History
Port St Francis is one of the few privately owned harbours in South Africa. It is also home to a diversity of restaurants, retail outlets, commercial offices, residential property, self catering accommodation and guest houses.
Until the 1990s, the piece of land was untouched and consisted of a rocky shoreline and dunes covered by natural vegetation. The establishment of Port St Francis can directly be attributed to the growth of the squid industry. In the 1980’s, the first pioneers flocked to St Francis Bay with their hand lines, jigs and open ski boats to fish for squid. The fleet worked from the northern base of the Kromme River, going to sea and returning on a daily basis. As the industry grew so did the boats and soon deck boats with crew cabins were used, so they could stay at sea to fish over longer periods.
In the early 1990s, the first freezer vessel was introduced so boats could stay at sea as long as the crew had food and water or until the freezers were filled. However, the vessels were too big to work from the Kromme River, and soon the fleet left for the bigger harbour in Port Elizabeth, taking not only the fishermen and their disposable income away from St Francis Bay, but also other related industries and the revenue they create. The need for a harbour became evident and was spearheaded in the late 1990s. The town then saw the first freezer vessels arriving back in their new home, Port St Francis.
Working Harbour
The privately owned Port, together with the beautiful Cape St Francis, is part of St Francis Bay in a region known as the Kouga. The working harbour is home to a large fleet of squid, hake and pilchard vessels with more moorings filled by charter boats, deep sea fishing boats and yachts from all over the world. A business centre with offices, restaurants and other retail outlets finishes the picture.
The launching of boats, loading and unloading of vessels, crew fixing large fishing nets and fishermen coming back with their daily catches are quite intriguing and fascinating to the visitor. This contributes to the unique vibe of Port St Francis.