Heading up the Lomsa, Craft from Waste Project is a powerhouse of a woman called Yandiswa Mazwane. Yandiswa started out as a beach cleaner and now manages a project that produces desirable sculptures and homeware products from litter that is washed up on our beaches. Most of the products are made from non-recyclable plastics. Who would have thought that plastic bottle tops could be fashionable items?

Yandiswa has just received an order for 450 cow heads from a company in Paris and Lomsa is therefore URGENTLY LOOKING for detergent bottles in bright colours. i.e. VANISH, MR, MUSCLE, CAR WASH, HARPIC, STA SOFT ETC.
If you can help - please drop off your detergent bottles at the Lomsa shop at KEAG, Imhoff Farm, Kommetjie. (They also recycle glass, plastic and cans. Newspapers and cardboard can be taken to Kommetjie primary School.)

This project supports up to 16 previously disadvantaged people at a time, many of whom are illiterate or disabled. Thank you so much.

Please call YANDISWA MAZWANE/SHERRI BELL for more information
TEL: 0823003337

Have a good weekend,
Sally

Presidential Fleet Review for SA Navy - 5 September

The SA Navy has honored the Commander in Chief of the South African National Defence Force President Thabo Mbeki with a Fleet Review on Friday 5 September 2008 in Simon’s Bay (False Bay).

The Fleet Review consisted of a number of phases being the arrival of the State President, the 21 gun salute for the President and the boarding of the SAS Protea (the White Lady) which was the ship chosen to take the President past the fleet to take the salute.

The ships that sailed past the President on SAS Protea (Hydrographic survey vessel), all in formation and keeping station as if connected by underwater cable, were the 4 X Frigates, SAS Drakensberg, , 2 X off-shore patrol vessels (ex strike-craft), 2 X mine-hunters, two submarines and 2 X inshore patrol vessels. SAS Protea was accompanied by 3 HPB’s as mini escort.

While sailing past the crews were lined up on deck, all tuned out in their whites and looking ever so smart, to salute their commander in Chief. When returning to port the Umalusi tug gave a magnificent display of her ability to spray huge amounts of water, as they do when new ships arrive in a port, which is part of her firefighting equipment.

Thanks to Eddie Wesselo for the information and images

Spring Splash Post-mortem!

DIARISE NOW THE 6TH SEPTEMBER AT 15H30 AND COME JOIN US ON FISH HOEK BEACH FOR THE 2009 SPRING SPLASH!!

Well we did it!
Despite (or in-spite) of the raging storms and wild conditions - Sunday afternoon 31 August turned out to be a chilly 11C with the ambient air temperature exactly the same as the water! (I didn't measure wind- chill factor!). There was an amazing turnout at Fish Hoek beach and although there were more spectators than swimmers - about 70 people got into the water! The waves and tide were so high that as the beanies and fleeces were being peeled off the bodies, a wave came up and almost whisked everyone into the water whether we liked it or not! So the countdown wasn't exact but there was a lot of yelping and squeeling and some remarkable enthusiasm from both splashers and supporters.

A massive congratulations to the people of the south who joined the Cape Point Route Spring Splash and especially to those who braved the conditions to come from further afield!

Hats off and a big cheer to Fish Hoek Galley - the staff were dressed up to the Spring Theme in brightly coloured t-shirts. The restaurant was covered in flowers and balloons were set off amidst a resounding song of encouragement! Well done.

Thanks also to Mark Sampson for his commentary and to Fish Hoek Galley for the meal voucher prizes!

Spring Splash 2008 - Update!

Despite some less than impressive looking weather forecasting - the Spring Splash is still on! It's not going to be hot and sunny from the looks of things but we still have spring to celebrate and with any luck the rain will only be around for the morning so we should be fine by the afternoon. Bring something warm to put on afterwards! And just to be safe- False Bay Volunteer EMS will be there on standby in case of hypothermia! Get out of your comfort zone and come down to the beach on Sunday for the Spring Splash 2008. And the whales are in the bay - 6 of them on show today!!!

Check out the cartoon that Gavin Thomson did for the Peoples Post False Bay Edition on Tuesday 26 August!

Date: Sunday 31 August 2008
Time: 3h30 pm
Venue: Fish Hoek Beach in front of Fish Hoek Galley
Bring: cozzie, towel, friends, attitude and something warm!

