Trip 2 is under way! Nico and I have been doing shuttles back and forth from the airport and, with the exception of Skatie who lands later today, and Charlie who will be with us soon, we are all together and happily settled into Shaun and Lucinda’s place just back from Long Beach on Cape Town’s Atlantic side.

Upon arrival the group unpacked before heading over to Imoff Farm opposite the Ocean View township for something to eat. With clear skies and warm sunshine the views were breath taking and the food tasty as we looked along the white sands of Noordhoek across to Hout Bay and Table Mountain in the distance. After such long journeys the guys seemed happy and chatty and Nico and I are both excited about the prospect of 10 weeks surfing up the coast with them.

Tonight is the welcoming Braii. The coals have been lit and the food is ready to go. As ever it looks set to be a proper South African feast with lots of meats, veggies, salads and a few cold beers to wash it all down around the fire. Paul Botha will be coming over to spin a tale or two around the coals and Jules will be coming too. Jules gained his coaching stars with us in September and is now living and coaching in Cape Town. He was fantastic with Group 1 who have now headed up to Plet and it’s great for the guys to see just where they can go with the course if they want to.

Tomorrow sees us hit the water for the first time. Over lunch talk quickly turned to the first surf session and the crew seem eager to hit the waves, I look forward to reporting on how that goes. Karen, our Cape Town project co-ordinator, will then be coming over in the evening to brief the guys on our projects before we kick off with those on Thursday.

Blog updates will follow twice a week so be sure to check in on our progress. But for now got to dash, the food’s on the fire and the beers are getting warm!

Thanks for reading and check in soon,

Tim and Nico.

It’s been a great start to the trip with the crew getting on really well, some fun waves at Muizenberg and a good afternoon spent with Thomas and the kids; getting to know them before we start a couple of projects next week.

Wednesday we kicked off a little later in the morning following a trip briefing over breakfast. We headed over to Muizenberg, where we hold the majority of our lessons, and checked in with the guys at Lifestyles Surfshop. As the country’s oldest and highest regarded surf shop it’s a great place to be based from and drink in the surf culture. The shop is a real hub of activity with boards and boardbags being made on site, changing areas and warm showers, a TV area with loads of surf mags and a huge selection of boards to try and buy. It’s a great place to hang out and become a surf-rat for a couple of weeks.

We surfed hard then headed over to Kalkies for some fresh fish and chips on the waterfront at Kalk Bay. Sat out in the sun surrounded by the colourful fishing boats it was a good way to wind down and relive the highs and lows of the first session. Both Nico and I were stoked to see the guys surfing well and look forward to seeing where we can get them to over the next 10 weeks. We then headed home for a briefing with Karen. We sat around the living room and Karen explained a bit about the political and social climate of South Africa and the importance of the work we do here.

Thursday started early with a lesson and then a free surf. With a bit more swell there were some long rides and some big smiles. I was really impressed with the first timers who took to the waves with confidence in the free surf, surfing solo without instruction and all ending up standing. It bodes well for good things down the road!

Following the free surf we came back to Kommetjie where we introduced the group to Thomas and his football team. We have sponsored Thomas for several years now and train with the kids on the beach 2-3 times a week. They were playing a friendly against Fishoek so we went along to lend some support and introduce ourselves. With the added support of the TTR Crew and with Karen supplying ribbons for the girls, the team came up trumps and won 4-1. We look forward to training with them next week, check in to see how that goes.

Today has been the first full surf day with two lessons starting at 9 am and running through till about 4:30. Needless to say the group are shattered! But there’s no time to rest, we are off for a well deserved beer at the Brass Bell with the rest of the Cape Town surfing community, a great chance to make a few new friends and kick back after three packed days of surfing, and a chance to welcome our final group member, Charlie, who came this morning.

Tomorrow is a relaxed one, we’ll start later at about 11 and head for a surf as the conditions continue to look good. The afternoon we’re off to the Cape Reserve to check out some of the stunning empty beaches and Cape Point. More pics of that will follow next week.

