Wildside TIMES #2

TIMES

WILDSIDE

ISSUE 2 MAY 2022

Wine On Water For The Win

St. Francis Bay. In The Beginning Garth Sampson Is The Weather Guru Win a mixed case of beer from the St Francis Brewery, an EZ Massager, or a Rip Curl ‘The Search’ straw sunhat

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Where you Belong

Lorrin

15 Walton Road, St Francis Bay Village | R3,500,000 1

Enid 4

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St Francis Links, 2 Ballybunion Way | R4,950,000 4

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- 082 773 8064

St Francis Bay Village, 46 Reservoir Road | R4,200,000

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- 072 950 9805

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Kathy

- 082 388 6213

Jenny

- 083 321 2405

10 Upper Deck, Port St Francis | R2,400,000

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Berdine

Lorrin

- 082 821 0652

2 Abalone Avenue, St Francis on Sea Phase II | R3,800,000 5

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7 County Down Drive, St Francis Links | R9,750,000 4

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- 082 388 6213

Roux

Roux

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- 084 205 8420

1 Aldabara Run, St Francis Bay Village | R5,745,000 3

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- 084 205 8420

9 Portmornock, St Francis Links | R3,300,000 2.5

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EDITORIAL NOTES T

wo months ago, we introduced a new magazine to St Francis Bay. The Wildside TIMES. Two months ago, it was summer. We were in a drought. Covid was a thing of the past, and the ocean was a stunning blue.

Now we’re facing winter. We’re still in a severe drought, worse than ever, there is not much rain on the seasonal forecast, and Covid Wave 5 is possibly en route. But at least we’re better prepared this time around.

The support for The Wildside TIMES from local businesses and readers has been nothing short of incredible. Thank you. Our gut feeling that there is space for another print publication in this town was correct, as the advertisers and readers have expressed.

In two months, we will be bringing out issue 3. with this sort of support, it’ll be bigger, better, and released during the JBay Surf Festival. After that, we plan on taking over the world, but starting with this little chunk of paradise we call home.

In the meantime, slow down and enjoy issue 2 of The Wildside TIMES. It’s free, and it always will be.

GIVEAWAYS EZ Massager

This issue we have two very cool giveaways, from two of our very cool advertisers. Firstly, we have an EZ Massager to give away. This massager has become extremely popular and with all the activities and sports groups going on in St Francis Bay, the EZ Massager has been going through some serious Research and Development. Still, it comes out on top and we have one of them to give away. All you have to do is find us on Insta (@wildside_times) and follow us. Then find the EZ Massager post, like it and comment. Maybe tag your post with #wildsidetimes and #ezmassager

Rip Curl Beach Hat

We also have this groovy beach hat from Rip Curl to give away. Same method All you have to do is find us on Insta (@wildside_times) and follow us. Then find the Rip Curl South Africa post, like it and comment. Maybe tag your post with #wildsidetimes and #ripcurlsouthafrica We’re only giving these prizes to locals, so you need to be in the area to claim your prizes. We’ll most likely meet you at the beach or at the pub or something.

St Francis Brewery

A mixed case of the finest St Francis Beer will be going to one lucky reader. All you have to do is something similar as the above two giveaways. All you have to do is find us on Insta (@wildside_ times) and follow us. Then find the St Francis Brewery post, like it and comment. Maybe tag your post with #wildsidetimes and #stfrancisbrewpub for more chance. You’ve got to be over 18 to win this prize, so if you’re not, I’ll have to give it to your dad or someone.

JOB OPPORTUNITY! AD SALES PERSON

Wildside TIMES is looking for an ad sales person to start immediately. We’re not looking for anyone else at this stage, just a person who can sell advertising, sell ice to Eskimos and organise a piss-up in a brewery. Those sorts of skills. Decent commission structure, rapidly expanding company, shit boss, work from home, proven sales record would be a bonus, free vegan cookies and all the rest of that nonsense you get on job ads like these. If you know you know.

Mail craig@truthcollective.co.za if you’re that person.

Wildside TIMES is Creative director: Mark Campbell/BasilWaits Creative Media Editor: Craig Jarvis Contributors: Derek Cook, Sandy Coffey, Barry Culligan, Robin Moulang, Louis Wulff.

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A Freedom like no other Move to St Francis Bay and spend your time in the waves.

