Canon Silhouette

A silhouette of the brass canon from the Portuguese galleon, "The Sacramento" which sank on 30 June 1647.

The canon points in the direction of the shipwreck site in Schoenmakerskop, and is the starting point of the Sacramento Trail, named after the vessel. There is also a restaurant named the Sacramento which has old time marine decor which helps to focus on the life of historical Port Elizabeth.

Road to Sardinia Bay

The Road to Sardinia Bay parking lot is no more...


Sardinia Bay, situated between Schoenmakerskop and Sea View, is accessed by traveling along Sardinia Bay Road. Over the years authorities have struggled to keep the sand dunes in check and have recently given up the battle, leaving the dunes to take their natural course.  Thousand of Rands has been spent on moving sand off the roadway, and it has all been in vain. "To keep on doing it would be wasting public funds"

According to an aticle posted in 2009 (http://www.sardiniabay.co.za/?p=40) "The Environmentalists evidently warned ten years ago that the dune would eventually envelop the road. It has now happened. In fact, the sand dune moved 5metres in the past year. Every strong westerly wind moves it even more. Long term forecasts are that the dunes will soon cover the toilet block and within a few years the lifesaving clubhouse will be under threat."

This is a photo I took in 2008... The toilet block is now long gone!

Getting to the beach is still possible by climbing the sand dunes or to take the boardwalk.  Still worth the trouble, the beach is as beautiful as ever!  The beach is frequented by sand boarding enthusiasts, surfers, kite surfers and locals also flock to Sardinia Bay to walk their dogs or to ride their horses along the beach.

Cape Recife Lighthouse

Date visited: 2 December 2012
(click photo for a bigger view)

I was pleasantly suprised to see the Lighthouse, freshly painted, and it's immediate surroundings at low tide on Sunday.   I have seen so many photo's and heard of it's beauty before, so I had go and find out for myself!  With all the rocks and reef exposed by the low tide, we could take long walks and view the Lighthouse from a "different" angle.

You will find the 161 years old (2012) Lighthouse in the Cape Recife Nature Reserve, located off Marine Drive in Schoenmakerskop.

The 24 meter high octagonal shaped tower striped in broad black and white bands, was commissioned on 1 April 1851 (April's Fool Day!)  Lots of information about this lighthouse are available on the web, but just in short:-

• The Cape Recife Lighthouse is built on a rock foundation, known as D’Urban, and it situated on a headland in the midst of a large expanse of sandy beach.
• It warns mariners of a large spine of rocks, known as Thunderbolt reef. Thunderbolt Reef is the graveyard of numerous ships, the last being the Kapodistrias on 29th July 1985.
• The initial range of the light was 12 miles, however with the development of technology it is now 29 sea miles. 
• The warning system is equipped with a fog signal, radio beacon, a red light (28º) and a flashing white light (332º) that shines every 30 seconds at a focal plane height of 28 meters above the high water mark. The current sighting range is 29 nautical miles with a light power of 4 000 000 Candelas.
• It'sPosition: 34 01 43.97 South, 25 42 03.90 East

More information @ www.lighthouses.co.za

Good to know:
Entrance permits (annual or weekly) are available from Pine Lodge Resort located at entrance to Cape Recife Nature Reserve. Entrance only with permit!
There is visible security in the reserve during daylight hours. Picnicking is allowed and also dogs but they must be on a lease at all times.
www.pinelodge.co.za
Tel: +27 41 583-4004

Contact information and links to websites were correct at the time of blogging.