St Francis is divided into ‘The Cape’, ‘The Bay’ and ‘The Port’. The name ‘St Francis’ was chosen in honour of the Patron Saint of Sailors (St Francis), by a Portuguese sailor who sighted this coastal stretch in 1575.
Many years later, in 1954, Leighton Hulett bought a piece of land in the fishing village that was St Francis at this stage. He had a vision to add a Marina and started a man-made canal system. Strict building codes were laid down, which are still relevant to day. This developed into the village ‘St Francis Bay’ or ‘The Bay’.
Development of St Francis Bay
Soon development in the areas of Santereme and St Francis on Sea followed. This introduced a new look based on Mediterranean-styled architecture that was introduced.
In 1995 a commercial harbour and facilities were built at Port St Francis. This harbour serves as an important operations point for Chokka (calamari) and long line fishing industries.
Further along the coastline is a nature reserve, which leads to Cape St Francis (The Cape). Here a lighthouse exists that was built in 1878 in order to warn ships and vessels of the treacherous reef around the point. The lighthouse is 27.5m high and is the tallest masonry tower on the South African coast. Today it is a National Monument.