If you are thinking of moving, contact us today.

St Francis Bay 042 294 1188 stfrancisbay@pamgolding.co.za Arderne Properties CC t/a Pam Golding Properties St Francis Bay Registered with the PPRA. Holder of a Business Property Practitioner FFC. Operating a Trust Account.

A Franchise of Pam Golding Franchise Services (Pty) Ltd.

Live Remarkable.

HOMETOWNFLAVOURS We like to eat. Everyone likes to eat. Unless you’re one of those models who has a glass of air for breakfast, a sprig of broccoli for lunch, and carbonated water and cigarettes for dinner. We’re not. We like good, wholesome food, love a bit of fat on our meat and skin on our chicken, and it’s always great to get some decent service along with it.

Welcome to our first edition of our new restaurant reviews, Hometown Flavours.

For our first episode, we would just like to take a look at three restaurants that we have been eating at lately, and will do an in-depth review on them later.

Chokka Block

Situated at The Port, Clive’s Chokka Block can do no wrong. Renowned for the seafood, and in particular the calamari, the Chokka Block also has a wonderful vibe to it, and is usually quite busy. We sampled the calamari and our daughter enjoyed a kiddies burger. The calamari was everything we expected, fresh and delicious with a tangy tartare sauce. The portions were great and my daughter never actually spoke while she ate, which was an amazing testament to her enjoyment of the food.

Chokka Block: Find – Top Floor, Squid Square, Port St Francis Mail – info@chokkablock.co.za Phone – 042 294 1615

Off The Menu Food Emporium

Currently our favourite breakfast place, Off The Menu offers an intimate venue and an unfettered ambiance with their breakfasts. It is the best place for a breakfast menu, with the staff attentive but discreet, leaving customers to drink coffee, raise voices at each other over spreadsheets that aren’t working, and brainstorm exciting new marketing ideas while wired on the best coffee in town. We had the Scrambled Eggs with Salmon and the French Toast.

Creamy scrambled eggs offset with the slightly piquant salmon taste was the perfect combination for our thoughtful marketing meeting, while the French toast clients ate their breakfasts like they were really, really hungry; like they would fight you if you tried to grab a taste of their toast. As mentioned, coffee is wonderful.

Off The Menu: Find – Lyme and St Francis Drive, St Francis Bay Mail - info@offthemenufoodemporium.com Phone - 041 010 5451

St Francis Brewery

The St Francis Brewery offers great food, and obviously their own beer which is mighty fine and a perfect accompaniment to their meals. Our favourites are the classic cheese burger and the ribs, but there are times when it is amazing to smash into a huge selection Mexican plates as well. When we go Mexican, we often order a few dishes and share amongst our table. Some nachos, and some chicken and fish tacos are great to share with a pint of draught.

The St Francis Brewery however, has such a great vibe because they focus on consistently getting the best live music, and so many people enjoy a night out with the good vibes of chilled background music, banging rock music, reggae tunes or the fun times with legendary artists like Robin Auld and Wendy Oldfield.

St Francis Brewery: Find – 167 St Francis Drive Mail – lancekabot77@gmail.com Phone – 063 274 3743

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GARTH SAMPSON IS

THE WEATHER GURU “THE NAME CAME FROM EX ALGOAFM DJ DARON MANN, WHO ALWAYS REFERRED TO ME AS THE WEATHER GURU IN INTERVIEWS. SO YES, I HAVE BEEN IN THIS CHAIR AT THE SOUTH AFRICAN WEATHER SERVICE FOR 40 YEARS.”

“I will probably be crucified for this, but I will scream if I hear the word Nooitgedacht again” 8

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As a ‘weather historian’ or someone with weather stats at your fingertips, what do you think will happen in the Kouga region regarding the drought?

This region’s first written weather history was in 1823: “Settler’s homes were flooded after a prolonged drought.”

One does not have to be a nuclear scientist to know what will end this drought. Yes, a flood will come. The million-dollar question is when. If the drought continues for another year or two, it will become the worst in history.

Statistically, we are long overdue not only for a “flood” but a flood of catastrophic proportions.

Why do you think that so many people are not taking this thing seriously? So there are still people watering their grass.

