Page 13 - KBHA Bulletin 9

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around the ports. The Phoenix off Simon’s Town naval dockyard is an example of the
hazards of sailing close to shore. The more than 60 wrecks around Robben Island are

testimony again to the treacherous approach to ports. As other major harbours developed at
Port Elizabeth, East London and Durban, so too did wrecks and it is in these areas that the

densest concentrations occur. Ports are not the only area in which wreck concentrations

develop. Points close to shore where shipping routes change direction also accumulate their
share of wreck sites.

The effects of inadequate navigational tools (coupled with bad weather) are best illustrated

by the concentration of wrecks around Cape Agulhas. Innumerable ships, from the Nicobar
to the Birkenhead, misjudged their position and ran afoul of the rocky coast and hidden

submerged rocks. Cape Agulhas, was the “hinge” between East and West in terms of

sailing direction, and ships that misjudged their position were placed in serious danger.
Turning east or north too early after leaving Cape Town resulted in major shipping losses.

But what of the numerous wrecks on South Africa’s East coast that do not fall into the
clusters around ports, or the fact that there are more shipwrecks along the East Coast than

the West Coast? A number of explanations for this phenomenon can be put forward.
Perhaps the most important relates again to navigational problems. The available maps of

the 1600s and 1700s depict the South African East coast veering sharply to the north-east
instead of following the more gradual curve east before becoming more vertical. Even if

sailors were able to calculate their positions relatively accurately, they would still be much

closer to land than was depicted on their charts. Add to this the fact that ships sailing to and
from the east using the “outer passage” would leave the African coast for the mid-Indian

Ocean, or arrive from mid-ocean at some point along the South African East Coast, and a
perilous situation arises. Those unfortunate enough to miscalculate their position or fail to

see the looming coast paid dearly. The “inner passage” between the African Mainland and
Madagascar would be as perilous. Ships would have to travel close to the coast and deal

with the resultant hazards as mentioned above. Again, poor navigational charts would mean