Festival Fever

It sure has been busy. I attended a workshop in Somerset West on the 3rd and 4th September - fresh from my spring splash and was great to hear the planning and action from the region in preparation for the 2010 Soccer World Cup to be hosted in South Africa - made me really excited.

Of course World Cup Rugby 2007 has started in France so eyes glued to the TV screens and we wish the Springboks the ultimate success and hope they bring the trophy home! Meanwhile the action is happening on home soil with Twenty 20 cricket, so more major sporting distractions for us all.

But somehow despite all the international competitions, the Cape Point Route has still been a buzz with festival fever. Last weekend was the Simon's Town Penguin Festival - we were priviledged to be invited to the opening launch and auction which was a real BEACH PARTY at Boulders Beach Lodge. Thanks to the team there for a fantastic evening and hope you raised loads of money for the penguins and SANCCOB. There seemed to be generous opening of wallets!

The weekend was jam packed with the environmental marquee on Jubilee Square as one of the main hits of the festival. Fascinating shows and talks, displays and activity were centered around the festival theme of preserving the environment in which we live. I am absolutely convinced no other festival is as environmentally conscious as the Simon's Town Penguin Festival - well done to the organisers and the community for highlighting the needs and concerns we face in today's global world.

But it was certainly not all doom and gloom - we had fun by participating in the Anything that Floats competition. Cape Point Route made an iceberg and had penguins on holiday cruising into the Simon's Town harbour where we were proud to win the most Seaworthy craft. (not too hard as we cheated and used a existing boat!)We were super impressed with the Girl Guide's Yellow Submarine float and faced stiff competition from King Neptune and his maidens from Mach 1 Security, although it may have been more leisurely to be pulled along by a kayak?!

The 5 km Fun Run/ Walk/ Waddle was just a little to close in time for us to get off the water and to the start line for a jog past the penguin colony, but we were delighted to see Darden Lotz of SANCCOB coming in for 3rd place in the Ladies section. Well done.

I will try and get some Penguin Festival Pictures up soon despite more excitement with the Baysider.com Spring Regatta on its way this weekend. When you see spinnakers and sails out in Fish Hoek Bay - it's the regatta. And if you want to get closer to the action call the False Bay Yacht Club on 021 786 1703 to book a spot in the spectator boat that will be heading out for the start of the day's racing. A chance not to be missed.

Cheers for now and enjoy the whales - daily sightings, lots of playing, leaping, lob tailing and spyhopping action from the sea giants!

Sally

Spring has Sprung

WOW - where did the time ago. Suddenly the weather is getting warmer and the days are longer and boy oh boy are things gearing up towards summer.

We started September with a Spring Splash! “Spring has sprung” declared Peter Davies, of Moonbay Guesthouse after a refreshing swim with a group of like-minded souls in the ocean at Fish Hoek beach on Saturday morning the 1st September.

With the official start of spring, Cape Point Route resuscitated the South Peninsula with an invitation to the people of Cape Town to join them for a group swim to shrug off the winter blues and celebrate the start of season.

A crowd gathered in front of Fish Hoek Galley and onlookers cheered as the winter coats, fleeces and beanies were peeled off by the brave swimmers. An apparently dreary day was not evident in the slightest as the crowd shouted “Freeze” for the group photograph.

Barbara Elshove-Schmidt of the Cape Point Route Destination Marketing Organisation for the Cape Peninsula welcomed young and old to the Cape Point Route and was delighted to see such a large turnout. Mr Eichel of Fish Hoek Galley blew the siren which heralded the dash for the waters of False Bay.

The yelps, shrieks, laughter and splashing surprised 3 whales who were having a morning cruise around Fish Hoek Bay but with true southern hospitality they welcomed everyone and in fact put on a show for swimmers and onlookers alike.

“We’ll be back next year” echoed the voices; “We feel so good” and “what a great way to start the weekend”, were some of the comments as the swimmers chatted after the splash with freshly brewed coffee in hand.

“This is sure to be an annual event for the peninsula” said Sally Grierson of Cape Point Route as everyone has been so enthusiastic to welcome spring and share this beautiful part of the world in which we live, work and play. “It’s a celebration of the south and the upcoming events in September – including the Earthwave Swim in Muizenberg on Sunday, the Simon’s Town Penguin Festival on the 15th and 16th and the Baysider.com Spring Regatta on the last 2 weekends of the month” concluded Barbara. Thanks to everyone who participated and we will see you all next year.

By Sally

Spring Splash on Fish Hoek Beach

CAPE POINT ROUTE is celebrating spring and the start of season

with a SPRING SPLASH on 01 SEPT at FISH HOEK BEACH ….

...Just because we can and so can you!

DATE: Saturday 1 September 2007

TIME: 09h30.