I will probably be crucified for this, but I will scream if I hear the word Nooitgedacht again. “We will never run out of water because of Nooitgedacht.” Utter bullshit, especially in your area, St Francis. Nooitgedacht is the purification works coming from the Gariep Pipeline. It supplements the NMBMM water supply and only the city’s eastern half. So Jeffreys, St Francis and the western half of PE will not benefit.

PE uses 280 plus meg litres a day. Nooitgedacht supplies 160 m/l now and

only 210 at its peak. Do the math. We don’t have long before the Kromme dam system is empty!

The most straightforward way to catch water is off the roof and into a tank. Why do you think so many people are not doing this and are not listening to good advice?

All shout costs A 2k litre tank costs under R2k, so start with one. I have 20k litres, but that took me 10 years to amass. Jamaica has no dams. Each house has 50k tanks. Knowing that this region is drought-prone regularly, it is essential Also water quality. Water tanks and a water filter in a home are as important as a fridge and microwave. It should be a law to have tanks.

Not only for the garden but plugged into your main water supply so you can use it in dire need or to reduce your water account. Just the savings in your water account pays for itself in a year. It’s a no brainer.

What are your thoughts about the current ‘wonky’ weather patterns and unusual weather phenomena across our region and country?

- is a bit of an enigma. I want to say we are cursed, but that is unscientific. It is part of our weather history. Remember 1823.

If a drought is broken by a flood, we might need to start making some really big boats. It might even be enough to flush the Kromme. What does history tell you about what could happen when the rain patterns shift? Only two cut-off lows in a row washed away the Sand River bridge the second time in 20212. If we get 5 cut-off lows in a row, we’re all going to be in trouble.

Yes, 2012 was a weird year. The wettest non-flood year on record. In other words, it virtually rained constantly for a year. Then, before the earth could recover, the following system was there. Hence even small events caused havoc.

You just need one 1908, 1968 or 1981 event, then you have serious trouble.

Those were catastrophic, and a flood of that proportion is long overdue.

Not wonky. The interior got the predicted seasonal rain with the La Nina.

It was well forecast. This little patch - St Francis to Cannon Rock to Uitenhage WT

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RIPCURL GROMSEARCH All images © Louis Wulff

Surfing: Final Results Rip Curl GromSearch #1 presented by Sea Harvest at Victoria Bay It was fantastic to see Rip Curl re-enter the South African surfing contest scene with the opening event of their Rip Curl GromSearch series for 2022 at Mossel Bay. However, it had a challenging start as a large white shark decided to cruise past the surfers at Inner Pool in the day’s second heat, probably looking for a seal kebab for breakfast.

Victoria Bay became the star of the show as the contest moved 40 minutes east to the quiet waves near George.

Victoria Bay proved to be an excellent location for the event. The contestants were blessed with windless conditions and consistent waves the entire event.

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Joel Dace

Rory Dace

For local St Francis surfers, it was all eyes on Rory Dace from Cape St Francis. Dace has been killing it on the local Surfing South Africa circuit. But, once again, this event was another contest in which the tall natural-footer absolutely dominated.

The contest report: “The U14 Boys division has some red-hot talent and intense rivalries going. This division is a strong indicator of who our top performers will be in the future, and these surfers did not disappoint during this final battle. Cooper Smith (CT) and Rory Dace swapped the lead a few times in this nailbiter, and in the end, Dace snatched the victory with a tremendous last wave.

A three-turn combo and a classy close-out finish saw the judges award him 7.0 points and the win. Matt Canning (KZN) struggled

to find the good ones and finished third, with much-improved Massimo Bienz (CT) in fourth place.

The Rip Curl GromSearch presented by Sea Harvest was an incredible event. The move to Victoria Bay was a good decision.

Thanks to the Victoria Bay locals who gave up their surf spot at almost no notice to see the show go on. The vibe throughout the event was vibrant amongst the junior surfing fraternity. Rip Curl can be proud of an event well run

by Surfing South Africa, which stoked out the groms to no end.

The next Rip Curl GromSearch presented by Sea Harvest will occur at Magnatubes in JBay on 23/34 July. The final event will be at Scottburgh on the 24/25 of

September.

The Rip Curl GromSearch series allows kids to compete against the best surfers in the same age bracket from their country. This format provides these groms with an insight into a life of competitive surfing and gives them the invaluable experience of surfing and competing in different waves around the country.

