The name Sacramento is synonymous with Schoenmakerskop. There is the Sacramento Trail, the Sacramento cannon and the Sacramento Restaurant. But what is the Sacramento. She was a Portuguese galleon that aground just off Schoenmakerskop outside Port Elizabeth on 30 June 1647 in foul weather. By the time she hit the rocky coastline, she had a … Continue reading What is the Sacramento cannon aiming at?
Tag: shipwrecks
Shipwreck memorial in South End Cemetery
Probably the biggest maritime disaster that ever took place on the Port Elizabeth coastline happened way back during the Great Gale of 1902. On Sunday, 31 August 1902 there were 38 ships at anchor along the then North End Beach. Rain and a south-easterly wind started to lash the bay and by midnight the storm … Continue reading Shipwreck memorial in South End Cemetery
Bayworld’s Sacramento canon
The Shipwreck Hall in the Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld has some excellent information on shipwrecks around Port Elizabeth. The displays contain a lot of artifacts salvaged from wrecks like the Sacramento, Amsterdam and Doddington. One of the items that form the centerpiece display is a cannon salvaged from the wreck site of the Portuguese … Continue reading Bayworld’s Sacramento canon
The remains of the Oceanos lifeboat at Schoenmakerskop
It's been a few years since I've been down to the remains of the Oceanos lifeboat at Schoenies, so last Sunday I decided to head on over and take a walk down for a change again. 4 August 1991 was a dramatic and fateful day on the Eastern Cape coastline with the sinking of the … Continue reading The remains of the Oceanos lifeboat at Schoenmakerskop
Cape Recife beacon
The beacon out at Cape Recife is one of two beacons that was used for shipping purposes before the invention of modern navigation technology. The second beacon is the one on Marine Drive where Admiralty Road and Marine Drive comes together. Ships sailing along the coast from the west had to line up the two … Continue reading Cape Recife beacon
Meet the Amsterdam
The Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld has an excellent exhibit of artifacts and pieces from the Dutch ship Amsterdam that ran aground close to the mouth of the Swartkops River in 1817. The ship, captained by Hermanus Hofmeijer, hit a fierce storm in 1817 with the wind ripping apart the sails and snapping the masts. After … Continue reading Meet the Amsterdam
Sacramento cannon at Bayworld
The Shipwreck Hall in the Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld has some excellent information on shipwrecks around Port Elizabeth. The displays contain a lot of artifacts salvaged from wrecks like the Sacramento, Amsterdam and Doddington. One of the items that form the centerpiece display is a cannon salvaged from the wreck site of the Portuguese galleon … Continue reading Sacramento cannon at Bayworld
Bayworld exhibit of the wreck of the Amsterdam
One of the best know shipwrecks around Port Elizabeth is that of the Dutch Sailing Amsterdam that ran around close to the mouth of the Swartkops River in 1817. People may not necessarily know much of the wreck, but the fact that Amsterdam Hoek along the banks of the Swartkops is named after the ship helps.The ship, captained … Continue reading Bayworld exhibit of the wreck of the Amsterdam
Remains of a lifeboat
At the eastern end of Schoenmakerskop you will find one of the lifeboats from the Oceanos that sank on the Wild Coast in 1991. Personally I think its quite a significant "wreck" on our coastline. Going the other way, about halfway along the Sacramento Trail west of Schoenies, there is what also looks like the remains … Continue reading Remains of a lifeboat
Oceanos Lifeboat
4 August 1991 was a dramatic and fateful day on the Eastern Cape coastline with the sinking of the MTS Oceanos on the Wild Coast close to Coffee Bay, east of East London. What does this have to do with Port Elizabeth, you ask? After all 571 passengers on board was rescued, some of the … Continue reading Oceanos Lifeboat
Firefly the Travel Guy 