Perpetual journey

There are around 400 shipwrecks dotted around the southern coastline and peninsula of Cape Town, some dating back to the 1500s. Visitors can follow a Shipwreck Trail starting at Olifantsbos Bay in Cape Point Nature Reserve. There are tales of a doomed ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman, sailing among the wrecks. According to legend, it was travelling around the Cape in a violent storm, while the intoxicated Captain issued orders to the frightened crew. Tempers flared and the captain ended up in a drunken brawl with the crew leader, who was killed, and his body thrown into the sea. When the body hit the water however, a shadowy figure appeared on the ship, and the captain was cursed to sail forever, without reaching land, or finding peace. Today, people say the Flying Dutchman appears from under a shroud of mist and then vanishes again.