Anastasia Venter

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Join Our Food & Wine Club to enjoy exclusive benefits

Shop Online

Our retail store is online. You can shop all your favourite products from luxury oils and condiments to cookbooks and our collection of wines.

We also offer free local delivery.

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CONCOURS SUR MESURE 2022 The name Concours Sur Mesure means a ‘gathering of people for a tailor-made competitive experience.’

St Francis Bay is gearing up for one huge festival, the likes of which have never been seen before in this town.

The Concours Sur Mesure will take place 27 - 30 October 2022.

The Event Concours Sur Mesure means a gathering of people for a tailor-made competitive experience.

This 4-day festival has local ownership, and the event organisers come with over 30 years of experience and expertise in their respective fields to bring a formidable and professional team together.

The festival aims to host a unique annual event in the Eastern Cape for a weekend that one cannot miss.

The festival will be creating a diverse experience that offers something for everyone to entice the exotic car enthusiasts, wine connoisseurs, epicures (A person taking particular pleasure in fine food and drink), jazz lovers, and avid sportspeople alike.

The festival will offer diverse experiences by bringing value to the local businesses, sports clubs, St Francis Tourism, B&B’s, and Estate Agents, and creating employment for locals.

The festival will showcase St Francis Bay with sporting events, culinary events, music events, motorcars, vintage, exotic, and current models together with exclusive wines from our leading premier estates, An experience for the whole family, the Concours Sur Mesure Festival has a long itinerary, and it will be nearly impossible to attend every event. So instead, it is suggested that patrons choose which events, parties and happenings they deem the most interesting and attend those.

The Main Event: The organisers will host the Wine and Motor Show at St Francis College on Saturday, 28 October 2022. They will also host Uncle Nick’s Dinner and Dance on Friday night, Madhatter’s Gin and Tea Party on Saturday night and the Tent and Open Beer Garden on Sunday.

Culinary, Sport and Social Events:

within the Concours Sur Mesure Festival, supported by St Francis Tourism, the Kouga Municipality, local businesses and sports clubs.

The events over the weekend include exclusive cuisine offering unique culinary experiences.

• Luncheon on an organic farm; • Cheese and gin tasting, • Beer festival • Fly-by, sporting activities such as golf, fishing, swimming, paddle-ski races, fun run, barefoot bowls, • The St Francis Surf Festival • Squash tournament and party • Nighttime entertainment such as the Halloween Party

Follow on Instagram - @csm_festival

The festival will include 19 other culinary, music and sporting events WT

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THE FESTIVAL WILL OFFER DIVERSE EXPERIENCES BY BRINGING VALUE TO THE LOCAL BUSINESSES, SPORTS CLUBS, ST FRANCIS TOURISM, B&B’S, AND ESTATE AGENTS, AND CREATING EMPLOYMENT FOR LOCALS. WT

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ROLL AWAY THE PAIN

EZ M AS S AG E R I S A U N I Q U E PR ODU CT TH AT IS DESIGN ED FOR PE O P LE W H O CYCL E , RU N, PA DDLE, SWIM , SU R F, KITE, F I S H, D I V E A N D J U S T GEN ER A L ACH ES & PA IN S. IF YO U HAV E A N Y PA I N E Z M A SSAGER WILL H ELP R ELIEVE OR MANAG E YO U R PA I N, N O M ATTER H O W OLD OR YOU N G YOU ARE YO U CA N B E N E F I T FR OM U SIN G EZ M A SSAGER .

THE O WNE RS O F E Z M A S S AGER LIVE IN ST FR A N CIS BAY A ND W E AR E ALL A B O U T S U P P O RT IN G LOCA L, SO PLEA SE POP INTO YO U R LO C A L P H A R M AC Y IN TH E VILLAGE A N D BU Y YOU R EZ M A S SAGER S TODAY. FEE L FRE E TO P O P O N TO OU R WEB SITE TO CH ECK OU T HO W O U R P R ODU CT W OR KS

THE JBAY SURF FESTIVAL UPDATE

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he return of the JBay Surf Festival has given this part of the world much to celebrate. After the festival was put on hold for two years as we all rode out wave after wave of the COVID pandemic, it is now set to return with a new look and feel.