Thanks for reading

Tim and Nico

It’s been a busy few days for us here in Cape Town with lots to report on. Starting off last Saturday, we headed over to Muizenburg for a morning surf and were greeted by a big weekend crowd. The beach was bustling and it was a good lesson in wave etiquette for the guys. Everyone coped well and rode some good waves before heading over to Cape Point in the afternoon. With clear skies and a brisk wind keeping the air crisp and clear the views were stunning as we looked across False Bay and out across the Southern Ocean. Before heading back to Shaun and Lucinda’s for a traditional poijke we took a walk along the dunes at Platboom where we spotted a few baboons and kudu and also took the time to do some good old fashioned dune running.

Sunday we woke early to climb Table Mountain. Some early clouds kept the temperatures mercifully low before lifting when we reached the top to leave amazing panoramic views of Cape Town and down to Cape Point. George, Tia, Charlie, Ed, Will and Vikki charged up in just over 1 hour (usual time is 2 hrs!) with the others following just behind. Chris was climbing with an injured calm muscle so well done to her for making it to the top at all! Following a quick drink at the top we then made our way to the V&A Waterfront for a bit of sightseeing. It was good to see the guys were not overly impressed and more interested in getting back into the water and sorting out their new surfboards!

Monday started early with a surf session before kitting some of the crew out with their brand new boards. The waves were small and fun with some long rides going down. Laura and Clare made some great progress with some big smiles at the end of the session which were good to see. Following a quick lunch we then met up with Thomas for the first of this week’s football games. The girls went first, taking on the under 9’s and going down 3-1. In a narrow defeat Kate scored the only goal, various excuses were made about the morals of beating a team of 8 yrs olds but they fell on deaf ears, that is until the boys then played and were thrashed all was equal again! It was a good way to end the day and more football will follow later in the week.

Today we’ve been surfing. The morning saw some larger waves down at Muizenberg with the guys leading the charge.. Ed and Charlie both got some good waves with Will surfing well on his new 7,6 and George getting a few once he had made the long paddle. Kate and Skatie showed great strength in making the long paddle through the breakers and both got some good waves. Poor old Jenny spent her last day watching as we wait for a cut on her forehead to heal, she’ll be back in the water on Thursday when we will be heading off on a surfari up the west coast to a few new spots. Following a long day’s surf we checked out a rising swell at Longbeach before introducing the guys to Steve Pike who gave them all a talk on Wave Prediction.

I have just left the crew now, all happily relaxing in front of a movie before tomorrow kicks off; We will be taking the children from the TTRide crèche the beach for the morning then taking a wine tour in the afternoon before a few drinks in town in the evening.

Otherwise all is well. Thanks for checking in,

Tim and Nico.

Hello from Plettenberg Bay. Apologies for the delay, sand and laptops don't mix! Pics for this blog will follow in due course.

But the main news! We are now into our third day in Plet having arrived here on Sunday evening. We finished Cape Town in style with a braai and football day in the township with Thomas, and a Braai with Paul and Dene Botha overlooking Kommetjie harbour. We bid some sad fairwells, we had a fantastic time and met some amazing people, and then set off on the long drive across the Western Cape. A quick stop for provisions quickly turned into a competition for who could buy the most rediculous decoration for the van, we left with Barbie Dolls, rubber ducks and army hats hanging off any available space.

A cold front came up the coast overnight on Sunday and has left us with perfect waves ever since. Jon and Donna, our coaches here, met us at the beach first thing monday morning. The waves were small and clean and the water was like a bath so we ditched the suits and took to the waves in nothing but baggies and bikinins. We surfed hard before an afternoon off for most. Chris, Will, Jenny, Vikki, George and Nico took off to Plet airfield for a skydive and came back charged on adrenalin and ready for more.

