Why Do your Training in South Africa

Why do your STCW training in South Africa?

I guess the picture above says it all really!

Cape Town, is on the Southern tip of South Africa and is one of the most beautiful locations in the world.

Sailing in the shadow of Table Mountain by day or night is an experience not to be missed.

Table Bay has seen some of the worlds best known yacht races and yachtsman and is a great bay to sail in.

One can set out in a fickle breeze looking for the slightest puff and a few hours later be fighting a 25kt SE on the nose back to your berth. Cape Town is home to the Royal Cape Yacht Club. And one must not miss the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.

Just 60 nautical miles north of Cape Town is the beautiful Langebaan lagoon.

On the left we have Langebaan Lagoon looking north towards Saldanha Bay. If you can find the book 'The Wind is Free' by Frank Wightman add it to your library, you wont be disappointed. Saldanha Bay and Langebaan Lagoon are great sailing waters and are home to Atlantic Yachting and two yacht clubs, Saldanha Bay Yacht Club and Langebaan Yacht Club.

At the southern tip of the lagoon is Kraal Bay the perfect anchorage for swimming, windsurfing or just relaxing. The lagoon itself has many sandbars making sailing tricky for keel boats but the northern end end beyond the island in the picture has excellent sailing
waters.

Club Mykonos is a great holiday resort as well as a marina.

Midway between Cape Town and Langebaan is one of my favourite spots - Dassen Island with its perfectly sheltered anchorage at House Bay. Dassen is an easy day sail from either Cape Town and if the trip is done between November and March you can be sure to have an exciting sail down wind with the local South Easter.

House Bay makes a perfect spot to overnight before leaving for Langebaan the following morning.

North of Saldhana is Port Owen and St Helena Bay (not to be mistaken for the island). This area is roughly 60nm from Saldanha and it too has great sailing waters. Don't forget that with the current exchange rate South Africa is a great place to do your training. If you want to know anything more about sailing in this area please drop me an email.
There is one last thing that needs to be mentioned. With an exchange rate around 14:1 you cant go wrong spending your £'s or $'s to learn the ropes in South Africa. And as I said earlier the sailing is soooo good.

Please add your comments and experiences sailing in South Africa or let us know if you have trained in or around Cape Town.