 |
|
Soulrider Menu |
|
|
|
Content
|
|
|
|
Windsurf Content
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Partner:
|
|
|
|
Cape Town Report 2006 / Marius Keckeisen
09.03.2006
|
|
A few of my windsurfer friends decided to escape the icy German winter and spend their Christmas vacation in South Africa . As good friends always do, they updated me daily by email on the weather, the wind, the surf, the restaurants and the bars they had experienced that day. It's nice to have such good friends.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Apart from a few short periods of winter depression, I was coping with the pressure. Even the steady stream of digital images showing the impossibly great surf, accompanied by stories of improbably great wave-jumping feats, failed to crack my resolve. That is, until one morning just before the New Year when I walked out my front door to be greeted by an arctic blast,
|
|
6 inches of fresh snow and a dead battery. Three hours later, I was on a plane to Cape Town . Twelve hours later, and 60 degrees Fahrenheit warmer, I arrived in windsurfer heaven. My home for the next five weeks would be the house my friends had rented for the summer in Blouberg. |
|
|
Blouberg is just outside Cape Town , and right bang center of some of the best wavesailing spots north or south the equator. Our nearest beach was Melkbos, and in easy reach of Big Bay , Sunset Beach , Hagkat and another dozen or so locations infamous for their big surf. The wind at Melkbos is usually a bit lighter than the beaches further to the south but the waves are bigger. After three really excellent days sailing at Melkbos, the wind fell away and we made plans to move up the coast in search of more wind. With the prospect of a big swell and better winds, we headed north to Elands Bay .
|
|
|
|
Elands Bay is in the Western Cape region about 120 miles along the Atlantic coast from Cape Town . At first glance, the conditions were very light, but by the time we had pitched our tents, the wind had picked up to 20 knots and the waves were over mast height: perfect conditions to try out my new KA Kaos 4.2 wave sail. On the left-side of the bay is a point where the waves only break over 15 feet. |
|
|
We started up-wind to the point and enjoyed some of the best big wave sailing I can remember. What really impressed us about Elands Bay was just how consistent the conditions were for our entire three-day stay. I have windsurfed many places around the world, from Toes to One Eye, and this place is just awesome. When you add together the perfect weather, the perfect waves, the massive T-bones we threw on the braai each night and the nightly explosion of colour at sunset, our trip to Elands Bay was definitely one for the scrapbook.
|
|
|
Back in Cape Town , the light winds gave us the perfect excuse to sample the some of the city's other attractions. Camps Bay , with its incredible views, cocktail bars and clubs, totally rocks on a Sunday night. When we weren't partying at Capris or La Med, you would find us in one of the cool clubs and bars in Long Street. Great food, great music and a lot beer made our nightly excursions the perfect antidote to our daytime exertions.
Over the next four weeks we moved around Cape Bay depending on the conditions. Sunset Beach , Big Bay , Hagkat and Melkbos are all first-class spots, in the right conditions.
|
|
Sunset is the southernmost windsurfing spot on Table Bay . On a normal day, the wind blows steadily from the South East. Conditions are usually best in the morning before the wind picks up and blows out the waves. On a light day with a good swell, Sunset is hard to beat, but if the wind picks up, you can forget about it and head north.
|
|
|
|
On the beach road between Big Bay and Melkbos you will find Hagkat. The best spot is directly in front of the parking lot, but it only works with big waves. You have to fight your way through a bone-crunching shore break, but the wave-riding beyond the break is unreal. |
|
|
Over my five-weeks in South Africa , we had an amazing 70% wind days. There's no such thing as a wind guarantee, but you would have to have the luck of Lindsey Jacobellis to miss out on a getting a lifetime windsurfing experience when you visit Cape Town . Take my word for it, Sud Afrika ist fantastisch!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Share on Facebook
|
-
Kommentare zur News-Meldung
Keine Einträge
Zurück zu den News
|
|
|
Action Blog
People
Windsurf Forum
Chat
Groups
Photos
Videos
Windsurf News
News Feed
Soulrider.com 2008
Action Blog Feed
Soulrider Blog