By Malu Lambert
We’re on the Flying Dutchman funicular, which I insist on pronouncing ‘fun-cular’, because well, it is such fun. Much like a tram, it transports you close to the lighthouse, allowing you to skip a pesky few hundred steps. The Flying Dutchman is named after an alleged phantom ship that is said to be doomed to sail along the Cape of Good Hope for eternity.
As we move up the tracks the coast unfurls beneath us; jagged edges of the peninsula, pure white beaches, and blue ocean as far as the eye can see. At the very top is the iconic lighthouse, it has a directional signpost that whimsically points across the globe. Helpful kilometres have been added, Rio de Janeiro a mere six thousand away.
Land ahoy
As spectacular as this view is; there’s so much more to explore on the sprawling precipice. With this in mind we walk along the cliff path, and stop at the various viewpoints. And what a view. Black cormorants wheel through the air, in and out of caves, the sea boils white at the shoreline, and it’s all very fantasy pirate novel.
We ponder what it must have been like for those early explorers seeing this treacherous coast for the first time. The evidence of the unlucky ones can be seen on the Thomas. T. Tucker trail, one of the many hikes worth trying out in this national park. Cape Point is uniquely situated between two shores; and the scenery is wild, diverse, and never-ending.
Two Oceans Restaurant
Britsh-born chef, Phil Alcock is a man on a mission. Having worked with the likes of superstar chef, Raymond Blanc in London, he’s here to shake things up.
He’s lived in Cape Town for the last ten years, and been at his latest post for just four months.
“When I first arrived here I knew it was my home,” he says looking out across the bay. “There’s nothing quite like Cape Town.” And Cape Point is undoubtedly its hottest tourist destination. This poses an interesting challenge. Most restaurants are able to build up a core clientele of regulars. At Two Oceans Restaurant almost all diners are tourists: “It’s my aim,” adds Phil to make sure that they have an experience that leaves them dreaming of coming back again, or at least sharing their great experience with others.
“But, I am beginning to attract a group of locals. A lot of people with Wild Cards, or My Green Card, enter the reserve just to eat here.”
In his short time he’s already introduced a new menu. “It’s been the same for the last five years. It was very mixed, with lots of influences. And a restaurant with a view like this,” he says gesturing at the endless ocean, “needs to have its own identity.”
This means that Phil has had to do intensive training with the staff to get his menu off the ground so quickly. The focus is on seafood, and there’s a foundation of French classical cooking given its own personality with South African flavours.
I ask him what his current favourite dishes are: “Ooh,” he says “that’s hard. But I do love the braised kudu, and the Provençal-style kingklip with saffron potatoes.”
And then there was crayfish
Taking our seats on the outside deck, the bay dropping off below us. The scene is dazzling. For lunch we dine on ginger prawns, and a deconstructed cold seafood salad. On the latter’s plate, artfully arranged, are poached prawns and crayfish served with a tian of tuna tartare, and mango mayonnaise.
Phil also has plans to revamp the look of the restaurant. Now quite African-inspired, he tells me that the new look will have cool blues and creams to bring across a more Mediterranean feel.
“It’s a beautiful restaurant,” he says. “And now it has beautiful food too.”
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve is a nature lover’s paradise and indeed, the native flora is as spectacular as it is varied, as well as the native flora, which includes zebras, elands, ostriches and baboons. Further south is Cape Point, where you superb bird watching, whale watching and breathtaking ocean views in some of the cleanest air in the world – the visibility is bar none.
While the Cape of Good Hope is famous for its wildlife, humans have near-limitless options for recreation. South Africa is famous for its fantastic surf, and Cape Point has some of the best breaks in the world. Scuba aficionados have access to spectacular dive sites – the treacherous rocks of the reef are home to 26 recorded shipwrecks, and many more are yet to be discovered.
If ocean activity sounds a little rough, the action on land is sure to pique your interest. Cape Point is great for shopping and dining; in particular, the Two Oceans Restaurant offers world class cuisine and breathtaking views over False Bay.
Practical Info
Near the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve is Cape Point. While the area is famous for its wildlife and sealife (ostrichs, whales and even great white sharks!), it is also known for the Flying Dutchman, the most famous ghost ship of all. Mariners have reported seeing this spectral vessel from the Cape. Whether it’s a mirage or a figment of frightened sailors’ imaginations is unclear – you’ll have to judge for yourself.