Tuesday started early again and the swell had picked up considerably with some thumping waves and a strong offshore making for testing conditions at the beach. Tia and Chris showed some fearless commitment as they took on the bigger waves and the guys also coped well before the tide dropped too much and we had to call time, leave the beach and hit the pie shop. Two pies a head later and everyone was asleep in the Hammock. At around 6 Nico and I went for a quick surf check and saw one of the lesser known spots here had a small and perfect wave. We woke the crew, loaded the boards and headed off for an evening surf on some perfect 2-3 ft waves as the sun set in the background. With a few of the guys opting the chill with a drink on the beach whilst the others surfed we enjoyed a beautiful still evening on the beach before heading into town for a pizza to celebrate Charlie's birthday. Clare had sorted him out a Pokemon t-shirt which the rest of the crew signed and some of the others also chipped in for a couple of presents. It was a good evening all round and lots of fun.

Today was our last lesson with Jon and Donna. Again the waves were perfect. Fun sized with not too much wind allowing the whole group to shine and show how far they have come and how much they have learnt. Again we hit the pie shop and the guys are sleeping in the hammocks. Nico and I are about to wake them and head off to the beach for a run swim run and a little body surfing. I am not sure how popular that will make us...

Tomorrow sees the onshore come so some much needed rest for the guys after three solid days of waves. The rest of the skydivers will be heading up in the next day or two, it looks like we'll be bungying on saturday!

Thanks for tuning in and the next blog will follow at the end of the week. Pictures will hopefully follow in due course.

Thanks for reading.

Tim and Nico

Hello all back in the UK. After a conversation with the family at home it sounds like it’s cold and snowy and that South Africa is definitely the place to be. Spirits are high as we leave Plet for Jeffrey’s Bay tomorrow and all signs point to a little bit of swell. It’s always the case when you head to J-Bay; any sign of swell and the faintest possibility of leg numbing rides down the world famous point sets pulses racing. All fingers will be crossed that it actually materialises.

Since the last blog the adrenalin has been flowing. Thursday was a quiet one as weather conditions meant skydiving would have to wait till Friday. After three days of waves some downtime was much needed and Nico headed up with some of the guys to the Snake park where Will did his best to conquer his fears by holding a huge python. He went several shades of white and remained very still, but he still held it!

Friday dawned early as we took off to Plet airfield before the wind could get up. Tia, Kate, Clare, Skatie, Charlie, Ed and Laura all jumped and landed with huge smiles. The jump site here must be one of the most beautiful in the world as you soar high over the Robberg Peninsula checking out pods of Whales, schools of Dolphins and the huge golden sand beaches way below. Then it’s a 35 second free fall at speeds of about 215 km/h, parachute spins and hopefully a soft landing. Following a quick lunch we headed to Plet lagoon where we did the first run, swim, run of the trip. Lifeguard courses are now about 5 weeks away so one eye is fixed firmly on the fitness side of things. The guys coped well and much more will follow, to the delight of all the crew.

Today we woke and drove the 30km’s to Bloukrans Bridge in the Tsisikamma nature reserve. Bloukrans is the site of the world’s highest bungee at a dizzying 216m. Driving over the bridge the ground looks very far away, even more so when viewed from the thin wire walk way that takes you out to the jumping platform. Nico went first and leapt into the gorge with only a tiny piece of elastic strapped to his ankles. Both Skatie and Chris conquered some initial fears and made the jump, Laura and Will even went for a second time, Laura choosing to launch herself off backwards, show boating for the crowds.....Then, as promised, it was back over to Plet lagoon for a paddle and a run. The sun was out and the water warm so it was a great way to round off the day. We grabbed a quick sundowner at the Deck bar that looks out over the beach and are now back in the hostel cooking up a hige Mexican feast to eat round the fire.

It’s been a fun week in Plet but we are all looking forward to J-Bay and the possibility of catching THAT wave.

More news will follow next week,

Thanks for checking in,
Tim and Nico