Located in the Eastern Cape, just about 75 km southwest of Port Elizabeth, Jeffreys Bay is known for its world renowned beaches and surfing waves. The town is named after Captain Jeffreys who sailed his cargo ship on the East Coast of South Africa on trading expeditions in the 1840’s. It was during one of his trips that an epidemic of scurvy broke aboard, forcing him to land his vessel in what he believed to be a place filled with opportunities. Soon after he and the others arrived, he built a primitive port on what is now the main beach. Captain Jeffreys also built his first house, a double-story mansion that people called the “White House” in 1850. His family became the first White family to settle in the town, and by 1852 Captain Jeffrey bought erf numbers 1,2,9 and 10 for a total of 79 British pounds. History aside, Jeffreys Bay is home to some of the greatest traveller sites and offers a good place to unwind from the fast paced city life.
Manuel Perestrelo visited Cape St Francis in 1575 and named it Bahia de Sao Francisco. Work on the lighthouse on Seal Point, at Cape St Francis, began in November 1875 and was completed at the end of 1877. It began its operations early in 1878. Total construction cost was £20 000! The lighthouse is operational, which also houses a museum. Public access to the top of the tower is allowed in the company of a guide.
For many of us, the first thought that jumps to mind when they hear about St Francis is the perfect wave showcased in the iconic ’66 surf movie, The Endless Summer. Today Bruce’s Beauties is only one of the famous surfing spots in St Francis Bay, as Seals is the place to be for the surfers from Cape St Francis. The quiet fishing haven of Oyster Bay lies some 20km to the west, while the agricultural capital of the region, Humansdorp, is visible to the north.
Cape St. Francis (Afrikaans: Kaap St Francis) is a village in South Africa, situated on a headland in the Eastern Cape Province. It is popular for its clean beaches and as a surfing location. The village is home to a Penguin Rescue and Rehabilitation Center as well as the Seal Point Lighthouse.The Irma Booysen Floral Reserve is the home to many species of flowers and plants.
The village of St Francis Bay, was the site of “ten-million-to-one” surfing waves seen in the 1966 surf/travel documentary, The Endless Summer.Cape St. Francis is now known as one of the best surfing locations. Given its geological location, it is susceptible to swell year round from large low pressure systems that form between Antarctica and the southern tip of Africa.
Today St Francis is famous for far more than just surfing, it boasts a beautiful canal system surrounded by picturesque homes in a uniform building style – black roofs and white walls. Towards Santareme and Port St Francis, the uniformity is repeated, this time with Mediterranean and Tuscan homes filling in the dune fields and fynbos. Cape St Francis is known as keeping it clean and green, where you will find the century old Seal Point Li ghthouse and a penguin rehabilitation facility amongst the fynbos and wild waves. Oyster Bay is home to ancient fish traps, but you will have to ask a local where to find it.
Alan Straton
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