Cape Point is about 65 km (40 mi) south of Cape Town; it will take you a little over an hour, unless you stop to check out the scenery – about half the drive is along the Cape’s eastern coast, offering you tons of photo opportunities. Just save some memory, in case you see that phantom ship.
With Our Own Ship To Africa
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J.K.van der Luit tells the story of the 1963 Olifantsbospunt wreck of the 347-ton coaster, the ‘Nolloth’ to shipping site Uit Vervlogen Tijden‘s Bob van Raad. [Translation by Google and bing]
The ‘Reality’, restored …
“When I was 14, I sailed – with my parents on my father’s ship – to Cape Town from where my father exercised a year-long charter supplying the diamond mines in the Namibian desert for De Beers Consolidated Mines.
“But I’m getting ahead of myself. I come from a seafaring family. My grandfather owned two tugs and a restaurant in Delfzijl. My father served as a captain for a shipping company, Dudok de Wit of Amsterdam. His first command was the ‘Martha’, which had survived the war. His first new ship was the ‘Maria Theresia’, built at Sander Delfezijl. He ran a regular service shipping china clay from Delfzijl to Stettin. He quickly moved on to new ships built by Groot and Van Vliet Slikkerveer, carrying wood from Cork to Hamina, Finland. The ‘Marvelettes’, ‘Martin’, ‘Marathon’ and other ships followed. By 1952, my father had had enough and bought his own ship, the ‘Leuvehaven’, formerly ‘Alpha’. He bought it ship as a wreck from the Sanders shipyard, which restored it. There are nice pictures on your site of the ‘Reality’, as the ship was renamed.
“It was in this boat that the family set sail for South Africa. the entire household packed into a container in the hold. Being 14, it was quite an experience for me and I missed a lot of school, leaving a month before the holidays started. The ‘Reality’, a sweet little ship, was a good, solid vessel able to deal with rough seas. She was capable of eight knots, but slowed to two when running into the headwinds and high Atlantic swells. She did extremely well during her years rounding the Cape of Good Hope and sailing up to Lorenzo Marques in Mozambique, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Port Nolloth, and Walvis Bay in Namibia.
“We sailed mostly to Port Nolloth, supplying the mines in the desert. The ship was chosen for the job because she was apparently of a suitable length and draft. To enter the port and overcome a shifting shoal or sandbar, we’d have to wait for high tide and – to avoid running aground – we’d run in at full speed on a following swell, before cutting the engine and sailing in. We’d tie up at the jetty where we filled and unloaded barrels of petrol and general cargo for the diamond mines, before visiting the town. Side on to the ocean, the ship lurched against the jetty. The Dutch coaster ‘FREAN‘, which could not be salvaged, lay stranded by bad weather on the Port Nolloth shore.
“With the charter renewed annually for eight years, we lived and worked with great pleaure in a beautiful country with incredible natural variation.
The 1965 wreck of the ‘Nolloth’ – her bow gone …
“Unfortunately, you also have pictures on your site of our shipwreck.
“In 1963 (sic), we left Cape Town for Durban in terribly bad, stormy weather. We sailed painfully slowly. At 01:00 or 02:00 that night we started shipping water and after about an hour the bilge pump gave up. Within two hours, we had taken on two meters of water. The vessel was very sluggish and we all went to the wheelhouse where, miraculously and with the engine still running, my father was fortunately able to steer the vessel clear of the coast. All we could do was pray that the engine would not stall. There were other ships in the vicinity but, given the severity of the weather, they could do nothing to assist. Our luck gave out. I will never forget the sound of the ship smacking the beach. It’s not something you want to experience. We were afraid that the foremast had snapped but, fortunately, it had not. Daylight brought a South African Navy helicopter that skillfully lifted us off in a strengthening gale and set us ashore.
“Yes – we had to say goodbye to the ‘Nolloth’. Do you know what it’s like hearing of such a ship after all these years – a ship with which you shared joys and sorrows to last a lifetime? Two days later, we left for the Netherlands. I am now 64-years old and it’s been good. My parents are long deceased and I have not returned. This was my story in short – otherwise you would have too much. I wish you great success with your wonderful photos and information.”
The ‘Nolloth’ today – still with a story to tell …