Cape Town, Africa

We made the 10 hour trip from Simons Town to Cape Town by departing around 2AM to take advantage of low winds and waves and to arrive in the late morning.  We had an uneventful trip and pulled into the Victoria and Alfred (V&A) marina without any dramas.  We had to radio ahead and have a couple of bridges opened for us and backed into a big, empty slip right next to the tourist shopping area.  We decided to come here and enjoy the expensive marina for a few days to get oriented and do some sightseeing before moving to the cheaper Royal Cape Yacht Club for a long-term stay and haul out.

 

Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town was originally developed by the Dutch East India Company as a supply station for Dutch ships sailing to Eastern Africa, India, and the Far East. Jan van Riebeeck's arrival on 6 April 1652 established the first permanent European settlement in South Africa.  Cape Town quickly outgrew its original purpose as the first European outpost at the Castle of Good Hope, becoming the economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony. Until the Gold Rush and the development of Johannesburg, Cape Town was the largest city in South Africa. Today it is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants and expatriates to South Africa. 

It was only a short walk to an enormous shopping center and crafts buildings and we booked an all-day Red Bus sightseeing tour.  The bus took us all around the city with a narrated discussion of the museums, historic and cultural items.  We hopped off to visit three of the museums including the South African, Gold and Diamond museums and the Castle of Good Hope.

After 3 nights we moved over to the Royal Cape Yacht Club and got settled in.  We booked a haul-out date of February 4^th and alternated minor boat repairs with sightseeing.  One day we took the cable car to the top of Table Mountain.

Table Mountain Cableway, established in 1929, takes visitors to the top in one of two cable cars, each with rotating floors and huge windows to ensure your views while travelling are almost as spectacular as those on the summit. Cable cars depart every 10 to 15 minutes and the 3,560 ft ride takes about 5 minutes.

From the top of Table Mountain, there are magnificent views of the Cape Town city centre, surrounding suburbs and the Atlantic Ocean. Landmarks in view include Cape Town Stadium, Robben Island and Camps Bay beach. There are a number of short walks on the top and we explored a few and enjoyed a nice lunch before heading back down. 

After lining up a few contractors, we rented a car for two days to do some exploring.  We drove to the West Coast Ostrich Farm where we met a few up close on a guided tour, and all got to hand feed and ride them.  We learned a little bit about their anatomy and Emily demonstrated that the eggs are strong enough to support a human.  After that experience we drove to Stellenbosch.

 

 

Stellenbosch is the second-oldest and undoubtedly the most scenically attractive and historically preserved town in southern Africa.  History is reflected in the neo-Dutch, Georgian and modern-Victorian architecture that lines the streets.

The mild weather and unique terrain is ideal for wine-growing and the region has amassed many international awards over the years. The first Wine Route was established in 1971 and comprised 17 cellars; today the Stellenbosch area boasts more than 200 vineyards. Brandy, one of South Africa’s finest products, is distilled in many cellars throughout the winelands.

We visited just 2 but tasted all of their wines, brandies and ports and even bought a few bottles for the bilge.  We had a lovely lunch at Tokara overlooking the mountains and vineyards.

Our second rental car day took us through Frenchhoek pass to see the mountains and then dropped down into the small town.  We strolled the small shops and visited the Huguenot Monument and museum.   

 

The museum chronicles the history of the first settlers.  The valley was originally settled in 1688 by 176 French Huguenot refugees, many of whom were given land by the Dutch government in a valley called Olifantshoek ("Elephants' corner"), so named because of the vast herds of elephants that roamed the area. The name of the area soon changed to le Coin Français ("the French Corner"), and later to Franschhoek (Dutch for "French Corner"), with many of the settlers naming their new farms after the areas in France from which they came.

Our days since are filled with home schooling and odd jobs, playing with Zeke and Nina of Mojumbo (since they have come from Simonstown), enjoying free internet and being plugged into power and water.  Every 3 days though, vicious 30 to 40 knot winds drop down from Table Mountain and scream through the Yacht Club for a day (or three).  The winds bring coal dust from the town and the decks get a fine black dust that needs rinsing when the winds stop.  The noise is also tiring although we have had to close up the boat anyway at night to keep temperatures above 65 F.  The temperatures rise quickly with the sun and highs are typically around 82 F and we have had only one day of rain in the last 3 weeks.  It’s a very pleasant climate compared to the high heat and humidity we had in Malaysia. We look forward to getting our bottom painted and moving on. 

Our latest plan has us following up the coast of Namibia and crossing the South Atlantic via St. Helena to Recife, Brazil in late Feb 2013 but staying south aroundTrinidad/Grenada until November 2013. That is when the insurance company will allow us to move north through the Caribbean islands.  We really don't want to be anywhere near a hurricane.  We hope to reach Florida in April 2014 and follow the warming weather north up the intercoastal.  We would like to get settled into the farm (our property in Ludlow, Mass) before the fall of 2014. 

Tom