Hello everyone back in the UK. We are off and underway again out here in South Africa with warm sunny autumn skies to welcome our Season to Season riders to Cape Town. It's the first time Ticket to Ride has been operational at this time of year and it looks set to be a cracker with epic surfing conditions forecasted. Of all the places to be in the world at the moment, South Africa must surely rate up there with the best as windless days and long period swells are the norm. 



Bevan will be guiding the crew along the coast and he was at the airport early to pick them up. We settled them all in to Shaun and Lucinda's beachside backpackers and then headed out for a bite to eat. Looking out over Noordhoek beach and the world famous Sentinel it was a good welcome to Cape Town. We chatted away and caught up with the ski season gossip before taking a quick drive around the Cape Peninsula and orientating the guys and girls to their surroundings before we hit the waves hard tomorrow.


The forecast looks good with ideal conditions forecasted, perfect for the group to find their feet. Dene Botha (head coach for Kahuna Academy and head trainer assessor for Surfing South Africa) will meet us beachside at 10am tomorrow for a double lesson. 5 hours in the water will be a good workout and will get rid of all the hours spent in the air. We then have Karen, our community project fixer, coming over to brief the group in the evening. It looks set to be a busy first few days for the group.


Shaun is currently out on the boat trying to snag a few fish for a braii tonight. It's a bit early in the season for big fish but if he comes back empty handed we'll be cooking a traditional poijke (stew cooked in a large iron pot) over the fire. Either way it will be a memorable introduction to South African cuisine.

The blog will run for the duration of the trip with weekly updates and photos. The first group shots will appear with the next blog as we head to the waves tomorrow. 



Thanks for reading and we are looking forward to another great trip down here surfing and travelling on Southern tip of Africa.

Tim and Bevan

Apologies for the late arrival of this blog but we’ve been super busy here with some perfect surfing conditions and a beautiful weekend for some sightseeing, we’ve not really had a minute to catch our breath and it’s been another great 10 days in the mother city. We head up to Plettenberg Bay on Thursday so we are now in the process of winding down, farewell braais to be had, surfboards to be purchased, and then we are off along the garden route ready to meet up with an epic swell that has everybody here talking. It could be an interesting week ahead of us.

But to go back to the beginning and fill you all in on what’s been going on here. Following the first day’s arrival Poijke and welcoming chats from Paul Botha, Shaun and Lucinda we were straight off over to Muizenberg on the False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula. “The Berg’ has to be one of the best learning waves on the planet and is regular host to the South African version of “Earth Wave”; world records have been broken here for the record number of people on one wave, such is the length and consistency of the surf on this mellow beach break. For the entire first 3 days we were greeted with 2-3 foot perfection, nice long easy waves, gentle paddle outs, no wind and all the group were up and riding within the first session. As the week progressed we had the chance to try out a variety of different boards and we find ourselves now in the happy situation where everybody is up and riding confidently, on the green face and ready to buy their own custom surfboards. Not bad for only 1 weeks surfing. On Monday of this week we were greeted with some larger conditions and it was great to see everyone punching through the waves and making it to the back line, though Lucy did get a little assistance from Dene.... Whilst the group has been surfing Bevan has been on the beach with the video camera trained on their every move. Each evening we’ve been playing back the footage to iron out any little bad habits that have been emerging so we can move onto the more challenging waves in Plet with confidence.

Other than the surfing we’ve had some fun sightseeing days. As mentioned the weekend produced some spectacular weather so we headed off early on the Saturday to climb Table Mountain. The sun was out but the air was cool so the climb was tough but not impossible. The group made it up in just under an hour. The cool air made for great visibility and the views across the Cape Peninsula were stunning. Being Mike’s birthday we made a plan for the evening and took off to Newlands to watch the Cape Stormers in one of the final super 14 rugby matches. Playing Aussi’s Western Force and it being a Saturday night fixture the atmosphere was great and the Stormers pipped it by a point in the dying minutes. On the Sunday we awoke again to crystal clear skies and warm sunny weather. Bevan took the group off to Cape Point nature reserve where they checked out the Cape of Good Hope as well as some of the stunning beaches that make up the nature reserve. Seeing plenty of Baboons and other Buck Bevan’s skills as an overland guide through Africa paid off as he taught them all about the flora and fauna of the area. Returning at about four we then lit the Braai, grabbed a couple of beers and watched the sun set. A great weekend.

The group has also met Thomas. Being winter time here the opportunities to train on the beach are fewer and further between but we took advantage of a gap in the weather and on Friday we met up with Thomas and a few of his kids for a mini tournament on Long Beach. At long last the girls prevailed and we actually won! It’s been a long time coming but finally we can hold our heads high!

Tomorrow is our last full day in Cape Town before we head to the warmer climbs of the Garden Route. The swell looks epic and the weather looks set to hold out so we could have some classic conditions in store for us. Tonight we head to Paul and Dene Botha’s for a fairwell Braii and tomorrow we will kit the group out with their new surfboards. The next blog will follow towards the end of the week when we are settled into Plet. Till then thanks for tuning in,

Tim and Bevan.

