The World mega yacht in Mossel Bay
The largest privately-owned residential mega yacht on the planet, called The World, dropped anchor in Mossel Bay at about 19:00 on Monday, 4 March.
The yacht remained far out in the bay that evening, as high winds and rain whipped up the sea.
But it neared the coast in the morning on Tuesday which was a blustery, rainy day.
Wednesday dawned sunny and clear for the passengers to enjoy all the Mossel Bay area has to offer. The World spent Tuesday and Wednesday in the bay, leaving for Durban on Wednesday afternoon.
Many photographers shared photographs of the vessel on social media.
Excursions
Mossel Bay Advertiser enquired to Mossel Bay Tourism as to what type of official welcome it had planned for The World and which types of excursions the passengers would undertake. A tourism office spokesperson said that for security reasons, she could not divulge these details.
Also, the London public relations company which does media liaison for The World was vague about the details of the passengers' plans and the date of the arrival of The World, for security reasons, it noted.
Apartments on The World cost millions of rands and are owned by the mega rich.
Mossel Bay is one of only three ports the ultraluxurious yacht is visiting in South Africa this year. The other two are Cape Town and Durban. The World arrived in Mossel Bay from Cape Town. It had docked at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
Exact dates
For security reasons, exact dates are not provided for The World's port stopovers. The vessel is spending almost two weeks in South African waters.
The World has 165 homes on board and on average 200 residents and guests.
Speaking about the stopover in Mossel Bay, the public relations spokesperson for The World said: "Residents and guests will use this opportunity to explore the town and local beaches, learn more about the history of Mossel Bay, play golf at the Mossel Bay Golf Club, visit a game reserve, and enjoy a mussel and wine pairing."
A press release noted that snorkelling in Mossel Bay was also a popular activity for residents.
Norwegian Dawn
Also, the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship arrived in the bay on Wednesday morning, with several passengers disembarking to enjoy exploring town, so there were two stately cruise ships in the bay. The Norwegian Dawn has visited Mossel Bay previously, this cruise season.