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A view of the marina from above Simon's Town
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I
am writing this on a cold, wet and windy day in the UK. Fortunately,
we are in the warmth and protection of our own house! The floor is no
longer moving and we don’t need to secure any mooring lines.
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At the Naval Museum, Simon's Town
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We
woke up in Simon’s Town on 5th November. There were no
fireworks, just lots to do such as checking in with Chantelle at
Simon’s Town Marina Office and introducing ourselves to False Bay
Yacht Club. We were given electronic cards for entry to the yacht
club premises and the pontoons. The daily charge for our marina berth
is 220 rand (approx £11). This includes membership of FBYC, with its
hot showers and toilets, restaurant, lounge and bar. Our neighbours
on our pontoon, Grant and Venita, gave us lots of helpful information
about Simon’s Town and the surrounding area. We met Americans Jack
and Jackie in the yacht club and they recommended a reliable taxi
driver. We would use Marlin for our trip to Cape Town International
Airport. It was safe to walk around Simon’s Town and beyond to
Harbour Bay Mall, where there were supermarkets.
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Made in Sumderland!
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We
spent the rest of the morning back on SD researching and booking
flights to the UK. British Airways fly direct from Cape Town to
Heathrow. Our flights were booked for departure on 16th
November. Our UK family was delighted that we would be home for
Christmas.
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Simon's Town Marina from the Middle Gun Battery
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Jeremy
sent an email to our friend, Dale. She used to own a property in
Simon’s Town and had visited many times. She put us in contact with
her friend, Rachel, who lives nearby and happens to be a tourist
guide. We would meet with her soon.
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Remembrance at the Middle Gun Battery
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In
the meantime, there was much to do e.g. laundry to take to “Bubbles”
in the town, lockers and bilges to check and clean, sails to wash,
halyards and sheets to change and wash and charts and cruising guides
to be sorted. Some would stay on board and others could go home with
us.
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One of the views from Table Mountain Nature Reserve
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We
had time for a little bit of sight-seeing. The main attraction here
is the African penguins at Boulder Beach. We have seen them before
and they are worth a visit. This time we walked the Historical Mile
and explored the Naval Museum, where we found an anchor made in
Jeremy’s home town of Sunderland and learnt that parts for Westland
helicopters were manufactured in my home town of Blackburn.
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Walking in Table Mountain Nature Reserve
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Remembrance
or Armistice Day is not generally celebrated in South Africa. Simon’s
Town has been home to the country’s navy for many years and they
remember in a spectacular way. We decided to take part. First, we
walked along the road and halfway up a mountain to the Middle Gun
Battery. We bought metal poppy badges. Paper poppies and earplugs
were given out for free. A small crowd gathered, speeches were made
and the large gun was loaded with gunpowder. At 1100 the gun was
fired with a deafening noise, followed by a bugle call and two
minutes of silence. It was very moving paying our respects as we
looked out to sea from the mountainside.
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Swimming at The Dam
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The
next day Rachel and her daughter, Jasmine, picked us up near FBYC and
drove us to Silvermine in Table Mountain Nature Reserve. We walked on
narrow paths through vegetation to the top of a ridge with super
views out to sea below us. After salami sandwiches at the top, we
descended to a dam, where Jeremy, Rachel and Jasmine swam. I had to
be careful not to contaminate the healing wound in my leg, so I kept
an eye on our bags. Back at SD for a cup of tea, we entertained
Rachel and Jasmine with videos of our passage across the Indian Ocean
and answered their many questions. I think we’ll all meet up again
in January. Rachel appeared on Channel 4 as I was writing this.
Here’s the link:
https://www.memorabletv.com/episodes/you-wont-believe-this-episode-1-tuesday-22-november-2022-channel-4/
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Pool practice in the bar at FBYC
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There
was just enough time left to check out the chandlery in the marina
boatyard and buy a few items for SD. We had to compare a number of
eateries in Simon’s Town as well. It would be rude of us to leave
without a visit to the club bar, so we took the opportunity to
practice our pool skills (not the swimming sort!) Jeremy beat me
three times! More practice needed.
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Lunch in Tesco Supermarket, UK
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Marlin
arrived to take us to Cape Town International Airport the next day.
After a 12 hour flight and a 3 hour drive in a hire car (with a stop
at Tesco on the way) we arrived home. It was raining.
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Reunited with Ben, Emily, Ellie and Sophie
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We
return to Sal Darago in January to continue our sailing adventures.
Have
a happy Christmas everyone and a healthy New Year.
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