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Author: Subject: South Africa for Beginners
ajdesq
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posted on 23-2-2003 at 13:58 Reply With Quote
South Africa for Beginners

South Africa is the number one spot for European Beach Bums to spend our winter. They return to our shores in the spring, making us green with their tales of non-stop awesome conditions and the fact they could live on 25p a week. This travelogue is dedicated to the other 98% of us windsurfers who are normal...

In this winter's BOARDS magazine is the horror story of a guy who had to stump up over £500 in excess luggage charges to fly to Cape Town. So you're looking at a bill of over £1200 just to get there & back. Ouch.

So you think you'll hire kit? You get on the net, find a place on the net on 'Blouberg Beach' that hires kit for £150/week. It's only when you arrive at this place on your pushbike you see that it's actually almost a mile from the beach. And they don't transport kit for you. You need to hire a car too. That's another £75-100 a week. Ouch.

So you look on the net and find a cheap car hire deal for £120 a month. Seems too good to be true. It is. The pictures on the net are of immaculately restored Beetles. What you get in reality (AFTER you've signed the paperwork) is a beaten-up heap of junk with flowers painted on over the rust which breaks down with monontonous regularity. Once it's broken down in the roughest area of Cape Town and you end up getting mugged, you ditch the car after 2 weeks, realising that if you add up the cost of phonecalls, taxis, and hassle, it would have been cheaper to hire from Avis. And they cash your £150 deposit, meaning legal hassles and credit card correspondance when you're back in the UK.

So you go to hire a motorbike that you saw on the net in the UK for £17/day. Except when you arrive at the shop, the price has jumped to £65/day, and you wonder why you gave up 5Kg of baggage allowance to bike gear.

So you go to Langebaan, somewhere you can hire kit and don't need a car. The pictures on the net of the long sandy beach look so inviting. Yet, when you arrive, the beach is no longer there, just heaps & heaps of boulders with a tiny 'harbour' to launch from. Non-waterstarters have a 200m walk with kit, kitesurfers a 15 minute walk over broken shells. The boulders are REALLY good for breaking kit on. Strangely enough, this is the only centre I've found that doesn't sell insurance. Oh, and despite spending well over £100/week to hire their kit, they'll still charge you a princely sum if you need to be rescued. That is, if you can get their attention. Many people end up getting rescued when they can't cope with the 8 knots (yes, that's 8 knots!) of tidal flow.


It's not all bad... Cape Town is a wavesailor's paradise, but not so suitable for us lesser mortals. The wind was really good - about 80% planing days during my stay in Jan/Feb. Kite beach is also a great place, if a little busy.

You WILL need a car, so if a group of you get together then that splits the cost. The price of kit hire or transportation though will always be an issue. Accomodation is cheap (about £6 for a hostel, £12 single room) as is eating out (2 course with wine, £5).

I'm very glad I went, but I won't be rushing back. The moral is: Don't believe the hype, remain cynical and British, and do plenty of homework!

Andrew



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SeanBo
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posted on 23-2-2003 at 18:26 Reply With Quote
Now there is an article for boards that I would read...its glad to know that know that not all travelling windsurfers are always 'stoked' and having an 'awesome' time

Fun and a sence of humour....my kind of stuff!

Seriously though, I wish I could at least give it a try! Good on you ajdesq...keep the reports coming in!

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ajdesq
A Force-of-Nature *



F-O-N Champion 2003





Member #: 6
Posts 214
Registered: 24-7-2002
Member Is Offline

Mood: Living to kitesurf :-)

posted on 27-2-2003 at 22:22 Reply With Quote
Cheers SeanBo!

I was waiting to be attacked as an old whingebag

To be honest, I don't get inspired by these stories in Boards either... it always feels like they're gloating to be in some exclusive gang that yer average 'leisure' sailor could never hope to be cool enough to join.

I've just discovered the diaries on here, now THEY rock! Real people doing real stuff on real equipment. Really enjoy reading them.

I'm off on Sunday carting my caravan around Europe, so expect a few more 'Real' Reports. I'm hoping to go for 6 months, but I'm already broke so how long I keep going depends on if I get a job.

Still, catch you in Poole next winter

Cheers, Andrew

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