Page 5 - Bulletin 4 2000

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the western flank of False Bay. Signal sites were set up on the east side of False Bay (near Gordon’s

Bay) to advise the fort should enemy ships enter False Bay.

Simon van der Stel – a favourable report

Commissioner Rykloff van Goens, during his short stay at the Cape in 1682, emphasised the
importance of charting the False Bay and erecting a flagstaff to advise returning ships by secret flag

signals whether Cape Town was in enemy hands. Nothing further was done about this

recommendation until October 1687 when the Council of Policy became concerned about the large
number of company ships being wrecked in the uncharted waters of the False Bay.

On 9 November 1687 Simon van der Stel and his party set out overland, with the galiot Noord
joining them in Kalk Bay, whereafter van der Stel would set about taking soundings of the bay. A

galiot was either a one-mast or a two-mast vessel of Dutch design. It was approximately 130 foot
long (140 tons) and was designed with a round stern. It had a shallow draught which enabled it to

approach the coastline for good soundings. Soundings were taken by a seaman in the bow of the
galiot. He would have a long rope which was weighed with lead on the end. This rope was knotted

for each fathom mark. The seaman would then count the number of knots as he lowered the rope until

it hit the rocks or the floor of the ocean. He would then shout to the master (hence the word sounding)
the number of knots below the water level. The master would then in turn record the depths in

fathoms. The maximum depth attained by the leaded rope method was 15 fathoms (27,4 metres.)

Van der Stel’s party passed the Steenberg Cattle Post some five hours after leaving the Castle and
arrived at Kalk Bay that afternoon. The sea was so rough that they could not join the Noord and she

anchored off Fish Hoek Beach. The wind, however, was of such force that van der Stel ordered the

galiot to proceed to Ysselsteyn Bay. Van der Stel was now marooned in Kalk Bay where, to pass the
time, he did some rock fishing. Many steenbras were caught including a large skate which it took four

men to land.

Van der Stel was very impressed with the abundance of fish at Kalk Bay and, after spending the night

in a tent on the beachfront, decided to proceed on foot to Ysselsteyn Bay, where the Noord was at
anchor. He found the route along the coast ‘quite easy’ and formed the view that at little cost a

wagon-road could be made. He was also favourably impressed by the soil believing it had potential

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