Trekking in the bay

It's taken me a while, but I have at last hit on the word I was looking for to describe the colour of the sea in False Bay yesterday, in the shallows along the shoreline - aquamarine! Kind of obvious really, being rather literally translated as water of the sea! It struck me as I was looking through my collection of crystals and in particular the main stone on a favourite necklace, an aquamarine - hence the memory jog.

Living level with the sea here in Kommetjie, I don't have the advantage of a large portion of the Fish Hoek and Clovelly population who live up on the mountainside and have such magnificent views across the bay towards the Hottentots Holland mountains in the distance and the sheltered waters of Fish Hoek bay below. I have a dear friend who lives directly above the beach, and on the occasions when I visit, the first thing I do is head for the floor-to-ceiling windows that form the front 'wall' of the house to look for sharks. To date, I have never seen one and I don't think she has either. But then, who has time to stand looking out of the window all day?

A walk along the top road on Elsie's Peak to the sharkspotter's hut will soon reveal why they chose that spot to spot from! It must be an ideal job for someone who enjoys plenty of their own company with only the birds in the pincushions and other fynbos for distraction, and perhaps the odd tortoise or snake. I'm sure they appreciate the odd visit from hikers who drop off cooldrinks and sticky buns from time to time in appreciation of the fine job they have been doing for years now. As I recall, and I am open to correction, the original purpose of the watchers on the mountain was to spot the shoals of yellowtail coming into the bay in summer. I have a vague recollection that the man on the hill would blow a whistle or some similar instrument to alert the fishermen when the shoal appeared, so that they could launch the boat (Rio Rita) through the waves and start rowing out towards the shoal. The man would then signal with flags (this was long before the days of cellphones!) in a kind of semaphore to show the fishermen which way to row to ensure that they were circling the net around the shoal, and then indicate when they could head back to shore to begin the long haul of the catch onto the beach. There were always plenty of willing helpers to pull on the ropes and mothers would rush along the beach to see if they could buy a fish for supper. There was none fresher.

Alas! Those days are gone. Today, when there is a catch, a truck is waiting to take it all to who knows where for processing and we now have to go to the fish shop to buy our fish after the middleman has taken his cut! If we hadn't had the good fortune to experience the trekking on the beach in our youth, we would be none the wiser regarding the supply chain that adds no value to our purchase, merely expense.

Those were the days, my friend. We thought they'd never end...