Hi all! Our African Road Trip is now in full swing and it with

Our last day in Cape Town proved to be quite an eventful one. We started the day with our familiar drive across the peninsular to Muizenberg where we were greeted by sunny skies, off-shore winds and classic waves. Before hitting the surf, the guys got themselves seriously kitted out with some new gear from from Lifestyles Surf Shop. Caroline paddled out on her new Clayton 7’10” mini-mal, while Mike, Aisha and Lucy gave their new Lawson 7’4” mini-mals a go. Ed opted for the more slender 7’2” model while Tim and I finished off our time in Cape Town on our longboards. It was a glorious winter’s day with wonderful weather and waves. Everbody put in some good rides on their new boards. It was a perfect way for us to sign off our time in Cape Town.

After the session in the water it was time to make our way back towards Kommetjie in order to pack and prepare for our first long road journey of the trip. The Timoney house was a frenzy of activity as the guys got packing while Tim and I strapped up boards and checked the van. After dinner it was off to bed for an early night’s sleep. We needed to be up before sunrise to get on the road the next day.

In the morning we said our good-bye’s to Shaun and Lucinda who were absolutely wonderful hosts and took great care of us while we were with them. We also said good-bye to Tim who had been our Cape Town connection and looked after all our surf and travel arrangements during our stay. It was still dark as we pulled out onto the road and a beautiful, star-strewn sky provided the backdrop as we made our way east, along the garden route, towards Plettenberg Bay.

The early start gave us a good, clear run on the road and coupled with a favourable tail-wind meant that we were going to make good time. Arriving in George well before our ETA we decided to make a few detours and see some of the sights on offer in this beautiful region of the country. First up we visited Vic Bay, one of the countries best right-hand point breaks, and watched a few of the locals tuck into some neat little waves. From there we went over to the visit the famous Knysna Heads which offer some of the most amazing views over the ocean and the little town of Knysna. The Heads themselves are carved out of the cliffs and form a giant gate-way between the land and the sea, a true spectical of the Garden Route.

Happy with the oportunity to do some extra sight-seeing we made our way back to the van and onwards to Plettenberg Bay. Plett, as it’s known, is a quint little holiday town nestled in the corner of the Robberg Peninsula. During the summer months the town is coloured with the vibrant hues of trees and wild flowers while in the ocean it is not uncommon to see families of Southern Right Whales and pods of Dolphins breaching in the bay. In winter the landscape takes on the more subdued tones of green and brown and the air is filled with the distinctive smell of fyn-bos (the common ground shrubs that cover the landscape). This was the sceen that greeted us as we pulled into the town and settled in to our accommodation. After luch we were met by Dona Henry who escorted us down to Solar Beach for the group’s first lesson in Plett.

Jon and Dona Henry are the founders of the International Surf School in Plett and have been in the business of coaching beginners for the past 10 years. With a wealth of experience, knowledge and enough energy to power a small town, they have gained a reputation as being amoung the top coaches in the country. For the first lesson the guys were drilled on water safety and awareness before paddling out. The waves in Plett are a fair bit more powerful than those we’ve been used to in Muizenberg so it took a bit of getting used to but as the tide bagan to fill and the waves eased off a little, the guys were soon on their feet and clocking in some good wave time! Jon’s presence in the water proved to be a big help as he called the guys onto some of the best waves of the trip so far. Ed and Mike put their new boards through their paces, throwing themselves into a few considerable waves while the girls held their own on the peak, scoring a few classic waves. The late afternoon clouds ushered in the coulours of the evening as the guys caught their last waves to the beach and after some post-session feedback we packed up our things and headed back to the backpackers for a good-old, South African-styled potjie kos dinner.

Today (Friday) the sun is shining and the weather is fine. Jon has just given me a call to say that the waves are looking good so I’m going to wrap things up here and get on down to the beach. So till next time…

Cheers from SA

Bevan

Hi all. So much seems to have happened since the last blog it’s hard to know where to start this one. Our time in Plett has been absolutely wonderful and we’ve taken full advantage of everything this beautiful area has to offer.

Our first few days were spent with Jon and Dona Henry from the International Surf School. The steeper and more powerful waves of the Plett coast together with the intensive coaching by the Henry pair proved just perfect for the guys to take their surfing to the next level. It wasn’t all smooth sailing though, as some of the guys had to bounce back from a few good wipe-outs, but that’s all part of the game, as they say.

On Saturday we finished off our lessons with the Henry’s in decent conditions at Solar beach. Everybody managed to get a few good waves, particularly the girls who all had an absolute screamer of a session. For the afternoon our initial had been to do the long awaited bungee jump, however, strong winds from a closing front meant that we had to put our plan on hold. Instead, we visited the nearby Tenikwa small cat sanctuary. As a nature guide I relish any oportunity to get back into the bush so this outing was just as much a winner for me as it was for the guys. Tenikwa looks after a number of threatened and endangered species of cat including Caracal, Serval, Cheetah and Leopard. Our guide took us for the grand tour of the enclousures, taking us in with some of the animals. It was quite something to have a pair of cheetahs, creatures normally found hunting game on the wild, African plains, playing at your feet without a care in the world.