VENUE: Fish Hoek Beach, in front of Fish Hoek Galley

BRING. Cozzie, towel & ATTITUDE

Join the celebration of the People of the South to shrug off winter and welcome the start of season. Tourism is everyone’s business so let’s do it together. It’s free, it’s fun and we want as many people as possible to join together for a spring splash. No registration, no entry fee, no charity, no fundraising.

Bring your friends, relatives, kids, grandparents, staff …and yourself.

See you there (rain or shine!!)

THE CPR GIRLS

Sally, Barbara and Kelly

Images courtesy of Polar Bear Club (Clifton)

World first for the peninsula baboons - Art Exhibition

Baboon Matters is hosting the first ever art exhibition inspired by baboons in the world!

Over many years the issue of baboons has been the subject of heated emotions with people equally polarised in their attitudes. Those who dislike the baboons vent their fury and often go out of their way to hurt the animals. Conversely, the people who like the baboons and want to see them protected generally stay quiet on the subject and have not voiced their support and concern as loudly and the vociferous anti-brigade.

That is all changing – the pro-baboon masses are making their concerns heard and challenging the authorities to make adequate funds available for the successful management of these intelligent primates, and certainly more people than ever are expressing sympathy for these beleaguered primates..

Now the artists have become involved and this dynamic exhibition is a multi-media collection of creativity that captures the fascinating, humorous and contemplative side of baboons.

The picture attached is of Masiphumelele resident, Lebo Lefuma. He is fascinated by everything about baboons and has poured his passion for these creatures into his unique ceramic sculptures which show the many similarities between baboon and man in a humourous way.

View this diverse range of paintings, ceramics, photographs, metalwork, beaded work and wooden sculptures at the Sanlam Centre at Kirstenbosch Gardens.

Dates: 24 – 31 August
Times: 09h00 – 17h00 daily
Entrance:Free – all are welcome
Venue: Sanlam Centre, Kirstenbosch Gardens.

For more information contact Baboon Matters 0n 021 782 2015 or better still go down to Kirstenbosch to see the exhibition.

Sally

Whale song

At the southwestern tip of the African continent, we are privileged to have more than a total experience of land, sea, people and culture – we also have some of the most incredible whale watching destinations in the world.

Nowhere is this more evident at the moment, than on the Cape Point Route where there are daily whale sightings anywhere along the False Bay Coast. Yes the whales are here and you can see these giants of the sea from the road or even the train in some of the best land based whale watching venues on the globe. But the most astounding experience of viewing whales is seeing from the water.

I recently had the privilege of going to Cape Point on the high speed boat called “Awesome” operated by the Simon’s Town Boat company. And AWESOME it was indeed. We left Simon’s Town Waterfront on a perfect day – the ocean was mirror like, the sky a faultless azure and we whizzed to Cape Point with False Bay all to ourselves. We gazed in wonderment at the dramatic cliffs and wild waters of the very point itself and if you have never encountered this view of one of Cape Town’s star attractions then do yourself a favour and make a plan!

As we turned to head north, we saw a steam of spray in the distance and that means one thing – whales blowing! The spray was 3 – 4 metres high and is a distinctive sign of the presence of whales. We did not realize initially that this was a pod of approximately 9 humpback whales.

The spray was followed by a show of acrobatics – massive heads poking above the surface and a synchronized rehearsal of arched back and fins in the characteristic motion that gave the humpback whales their name. It is impossible not to awed at the sight of an enormous tail appearing out of the water and floating in the air, being swung around and slapped back down onto the surface of the water. I discovered that humpback whales have a patch of white on the underside of their flukes (tails) which are unique to each individual whale- just like a human fingerprint. A humpback whale tail is extremely good looking because of the colour contrast and the wavy shape. It must be said I was gobsmacked and it’s not often that I am speechlees.

Then these glorious creature disappeared- arched backs, tails high and Houdini-like they vanished into the ocean depths, leaving no sign of their presence whatsoever. Devastation for us boat based creatures, until WHOOSH – an extremely loud grunt, a stream of vapour and whale song right next to the boat. The songs were complex and beautiful, almost eerie with their haunting lingering squeaks and groans, clicks and moans. Humpbacks, it seems, are the most vocal of all whales and they should make a best selling CD.

So if you want theatre, a concert, a spectacle and the experience of one of the greatest shows on earth this weekend – book a whale watching extravaganza. You are likely to see Southern Right Whales (more common than humpbacks) or Bryde’s Whales. You will definitely see African penguins and Cape Fur Seals. If you are lucky you may see bottlenose dolphins for all these creatures have chosen the Cape Point Route as home.

National Womens Day

National Women’s Day on the 9 August is a public holiday in South Africa, commemorating the national march of women in 1956 to petition against pass law legislation. This holiday has become a celebration of women in South Africa and many events are held to honour women and girl children.

