Simon’s Town - General Info
Where is Simon’s Town?
The harbours of Simon’s Town and Gordon’s Bay are found within False Bay which is on the south side of South Africa’s Cape Peninsula, 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Cape Town. The name False Bay name refers to the fact that early sailors confused the bay with Table Bay to the north.
Simon’s Town
As a tourist destination, Simon’s Town is second to none. The Boulder’s Beach penguin colony is within walking distance of the marina and Cape Point and the Table Mountain National Park are well worth the visit. There is fantastic snorkeling and diving in the area and it is one of South Africa’s premier saltwater kayaking and paddling destinations. The mountainous surroundings are stunning, and there is great marine biodiversity – the filming location for the Academy Award-winning documentary My Octopus Teacher is a stone’s throw away from the marina.
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
Located on the eastern shore of False Bay, Gordon’s Bay is a holiday town with a long fishing and sailing heritage. The old harbour is home to the Gordon’s Bay Yacht Club which has a lively bar and restaurant and a reputation for very friendly locals. There is a slip with a trolley cradle but availability is limited and fishing boats receive priority.
Gordon’s Bay is a great base to explore South Africa’s famous winelands. Stellenbosch is about 30km inland and the culinary capital of Franschhoek is a further 30km drive. The bay is also the start of one of the most stunning coastal routes in the world – Clarence Drive – which kicks off South Africa’s Whale Route. The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage and home to the famous Crystal Pools.
Entrance Notes and Cautions:
- False Bay: Whittle Rock Buoy is off-station (20 March 2024)
- False Bay: North cardinal buoy near Roman Rock Light has been removed due to maintenance (22 March 2024 – note from ed.: this has been missing for several years)
- False Bay: The lit radio mast on Elsie’s Peak has collapsed (8 January 2024, see NtM120(T)/24)
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
Gordon’s Bay Harbour
Entry is tide dependent due to silting, but there is a channel that can accommodate drafts up to 1.8m at almost every high tide (2.0m drafts at spring highs). Contact the Gordons Bay Yacht Club for local knowledge. Beware of extremely strong catabatic south easterly winds in summer. However, if the weather is unsuitable, you can also head downwind to Simon’s Town which is 22NM to the west.
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 Simon’s Town on request.
Position:
34° 11.28’S, 18° 25.93’E (marina)
Last updated: November 2023
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