The three old favourites that are always the most popular events at this festival are the Funduro Motocross day, the Skins Fishing Tournament, and the Live Entertainment.

Funduro The Funduro motocross day is always entertaining, with entire families coming to the exhibition event. Organised by Slake Adventures, it is open to riders of all ages and skill levels.

Highlights of this fun day include the Slake Pit obstacle course, which is highly technical but loads of fun, and the Expression Session, which brings out the best in the riders.

The Funduro is the one event that embraces lousy weather, and a bit of rain and a lot of mud seems to heighten the excitement. There’s nothing like mud and slurry to make all the challenges that much more intense from a rider and a spectator’s point of view.

If you’re not competing and it looks like cloudy skies, then bring some rain gear and a covered braai and enjoy the spectacle along with everyone else.

Skins Fishing Tournament The Skins Fishing Tournament has

always been one of the most popular tournaments within the Festival, with entire families getting involved.

This contest has strict rules and regulations, with tag and release and the fishing only allowed within the demarcated areas.

The tournament organisers always make sure that there are plenty of prizes, and everyone who enters walks away with some sort of prize.

Records have been broken at this tournament. However, more records could fall if the Musselcracker and Kabeljou are biting.

All competitors will need a valid fishing licence to enter.

Live Music at this early stage of the festival’s planning, several local bands and artists will be performing. Still, we cannot announce them, as nothing has been confirmed yet. However, there is talk of one massive band coming to the festival, the sort of band that will see a packed audience and sold out tickets. As soon as we can confirm this, we will make the announcement. For those of you who are into live music and want to rock out like in previous years, keep your eyes on this one as it looks like it will be a very exciting year for live music.

Then we have the surfing, and it is a different look competition with a smaller, more intense field of men and women.

The Corona Open JBay, the ninth

stop on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), will return to Jeffreys Bay after two years.

This year there’s even more at stake with a reduced field of 22 men and 10 women who will have made the Midyear cut-off. In addition, the 2019 Corona Open JBay winner, Gabriel Medina(BRA), will return to Supertubes after he was awarded the men’s 2022 WSL CT season wildcard. This gives him entry into all Championship Tour events following the Mid-season Cut. In 2019, Medina became the first goofyfooter in 35 years to win in Jeffreys Bay. After taking a long break from competition, the three-time World Champion will not only be looking to defend his win at JBay but also his World Title.

Carissa Moore (HAW), current world number 1, will also be back in J-Bay to defend her title from 2019. The fourtime World Champion will face tough competition from an in-form Tyler Wright (AUS) and 2019 runner-up Lakey Peterson (USA).

South Africa’s Jordy Smith, a two-time event winner in Jeffreys Bay, will hope to score a solid performance in front of his home crowd. This is a wave he has proven his knowledge, experience and expertise on. While a Final 5 finish might be out of reach for Smith, he could play spoiler for those closer to the cut-off.

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WINE ON WATER. WHAT A JORL!

Our interview with event founder and organiser Craig Northwood

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ine On Water was a Rotary Club of St Francis event.

The Rotary Club of St Francis (RCOSF) is young and chartered in November 2019.

We identified various fundraising projects, including fundraisers such as golf days and wine auctions, successfully implemented but with a limited financial return.

Wine on Water was our deliberations’ preferred event/outcome of the various possible events identified.

When you postponed the first WOW due to C19, did anything change regarding the WOW festival’s goals and mission?

The overall objective – raising funds for the RCOSF through a unique/iconic project has not changed.

In terms of results, what did you hope to achieve from the inaugural WOW? Were these goals achieved?

Our overall objective was to deliver a unique event flawlessly that would become part of the St Francis Bay annual events calendar. At the same time, it would raise funds for the RCOSF community projects and embrace business in St Francis wherever possible. This

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would ensure that as much of the WOW spend as possible remains in St Francis.

There is no doubt that WOW 2022 has been a resounding success. The incredible demand for WOW tickets can evidence this success before the event.

• We maintained our original ticket allocation even though there would have been a significant financial benefit if we had increased ticket sales.

This is because we realised the value of having satisfied ticket holders was core to the event’s success.

• There was a great response from wine estates wanting to participate in WOW. • Positive feedback received from the estates post WOW in terms of turnover and wishing to participate in WOW 2023 • We received highly positive feedback from “Investec”, our anchor sponsor, whom we approached in 2019 with an untested concept that was embraced by Investec unreservedly at the time.

