drink of choice for the trip.

We flew into Johannesburg and then caught a flight to George, about an hour’s drive from Knysna. Tom took on driving duties, which meant getting accustomed to the wrong side of the road—and the turn signal being on the other side of the steering wheel. He only washed the windshield instead of signaling four times.

Knysna and the Vision Team

In Knysna, we stayed with our friends Tommy and Amy in their brand-new house. Walking through the door felt like stepping straight into an article in Architectural Digest. It was a pretty spectacular place to call home while we explored the area and spent time with the Vision team.

The factory visit was our chance to meet the people who would actually be building Neverland, our Vision 484 sailing catamaran. After exchanging emails and talking through plans from a distance, it was great to put faces to names, see their work firsthand, and start those relationships properly.

Building a boat involves a lot of decisions and a lot of trust. Spending time together in person mattered as much as seeing what was happening on the factory floor.

We also sailed aboard the newest Vision 444, tried out the SeaSUV, and explored Knysna with Jenn and Matt. Between the boats, the company, and Tommy and Amy’s hospitality, there was plenty to enjoy.

Kelly put together a short video of our time there:

Exploring Kruger on Our Own

From Knysna, the trip shifted from boats to wildlife. We spent three days driving ourselves through Kruger National Park, staying at Skukuza, Lower Sabie, and Satara rest camps.

The roads were so well maintained and clearly marked that getting lost would have taken some effort. Even so, driving ourselves felt much more like exploring than being shepherded around by a tour guide. We could choose our route, stop when something caught our attention, and spend as long as we wanted looking.

Spotting the rarer animals ourselves made those encounters feel especially rewarding. There’s something satisfying about finding an animal because someone in your car noticed a shape or movement, rather than having it pointed out for you.

Moving between camps also meant we could keep exploring different parts of the park. For a few days, the boat plans took a back seat.

The Safari Lair

We finished with two nights at Kapama Karula, which was beyond nice.

We were upgraded so that each couple had its own private villa, complete with a private pool overlooking a creek. If a James Bond villain had decided to build a safari lair, this would have been it.

It was quite a change from driving ourselves around Kruger, and a very comfortable way to finish the trip. We could get used to that arrangement. The gin and tonics helped.

Kelly’s second video captures the safari portion:

We came to South Africa to meet the people building our boat and see a little more of the country. Sharing it with Jenn and Matt, staying with Tommy and Amy, and having time to explore made it much more than a factory visit.

And Tom now has considerably more experience cleaning a windshield.