August 4th - Day 1

8.03am is our designated start time. The cars are leaving at one minute intervals. At long last after months of preparation the start the Tour has arrived.

John Brown waving off Car No.1, Antoine, Maria and Victor de Hullu from Holland

The cars lining up for the start

The first part of the day's drive is down to the Cape of Good Hope, about 45 miles. As we approached the Cape park we stopped to look at several baboons eating pine cones in the road.

Baboon in the road near the Cape of Good Hope eating a pine cone

A short while later and we were at the Cape of Good Hope. Not, as we were to discover, the southernmost point of Africa, that is at a point some 200 mile east. 

False Bay from the Cape of Good Hope

The drive then took us up the western side of False Bay to Simonstown and Fishhook. On the way we saw a colony of South African penguins. Such wonderful animals, ungainly on land, but beautiful in the water.
Next through the beautiful wine growing country to the east of Cape Town and on to our lunch halt at Stellenbosch. A lovely town with many old colonial buildings.

 

Beautiful Stellenbosch

Then south through marvellous scenery to our overnight stop at the five star resort near Kleinmond, some 15 miles west of Hermanus.  So far there does not appear to have been any serious problems with the cars. Let's hope that continues.