Simon’s Town - General Info
Description:
False Bay is about 15 miles North of the Cape of Good Hope and within the Bay are the harbours and marinas of Simon’s Town and Gordon’s Bay.
Simon’s Town
- Photo (c) OSASA.
Simon’s Town was once used by the Dutch fleet to hide from the fierce Westerlies, especially from March to October. When the steamships later on needed a shore base, the harbour was extended to cater for those needs.
Simon’s Town is the South African Naval Base and the yacht club/marina is known as the False Bay Yacht Club, but the FBYC is based in Simon’s Town harbour! The delightfully quaint town just behind the FBYC town is also called Simon’s Town with lots of coffee shops, restaurants and basic grocery shops etc. also a lovely park overlooking the harbour, with a statue of Just Nuisance, the dog who adopted the navy personnel during WWII and used to ride on the train into Cape Town and back several times a night to ensure the drunken sailors got home safely.
Simon’s Town is a good alternative for those preferring to be away from busy Cape Town, and who don’t mind traveling an hour by car to get to the main city. It also is a good option for haulout.
Gordon’s Bay
Gordon’s Bay harbour is very small, very shallow and unfortunately is not suitable for potential visitors despite having a delightful yacht club, with very friendly locals, a good restuarant in the harbour – and the Naval College. It is used by local fishermen and local small yachts and at a real push could handle some visitors, but only with local knowledge and expertise. No haul-out facilities or suitable anchorage.
Entrance Notes and Cautions:
False Bay is part of South African Naval waters and therefore requirements laid out by the SA Navy must be adhered to.
The False Bay Yacht Club/Marina, hiding behind substantial wave breakers on the north side of the Navy base, is not yet marked on all international charts, but the approach is easy and well lit.
Beware of “Roman Rocks”, about 1 mile NE of the main harbour. To remain clear of all obstacles vessels should approach the marina entrance via the following waypoints (provided by the management of FBYC):
1. 34° 11.08′ S and 18° 27.72′ E
2. 34° 10.84′ S and 18° 26.30′ E
3. 34° 11.2′ S and 18° 26.00′ E
Cruiser Highlights:
Post office, shops, hardware, LPG, medical facilities and all other services are found in the shopping street. There are a great number of restaurants for all tastes very near the town and the port is reasonably safe even after dark and there are many security guards on duty.
Most of the tradespeople can be found here and those coming from Cape Town visit Simonstown on request
Position:
34° 11.28’S, 18° 25.93’E (marina)
Last Updated: September 2022
Read and Post Related Comments
If you have information for this section, or feedback on businesses used, please let us know at editor@noonsite.com. We also welcome new information about businesses you have used (see Related Businesses).
Next Section: Profile: Clearance
Related to following destinations: Simon's Town, South Africa
Port Navigation
Courtesy Flag Discounts
YachtFlags.com provides high quality courtesy flags that are manufactured in durable Knitted Polyester fabric. Knitted so that the fabric itself does not deteriorate in the constant movement that marine flags are usually exposed to, and polyester so that the flag does not weaken in the strong UV-light usually found in the main sailing areas of the world.
YachtFlags.com offers a discount to Noonsite members.
Use the coupon code NOONSITE_5A2B when checking out to get 10% off today.
Buy Now On YachtFlags.comMain Ports - South Africa
Courtesy Flag Discounts
YachtFlags.com provides high quality courtesy flags that are manufactured in durable Knitted Polyester fabric. Knitted so that the fabric itself does not deteriorate in the constant movement that marine flags are usually exposed to, and polyester so that the flag does not weaken in the strong UV-light usually found in the main sailing areas of the world.
YachtFlags.com offers a discount to Noonsite members.
Use the coupon code NOONSITE_5A2B when checking out to get 10% off today.
Buy Now On YachtFlags.com
This is Bill and Cathy Norrie from SV Terrwyn,
We just sailed from Simon’s Town (FBYC) to Cape Town (RCYC) after having kept Terrwyn in the FBYC for over a year. We were extremely pleased with the wonderful Yacht Club staff, Spilly, Kim, Pam, Natasha and Sifa who were always available to help us with the details of keeping SV Terrwyn safe and sound.
All the guys in the boatyard were terrific and the work we had done was top notch. Baden, the stainless steel fab guy, made some “Burglar Bars” installed for us since we are heading for the Caribbean. Andy overhauled our outboard engine; Chris the marine mechanic; Robert Galley Marine Electronics; Tony and Jeremy in the Chandlery are all names that you need to note if you have work that needs to be done.
Most importantly was John the Diver who looked after our precious yacht through the whole year, adding new dock lines and diving to change zincs if necessary. The haulout at the end was very professionally done. The anti-fouling paint, waxing and polishing of topsides, cleaning and polishing of stainless steel were all done with professionalism and promptness. At an amazingly good price.
We highly recommend this marina and boatyard.
Cathy and Bill Norrie
SV Terrwyn