Weather Forecast Sunday, 31 August 2008

Min Temp 7 ºC
Max Temp 14 ºC

Description Cloudy, rain mainly morning (60%)
Wind Description fresh north-westerly
Wind AM 30 km/h north-westerly

Sun Rise 07:05
Sun Set 18:26
Moon Rise 07:14
Moon Set 19:18
Moon Phase New Moon

Spring Splash 2008

CAPE POINT ROUTE is celebrating spring and the start of season

with a SPRING SPLASH on 31 AUGUST at FISH HOEK BEACH ….

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

DATE: Sunday 31 August 2008

TIME: 15h30.

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

BRING: Cozzie, towel , friends & 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)

Cape Point Route
Voted 2007 South African Tourism
Best Destination Marketing Campaign
tel 021 782 9356 fax 021 782 9346
email info@capepointroute.co.za
website www.capepointroute.co.za

And while I am blogging again - the Cape Point Route has just received another good news story from Baboon Matters - sent to us by Jenni Trethowan. Great to hear a feel good story.

"There are so many BAD NEWS stories at the moment, in fact it seems that our lives are dominated by talk of natural disasters,political woe, high prices etc.

It is not often that somebody does something really nice for you. Rare indeed that anything is done without expectation.So I thought I would share with you a story of GOOD NEWS….

Last year the Baboon Matters bakkie was totally trashed in a car accident.We really needed the vehicle and were hugely disappointed to loose it.Then my own hardworking bakkie died (after a long and bravely fought illness).

In the past 2 months Baboon Matters has dealt with 8 critically injured baboons – only one survived.We were really pushed in our last situation when a young dispersing male took off – without the bakkie we were of minimal help to the already overloaded SPCA. Just getting to and from work has been a nightmare, and getting out to check on the monitors almost impossible. Good news??? Absolutely!

Our dearly loved Juliette Bass took matters in hand and faxed our newsletter to Adam Murry. The newsletter contained an article about the car accident and appeal for help.So Adam, being the star that he is, made a call from the UK.
After speaking to Marlei he made a quick decision to help; organised things with the Murry Foundation and he brought us a new bakkie!!

Many of you won’t have heard of either Adam Murry or Juliette Bass, so you don’t know that these two are really as close to angels as you will find. Both Adam and Juliette have a long history of fighting for causes – for animals, children – music! – to name a few. They are the type of folk who just help, they don’t particularly like fuss or attention – and they certainly don’t want anything in return.

But we at Baboon Matters want to give Juliette and Adam the biggest loudest thanks we can. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. What a wonderful new bakkie!

It is good news indeed!! It has lifted our spirits greatly to receive such a gift. It is hugely appreciated that the practical aspects of getting around – transporting monitors and cages, getting injured baboons to the vet etc -are again taken care of.

But mainly it was such incredible generosity of spirit that has just made us smile – beam!!It is so good know that there are wonderful things all around us – every day. Sometimes the good things are hidden for a while, but they are there waiting to be happen.

And that is why I wanted to share this story with all of you. I hope you day is filled with hope and happiness and that good news stories abound!"

Jenni Trethowan; Baboon Matters.
http://www.capepointroute.co.za/hiking.php

Sunpath Sacred Site Tours

We haven't been blogging much but I had to post this comment that was sent to Dean Liprini of Sunpath Sacred Site Tours. Dean runs fascinating tours to scared sites, exploring energy lines,sun and moon shrines of the Ancient Cape People as well as some phenomenal rock art sites. Please see the link about Sunpath Sacred Site tours. http://www.capepointroute.co.za/hiking.php

"A friend of mine Mark Frankel gave me your book for my birthday. I
have been walking in the mountains since I was 10 years old being a
native capetonian. I have seen faces in everything. However after
reading the book in one night I decided to walk up Elsies Peak to see if
my consciousness and eyes were opened by the knowledge in the book. I
was blown away. I saw many formations and sundials and sentinals. I was
so overtaken by emotion that I hugged a huge stone face and called him
grandfather. Swifts and starlings buzzed and swushed passed me as though
I was in a different world. The emotions were so strong that I
eventually had to come off the mountain.

Thanks Dean for helping me see what was there all along."

Charles Maisel