Simon’s Town, South Africa – a soirée of penguins and cruisers at FBYC

We had the chance to visited Simon’s Town twice…it was where a lot of our friends were and there were PENGUINS!!!!

First we went by Car with friends from SV Canace (Kevin and Irma). They have a permanent slip there but at the moment were in Cape Town with us with their boat for the holidays and visiting friends. They invited us to come along to False Bay Yacht Club where the members of the club was preparing a lunch for all the new cruisers who had come in. We delightfully agreed.

The drive was about 1.5 hours taking the beautiful Chapman’s Peak drive (toll road) along the coast.
And we are off….minus the traffic in Cape Town….right…we are in a proper city!
Chapman’s Peak drive provided incredible scenic views….even this one with huge boulders….
Curvy roads indeed….
Rock en catchment nets. Sometimes rocks fall off the cliff….better check in advance to see if the road is open or closed.
Beautiful Hout Bay surrounded by mountains.
Long white sand beaches….
Simon’s Town is such a cute place in comparision to the “Disneyland” effect at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
FBYC….a small and quite…
…a family oriented plance,,,perfect for cruising kids. Love the shark fin and do yu notice the wetsuit? Yup, the water is that cold!
I loved seeing proper kelp in the ocean again…hearty and strong..it reminded me of the PNW.
The FBYC members cooked a local South African “one pot dish” called a Bobotie. I heard traditionally, this “one pot dish” is like a casserole/stew using leftovers…
Sunny day, great food, bottle of white, live music…what else could a girl ask for…?
…Good friends!!!!

After the new year, our friends Bruce and Laura on SV Neptune’s Highway, among others who arrived before us, were beginning to head out as their visas were running out. We had to stop back by Simon’s Town to say goodbye….as you know you could see them in a month or never see them again…it’s just this way so you take the opportunity to spend time together when you can.

So we took the train there this time to say “sea you later” to our friends and of course we had to stop off to see the penguins (bucket list item…CHECK!).

Some people warned us about safety on the trains….we never felt unsafe, even going back on a 4-5 pm train back to Cape Town.
We decided to take an 8:50 train….however, we either missed it or it never left (LOL).
The website is mostly accurate but the platform chacnges all the time so it’s best to ask someone.
Don’t do what we did. When we purchased tickets, they asked us “what class”…Trevor bought “first class”….there is NO first class.
Through all the 28 stops we passed little towns and medium towns and the train filled up to standing room only. As soon as we got to the coast near Simon’s Town, the bus literally emptied out. FYI…keep your tickets easily accessible as attendants come around to check fare has been purchased.
Trevor like a kid in a car…it’s been a long time since either of us have been a passenger on a train..it was a treat!

We met Bruce and Laura at the FBYC. A short walk from the FBYC is where you an see the penguin colony.
“petting zoo”…? NOT!
On the side of the walking path/trail we saw some eggs….
These numbered cylinders are like little penguin condos for them to make nests in….I’d like to reserve number 88 please : )
Ok…there is a place you can purchase tickets to walk out to this rock to view the colony….we opted not and kept on walking…..I think there are more tourists then penguins…who’s watching who…?!
The walking path next to cute beach houses.
Little protected coves along the coast provide a great sheltered place to swim, have a picnic, or just hang out.
Ahh…yes….some are molting..tis the season…but they are adorable to watch.
We got to see a Dassie! These cute mammals look like ear less rabbits. But did you know their closest relative is the African Elephant? Google it : )
The coast was spectacular with huge boulders and sea green ocean….
…and then we saw these two…”get a room”…. LOL
Boy o’ boy, we are going ot miss these guys: Bruce and Laura. We have been skipping over each other since Chagos in the middle of the Indian Ocean. We hope we will catch them in the USVIs…? Fingers crossed.