A Travel Adventure with Our Children – Stoneleigh Weekend

07 June to 09 June 2024

Lollz had plans to spend the weekend with a friend in Poole so she left the flat on Friday morning and took a bus to her destination.
Earl and I had brunch at a lovely Brasserie, Gazette, near Plantation Wharf. He had Eggs Benedict and I indulged in a croissant with avocado pear and two cups of excellent coffee. The restaurant is French and they certainly know how to make café!

Later in the afternoon, we walked to Clapham Junction to get the 16:03 train to Stoneleigh where we spent the weekend with our good friends, Paddy and Dick.

In 1988 I brought Lollz to England and it was a first for us both. She had heard that the British fishmongers wrapped their fish and chips in newspaper and that was what she wanted to try. However, by then, it was considered unhygienic and we could only get it served in a takeaway box. So when on Friday, Paddy and Dick ordered fish and chips in, I was delighted to find it was wrapped in unprinted newspaper! I had to take a photo for Lollz’s benefit.

We had a wonderful catch-up after not seeing Paddy and Dick for many years. I had been over in 2013 and 2018 but this was the first time Earl had seen them since they’d moved over here. The men went to bed at half past nine but Paddy and I sat up chatting until after 11!

On Saturday morning we had a leisurely breakfast and bonded some more with Paddy and Dick. We also took a drive and visited Richmond Park This land was bought by Charles 1 in the seventeenth century and is home to more than 650 fallow deer. Being the nature lovers that we are, we were delighted to see a herd of deer. The stags had the most magnificent antlers.

Click on the first picture to enlarge then use arrows to watch the slide show. Press escape to return to the blog.

There were so many trees and lots of birdsong

Later in the afternoon, Paddy and Dick took us to their daughter’s home where we had a magnificent meal. Lindsay and Dan have two little boys. Jeanette, their other daughter, and another South African couple, Ben and Sasha were also there with their two kids so it was a very happy gathering. We were also celebrating Paddy’s birthday.

It was quite cold this morning but the sun came out later in the afternoon and we were able to sit outdoors till quite late. It’s lovely to see these ex-pats enjoying a wonderful lifestyle in England. They have not forgotten how to braai! (Dan is not South African but since his marriage to Lindsay he has taken to being the braai master and he is good at it!)

All too soon the weekend was over. It was so amazing connecting with Paddy and Dick. Years ago when they were still in SA and our offspring were still kids we thought we’d never age. We laughed as we compared health issues and medications and agreed that despite all that we still feel like we did way back then. We feel extremely lucky that our kids are settled and happy, creating stunning memories, and still want us to share it all with them.

Thanks, Paddy, Dick, Dan, Lindsay, and Jeannette for being such awesome hosts and making our stay so enjoyable. We loved catching up with you all and we absolutely loved meeting your little boys for the first time.

While waiting for our train at Stoneleigh station, I heard and saw some parakeets flying over. Then to my great joy, one settled high up in a branch on a tree and I managed to get some photographs. These rose-ringed parakeets are wild living non-native birds. It is believed that the population began when some escaped pet parakeets never returned to their cages and began breeding. They are perfectly happy living as immigrants in the UK!

We began the weekend at Gazette and as Lollz was only due to return much later on Sunday evening we decided not to shop for supplies but indulge in dinner out, once again at this lovely French restaurant. A good way to begin and end our weekend!

A Travel Adventure with Our Children – Buckingham Palace, Paternoster Square and Covent Garden

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The weather has not changed. Every day we dress in summer clothes but take along jerseys and jackets. When the sun comes out it is quite warm but mostly the skies are overcast. Today it did not rain.

When one is used to driving everywhere, taking buses, trains and underground tubes can be exciting but also a little scary. The Earl was with us today and was a tad nervous about the whole procedure. Of course, he wanted to know how it all worked too. Tapping his card to get in and out of the underground was completely confusing. How does it know where I’ve been and how much money to take off? I have no idea but I told him to trust the system and soon he was happily tapping like the rest of us. All the walking was a challenge too. He seldom walks anywhere! Well, today he clocked up over 14000 steps!

We walked to Clapham Junction, took the train to Vauxhall, changed to the underground then used the tubes to get us to Green Park and then St Paul’s where we met Lollz’s cousin, Kevin for lunch. After lunch, we took a bus to Covent Gardens and then took the tube and train back to Clapham Junction.

