Hi everyone, it is Klee Strachan (trip leader) here checking in from Cape Town. So, it's Saturday and its the first official full day of the September Ticket to Ride Trip from Cape Town to Mozambique. The group all arrived safe yesterday. We stay at Baileys backpackers in Muizenberg; near probably the best beginners wave in the world. We had a welcome braai (BBQ) on Friday and the group got to know each other. In the group we have Nicola Jane, Sarah Manton, Manuela Item, Christopher Zaky, Dayne Topkin, Tobias Lovie, Sam Mulett, Ryan Webb and Josh Devaney.
The group had their first surf lesson, where they got a detailed beginner surf lesson, from the safety side of surfing to the technique to stand up and how to catch waves. The first lesson everyone did extremely well; seeing everyone doing so well and standing up was very encouraging that it is going to be a great trip. We were also very blessed with cooking waves at Muizenberg, which allowed the group to have perfect conditions for a first surf in Cape Town. We had two lessons with the group and called it a day. We went and had dinner and everyone slept like baby's after an awesome first day of surfing.
Sunday we woke up to clean 3-4 ft waves at Muizenberg. We headed down to the beach and had another lesson. A few of the guys and girls are already competent surfers and headed to the backline, while the others also started working on going a little further out. Nicola got some really good waves on the inside and was going left and right. She was on a roll the whole day. Sarah and Manuela where getting some fun waves as well. Chris is our only Australian and was showing his Ozzie blood, ripping at the backline with Dayne who is our first South African born and bread to be doing the whole trip. He's super stoked to be here with our diverse group and was having a lot of fun out there. After a long surf we had lunch and relaxed at the beachfront. In the afternoon the group had a 'free surf' to work on what they had been taught so far without the intensity of a lesson. Tobias and Sam were really doing well and catching loads of waves. Ryan and Josh moved down from the size of their surfboards they initially used and were doing great. The group had a good long free surf and were all super stoked with another great day and surf in Africa. Everyone was super tired, Nikita Robb ( TTR trip leader) and I included, so after a delicious chicken curry for dinner, we then headed straight to bed.
We had clean 3-4 ft waves again on Monday morning which was a blessing from Neptune. We started the day off with an introduction to the crew at Waves for Change, who do community work in Khayelitsha with kids. Tim Conibear started the initiative after getting involved with community work in Cape Town when he used to run Ticket to Ride trips. He started Isiqalo which helps fun Waves for Change, a homegrown educational initiative. They work on keeping the kids out of trouble and teach them about the sea and surfing. Khayelitsha is a local township in Cape Town which has a lot of crime and poverty, where you often have a family of 6-10 people living in small man made shacks. Waves for Change are an organisation that are helping teach kids about the sea and beauty of it and keeping them off the streets and out of gangs as well as education them about drugs, alcohol and HIV amongst other things. The session was run through a few basic exercises showing how working as a team is best and to not be a bully. The group had an awesome time and enjoyed meeting the crew before their community work with the kids the next day. They all had a surf together after the demonstration. The group is doing so well, Chris and Dayne were at the back ripping the clean fun waves. Nicola looked like her feet were glued to the board. The group also got their Ticket to Ride packs today, which had a board stick to draw on your board, wetsuit bag to carry your wet wetsuit, wax, Ticket to ride cap and more. It was a great day in beautiful Cape Town.
Tuesday we started the day off early with a surf lesson down at Muizenberg where the focus was on catching open face waves (green waves). Everyone was at the backline which was awesome. Ryan caught what he called the best wave of his life, riding it from the backline to the beach and was so stoked. After our surf we went and met the Waves for Change crew at Momwabisi beach. It's the beach where the kids from Khayelitsha go and learn to surf and is right across the road from the township. We played some fun bonding games with the kids and a game of friendly soccer. Dayne and Chris were on form and played some good soccer. The girls Manuela, Sarah and Nicola were having a good time and giving the boys a run for their money too. After the soccer and a little talk; the kids from Waves for Change went for a surf and we watched. When we got back to Muizenberg the waves were still so good, everyone went out and had a blast. Nicola and Chris have been doing so well that we felt it was time they get their own new boards. We went to Lifestyle surf shop where we rent boards from whilst in Cape Town and chose good boards for their standard and level of surfing they are at. Getting a new board is one of the best feelings for a surfer!
It was a beautiful sunny day on Wednesday, and once again it was clean and 2-3 ft. On the trip we teach the crew how to read swell charts and how to predict where the best waves are on the day. We also teach them about surf boards; how they work, different types of boards and what they are made of. After a surf we headed to Simonstown to see the African Penguins. They have a colony of penguins that are taken care of when hurt and their environment is preserved and kept the way it's meant to be. You are mere feet away from the penguins and could almost touch them. We took some photos and watched the penguins waddle around. We stopped at Kalk Bay Harbour on our way back to Muizenberg for lunch. Fish is caught and brought into Kalk Bay Harbour daily when sea conditions permit, needless to say we had fish and chips and wow was it yummy! That afternoon we had another great surf. The conditions were perfect and everyone had long rides. We decided we would do something in the night so we went to the Brass Bell for a karaoke night. The group sang a few songs together and boogied the night away. Tobias did a solo and ended up getting the crowd pumped up and ended up winning himself a R100 bar tab. It was a great bonding session for the group and lots of fun.
We had a 9:00am surf on Thursday. It was raining but the group were amped on the clean 2-3 ft waves. We gave the guys a lesson on duck diving and turtle rolls, which helped the paddle out to the back. Chris was using his new board and enjoying it, whilst Dayne was pushing his surfing and trying some new turns. Tobias caught a wave far out and went left and right working the wave all the way to the beach. Sam caught a great left, while Sarah took off on a big one out back and was committed on it and what a great take off she had. On the trip the group do their basic lifeguard award and their ISA Level 1 surf instructor course when they get up to Durban. So during the trip we train the group and get them fit and ready for the course. The main physical requirement for the lifeguard course is to swim 400m in 9 mins, so on Thursday we took them to an indoor pool in Cape Town centre and got an idea on their fitness and swimming technique. Everyone did well but the clear stand out was Nicola who swam it under 7 minutes. She swam like a fish in water. After the tiring swim we went to the Waterfront for lunch and a little browse around. It was an active day and the guys had a needed sleep that night.
So, it's Friday and its a week since everyone arrived. It was also the big day when everyone gets their new surfboard. They were super excited but nervous as to what they should get. Nikita and I helped them make the right decisions as to their surfing ability and what board is going to help them progress the quickest. Once everyone had made their decision and got accessories, they waxed up their new sticks and all headed out on their new boards. The conditions were a little choppy but 2 ft waves were still rolling in. Everyone stood up their first wave. It was so good to see the crew so excited and happy. Sam caught a cooker left on his new board, and Josh caught two really good lefts as well. Manuela was really enjoying her board and had a big smile the whole day.
After the surf we took a drive out to the beautiful Klein Constantia wine farms, where we took the group to do wine tasting. A lot of really good and well-renowned wine is made in Cape Town. The group got to taste a few white and red wines before the desert wine at the end. Everyone had a good time and there taste buds were on high alert. Another great and exciting day in Cape Town.
Til the next blog
Klee Strachan