Spirit of Victoria
What more beautiful way is there to celebrate your wedding anniversary than to go sailing in Table Bay? And for an outfit based at the V&A Waterfront during the middle of its main tourist season, it's surprisingly good value too. It costs R320 for the two of you to go for an hour and a half's sailing in Table Bay on the Spirit of Victoria, operated by the Waterfront Boat Company. Before I describe the trip, I must pay tribute to the flexibility provided by the Waterfront Boat Company. We were originally booked to sail on the 22nd Dec, but they allowed us to change to the 21st Dec 2008 (the weather forecast for the 22nd was not looking good).
How to find the Waterfront Boat Company
The Waterfront Boat Company is situated next to the waterside, in sight of the Quay Four restaurant, near the Huey Helicopter Company & Civair's offices. It's a buzzing part of the Waterfront and you'll know you're there when people start approaching you trying to sell you helicopter rides!
The Spirit of Victoria
The Spirit of Victoria is a 58 foot gaff-rigged schooner, capable of carrying up to 45 passengers (although having the maximum number on board would create a rather more cozy environment than I personally would enjoy).
The magic of sailing
We set sail timeously at 1500 and initially motored out of the harbour, before the sails were opened and we enjoyed the magic of feeling the undulating motion of the ocean, whilst watching the sun's reflections off the water and moving about through the energy of the wind only - no carbon guilt.
Views of Table Mountain
In addition to the natural wonders of sailing , on this trip one can enjoy the spectacular views of the Table Mountain range. As the Spirit of Victoria sails further and further out Table Mountain reveals itself through its changing foreground.
A word in for the crew
Hats off to the crew of the Spirit of Victoria. These young men absolutely love their job and it showed - they were cracking jokes from the start, chatting to passengers (e.g. pointing out Cape Town's old man - a feature on the mountain) and serving drinks, all with a smile on their face. Without them, the outing would not have been as much fun.