Green Park and Buckingham Palace

Click on the first photo, then use the arrows to watch the slide show.

The Goddess Diana is seen as you come out of the Green Park Tube Station

I find the King’s Guards fascinating. Imagine being clad in those red tunics and strange bearskin hats and standing to attention, not moving for ages. At first glance, they look like statues. The two we saw had a break from stillness and marched up and down a few times. Phew -that must have been a relief.

St Paul’s, Paternoster Square, and The Millennium Bridge

After disembarking at St Paul’s Station we found ourselves in Paternoster Square where we were to meet my nephew, Kevin. Having only heard the word Paternoster associated with a small West Coast Town I wondered what it might mean. Google is such a help – The Lord’s Prayer. That made sense as it was in the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral! We ate lunch at the Paternoster Pub. Kevin and Lollz ordered sandwiches – Kevin had a BLT which was fine but Lollz’s cheese sandwich was inedible. I shared my Caesar salad with her instead. The Earl had pork bangers and mash which was excellent. They did not charge us for the cheese sandwich!

We found Paternoster Square quite fun. They had some wildlife sculptures on display. These sculptures are done by a husband and wife team who are very much into wildlife conservation. You can find out more here A Wild Life for Wildlife – Gillie and Marc®↗

Covent Garden

I wanted to go to Covent Garden to see street performers like mimes, acrobats, magicians, etc. I was disappointed that not much was happening. We only saw a magic act and an artist painting a portrait of Amy Winehouse while playing a recording of her singing.

My brother Nicholas worked at this perfume house when he first came to England.

Some photos Lollz took with her phone.

A Travel Adventure with Our Children – Greenwich

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Tuesday, 4 June 2024

After a very busy weekend, I felt rather tired last night and slept late this morning. Lollz, Earl, and I only surfaced after 9 o’clock, made breakfast, and then headed to Plantation Warf to catch the Thames Uber. This was another exciting adventure as we do not have anything like this in the deep south of Africa.

My brother, Nicholas, was going to accompany us to Greenwich but work commitments prevented this so we went on our own. The trip took over an hour but it was lovely to see London from the river. The Earl loves anything nautical so this was just up his street – or should I say river?

Click on the first photograph to enlarge and then use arrows to view the slide show.

We visited The Maritime Museum which was very interesting. The sea has definitely played a huge role in the history of the world. Seeing all the exhibits made us realise that we all have different emotional connections to the sea. All my life, I have lived near the sea, and cannot imagine being away from it for too long. I found the polar exploration the most interesting in this museum but all of it was excellent. There are several interactive devices which makes it all the more interesting.

Click on the first photograph to enlarge then use the arrows to watch the slide show.

The sea has played and important role in the lives of men throughout the ages

On the return River Uber we took some more photographs. Then we walked to the Waterfront Pub for dinner. It was quite cold by this time but there were some interesting birds in the shallows of the river.

The Grebe shown in the photographs is a Great Crested Grebe which is the same species as we see in South Africa. The subspecies P. c. cristatus is found across Europe, including England. It breeds in vegetated areas of freshwater lakes and winters on freshwater lakes, reservoirs, or the coast.

The African subspecies, P. c. infuscatus, occurs in South Africa. It is mainly sedentary, meaning it doesn’t migrate extensively.

Although they belong to the same species their subspecies adaptations and behaviours differ slightly.

The Grey Heron is the same one that we find in South Africa as they occur in temperate Europe and Asia, as well as parts of Africa.

It resides in much of its range but some populations from northern regions migrate southwards during autumn.

A Travel Adventure with Our Children – Life-long Friends

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Friday, 31 May 2024 to Monday 3 June

A Train Adventure

WIth our overnight bag packed Earl and I set off to get the train from Clapham Junction. Our darling daughter, afraid we would not cope alone, walked to the station with us. We booked our tickets on Trainline, a wonderful app that gives you all the information needed. On this App we had our tickets with bar codes. I tried to tap in the same way I do with a credit card but this did not work. Fortunately, their was an attendant at the barrier. He showed us where to tap and we were in. Only ticket holders may pass through the barrier. Once on the other side we stood still and confused wondering which platform we had to find. Clapham Junction is huge! I am sure we would have got it right but Lollz asked the attendant if she could please assist her aged parents to find the right place, He very kindly agreed! It really was lovely to have her guide us to Platform 16 and see us safely onto the train.