What was the most unforeseen uplifting experience over the weekend? What happened that made you think, ‘ok, cool, this event is an absolute winner?’

ways room for improvement. Therefore, all suggestions were gladly accepted and tabled at a debriefing session held by the WOW team.

There were many moving parts and people involved. Who stood out that you would like to especially thank for working on the project and helping it become the success it was?

In terms of thanks – To our sponsors Investec for their “leap of faith” in agreeing to sponsor an untested project To the riparian homeowners who made their decks/homes available for this event at no charge and barge/boat owners who made their craft available.

To St Francis Tourism.

To the wine estates for committing to a new concept and being part of the success.

To local restaurants, advertisers, suppliers, photographers, and service providers who supported the event.

To Anton Smit for being part of WOW and displaying his sculptures on the various decks.

To my Rotary colleagues for all the hard graft to deliver this very successful event, albeit two years later than expected due to COVID. Thanks to all the members of the public who purchased tickets and attended WOW 2022. We’re looking forward to seeing you at WOW 2023.

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT WOW 2022 HAS BEEN A RESOUNDING SUCCESS!

I think the public acknowledgement of the jetty/parking marshals recruited from Sea Vista. After training, they provided this essential service.

Late Saturday afternoon, these individuals arrived back at The Quays by barge. They then walked through the restaurant to their assembly point for a debriefing. The five Rotarians gave them a round of applause.

About 200 patrons immediately joined them at The Quays, who gave them a standing ovation.

After the fact, quite a few people started shouting from the sidelines, offering their advice on making this thing better.

No event of this nature, particularly the first, is perfect, and there is alWT

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Liam Schweitzer Wins The St Francis Resort Amanzi Challenge Night Swim Part of the St Francis Resort Amanzi Challenge was the inaugural Night Swim in the canals.

We chatted to the winner of this swim Liam Schweitzer.

Well done on your win! What was the swim all about?

The swim was organised by Haydn for Kouga Tourism, and the night swim was something added to make it enjoyable. Swimmers had lots of glow in the dark paints and glow sticks so that they could be followed.

Haydn Holmes, event organiser, hands over the Winners Trophy to the winner Liam Schweitzer. This exceptional chokka lamp trophy was masterfully built

by Haydn’s Dad, Pat Holmes.

What were the logistics? How long was the swim, and what was the route?

The swim was 1.2km long through the canals, starting under the bridge in front of The Quays. It went around the island and ended on the beach alongside The Quays.

The swim started at sunset, and we swam into the dark; and it took about 15 mins to swim.

What was the most challenging aspect of the swim?

The most challenging aspect was my tinted goggles, so as soon as the sun went down, it felt like I was wearing sunglasses at night. The darker it got, the more tricky it got.

Any difficulties in the actual swim?

It was pretty straightforward as we know the route. Jetties were the most significant risk, especially boat propellors in the final straight.

The helpers were great. They had about 10 nippers on rescue boards with torches. They spread out across the field.

How close was it? Did you win with ease?

It would have been a close finish, but Nicola Harcus, 2nd place, swam into a jetty. Christian Middleton was third. It is great to have such good competition.

Did you enjoy the challenge?

It was fun because it was something different. Swimming can be very monotonous, so any variation is great.

Any advice for competitors next year?

Let people know to wear clear goggles, and I’ll make sure my clear goggles are cleaned before the next event. Also, glow in the dark buoys would be great.

You’re going to be back next year?

I will definitely try to defend my title, competition is stiff. Also, I’d really like to keep the lamp trophy to do my homework with.

Liam Schweitzer, Nicola Harcus, Christian Middleton

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Slipway Surf Crew

There is a very well-known surf etiquette that has developed over the years, allowing all surfers at a particular surf break to enjoy waves without being bullied and intimidated. We intended to educate visitors about the importance of sticking to these rules.

This has gone down very well with parents who surf with their kids and gives them some insight into their expectations when surfing at other spots.

by Derek Cook

Starting a surf club at the Grannies Pool slipway resulted from the problems caused by the increasing numbers of ‘Out of Town’ surfers that started arriving during the first 6 to 8 months of COVID. Before this time, this was never really a problem in SFB. As the local surfers, we decided that we needed to have at least some form of “footprint” at our local surf spots so that we could attempt to control the situation.

