Cape Town to Richards Bay — sea route & marine weather
The sea route from Cape Town (ZACPT) to Richards Bay (ZARCB) is about 1,046 nm — about 4 days at 10 kn. Along the route today (Aug 3): S wind 2–20 kn, waves 2.1–2.6 m. The baseline track is drawn on the chart; Calculate replans it for your vessel and live weather.
Passage facts| Sea-route distance | 1,046 nm |
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| Passage time at 10 kn | about 4 days |
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| Great-circle distance | 766 nm |
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| Cape Town | 33°55.0′S 18°25.0′E |
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| Richards Bay | 28°48.6′S 32°5.9′E |
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| Reference vessel | 4.5 m draft, 10 kn cruise |
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10-day marine forecast — along the route
| Date | Wind | Gusts | Waves |
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| S 2–20 kn | 26 kn | 2.1–2.6 m |
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| S 2–21 kn | 27 kn | 1.6–2.6 m |
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| N 1–21 kn | 27 kn | 1.5–4.1 m |
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| SSW 1–21 kn | 28 kn | 1.6–4.3 m |
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| S 2–19 kn | 24 kn | 1.5–4.0 m |
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| SSW 3–23 kn | 29 kn | 1.7–3.8 m |
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| S 5–29 kn | 36 kn | 2.0–5.0 m |
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| SSE 16–30 kn | 42 kn | 2.5–5.4 m |
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| ESE 6–28 kn | 40 kn | 3.6–4.6 m |
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| WNW 6–40 kn | 54 kn | 3.2–5.7 m |
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Forecast from the ECMWF IFS model run , waves from ECMWF WAM. Updated with each model cycle; the live chart below recalculates for your departure time and vessel.
Frequently asked
How far is it from Cape Town to Richards Bay by sea?
The water route is 1,046 nm (1,938 km), computed on WXMarine's maritime routing network. The same distance applies on the return passage from Richards Bay to Cape Town.
How long does the passage from Cape Town to Richards Bay take?
about 4 days at a 10 kn cruise. Scale by your own speed: at half the speed it takes about twice as long. The planner on this page recalculates for your vessel and live weather.
What is the weather between Cape Town and Richards Bay today?
Along the route today, per the ECMWF IFS run 2026-08-03 12z: S wind 2–20 kn, waves 2.1–2.6 m. The day-by-day table on this page covers the next 10 days.