Looking across to Platform 17 – On the trains you are always warned to MIND THE GAP

Trainline is quite new to me. I had not investigated all its functions but once on the train I perused it and found that it tells you which platform to leave from, tracks your journey, informs you which station comes next, whether there is a delay, and what your ETA is. It would take just over an hour to get to Tring, but we would have to change at Watford Junction. We would have eight minutes to get from Platform 8 to Platform 10. But then the app informed me there was a slight delay and we would only have five minutes! Would our ancient legs move fast enough as we also had to drag a bag along with us! And being the train novices that we are we had no idea how far away this platform would be. Fortunately, the steps were not too difficult to negotiate and we made it down and then up with a minute to spare! What an adventure!

My BFF met us at Tring station. We have been friends since we were seven years and although we have only had brief spells of living in the same city or country we are still soul mates!

What a joyful reunion it was! The weekend was full of lovely activities including country walks, a visit to a quintessential English village, and an excursion to Bletchley Park.

Click on the first photograph then use arrows to see the slide show.

After having a lovely lunch at an Italian restaurant on Saturday we visited Aldbury.

The quintessential English village of Aldbury

Imagine having a post office and a post box again!

Red hot pokers and pink roses growing in an allotment garden

On Sunday we visited Bletchley Park which was an incredible experience. Bletchley Park was kept a secret for many years and those who worked there signed the Secrets Act and it would have been treason to tell anybody where they worked or what they did. It was here where all the code-breaking efforts took place during World War 2. The most brilliant person at that time was Alan Turing who worked tirelessly to decrypt the Axis powers’ communications, significantly contributing to the Allied victory. The Victorian Gothic mansion and picturesque grounds were chosen as it was far enough from the city to be safe from bombing. Critical wartime intelligence work took place there and nobody was aware of it. This museum is well worth a visit. You could spend hours there and still not take it all in.

Before leaving we had lunch at the Bletchley’s restaurant and I was amused to see some posters from the war days.

All the guides and stewards wear color and tie

The sun goes down very late at this time of year. At about 7 pm we set off for a walk along the canal to see the narrow boats and water birds and ended with a drink at a pub.

On Monday my brother who lives just half an hour from Jen came for a short visit and then gave us a lift back to London. Lollz joined us for lunch and then we took a Black Taxi back to Battersea.

Best Friends Forever – We even cross our legs the same way!

A Travel Adventure with Our Children – Exploring London

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Thursday, 30 May 2024

Last night we slept like the dead and awoke with the wonderful realisation that we were not at the Southern Tip of Africa! Instead, I opened the blinds to behold the Thames waking up with boats and barges starting their day’s work.

I received a WhatsApp from a friend telling me that it was windy, cold and wet in Cape Town. I replied that it was overcast here in London and that the temperature was 13 degrees C. “Oh,” came the reply, “it’s warmer than that here!” Ha! Ha! I will never complain about our weather again.

But the day was not that bad. We dressed in layers and dodged the showers and sometimes had to remove our jackets when the sun came out.

The Earl decided that he would take a rest day. He did not relish the idea of buses, tubes and lots of walking in London! So after cooking scrambled eggs and bacon Lollz and I left the flat at 10, walked to Clapham where I found a Halifax Bank and sorted out some issues with an account I have there. I was seen immediately and had the most awesome help from a lovely young lady named Lisa. All is now in order and I have pounds to spend!

After that Lollz and I went to have a coffee at Neros. I try not to compare how much what I buy to eat and drink would cost at home! It is always way more than what I pay at my favourite coffee shop in Struisbaai! But my Americano was excellent and it went well with a small bar of Belguin dark chocolate!

I was so pleased to have Lollz deal with all the direction finding and bus/train negotiating. Thanks to modern technology she has these useful apps on her phone! Also she understands them and knows exactly how to use them. All I had to do was follow my leader! All the angst of travel was removed. I can highly recommend going abroard with a tech savvy younger memeber of your family!

We took a bus to Westminster and all I had to do was tap my credit card and climb aboard. I was as excited as a kid at Christmas boarding a red London bus and going up to the upper deck with his marvelous views of London flashing by as we travelled to our destination.

A funeral procession – horse-drawn hearse!

