The week that was...

© Swilly

Nup, that isn't PE. But it's just to show that even when we dead flat, somewhere else in the world is pumping! Aus is getting smashed with some insane cyclone swell at the moment and the East Coast is going off it's pip.

The bay, on the other hand, was flat as a lake mostly. Usual story, head round the corner and you could get a few. Head further west and get some more. Head to the end of the road, and by then you've spent so much on fuel you may as well get in for a surf. Luckily it usually has something rideable. Just depends on how far down the beach you wanna walk.

Kai Linder © Stanley Badger

This awesome vintage shot came up during the week. Ou's on their ox wagon on the beach at Seals oblivious to the fact that it's absolutely pumping!

Ex-PE/Uitenhage local Lance Pearson dropped me a message about the shot, he remembers way back in the day chatting to an old tannie, Tannie Landman, at the caravan park at Seals. She and her husband lived on the wildside of Seals and bred budgies. She told Lance about when she was a child that their family would travel to PE by oxwagon, and it would take them 2-3 weeks to get there!

Alfonso Peters is a regular fixture of the Millers line up these days, but he can also surf left when he has to. Like this classic shot of an "I'll-be-visiting -the-chiro-tomorrow" soul arch.

Alfonso runs the Waves for Change program in PE and is instrumental in helping less fortunate kids get their lives back on track through the gift of surfing. So if you see a bunch of lighties out at Hummies learning to surf, throw them a shaka. Cos surfing keeps us all sane, and even more so when you life is really challenging.

Plenty of cool events coming up soon, so get out your diaries. First up is a great charity surf event next Saturday 2nd March at Pipe, everyone welcome! The Community Surf Clinic is a fundraiser for Animal Welfare & Waves for Change. Surf lessons R250 pp or R350 for 2 peeps. Great goodie bag with your lesson. Kids yoga, family swim, fun run, all sorts happening. Just a kiff day at the beach in aid of a good cause. Reserve your slots asap. Dennis Ellis making sure they have lekker sticks for the event. 

​Big wave surfer Greg Bertish will be PE and hosting a showing of his movie The Little Optimist on Wednesday 6th March in support of NSRI and local children's charities. Come grab a sundowner, watch a movie, be inspired, do good! Bring the family it’ll be fun! The documentary is super inspiring and is about Greg's 200km journey in a teeny sailing dinghy (an Optimist) around the Cape Point marking the 200 days he spent in hospital overcoming life threatening bacterial infection in his heart. He met some amazing kids in hospital who reminded him to fight for his life and have a DREAM. He now goes to children's hospitals and shows them his video and reads them his book and inspires very sick children to have HOPE and dream. Definitely worth supporting. PE Deep Sea Club, 6m, tickets R75 adults, R45 kids.

From lekker things to kak things. By now, unless you've bene living under a rock, you should know the fish farm project is back on the cards. Please register so you can object, and take note that the Public Participation meeting is on 6 March at City Hall (18h00). All the deets in the link below.
Get involved peeps. No good moaning about it if you just sit back and let it happen!
http://www.millerslocal.co.za/blog/fecking-fish-farm

If the flat spells are getting you down, don't forget that it doesn't take long to drive to the other side of town to find a few lil runners. Normally something to get wet on out that side. Good chance of bumping into Jorg on the Sards sand dune. Maybe SandDune Jorg as opposed to CarPark John!?

Early morning Sards this week © Andrew Stewart

Those who have been spending big on their fuel cards at least have been able to nab a few at the end of the road. But with the proposed fuel hikes, expect your surf to start costing a bit more.

Seals paddle out © Chris Scott

SANDF did their annual military invasion exercise on the beach at Muizenberg this year. Cos of course we all know that we have a very likelihood of getting invaded by sea. Or not. But nonetheless. (On a side note I think the tanks could provide an effective deterrent to SUP's!) Heavy things and sand don;t always play nice together, so as expected there were a few getting stranded moments.

Starts like this © Jean Tresfon

But ends like this...© Glenn Bradfield

SA Interclub Champs held at Muizenberg after the army had finished getting stuck. We had 2 teams from PE flying the bay flag high, Grom Blitz - the crew that Annie van der Merwe and William Van Rijswyk mentor from MIssionvale, and Sunset Surf Club, PE's oldest surf club.

Grom Blitz

Sunset Surf Club

And then there were the usual lekker sunsets. Never seems to be a week that goes by without one!

© Luc Hosten

© Clive Wright

Nup, the charts aren't forecasting something like this for the week, but it does look a lil better than what we've been suffering through for the last while. 

© Brian Bielmann