We woke on Sunday morning to an ominous set of weather conditions. The wind was howling and the clouds were moving in fast. The swell readings were off the charts which meant we had to spend the day on land. By Monday though, the weather had cleared and it looked like we were going to be in for a classic day! With sunny skies and gentle winds we decided to revisit our bungee plans and made our way to the Bloukrans bridge on the border between the Easteren and Western Cape. At 216m the Bloukrans bungee is the highest commercial jump in the world. The only thing more scary that the anticipation of throwing yourself off of one of the highest bridges in SA is actually throwing yourself off of one of the highest bridges in SA. It was a daunting prospect, but everyone put on a brave face as, one by one, they made the plunge. It was all smiles as everybody came in off the bridge. It’s not everyday you get to something as crazy as that!

After the jump we made our way to the Tsitsikamma National park for a hike in the reserve. Our trek took us along a portion of the Otter Trail, a famous 7 day hike that takes you through rocky enclaves, sandy beaches and indiginous coastal forests. Our hike took us to the top of a cliff overlooking the reserve and the Storms River mouth. It was quite a long haul getting up there, but well worth it for that view! On the way home I took the guys along a scenic detour, showing off a few more of the natural beauties of the Garden Route. Just another epic day in Africa!

This morning we were back on the road in search of waves. With the swell still big from the storm we headed out for one of the protected bays nearby. Fortunately for us, the angle of the swell was such that the brunt it moved out to sea while the waves that got into the bay were small, gentle breakers which peeled down the point and onto the beach. Perfect for our little crew to get in a good few hours in the water. We spent the rest of the afternoon meandering our way back to Plett, stopping at a few of the view points along the way.

And that brings you all up to speed with what’s been happening here on our African Road Trip. Never a dull moment as we make our way east along the most beautiful coast in the world! Well I think so any way. Till next time…

Take Care
Bevan

Hi all.
It gives me great pleasure to greet you all from a very sunny Jeffrey's Bay. This little, coastal treasure nestled away in the Eastern Cape is to be our home for the next few days - and what a home it is!

Before I go on though, I'll quickly sum things up from our time in Plett. Wednesday saw the last of the big storm swell and the arrival of our first real on-shore conditions. While Ed and I did try for a surf in the morning, the conditions proved to be just a little too topsy-turvy so it ended up being a very short session. We decided rather to spend the day packing our things and getting ready for the trip to J-Bay. In the evening John and Donna came around to wish us farewell and John told the guys some stories of his sessions during the big swell.

On Thursday morning we made our way east along the coast towards Jeffrey's Bay. From here on the landscape starts to take on quite a noticeable change as we come to the last of the very big mountain ranges and head into the hills and valleys of the Eastern Cape. The drive from Plett was short and sweet, made even shorter and sweeter by the sheer beauty of the surroundings as we drove.

Arriving in J-Bay is always a personal treat for me. Being one of my favorite towns in the country I always look forward to when I get to visit again. It's one of those places that seems to have a mystical allure that is really hard to put your finger on. Mike even made the comment that he too was hooked on the place and we'd only been there a few hours.

After unpacking our bags and settling into our new hostel I took the guys on the grand tour of the town. J-Bay is the home of Billabong South Africa so our first stop on the tour was at the Billabong factory store where, no doubt our crew will visit again to get kitted out with some new surf gear. Then it was off to see some of the surf spots. By far the most famous wave in South Africa, Supertubes is almost the reason why Jeffrey's Bay even exists. This right-hand point break is the mecca of surfing in the country and has a long history of surf tradition and culture. The wave was first surfed in 1964 and since then literally thousands of people have come from all over the world in the hopes of catching this spot on a good day. For our crew though, Supertubes is just for the looking as this wave can get quite nasty at times and breaks over a shallow reef, but even just watching some of the locals lay into these waves is something to behold.

After lunch we headed back to the hostel and our local beach to do a bit of surfing of our own. The waves were a little bigger than the ones we've been riding so it took some getting used to but by the time everyone had caught a wave it was a little easier to relax and settle into the new conditions. The evening surf was to be one of highlights of the trip. At one point we were joined by a pod of dolphins who decided that they wanted to catch a few waves themselves. Just as they arrived the sun began to set in a fluorescent display of pink and orange. The combination of waves, dolphins and back lighting made for a truly surreal picture and one that none of us will forget in a hurry.

Yesterday we began our lessons with Etiene Ventre who is the South African juniors coach this year. Now that the guys are up and riding, Etiene's job will be to take the guys to the next level and introduce them all to basic turns and trimming. For the first lesson though, Etiene went through the safety briefing for our new spot at Kitchen Windows as well as a few key points on positioning in the water. The lesson went down well and everyone enjoyed the perfect conditions and put in some good wave time. With our hostel being right on the beach we're defiantly going to be putting in some serious hours in the water and a quick glance at the forecast is showing that we might be in for some excellent waves to boot. So from me here in J-Bay...

Catch you all later
Bevan