We had fun walking around, seeing the houses of parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey etc. We then hopped on the tube and went to Oxford CircusWe spent the afternoon shopping but not did not buy very much. Hopping on and off busses and riding the tube is very convenient and simple but we also walked a lot – it’s cheaper and good exercise! We clocked up over 20000 steps today! A tube train from Oxford Circus took us to Vauxhal and from there we took an overland train to Clapham, shopped for our dinner then walked to the flat. We thought it would take 10 minutes but only realised we took a wrong turn and got quite lost! It was all part of the adventure during which I managed to have an unfortunate accident! We stopped to get our bearings and I allowed my shopping bag to slip to the ground – crash – the wine bottle broke! Oh dear what a waste! But we found an Indian cafe that sold wine and we got a bottle of Savignon Blanc – a Western Cape wine called Secretary Bird!

A Travel Adventure with Our Children – The Beginning

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A few months ago, our oldest daughter, Lisa, suggested we join her and her bestie on a Mediterranean Cruise as part of The Earl’s eightieth birthday celebration. She would have liked all our family to join us but it was just not possible. So our party will consist of Lisa and her friend, Dominika, Laurie, our youngest, her friend, Sasha and The Earl and me.

In the past, I have been the main organiser of such events. What a pleasure then, to have my two daughters deal with all the details and just simply agree to go along with it all. We both feel lucky to have kids who actually want us to go on holiday with them. And having them take care of everything takes a lot of stress off us.

Lisa and her bestie will go to Poland for two weeks while Laurie, The Earl and I will be spending two weeks in London. We will then meet up in Istanbul and cruise the Med together.

Because we would be travelling on Election Day, we all applied for Special Votes. On Monday the Earl and I cast our vote at The Dutch Reformed Church hall in Struisbaai. We were second in the queue and were done by 9:30 am. Lisa voted in Cape Town on Monday but Laurie went just before leaving for the airport yesterday and luckily did not have a long wait in a queue.

Tuesday, 28 May 2024

This morning, I was wide awake before the alarm went off. Our bags were packed and just the last-minute stuff had to go in. I was in a high state of excitement and by 8:30 we were both dressed and ready to leave. But our transfer would only arrive at 10:30 so we took Marlene, our lodger, to Shipwreck for breakfast and said our farewells to our friend, Rachel who owns it.

Steyn was dead on time at 10:30 and on this most glorious Autumn day with a high of 26 degrees C, we set off with in high spirits. We were delighted to find that Steyn showed an interest in the birds as we drove through the Overberg and we taught him the correct English and Afrikaans names. It was as if the birds were all coming out especially to bid us farewell. Our list included black-winged kite, rock kestrel, jackal buzzard, black sparrowhawk, spur-winged goose, Egyptian Goose, Grey heron and Blue Crane,

Lisa brought Laurie to the airport and they arrived a few minutes before we got there. Lisa and Dominica will only be flying out tomorrow while Laurie will join us for two weeks in London. After checking in we all went to have coffee at Wimpy which overlooks the runway. It is always exciting to watch the planes take off and land especially when the weather is so clear.

After Lisa left we went through passport control and it wasn’t long before our flight was called. TK45 left Cape Town International at 16:30 S.A. time and landed in Istanbul at 06:30 the following moring. It was a long night! Laurie did not have a seat near us but was on the aisle a little further back. Earl had a window seat and I was in the middle next to a lovely German girl en route home after a year of extra study at Stellenbosch Univierstiy. The Turkish crew were lovely and we were served two meals on the flight. Dinner at around 6:30 pm and breakfast at 2 am! The food was tasty – but hey aeroplane food is never wonderful!

Taken from the onboard computer as we flew over South Africa

Wednesday, 29 May 2024

Earl had assisted travel which was great as Istanbul Airport is huge and the distances you have to walk to get to your connecting flight are vast. Lollz and I got to go on the buggy with him and it was so much fun. The driver was a maniac and yelled to everyone to please make way. We went through the baggage check before everybody else but then had to make our way to the boarding gate on our own while Earl waited for a wheelchair to bring him. In the end he insisted on walking as the distance was not too far. But there was drama – the carer had lost his boarding pass! It turned out not to be a big problem. The check-in guy told us it often happened! He promised to get us a new one printed but while we waited for the flight to be called he came over with the original – “They found it – it was given to the wrong passenger!”

Enjoying being transported across Istanbul Airport!

On the second flight, TK1979, I was so exhausted that I actually managed a power nap and so did Lollz. We were served a second breakfast at the more reasonable hour of 9:00 am.

