Simon’s Town, South Africa

 

A view of the marina from above Simon's Town

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.

 

At the Naval Museum, Simon's Town

We woke up in Simon’s Town on 5^th 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.

 

Made in Sumderland!

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 16^th November. Our UK family was delighted that we would be home for Christmas.

Simon's Town Marina from the Middle Gun Battery

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.

Remembrance at the Middle Gun Battery

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.

One of the views from Table Mountain Nature Reserve

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.

Walking in Table Mountain Nature Reserve

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.

Swimming at The Dam

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/

Pool practice in the bar at FBYC

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.

Lunch in Tesco Supermarket, UK

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.

Reunited with Ben, Emily, Ellie and Sophie

We return to Sal Darago in January to continue our sailing adventures.

Have a happy Christmas everyone and a healthy New Year.