Winter won’t stop us!!

By Ryan

Jun

16

June in South Africa signals the arrival of the winter season and is usually accompanied by the cold and the rain, many reasons to stay indoors. However , there are many beautiful days that nestle in between the cold fronts that make their way with ferocity over the Peninsula and the beauty of the Cape tends to shines through on these rare days.

A winters day boat trip to Cape Point on one of those rare days provides a special feeling to those aboard. Their knowing that the sea can be a mean beast, yet the safety of the boat instills a sense of calm and allows them to relax and just enjoy the ride. A Marine Scene tour saw a large group of French tourists require the services of Zangetsu. With no time restrictions and a large swell (to make the journey more enjoyable) we set off for Cape Point at a leisurely pace. The ride was exciting and the group was eager, despite an earlier request  to keep it slow. The waves tend to get a bit bigger as we approach Cape Point and the anticipation clearly rises the closer we get. After a few pictures and some historical stories we set back along the coastline to Millers Point.

At the end of the day another happy group that enjoyed the Cape Point experience by sea.

All smiles after a fun trip

But first, we wait for the French to arrive

2011 Freedom Swim

By Ryan

May

22

2011 was the 10th time the Freedom Swim was officially held. Starting at Robben Island and ending at Big Bay the swim distance is an impressive 7.5km of cold water swimming. This is the forth or fifth time we have taken part in the swim accompanying various swimmers across the channel. Including Natalie Du Toit on our older boat and more recently Luke – our resident swimmer.

Unfortunately the weather was not accommodating and infamous South Easter wind kept the sea swell too big to swim. The swim did not take place from the Island but rather from an altered route from Big Bay (see www.cadiz.co.za for more details). I have uploaded a video and you can see why it was unsafe to swim  in these conditions.

Freedom Swim Condition Highlights

Having said that, Zangetsu handled the sea conditions with ease although the skipper had to keep alert as visibility was not exactly 100%.  To all swimmers, hopefully next year will be better.and this was definitely the worst conditions I have seen in which a swim was potentially going to happen.

The Go team supporting our swimmer

So that was last week….

By admin

Mar

3

The weather has not slowed the pace of Zangetsu, as we managed to venture out in gale force winds. Unfortunately the fun and water (provided by the sea and wind) had by ALL, did not allow for many pictures to be taken. The waves were big and the speed was right.

In Hout Bay recently the South Easter provided some interesting challenges getting to Seal Island and the boss crane. But we managed and because sea water is the water of life, no-one really mied getting wet.
But because the pics are few i decided to post another upcoming weather forecast… to wet your appetite for the sea.

Good enough to be used in Antarctica

By admin

Jan

14

So, on our way to our latest charter we see that MCM (Marine and Coastal Management) have been inspired by us and the LEGENDARY ZANGETSU.It was enough to give the members of Conquest Charters Marine and Tourism a warm fuzzy feeling.

In summary they have a Gemini Wave Rider 850 with two Honda 225 engines as the work horses (sound familiar). But being monitoring vessels they went with the bright RED color scheme.

Since each boat has a single hoist point, they will undoubtedly serve as tenders to the larger marine fleet. Who knows they might end up in the antarctic aboard the SA Agulhas.Did I mention that warm fuzzy feeling? ….and that Zangetsu is a legend!

Toyboata vs Zangetsu…Round 1

By admin

Dec

22

It almost looks better on the Toyota, but having twins so suits the GEMINI.

The Beautiful Engines

By admin

Apr

15




I could go into details about the new Honda 225′s we have at the back of Zangetsu. But these pictures should give you an idea how awesome they really are.

Lights, Camera, Action

By admin

Apr

15

It’s been a while but this some of things we’ve been up to?

Cape Town is a favoured destination for movie makers and a recent German mini-series being shot here saw Zangetsu being required for some all important media shots. The all familiar movie crew, the grips and production agencies bustling around the streets of Cape Town often spill over into the sea.


Here are some photos of a recent media shoot. You might notice that the original Highlander (Christopher Lambert) appears in some of the pictures!

GO BIG OR GO HOME… we go forward

By admin

Jan

20

Cape Town “2008” was awesome!

We saw our fleet double from one to two boats. The slow build of “Zangetsu” was worth the wait! The awesome 8.5m Gemini really performs well and is more than capable of handling the rough seas around Cape Town (although we prefer NOT to test those capabilities). The weather was great making the boat trips fun and the tourists were really rewarded by a bumper whale season as well as a relatively mild south-easter.

Another reason to be joyous was the latest upgrade to “Zangetsu” – two brand new Honda 225 outboard motors provide massively more power. We are now able to keep up with the big boys in the industry. I guess it’s a case of go big or go home.

On the sea-side of things: on our recent trip to Hout Bay we spotted, not one but two sunfish soaking up the rays, a pod of dolphins and plenty of seals. Also a southern right whale off Sea Point (although we thought it was a bit late in the season). It might have been this one (follow the link) who ended up in the paper not too long after we spotted him. Well done to the brave divers who jumped in to help, one of them being the skipper who took the pictures of our Red Bull BIG wave experience (see below).

We look forward to 2009 and having you experience Cape Town the Conquest way.

Winter in the Cape

By admin

Aug

22

Well winter has set in to Cape Town and our main charter runs come to end. However if you are keen for diving, now is the best time to get out to False Bay and see some of the awesome wrecks and reefs that can be found along the coast.

As with most seasonal businesses this time spells the maintenance period that the vehicles so desperately crave. “Orlando” the mighty Landcruiser has been responsible for towing Conquest, and now Zangetsu, around the Cape Peninsula. Not fast and not the most luxurious but still reliable and enjoyable to ride. Some pictures include an unforgettable trip up the West Coast and an ill fated sampling trip (alone I might add).
Also featured is another tow vehicle that we hope will live up to the Landcruiser’s strength (feel free to comment on your vehicular affiliation).
(land rover pic coming soon…sorry)
Well guess I best get back to fixing the wear and tear that is becoming evident from a life close to the sea.

Introducing ZANGETSU

By admin

Feb

27

Now with all the fun and games that goes with rides the big blue….there comes a time when you either need a new vessel or an upgrade. Enter ZANGETSU….

Now CONQUEST the lovely boat introduced earlier (see The Mean Machine above) will still be in service. As mentioned earlier we started in the film industry acting as the photographic vessel. CONQUEST the “work horse” has a unique hull design which increases stability while filming at sea. And it is to this that CONQUEST will go back to.
Her baby brother ZANGETSU will be mainly a tourist vessel designed to carry 14 people screaming people. Not yet complete and still needing to undergo sea trials I have put some pictures from the build till now. The next post will hopefully have the completed boat all to see.