Chasing the Waves
My surf buddy, Luke Stevens, and I had been talking for years about packing a van with all our toys and hitting the coastal road for a wind and wave surfari. Dusting off old memories.
Rekindling youthful forays. But nothing ever had ever come of it. We’re relatively old toppies now and it had become an old story. What with work ’n wife ’n stuff it just never seemed to grow wings. Then, one night over too many Windhoek Lagers down at the café we put our collective foot down. Got to be done, dude, come hell or high tide. And it was settled. Just like that. Not so difficult to get bum off suburban backside after all.
Langebaan: Mecca of Windsurfers
Next thing we’d organised ourselves the ideal vehicle, a VW Active 2.6i bus, and were moseying into Langebaan, stoked. The pale waters of the lagoon beckoned for a coupla days of easing into the groove. We also wanted to have a bash at mastering kitesurfing, something we were both new to.
Langebaan is a mecca for windsurfers and kite surfers from all over the globe, many pros spending months training here during the northern winter. The beachfront hanger was packed with all the latest gear for sale or hire. Luke and I were like kids in a toyshop, running our hands over boards, sails and kites from Naish, Mistral or Bic.
We tried our hand at some kite surfing lessons. A bit of beach kite flying, a spot of body dragging. Then the real thing. Luke got up and riding and wore a chimpanzee grin, but I did my porpoise act, getting tugged all over the place with only the briefest gasps of air. Got airborne a few times too, but mostly without the board, and of the catapult variety. Meanwhile the pros were carving the water all around us and getting big air, playing tag with the gulls. My envy was green as the shallows.
Yzerfontein: Known for the Wind
The next day dawned with a slap northwester, so sail power was out of the question. Anyway, we’d settled on heading south to look for waves. We packed the van and made for Yzerfontein, keeping an eye on the breeze. .. but where was the wind? We planned to spend that night in Bloubergstrand.
Big Bay is an internationally renowned windsurfing spot with steady cross-shore winds and eminently jumpable surf. But when we pulled up next to the ice-cream van the scene before us was dismal. Pancake flat and a beach packed with the bucket-and-spade brigade.
Next morning Big Bay was misty and windless, so we gunned it east. Mark Gilman was hassling someone about something or other on 5FM. A pipe had burst in Tableview, so we got showered on. At least the vehicle was getting wet; better than we could say for ourselves. Cows gawked at us from the pedestrian bridge over the N2. The Strand (southeasterless), Koeël Bay (closing out), Pringle Bay (flat), Betty’s Bay (dead).
Whales at Hermanus
At Hermanus the Kwikspar lady recommended the custard-tart log, but I felt it half an hour later in the water. Because, contrary to expectation, Voëlklip Beach had a surfable wave, and not the shabbiest either. Of course, no wind. In December, in the Cape: what’s the deal here man? There were plenty of speed bumps (boogie boarders) in the water - probably skived off school early, but we both managed to carve a bit.
Whales waved their flukes at us. They were everywhere. A real social scene. You got the feeling it was a gathering of thinkers: poets, scholars, philosopher dudes – all up from Antarctica for a conference in the warm shallows of Walker Bay. If there were more plankton about, they’d probably goof off here all year.
Wind at Struisbaai
From our overnight stop, we set right for the road to Struisbaai. Then Stanford, Gansbaai, Pearly Beach: not a breath, not a ripple. Nada. On Struisbaai beach there was definitely a breeze - westerly, with some promise. We rigged up. Nothing earth shattering, but at least we both got wet, sailing back and forth along the magnificent sweep of sand beside Africa’s southern tip.
Next morning we were greeted by a mirror sea again. So we scooted eastwards to Arniston and checked into the quaint Seaside Cottages. The beach was beautiful, the sea cave was lovely, the fisherman’s village picturesque and the water warm, but we were itching for action. An all-day wait for a suidoos that never came.
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