Mossel Bay - General Info
Where is Mossel Bay?
Mossel Bay is located about halfway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth on the Garden Route in South Africa’s Western Cape Province.
Mossel Bay is known for the wide Santos Beach and the 19th-century Cape St. Blaize Lighthouse, which offers bay views. The Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex includes the Maritime Museum, the Shell Museum and botanical gardens. The Post Office Tree, a milkwood tree in the complex, has been used as a mail collection point since the 1500s.
Entrance Notes and Cautions for Mossel Bay:
- Mossel Bay: Cape St. Blaize Lighthouse fog signal not operational (2 May 2024)
Mossel Bay Yacht and Boat Club is closed and the marina is full of local boats. Boats can enter the port and it is possible to anchor in the bay.
Mossel Bay Port Control controls all the shipping and yacht movements in and out of the port. On approach to the main breakwater, yachts call “Port Control” on VHF Channel 12 for permission to enter the port and for directions as to where to tie up.
Cruiser Highlights for Mossel Bay:
Offers good protection in a SW/W wind if on anchor outside the harbour but becomes untenable when the wind swings to E/NE. Very friendly and welcoming yacht club that usually allows visiting yachts, anchored outside the harbour, to use the clubhouse facilities. Now an official port of entry.
Position – harbour entrance:
34°10’24” S, 22° 08’43” E
Last updated: June 2024
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The town is safe and everything is within walking distance, including a Checkers supermarket. Nice hike along the coast, great pizza at Matt & Collin’s, between the port’s entrance gate 2 and Checkers.
The yacht club is closed and the marina is full of local boats. Visiting boats need to call the port control on VHF 12 to ask permission to enter the port. Port control will likely direct you to the raft up to a fishing vessel at the end of the Vintcent jetty or directly on the Western side of the jetty, which has big black tires as fenders. Use long lines because of the tidal range. Free. Water is available on the jetty (although not the usual connection – check with port control). Toilets in the port control building. Note that upon entering the port area, you will need to take a breathalizer test, so you can’t have alcohol when you eat out.
Fuel can be arranged through Kepu Marine (Mr Rooi: +27824943783). They have a pump at the eastern end of the port. Arrange and pay first (which can be done at the ABSA bank in town). Call port control for permission before moving the boat to get fuel.
We arrived July 26, 2022 to await a weather window around Agulhas. The small marina is there but we can’t find anyone to talk to about temp moorage. The email for the Mossel Bay Moorings replied with this,
“ The Mossel Bay Yacht and Boat Club was evicted by Transnet National Port Authorities in January 2019, and thus doesn’t manage the moorings, the previous club grounds and the slipway anymore, very sorry!
Please contact Harbor Master Capt. Vania Cloete for further assistance:
Capt. Vania Cloete, Harbour Master
Transnet National Ports Authority (Port of Mossel Bay)
Admin Building, 55 Bland Street
Mossel Bay 6506
Tel: 044- 604 6304
Mobile: 083- 980 2079
Email: Vania.Cloete@transnet.net”
We are going to speak to him but for now we are rafted up to a fishing boat on the cement quay.
The yacht club is managed as a pub and restaurant. They are very friendly and anchoring off the yacht club – behind the harbour wall, although not too close due to the Nor’Easter which can spring up in the mornings giving a short chop bouncing off the wall – will give good shelter from the SW wind which can be very strong. DO NOT pick up any of the mooring buoys – they aren’t inspected regularly.
There are about 40 walk-on marina’s in the harbour. If you do enter the be sure to call Mossel Bay Port Control on Ch 12. Its a fairly busy harbour with support vessels for the gas platforms about 60km away.
The club is run by Albie +27 72 075 4334. A very friendly and helpful guy.
Mossel Bay is a clean and neat town with lots of history. The first Portuguese explorers arrived here about 1480 and they’re very proud of this heritage, with monuments and museums.
The town is a 5 minute walk from the harbour, and you can get pretty much anything you want. At the point around the corner is the longest over-water zipline in the world. Even for South Africa, the prices are very cheap.
We loved Mossel Bay – the people, the place and overall friendliness.