Hello and thanks for tuning into the TTRide blog. We are now well underway and ready to start our three month expedition up the coast to Durban with ten weeks of adventuring in store for our intrepid crew.

We were finally united late last night as our full touring party with Allyn arriving in the early hours of the morning. Prior to that, Bevan and I had been running over Cape Town picking everyone up and preparing for the welcoming supper. Traditionally this has taken the form of a large Braii however this time, due to three particularly powerful cold fronts converging simultaneously on Cape Town, we had to change plans slightly and opted for a traditional Poijke – South African stew – cooked in cast iron pots over a roaring fire as the storm raged outside. There’s always a way down here!

Shaun, Lucinda and Easter put on a great spread for us all and Paul Botha, founder of ASP Africa, came over to give the crew a chat about what lies ahead. It was a great evening and a good way to break the ice. Following some long journeys from various parts of the globe, bed was a welcome sight for many and some much needed rest was called on in time for today’s surf session.

We headed over to Muizenberg at 9am and were greeted by some really fun waves on the low tide. The wind was howling from the North West and we were hit by the odd rain and hail storm as the fronts pushed through but the good old British (..Swiss and Canadian too!) spirit prevailed with everybody in the group getting to their feet in the first session, a very positive sign of things to come. Adam and Anny had a couple of good waves from the back and it was great to see those that were new to the sport taking to the waves with energy and enthusiasm. There’s a really positive atmosphere among the group and I’m looking forward to seeing where it takes them.

We’ve just got back from the beach and I am off to pick up our Community Project coordinator Karen Aldridge. She is going to come over and talk to the group about the projects they will be getting involved in over the coming days. That all starts tomorrow afternoon as the group will meet the kids from Masipumelele Township’s Cape Town Juventus. It always proves to be a really fun afternoon. We recently provided the team with a full squad kit which has helped Thomas arrange friendly games with Fishoek school, top of the Cape Town school leagues. The kids will be playing at the weekend and we will be heading along to support.

Tomorrow morning sees us heading back to the beach for a morning surf. The forecast looks good with the swell building a fraction and the wind remaining offshore so things are looking promising for the guys to get some more rides under their belts. Tune in mid-week for the next update to see how they all got on.

Thanks for reading,

Tim and Bevan.

With the first few surfs now under their belts the crew are beginning to settle in to the way of life down here: Wake up, breakfast, surf check, off to the beach for a few hours then onto something a little different in the afternoon. The last couple of days have both started in the water. The waves have been good and, with a slight build in the swell today, the group have been tested! It’s been good seeing them take the challenge to the larger waves, a fearless attitude is always the best when learning a new sport, especially surfing.

We are lucky down here, the South Africans know how to do the beach lifestyle, none more so than the very appropriately named “Lifestyle” Surf Shop. Situated right on the sand by Surfer’s Corner, Muizenberg, it’s where we base ourselves from and it really is surf central. Hot showers, shaping bays, big comfy chairs to relax in and watch a surf movie after a surf, loads of boards to use, it’s the perfect set up for long days on the beach of which there will be plenty more.

With the stormy weather yesterday we had to re-schedule beach football to today. No problem though, we took the opportunity of a free afternoon to visit the Slangkop lighthouse, the tallest in Southern Africa. The view from the top was stunning as we looked out over the stormy Atlantic and watched the weather roll in. This afternoon the guys finally met Thomas and the team and, for the first time in TTRide history, we didn’t loose. The girls put up a fine effort holding their very talented and energetic under 9 team to a 1-1 draw. The guys fared not quite so well going down 5-2 to the elders (16+). We will be heading along with the team on Saturday to support them as they take on Fishoek Grammar .

Tomorrow will again start in the water before we take a little break from the waves and allow our bodies to recuperate. We will be heading into the vines at Klein Constantia vineyard and then into Masipumelele township to put a new door into the crèche and repaint the walls before an activity day and braii at Thomas’s house on Saturday. It promises to be an interesting couple of days.

Check back towards the end of the week to see how they all got on.

Thanks for reading
Tim and Bevan

We’re almost a week into the trip now and time is starting to fly by. I can’t quite believe it’s been three full days since the last blog; it seems only yesterday that I was here writing. And a lot has happened!

Thursday was a fun day as we headed to Muizenburg for a surf, the waves were small but clean allowing everyone to really work on the basics and hone their technique in time to make the transition to their new boards that we picked up on Friday afternoon. Following the surf, the weather took a turn for the worse so we loaded up and headed over to Klein Constantia vineyard for a tour of the cellar and a tasting session. We were treated to a selection of the vineyard’s top wines as well as a quick taste of their world famous Vin de Constance, rumoured to be one of Napoleon’s favourite. From there we headed into town for a few drinks on Long Street before returning back to Kommetjie to prepare for the next day.

We met Thomas early at the Masipumelele crèche where we proceeded to help install a new door and paint the new roofing that we put up in July (pics to follow soon). We also took time to re-do the paint on the outside of the building, white washing it in preparation for some new decorations to come. This took the best part of the day and it was great to meet the kids and spend some time in the Township and get to know just how it runs. Once we had finished the painting we headed over to Muizenberg to kit the group out with their own surf boards. As is customary on the trips, Clayton sends us a shipment from Durban and they were there and waiting. We headed back to Kommetjie immediately, waxed up and had quick evening surf in some great head high waves.

