Day 7 - Monday October 11, 2010

This day was scheduled for a cage dive with the Great White Sharks but Mother Nature was not cooperating and the ocean was a bit too wild for the boats to go out. A disappointment to some of us that were looking forward to the chance. White Sharks are abundant here as the island off the mainland is a favorite habitat for seals - the whites favorite dish.  he waters around the island are known worldwide as the "circle of death". We took it easy this morning as everyone slowly came to life and assembled for Coffee, biscuits and fruit.

Around 10 Am we saddled up and headed to Danger Point, the location where the HMS Berkenhead ran into the rocks and sunk. On 26, February 1852, while transporting troops, primarily of the 73rd Regiment to Algoa Bay, she was wrecked at Danger Point on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. There were not enough serviceable lifeboats for all the passengers, and the soldiers famously stood firm, thereby allowing the women and children to board the boats safely. Only 193 of the 643 people on-board survived and the soldier;s chivalry gave rise to the "women and children first" protocol when abandoning ship. The lighthouse remains to warn of the dangers of the submerged

We drove past a large shanty town, which seems to be common in the larger cities throughout South Africa, on our way to the Birkenhead Brewery named after the ship that sank thereby. Everyone had their tasting tray consisting of 7 of their brews served in large shot glasses. Jumper and Doug finished their samples as well as the leftovers from the others in the group.

Our next stop was a small local pub serving brandy for just over a buck. The walls of the entry was covered with Abalone Shells as was much of the bar area. It was a cute bar and everyone enjoyed a drink.




We next stopped by a small Fish and Chips market where Hugo loaded up on some to-go lunches for us to enjoy back at the house along with some card games in the afternoon. A group of us walked to neighbor Marie;s home to see her extensive shell collection and a tour of her home. We then strolled the beach looking for treasures from the sea. Many shells were discovered and we had a chance to examine the Shark Diving boats although we will not get a chance to try them out, thanks to an angry sea. We continues our walk around the block and stopped at a Shark Diving shop where we, at least, could get a picture with a life size likeness of a Great White.

Back to the house for cards, naps and relaxing until time to load up for dinner at a local restaurant. Again, good food and lots of it. W@e were entertained by a dog that was sitting at the bar upright as if he was a patron. Quite funny until he got tired of sitting in that position. I might add that he did have his owner there as well. A quiet evening of cards and conversation before packing for our departure to a new base of operations in the morning.