Nelson Mandela’s opinion of Knysna
Did you know that Nelson Mandela told a biographer that he was so impressed by Knysna’s natural beauty that he believed ‘if God came back to earth, He would choose Knysna’? Yes, its true…
Well, we couldn’t agree more….!
Garden Route Knysna weather
The weather on the Garden Route and in Knysna for the next few days is looking good – a possibility of a bit of rain today (Monday), but none expected until possibly on Friday. It will be partly cloudy tomorrow, and sunny on Wednesday and Thursday.
When it’s cold in Knysna, it’s still warm, right? So a night-time minimum of ten degrees won’t chill your bones, especially as there is virtually NEVER wind at night here. Daytime highs go up from 17 to about 21 as the weekend approaches.
So…all in all Knysna’s weather this week will be comfortable, as usual in this wonderful part of the country.
Sunshine Coast Port Alfred weather
Port Alfred and the Sunshine Coast will probably get a bit of rain on Tuesday, mainly on Tuesday night. But after that, weather prospects look up as the clouds are expected to clear and Wednesday and Thursday will be sunny and warm.
One of the great things about Port Alfred is that wind is seldom a problem there, and this week that’s the case, with wind speeds of less than ten kp/h expected.
In other words, great boating and fishing weather….!
Knysna Speed Festival
The quaint old Oude Fabriek on Main street, Knysna (opposite the Wimpy) is the setting for one of the much-anticipated events of this week’s Knysna Speed Festival.
The Knysna Slot Car Challenge – an inter-schools challenge, nogal – will see youngsters from Knysna’s established schools and kids from the schools in the previously-disadvantaged areas around town getting together around the Knysna Slot Car Club’s quality track at the Oude Fabriek to thrill to the sight and sound of realistic-looking slot cars battling it out.
The track is open from 2pm until 5pm on Tuesday and Wednesday for the event.
Read the Lightleys blog on Thursday for detailed news of the Speed Festival’s events on Friday and the Weekend, when the Renault Hillclimb – the flagship event of the festival – takes place.
Port Alfred’s Blue Flag beach
Did you know that there is a Blue Flag beach in Port Alfred? Kelly’s Beach, about 1,5km from the mouth of the Kowie River, is a 400metre long stretch of classic beachsand which has been awarded Blue Flag status – which guarantees certain stanfards, such as the health of the seawater, the condition of the beach, the presence of toilets and parking, etc.
The waves are gentle but rewarding, lifting you off your feet and then dropping you down again carefully as they recede.
River cruises, houseboats in South Africa
Exciting new developments are changing the traditional houseboats and river cruises experience in South Africa.
In Europe, houseboats – and especially a houseboat holiday – is big business. There are 28 000 registered houseboats and 400 businesses are involved.
One of the pleasures of canal and river cruises across Europe is the fact that the houseboats can be tied up along the way, you can disembark, and go exploring.
The Europeans have progressed much further in exploring the possibilities of river cruises than we have in South Africa.
Now Lightleys Holiday Houseboats of Knysna have announced a new program of boating, dayboats and river cruisers-based experiences in South Africa.
Two such experiences are already in place. It is now possible to moor Lightleys houseboats at Thesen Harbour Town’s jetty, pretend you’re footloose and fancy-free and go walkabout, as if you’d arrived at a Greek island in your own craft!
Lightleys Houseboats can also now be tied up at the Featherbed Nature Reserve’s jetty on the Knysna lagoon, and guests are then free to stroll around – or go on one of Featherbed’s arranged tours of the reserve.
Go to: www.houseboats.com.za for more details
Knysna Dayboats, canoes boat hire
Lightleys Holiday Houseboats has also launched River Runners – a range of boating based activities complementing the houseboats, and creating an exciting mix of boating activities for folk on holiday.
River Runners was designed to cater for a range of tastes and budgets. Fishing rods are on hire, there are canoes for rent, or dayboats (bigger fishing boats), in which the lagoon and the lower reaches of the Knysna River can be explored.
With your boat hire, gourmet picnic hampers with champagne can be ordered to take along to a quiet, romantic spot.
Go to: www.houseboats.com.za for more details
CAR – NIVAL TIME – make your Lightleys booking soon. For accommodation availability, call us on 044-386-0007.
And now a chuckle….
Believe it or not – this is a true story…..on Lake Isabella, located just east of Bakersfield, in California, some folks, new to boating, were having a problem. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t get their brand new 22 ft. Bayliner boat to perform. It wouldn’t plane at all, and it was very sluggish in almost every maneuver, no matter how much power was applied. After about an hour of trying to make it go, they puttered over to a nearby marina, thinking someone there could tell them what was wrong. A thorough topside check revealed everything in perfect working order. The engine ran fine, the outdrive went up and down, the prop was the correct size and pitch. So, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath. He came up choking on water he was laughing so hard. Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer………….
Have a great week!
Owen Groenenstein and the Lightleys Crew
