Betty's Bay is about 100km from Cape Town, accessed by a beautiful coastal road that runs vertically above the sea, via Gordon's Bay. In its day it was a whaling station and some of the old installations are still there. Now it is a holiday destination, consisting of a number of vacation homes and a fair-sized village. It is renowned for its strong winds and this weekend was no exception, with the south-easter gusting up to 40 knots. Running along the beach in this is a two-phased experience. It's best to go out into the wind, even if you do find that at times you are barely moving forward, with calves and ankles blasted by a miasma of white sand. Then, turn your back to the wind and take long strides. You float. The whole coastline is famous for its sightings of the southern right whale. They arrive in August to breed and usually hang around until November before heading south towards the Antarctic again. The species is thought to number 12000 and are increasing. We have definitely noticed rising numbers in the past four years. They also frequent the coastlines of Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. The QSL is from Radio El Mundo, Buenos Aires, heard on 6120 kHz here in Cape Town in 1968.
Sunday 12 December 2010
Whales in Betty's Bay and BA
Betty's Bay is about 100km from Cape Town, accessed by a beautiful coastal road that runs vertically above the sea, via Gordon's Bay. In its day it was a whaling station and some of the old installations are still there. Now it is a holiday destination, consisting of a number of vacation homes and a fair-sized village. It is renowned for its strong winds and this weekend was no exception, with the south-easter gusting up to 40 knots. Running along the beach in this is a two-phased experience. It's best to go out into the wind, even if you do find that at times you are barely moving forward, with calves and ankles blasted by a miasma of white sand. Then, turn your back to the wind and take long strides. You float. The whole coastline is famous for its sightings of the southern right whale. They arrive in August to breed and usually hang around until November before heading south towards the Antarctic again. The species is thought to number 12000 and are increasing. We have definitely noticed rising numbers in the past four years. They also frequent the coastlines of Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. The QSL is from Radio El Mundo, Buenos Aires, heard on 6120 kHz here in Cape Town in 1968.
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