We arrived at London Heathrow at quarter to ten GMT. Lollz and I were not able to get a buggy ride this time as it was full but we still made it to passport control at the same time as Earl. We did, however, get to go through passport control ahead of the crowds!

After collecting our bags Lollz and I parked Earl on a chair and went off to find a phone shop. We each bought a “Three” sim card loaded with data that gives us airtime and data in both England and Europe for a month. Lollz then organized an Uber on her App and by 12:30 we were delivered to our door at Battersea Pad! Thanks to my brother, Michael, for allowing us to stay there while we’re in London.

After unpacking and settling in, Lollz and I tried to order in some supplies but there is no 60/60 here! The soonest we could get a grocery delivery was Friday so we decided to go shopping ourselves. Lollz’ friend, Katya and her 6-year-old son, Daniel arrived just before we left and walked with us to the Tesco Express. It was such fun shopping like a Londoner! You can use self-service check out but we were afraid we would do it all wrong so went to the till instead. “Sorry,” I apologised to the cashier, “we’re from Africa – we don’t have such things in our supermarkets yet!” He looked at me as if I we crazy!

Katya, Daniel and Lollz in the streets of Battersea, London

Katya and Lollz are old college friends and she now lives in Greenwich. It was lovely seeing her again and getting to know little Daniel. They stayed for an early supper and Daniel was absolutely intrigued by the river and the helicopters coming and going! Of course, the Earl just loved entertaining him while the girls chatted and caught up after not seeing each other since 2018.

Katya and Lollz – Still buddies after 26 years!

We grilled crumbed chicken portions in the oven and served them with baby potatoes, creamed spinach and salad. Katya had bought Magnum Ice Creams for our dessert!

It was a lovely start to our fortnight in London. It’s early to bed for us tonight. We are exhausted!

Share Your World Monday 20 May 2024

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Here are my answers to this week’s Share Your World from Di

1. Do you have a favourite movie you never tire of watching?

84 Charing Cross Road. I read the book first and absolutely loved it. I did not believe that it could be made into a movie. I caught it by chance on television several years ago and it was outstanding – just as good as the book even though the book is an exchange of letters between an American rare book collector and a bookseller from London. I have watched the movie several times.

I also love – Yentl, Working Girl, Shirley Valentine, Beaches, The Holiday and Miss Potter

2. Do you have a favourite song or special song as a couple?

Everybody connected to me knows that Lady in Red (Chris de Burgh) is our favorite song. We get up an dance every time we hear it.

3. How do you relax in the evenings?

We usually have sundowners just before six either at the harbour or at home while watching the birds in our garden. We eat dinner at around six. We have friends over at least once per week. After dinner we watch TV – either Netflix or pre-recorded programs

4. Do you celebrate special birthdays or anniversaries?

Not with as much ceremony as we did in the past but, yes, we do celebrate with close friends or family.

One of the most memorable celebrations was when I turned 60. One of the moms at my school baked me a special cake decorated with photos of the kids. We also had cup cakes and the kids presented me with their own handmade cards and special gifts.

Gratitude:

The meme below is just so apt for me. LIfe is very good!

The Bird that scared me!

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Everyone who follows my blog knows that I love birds. I spend much of my free time watching them in my garden and in the wild. What I do not have, is a pet bird, unless you count the Cape Wagtail that cheekily enters my house and screams for cheese or the sugarbirds that do not fly away when we fill the sugarwater feeder.

The trusting sugarbirds know they’re safe with The Earl

There is a scary movie called “The Birds”. I have never watched it and probably never will as I cannot imagine birds being scary! But yesterday – a bird did scare me!

I set out for a walk at about 4 o’clock, taking my Ocean View Drive route. I hadn’t walked for two days so was looking forward to a good workout. All of a sudden I heard a high-pitched shriek and I felt a fluttering on my shoulder.

“What the heck – a crow is attacking me!”

But of course that was just paranoia. As I cringed and swatted at my shoulder I saw that it was not a large black-winged attacker but a small, beautiful red and green parakeet-type bird. I was wearing a necklace of Venetian blue glass beads and she was very interested in these and the chain of my red cell phone bag. Clearly, she liked my bling.

At the moment the bird landed on me a car screeched to a halt and after the few seconds it took to realise what had happened I glanced at her awestruck face. “I saw it in the tree,” she said, “And then it just flew at you. I thought it must be your pet!”

“Not mine,” I replied. “Any idea who it could belong to?”

