by SFT | Aug 19, 2026 | Notes From The Editor, St Francis
The weather in St Francis has been decidedly odd lately. We have had strange temperature changes, far too many southerly winds and very little sense of a normal winter pattern. Meanwhile, the surf has been abysmal. There have been a few moments, but anyone waiting for a solid run of winter waves has been waiting for quite some time.
Something else interesting has been happening along the beaches around the new groynes in St Francis Bay. Over the past two months, there has been a healthy deposit of sand along sections of the beach. At the same time, we haven’t had any vicious weather or those powerful, long-period winter swells washing through the bay.
Whether the two are connected is a question for people who understand coastal processes better than I do. However, it is another noticeable feature of what has been a very unusual couple of months around here.
There are plenty of theories about what is happening. El Niño gets mentioned, along with ocean temperatures and changing weather patterns. Then there are the various pressure systems moving around the Southern Ocean. However, you can stare at charts for hours and still end up looking out the window for the final answer.
The Chokka Forecast
I recently conducted some highly informal meteorological research at a fairly raucous party with a few local chokka fishermen. It was not a controlled environment, and nobody was taking notes. Nevertheless, these guys spend enormous amounts of time at sea. They watch the wind, currents and water temperatures because their livelihoods depend on understanding the ocean.
Their verdict was fairly unanimous: we are having an early summer. They weren’t presenting a complicated theory or trying to explain global weather systems. They simply reckoned the signs were already there and summer had arrived ahead of schedule.
That sounded reasonable until the local surfers entered the debate. They have looked at exactly the same ocean and reached the opposite conclusion.
Winter Is Just Late
According to the surfers, winter isn’t finished because it hasn’t really got going yet. The proper winter swells are still somewhere out there. Eventually, the southerlies will disappear, the swell patterns will improve and St Francis and JBay will get the winter surf it usually expects.
There might be a little wishful thinking involved. After several months of mediocre surf, accepting an early summer means accepting that winter didn’t deliver much. A late winter leaves the door open for September to produce something worthwhile.
So we have two groups who spend an unreasonable amount of their lives watching the same stretch of ocean. The fishermen see an early summer, while the surfers see a late winter.
I’m Going With Summer
I’ve decided to side with my few chokka fishermen friends. This isn’t based on any deep understanding of climatology, El Niño or the Southern Ocean. I’ve simply become resigned to the idea that winter might already be packing up.
Besides, I prefer warmth. If the choice is between waiting hopefully for another month of cold fronts or accepting an early summer, summer gets my vote. I would still appreciate a few decent waves, but they don’t necessarily have to arrive with freezing mornings and howling westerlies attached.
Perhaps September will prove the surfers right. For now, though, the warm days, strange winds, quiet surf and growing beaches have me leaning in the other direction.
What do you reckon? Early summer or late winter? It’s like a metaphor of life as well.
From the Editor
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by SFT | Aug 17, 2026 | St Francis
The Belgium Beer Festival is heading to Cape St Francis Resort on Saturday, 5 September, bringing beer, sausages, live music, rugby and a distinctly European flavour to the village.
The event combines two festivals in one, with the afternoon starting with a Munich Beer Festival before Belgium takes over for the evening. Add a Beer Run, an Oompah band, the Springboks against the All Blacks and a chilli-eating competition, and it should be a fairly lively Saturday.
Two Festivals In One
The Munich Beer Festival runs from 14:30 to 20:00, complete with a traditional Oompah band and plenty of German festival atmosphere. From 20:00 until midnight, the Belgium Beer Festival takes over, with live music from Me & Mr Green.
Food will also be a major part of proceedings. Festival tables include organised seating and dinner, with Belgium sausage platters and eisbein on the menu. Meanwhile, anyone feeling unnecessarily confident can put their taste buds to the test in the chilli-eating competition.
Tables cost R4,500, or R450 per person, including organised seating and dinner. General festival tickets cost R200.
Beer Run And Big-Screen Rugby
Before the main festivities begin, there will be a dress-up Beer Run through Cape St Francis Resort at 13:30. Entry costs R50, and dressing up is part of the occasion.
Rugby fans are also well catered for. The Springboks take on the All Blacks, with the match shown on a big screen during the festival.
German and Belgian beers will be on sale throughout the event, completing a Saturday built around food, music, rugby and, naturally, a healthy quantity of sausage.
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The Belgium Beer Festival takes place at Cape St Francis Resort on Saturday, 5 September. For bookings and further information, email seals@iafrica.com or contact Jason on 071 274 5725, Anita on 082 494 3755, or Kimon on 082 787 7700.
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Worth Fighting For – an excerpt from the Beach Restoration Project video
by SFT | Aug 17, 2026 | St Francis
Kouga Local Municipality has outlined a busy week of roadworks, pothole repairs and stormwater maintenance across St Francis Bay, Cape St Francis and Oyster Bay.
Roadworks Scheduled For This Week
The work is scheduled to take place from 17 August to 21 August 2026, with a number of streets in St Francis Bay receiving repairs, resurfacing and other maintenance.
Leighton Hulett Drive is scheduled for a fine slurry overlay, while Abalone Avenue and Perlemoen Street will receive pothole patching. Alikreukel Avenue is set for an asphalt overlay, with Cowrie Crescent and Mirra Way receiving slurry overlays.
Work on Sunset Drive will include vegetation clearing and pothole patching. Meanwhile, Sea Glades Drive is scheduled for pothole patching and an asphalt overlay.
Harley Street will receive pothole patching and a slurry overlay, while Shore Road is scheduled for road pre-treatment works.
Stormwater Maintenance And Pothole Repairs
In addition to the road refurbishment programme, municipal teams will be working on stormwater maintenance in several parts of the greater St Francis area.
The weekly programme includes Tom Brown Boulevard, Ginger Joll, Tumeric Turn, Corriander Crescent and St Francis Drive.
Residents and motorists are asked to drive carefully around construction areas. Temporary road closures or changes to normal traffic flow may also be required while contractors complete the work.
The municipality has asked residents in affected areas to limit unnecessary road use where possible to help crews complete the programme safely and efficiently.
Residents can also assist by reporting potholes to the Kouga Municipal Call Centre. Reports can be submitted via WhatsApp on 081 760 9183 or by calling 042 200 2200.
The scheduled programme remains subject to operational and weather conditions.
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