Several regulars met and agreed with this concept. The name “Slipway Surf Crew” was adopted with an instantly recognisable logo designed by some of our members. I called Simon Fish of Seal Point Boardriders Club, and he suggested we affiliate our club with theirs. Once we put the word out, a lot of interest was shown.

There is a very well-known surf etiquette that has developed over the years 26

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Over the years, since the club was launched, we realised that our local surf spot was also frequented by families who have holiday homes in the area. This realisation caused us to discuss who was a ‘Local’ and who was not, which would affect membership rights. Surfing with these “permanent’ visitors had always been a pleasure.

So the constitution was drafted to embrace all those who supported our values and ideas.

The initial club committee consisted of myself, Barry and Dave Thiem, and we launched the club in late 2019.

Unfortunately, In the beginning, COVID severely limited the club in terms of out-of-water activities such as social get-togethers. We later drafted in some younger members to the committee to ensure that social events would be able to take place as soon as they could. These new members were Jade Dace, Mathew McLeod and Ryan Anderson. In fact, we recently enjoyed a fun first social event hosted by Bruce’s Coffee Shop.

It is difficult to say whether the club’s presence has impacted in any way on the visiting surfers. However, some recent ‘run-ins’ with Cape Town Foilers highlighted that there was an active local surf club at this break. As a result, we have explicitly asked Foilers not to surf within the area for safety reasons of the break. Our signboard at the top of the slipway explicitly mentions this.

In addition, we have requested that normal surf protocol be observed with SUPs and Foilers staying away from the main break. SUPs have also been asked to monitor their wave count.

This is due to their ability to catch a wave earlier than surfers.

Generally, the club has been well received. It is a rewarding experience to see the attitude of the youngsters and learner ‘Groms’ from our’ out of towner’ members when surfing here whilst on holiday. They have started to show signs of learning respect and asking advice whilst learning to understand surf etiquette.

We have a great bunch of members, and hopefully, the club and the desire to have all surfers enjoy our waves will become better known to visitors.

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IN THE BEGINNING

Inhospitable, no roads, no potable water, no electricity and harsh winters make for a very tough location to start a functional farm.

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n the mid-1950s, a young Durban farmer, Leighton Hulett and his wife Anne took a leap of faith and purchased a large farm at the thenunknown St Francis Bay. Leighton was a sibling from the prominent Hulett sugar family in KwaZulu Natal and greatgrandson of Sir James Leige Hulett. The Huletts were from Yorkshire, in England.

The youthful farmer was not fearful of getting dirty and climbing in when there was hard work. Still, the geography and climate of the Eastern Cape and of this sprawling but arid farm itself held many challenges. Empty, no roads, no potable water, no electricity and brutal winters make for a very tough location to start an actual working farm.

Over much hard work and time, this farm evolved. Leighton initially started

a fishing campsite to invite keen and wealthy fishers from Humansdorp and Port Elizabeth farms. The fishing in the area was quite incredible back then (still is), and putting up a fishing camp was way easier work than trying to grow produce on the bleak land. It took a while, but eventually, the fishing camp prospered.

Nevertheless, while these fishermen were going about their enterprise of seizing supper and trophies, they were oblivious of the nearby peeling waves.

Before Hulett developed it, and before the masses arrived, The farm had one overriding characteristic: sand. There was sand everywhere.

According to documented annals, there were three colossal sand fields on his land and the surrounding land, feeding the sea

whenever the southwester blew, which was about 75% of the time.

This sand did beautiful things to the shoreline: It allowed for the perfection of Bruce’s Beauties.

As the sand flowed into the sea, borne by the wind, it gradually filled the holes between the rocks further up the point.

As the sand would dissipate eastwards, it nourished the beaches and brought about occasional flawless sand bars at Main Beach and Anne Avenue.

However, this generation of the Hulett family was unaware of the surfing treasure that they had purchased. The farm had many other interesting facets to it. There were so many different reasons to fall in love with the area.

- Excerpts and extracts from surfline.com

...while these fishermen were going about their business of catching supper and trophies, they were totally oblivious of the peeling waves in front of them.

Photos from the Hulett Family Collection, Prof Cowling , Instagram and others.

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