No, she did not. And the birdie did not want to leave my shoulder, arm, head or back. He just clung on and chattered in my ear. I had to take my earbuds out (I’d been listening to a podcast!) Ocean View Drive is a long one so knocking on doors as just not an option and I didn’t want to walk back home in case the bird flew off and got lost far from home. Instead, I took a selfie and rang Earl to fetch me so we could look after the lovely avian until the rightful parents could be found. Earl couldn’t believe it so luckily I had the selfie to prove my predicament. While I waited I posted on Facebook’s Luv 4 Pets and Struisbaai Fun but of course, these posts would only go live after the admins had approved them.

The Earl soon picked me up and dropped me at home while he went to buy seed in case we were to be the custodians for a while before the rightful parents were found.

After Earl left it struck me that our neighbourhood WhatsApp group, Meerkat, would probably be the most likely to respond so I posted the selfie with the caption, “Anybody know this bird? He dropped in on me while I was walking on Ocean View Drive!”

Within minutes Bettie replied. “Dit lyk soos Pollie. Die Zeemans het so ‘n voel wat vry in die huis rondvlieg.” (It looks like Polly – The Zeemans have such a bird and he flies freely around their house)

I know the Zeemans from the boat club and had Adel’s number, so I quickly rang her. “Ek het ‘n voêl hier by my. Is dit joune?” (I have a bird with me. Could it be yours?)

She told me that her two African Greys were in their cages. Could I describe the bird? So I sent her the photo and got a voice note back. “Dis Pollie. Ek het nie geweet dat sy weg was. (It’s Polly – I didn’t know she was missing!)

I sent the address and she and her son arrived just as Earl returned from the supermarket with the seed. Pollie greeted her people with much screeching and kissing. They got into the car but just as they were about to drive away, Pollie flew out of the open window and perched on the overhead wire! And she would not return to either of them. The neighbour’s cat was very interested, so I picked her up and told her to behave. Pollie then flew into another garden and high up into a tree which Adel’s son attempted to climb. Eventually, she came down to a lower bush and with much coaxing and encouragement the young man managed to get Pollie to willingly hop onto his hand and then his shoulder and they got her into the car.

I did some googling to see what kind of bird Pollie is and the closest I can come up with is a Jandaya Parakeet which originated in the northeast of Brazil where it is quite common in the wild. Pollie is a well-cared-for pet and would not survive if released to care for herself.

SADSAA 2024 International and National Bottom Fish Tournament – Closing Function

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Wednesday, 1 May 2024

The final scores were in and the medals were presented at a formal dinner at The Struisbaai Harbour Cafe.

Those who helped in the organisation as well as those who had special duties during the tournament were thanked. Roger Marais, Struisbaai Deep Sea Angling Club’s Chairman, and Sonja Marais, Western Province Angling Association’s Secretary presented them with tokens of appreciation.

Click on the first photo in the gallery to enlarge and then use the arrows to view the slide show. Press escape to return to the blog.

The captains of all the teams who did not win medals were called up to receive participation blazer pins. Some are pictured below.

Western Province
Sonja Marais, Mark Rode, Chris Schorn

SADSAA U21
Chris Schorn, Janes du Plessis

In the Ladies’ Bottom Fish Nationals Section, Bronze was presented to SADSAA, Silver to Eastern Province, and Gold to Border. Mable Liebenberg was the top lady angler in the National Ladies’ division.

SADSAA Ladies
Jennifer Nelson, Mable Liebenberg, Sheena Gerber (captain) Chris Schorn – SADSAA President

In the Men’s Bottom Fish Nationals, Bronze medals were presented to SADSAA Seniors, Silver to Natal and Gold to Border. The angler with the third highest score was Ian Peinke, second, was Sayed Cassim, and first was Fred Clarke.

SADSAA Seniors
Nick Nel (SADSAA Tournament Officer) Ian Peinke Riaz Hussain (captain) , Christopher Gerber Chris Schorn

The International competition was very close. Bronze went to Gibraltar, Silver to SASACC and Gold to the Proteas

Gibraltar
Nick Nel Charlie Bear, Charlie Lara (captain) Michael Bosio Chris Schorn

The International Angler with the third highest points was Protea Lady, Jacqui Luef, Second was SASACC’s Francois Beukes and First was Protea DP Burger

The angler with the most meritorious fish was Protea Lady’s Michelle Richards who caught a 12.25kg yellowtail in the competition and it is a pending record for her province, Natal.