The Cape Point Route is no exception and there are some wonderful events being held on the Cape Peninsula. From 10am – 4pm on Thursday 9th August, Noordhoek Farm village is hosting a Divine Feminine – Devine Child day. Interactive demonstrations of Tai chi, Nia dancing, yoga and circle dancing will take place in addition to manicure, make up and hairstyling advice. For those needing Tender loving Care, therapists offering massage, reiki, reflexology and eco therapy will minister to your needs. Provincial MEC for finance and tourism, Lynn Brown will give a short speech and prizes, raffles and lucky draw events will take place throughout the day. And if you are worried about the kids – put that aside. Face painting, go karts and the playground will keep the children entertained. Contact Noordhoek Tourism for more info on 021 789 2812

At the Pink Palace in Kalk Bay the “Have a Heart” benefit event is being held to celebrate girl children on National Women’s Day. You will have the opportunity to participate in a silent auction of a stunning variety of women’s creative expressions including books, arts and crafts. The beneficiary of the event proceeds is “Princesses of Princess Mountain” – a safe village for the empowerment of abused girls in Zimbabwe run by the girl child network, Scrumptious Snacks, champagne and wine provided and there are lucky draw prizes. The silent auction starts at 4pm at the Pink Palace, 136 Main Rd, Kalk Bay and costs R50. Please RSVP to info@pinkpalace.co.za or call 021 788 2760 if you would like to attend.

A special sailing event is being held by False Bay Yacht Clubwho will be honouring their women as they set forth on Cape waters. This special sailing event in Fish Hoek and surrounding waters is a pursuit race of leisurely sailing starting from 11h00 in front of Fish Hoek Galley. Entrants can contact Pam Ghillino, Secretary of False Bay Yacht Club on 021 786 1703 for more details or email sailing@fbyc.co.za. Spectators are advised to gather at Fish Hoek Galley for best viewing of the spinnakers and sails. If weather not suitable then event will be rescheduled for Sat 11 August.

And for women who love wine - we recommend getting down to Winesense in Kalk Bay. They will be offering every woman , dining or having lunch a complimentary glass of rose wine – it coincides with the launch of this particular rose. There will also be live music – solo performance along the lines of Wine, Women and Song. For more information please call 021 788 1869

And 9 August is also the start of the Hout Bay Seafood Festival and Snoek Derby. The ladies of the Hout Bay fishing industry will showcase the unique skill of fish flekking so reflective of the image of Hout Bay. The various seafood factories in Hout Bay will enter teams of their top fish flekkers who will participate for the pride of being the Champion Snoek Flekker as part of the Hout Bay Seafood Festival. For more information on the festival please call 021 9453324

So to all women out there (and the men who love them) enjoy National Womens Day and celebrate in style on the Cape Point Route

1st weekend in June

The weather is looking peachy for this weekend and there is some great live music happening this weekend.

“Shenanigans” - a lively group with Irish origins with the Original band leader Leo Hartford will be back in the seat again at Fogeys Railway house Restaurant in Muizenberg. They have a wide repertoire of Retro rock blues, evergreens, some jazz standards and much more. The players are, Ted Faulkner on base and vocals, Rick Beckman on lead guitar and vocals, Elton John Appel on keyboard, Doug Elliott on drums and Leo Harford on lead vocals and rhythm guitar. Cover is R30 and it should be good fun. Call: 021 7883252

On Saturday 2nd June 07

The “Silver Tulip Band” will be at Fogey's Railway House Restaurant. They are a great group who really know how to get the place rockin’. Whenever they play at Fogeys there is a lively atmosphere and it is a great evenings entertainment. Featuring Julia, Gabi and Johan on vocals, Bruce on Drums, Jeremy (Buzz) on lead guitar, Dieter on bass and Wilmie on keyboards. Book early as you will really be disappointed if you don’t get a place to enjoy this good classic rock music.
Cover R30. Call 021 7883252

At the Cape Farmhouse Restaurant Hot Water will be performing. Hot water is a dynamic and versatile fusion of musicians, genres and cultural styles based in Cape Town. Doors open at 13h30 and music starts at 15h00. cost is R50 for adults and R40 for students. They are located in Scarborough at the bottom of Red Hill and well worth checking out the set up. Tel: 021 780 1246

For the more active and the waterbabies: False Bay has been amazingly calm so ideal for some sea kayaking or winter diving - water is warm and calm and the visibility to die for. It doesn't get better than this.

Have a great weekend.

Sally

Cape Point Route is blogging. With the imminent launch of our fresh faced website, we have also started our own blog to keep you up to date on whats on, whats hot (and whats not!) on the Cape Point Route.
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