|
Lees in Afrikaans
St Helena Bay and Stompneus Bay has developed along the
south westerly shores of St Helena Bay, a large bay that is also home to Velddrif on it's
opposite shore. The town is situated about 150km from Cape Town, 25km from Vredenburg and
about 37km from Saldanha.
St Helena Bay is the only bay on the West Coast where you will see the sun rising over the
sea. A row of hills form the backdrop to the town and ensures a slightly higher rainfall for the
area. Part of it's undeniable charm, is the long stretch of coastline where housing developments flow
into each other almost unnoticeably. Luxury homes and fishermen's cottages blend together with
patches of empty land, factories, churches, hills and beaches with breathtaking results.
Both villages developed around the fishing industry and boast at least 11 fishing companies
which process more than half of the fish that are processed yearly in South Africa.
The best known of the factories is St Helena Bay Fishing - part of the Oceana company and home
of Lucky Star Pilchards. A variety of canned fish as well as lobster products are produced here and
exported all over the world. Stompneus Bay is also home to a mussel farm.
Sandy Point harbour is a must see for visitors. In snoek season the harbour is alive
with activity when the boats come in heavily laden with snoek. Willing hands are waiting to
clean ("vlek") your snoek for you while sea gulls fight loudly over whatever they can get.
Read in English
St Helenabaai en Stompneusbaai
het ontstaan op die suid-westelike kus van St Helena Baai, 'n baai wat ook aan die ander kant daarvan, aan
Velddrif 'n tuiste bied. Die dorp is ongeveer 150km vanaf Kaapstad, 25km vanaf Vredenburg en 37km vanaf Saldanha geleë.
St Helenabaai is die enigste dorp aan die Weskus waar jy die son oor die see sal
sien opkom. 'n Ry Heuwels vorm die agterste grens van die dorp en verseker ook 'n effense
hoër reenval. 'n Deel van die dorp se onbetwisbare sjarme is die lang kuslyn waar ontwikkelings amper
onopgemerk in mekaar vloei. Luukse wonings en vissermans huise meng met onbeboude areas, strande, fabrieke
en kerke met asemrowende gevolge.
Altwee dorpies het rondom die visbedryf ontwikkel en spog met ten minste
11 visfabrieke wat gesamentlik meer as die helfte van die land se vis prosesseer.
Die bekendste van hierdie fabrieke is St Helena Bay Fishing - 'n deel van die Oseana
groep en vervaardiger van Lucky Star Pilchards. 'n Verskeidenheid van ingelegte vis
en kreef produkte word hier vervaardig en reg oor die wêreld uitgevoer.
Stompneusbaai het ook 'n mosselplaas.
Sandy Point hawe moet beslis besoek word. In snoektyd krioel die hawe as bote vol
snoek inkom. Gewillige hande is altyd beskikbaar om jou snoek te vlek terwyl seemeeue
ongeduldig raas terwyl hulle vir die afval wag.
Top of Page
Lees in Afrikaans
History of St Helena Bay / Stompneus Bay
Little is known about the history of St Helena Bay. We know that the Bay was
named by Vasco da Gama when he landed here on the 7th of November 1497. The bay was named after
Saint Helena, the religious mother of Caeser Constantine the Great, 313 A.D.
The story of St Helena Bay is also the story of immigrant fishermen. The Dipaola family (originally from Barletto)
and the Novella family (descended from Dominique Novella, a French Sailor) have lived in the area since the
early 1900's. They were fishermen and boat builders and today a large number of their descentdants still live
on the West Coast.
Top of Page
Read in English
Geskiedenis van St Helena Baai / Stompneusbaai
Baie min is bekend oor die geskiedenis van St Helenabaai en Stompneusbaai. Ons weet dat Vasco da Gama
die baai vernoem het na "Saint Helena", die gelowige moeder van keiser Constantine <313 A.D.> toe hy op 7 November 1497 hier voet
aan wal gesit het.
Die storie van St Helenabaai is ook die storie van immigrante vissermanne. Die Dipaola familie
(oorspronklik van Barletto) en die Novella familie (afstammelinge van 'n franse seeman Dominique Novella)
het in die vroeë 1900's hier aangekom. Baie afstammelinge woon nou nog aan die Weskus.
Top of Page
| 