It was drizzling this morning and hence, my run to the cave, Waenhuiskrans, was called off. Instead, I enjoyed a sumptuous champagne breakfast at the hotel before going to OTB. This afternoon, I took a break and drove to Cape Agulhas for late lunch and to visit the southernmost point of the African continent. 
The southernmost tip of Africa was first called Cabo das Agulhas (“Cape of Needle”) in 1502 by Portuguese seafarers, after it had previously been named Ponta de Sint Brandao by Barttholomeu Dias, who first rounded the tip of Africa in January 1488, in honour of the patron saint of that day. The excepted explanation of the reference to needles is that, at the time, the magnetic needles of a compass showed no deviation from true north (simply a chance of occurrence, as magnetic divergence varies greatly across the globe and changes over time – the divergence at Agulhas is now about 24.5 degrees west).
The stretch of coastline around Agulhas became notorious amongst seafarers as a graveyard of ships. Hidden reefs, sandy shallows and jagged rocks all awaited the unwary mariner who ventured too close to the shore or was driven there by the huge swells and strong gales. 
The first of over a hundred shipwrecks recorded was that of the Zoetendal in 1673; the survivors reached Cape Town over land, and on the way named a freshwater lake near Struisbaai Zoentendals Vlei.
In the late 1830s, letters appeared in Cape Town newspaper calling for a lighthouse to be erected at Cape Agulhas. Michiel van Breda donated land while COL Charles Michell designed the lighthouse. His design was homage to the lighthouse that stood on the island of Pharos at Alexandria in Egypt.
On 8 January 1848, Cape Agulhas Lighthouse was put into operation with its optical apparatus from Le Paute in Paris powering 4,500-candlepower light. Started off with a four-wick Argand burner and tail fats from local fat-tailed sheep to the electrified one in 1936, the lighthouse did not miss a blink in the first hundred years. I went to the top of the lighthouse. The view was wonderful. 
From the lighthouse, I walked to the southernmost tip of Africa. Looking back from there, the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse looked even more beautiful.
The southernmost tip of the African continent was determined by Chief Directorate: Surveys and Mapping in June 1983, about 1km west of the lighthouse: 34° 49’ 58.74” South and 20° 00’ 02.12” East. 
At the time, the confusion about where the two oceans met was also cleared up: the Hydrographic Office stated that the internationally accepted “boundary” between Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean was 20° 00’ longitude, which is only about 1,200 metres west of Cape Agulhas – clearly not at Cape Point, as it is often claimed.
The southernmost tip of Africa was first called Cabo das Agulhas (“Cape of Needle”) in 1502 by Portuguese seafarers, after it had previously been named Ponta de Sint Brandao by Barttholomeu Dias, who first rounded the tip of Africa in January 1488, in honour of the patron saint of that day. The excepted explanation of the reference to needles is that, at the time, the magnetic needles of a compass showed no deviation from true north (simply a chance of occurrence, as magnetic divergence varies greatly across the globe and changes over time – the divergence at Agulhas is now about 24.5 degrees west).The stretch of coastline around Agulhas became notorious amongst seafarers as a graveyard of ships. Hidden reefs, sandy shallows and jagged rocks all awaited the unwary mariner who ventured too close to the shore or was driven there by the huge swells and strong gales. The first of over a hundred shipwrecks recorded was that of the Zoetendal in 1673; the survivors reached Cape Town over land, and on the way named a freshwater lake near Struisbaai Zoentendals Vlei.
In the late 1830s, letters appeared in Cape Town newspaper calling for a lighthouse to be erected at Cape Agulhas. Michiel van Breda donated land while COL Charles Michell designed the lighthouse. His design was homage to the lighthouse that stood on the island of Pharos at Alexandria in Egypt.On 8 January 1848, Cape Agulhas Lighthouse was put into operation with its optical apparatus from Le Paute in Paris powering 4,500-candlepower light. Started off with a four-wick Argand burner and tail fats from local fat-tailed sheep to the electrified one in 1936, the lighthouse did not miss a blink in the first hundred years. I went to the top of the lighthouse. The view was wonderful. From the lighthouse, I walked to the southernmost tip of Africa. Looking back from there, the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse looked even more beautiful.The southernmost tip of the African continent was determined by Chief Directorate: Surveys and Mapping in June 1983, about 1km west of the lighthouse: 34° 49’ 58.74” South and 20° 00’ 02.12” East. At the time, the confusion about where the two oceans met was also cleared up: the Hydrographic Office stated that the internationally accepted “boundary” between Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean was 20° 00’ longitude, which is only about 1,200 metres west of Cape Agulhas – clearly not at Cape Point, as it is often claimed.<--- Indian Ocean meets Atlantic Ocean --->
Once again, Hyundai Tucson proved to be a wonderful 2x4 wheel-drive SUV, even on sandy beaches.
Reaching the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas, was one of my two wishes for this trip to South Africa. The other wish was to go the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town. Let's hope my dream would come true this weekend.
