Originally labeled Cabo Tormento, or Cape of Storms by the Portuguese due to the tumultuous weather than can arise here due to the meeting of vast oceans systems and currents.
It was later renamed Cabo Esperanza or Cape of Good Hope to improve PR.
Sir Francis Drake called it "
the fairest cape of all".
The cold Benguela current of the Atlantic arrives here from the antarctic to the southwest to meet the warm Agulhas (or Mozambique) current of the Indian Ocean coming down from the equator. The water temperatures on the west coast of the peninsula rarely get above 12C at the peak of summer, and just a few miles away, to the east of the peninsula the water reaches a comfortable 25C.
Howard [ Just Imagine ] 31-Dec-1969Howard [ Just Imagine ] 31-Dec-1969