That brings us onto today. The sun came out at long last and we woke early again to watch Thomas and the boys take on Fish Hoek football club in a number of U9 and U11 friendlies. The matches were tight but Fish Hoek came out overall winning 3 of the 4 games. It was a great occasion though and a good chance for the group to see just where the beach training goes. From there we followed Thomas into Masipumelele township to the Ukanye primary school where we had arranged an activity morning. We played netball against the local girls (loosing narrlowly...again!) before heading over to Thomas’ shack for a big braii lunch. Saturday in a township is always a memorable experience with music all around and the streets full of people. With no less than 50 of us crammed into Thomas’s garden around the braii, it was quite an afternoon and one to remember. From there it was back to Kommetjie for a few hours relaxing before Shaun and Lucinda put on a fish braii for us as the sunset.

Tomorrow sees the sun continue to shine with warm berg winds accompanying a nice south swell. In short this means waves, and lots of them! So tomorrow will be a full surf day on the new surfboards. Tune in later to see how it went.

Thanks for reading,
Tim and Bevan

With the guys now out on the lawn practicing their pop ups with Bevan, it seems like the perfect time to catch up on the blog that has been neglected of late. We have been, as ever, very busy.

Since last Saturday’s check in we have left Cape Town far behind and headed across the plains of the Western Cape and onto the Garden Route. The sun is out, the weather is warm and the waves have been good so far with a favourable forecast keeping us all hoping for more. Cape Town ended in style with Table Mountain scaled, Cape Point conquered and Muizenberg ridden. There was time to paint the crèche and fit in a last football tournament with Thomas and the kids as well before Paul and Dene Botha sent us on our way with a traditional South African Braii, complete with cold beers, lots of meat, salads and the odd piece of surfing trivia from one of SA’s oldest surfers, Paul. It was a good night and a great way to leave.

We are now in Plettenberg Bay, holed up in Albergos and a short hop away from the warmer waters and crystal waves at Robberg. The group are in the capable hands of John and Donna Henry who have put the guys through their paces in some good, if a little more challenging, waves. The increased power and speed in the waves here demands a more committed approach and, again, all the group have conquered some initial anxieties and have had some great rides. Though we have had our first TTRide surfing casualty in the form of Anny’s creased board, the result of some fearless take offs!

Away from the waves, 8 of the group have had a their adrenalin levels topped up as they leapt out of a plane at 10,000 ft. Jules, Adam, Allyn and Lou went this morning with Sam, Merryl, Hills and Hannah free falling this afternoon. With 35 seconds of freefall at speeds in excess of 200km/h, there are some broad smiles around tonight.

Tomorrow sees an early start as we head out on an ocean safari. The bay here is full of calfing Southern Right whales and we are off for a closer look. There was also a pod of Killer Whales spotted three days ago so we may get lucky, this morning there was reportedly a school of 500 dolphins off the point. So who knows what lies in wait.

World’s highest bungee on Wednesday! Tune in to see how that went!!

It’s been a great week here in Plet with some good waves, lots of sunshine and plenty of adrenlain pumping around the body with some serious freefall time over the past couple of days, more on that in a minute.....

It’s our last morning here in Plet before we head to J-Bay tomorrow. A new front is starting to show it’s face which means there will be waves at the famous point tomorrow, the swells turn up a bit sooner here in Plet so there will be some good waves on offer this afternoon when we head down to the beach. Bevan has headed off to the local Elephant sanctuary with a few of the crew, the others are resting after yesterday evening’s swim in the Plet lagoon, optimistic estimates put the distance covered at roughly 1 km, not a bad effort all round.

Elsewhere we have has some beautiful days down at Robberg with crystal clear water, perfect waves, empty beaches and plenty of whales and dolphins cruising through the line-up, often at touching distance. Merryl got close to a large Southern Right Whale, several schools of dolphins have turned up during the lessons, and Lou managed to scare off a sultry male seal the other day. But except for the sea life we have been alone on the beach with the waves to ourselves, you can’t ask for any more than that.

And then there’s the bungee. We headed over in the morning and got harnessed up for the walk across the painfully narrow wire bridge that clings on to the underside of the road overhead. Upon reaching the platform Adam and Sam where connected up and shoved off the edge, neither hesitated and jumped headlong into the 216m deep gorge to hoots and howls from the rest of us. In all 9 of the crew jumped and I am sure there will be many a tall tale once they all return to the UK.

So a final braii here tonight and an early departure to Jeffrey’s Bay tomorrow. With waves expected there we will leave early and arrive in time for a long afternoon surf, if the predictions are correct there should be some fun sized waves peeling all the way down the point and a chance for the guys to test themselves on the first point and reef breaks of the trip.

A new blog will follow towards the end of the weekend, be sure to tune in again then.

Thanks for reading,
Tim and Bevan.