Sandbaai, Overberg Coast
As a child, I spent my summers with my nose – burnt bright red – buried in books that I’d taken out of the Hermanus library. I’d spread my towel on the beach at neighbouring Sandbaai and spend hours reading about the adventures of Trompie and Saartjie. Our French poodle Stoffel would occasionally disturb my peace to dry himself on my towel after a surf session with my brother Faani (above left; in the other picture, I’m paddling with my brother Johan). As a swimming beach, rocky Sandbaai can’t compete with Grotto in Hermanus or with the main beach at Onrus, but it has the softest sand that is perfect for reading. If we did explore the shallows, we’d wear flip-flops to protect our feet or we’d float on surfboards. It’s a great beach for picking up shells – my mom spent hours collecting shells that she would display in small bowls at home. We stayed in a two-room beach cottage that belonged to my grandfather. My mom – who has holidayed in Sandbaai since she was a child – was ahead of her time when it came to sun protection. We were only allowed to go to the beach before 10 am and after 3 pm, and sunscreen was rigorously applied. When the hunger pangs hit, my three siblings and I would walk home, arguing about which TV programme to watch that evening. The cottage didn’t have electricity, so we’d have to connect the TV to a car battery. My dad would watch the news and we’d watch our programme. The rest of the evening we played Scrabble or read by candlelight. The nearby café (now a Portuguese restaurant) sold Danish pastries – there’s no better breakfast than a warm custard Danish! Every year, a new beach towel would wait for me under the Christmas tree. Even now, my mom can’t resist a beach towel as a gift. Recently, burglars broke into the cottage and stole almost everything – from the taps and the geyser to the toilet bowl. Many people have suggested that we’d be better off selling the place, but I can’t imagine spending Christmas anywhere else. I can’t read my books on any sand but Sandbaai’s! – Gerda Engelbrecht