A small Dutch East India Company fleet arrived at the perilous Cape of Storms. Weary sailors stared in awe at the sight of the table shaped mountain as the flagship Drommedaris laid anchor in the bay.
The Drommedaris, Goede Hoope and the Reijger set sail from Amsterdam in order to establish a way-station at the southern point of Africa. This strategic location on the maritime trade route between Europe and the East Indies was paramount as ships needed a haven where fresh water, vegetables and meat were readily available.
Jan van Riebeeck arrived in the Cape onboard the Drommedaris on 6 April 1652. As first governor of the Cape he was the man charged with building the first fort, improving the natural anchorage in Table Bay and ensuring that agriculture took shape in this new settlement, which was since renamed The Cape of Good Hope.
Little did he and the first settlers know that they will one day be regarded as the founding fathers of a new people and that their small village will be widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world!
As the years went by, this small outpost grew in size and the Cape became home to the Afrikaner people. Afrikaners are the descendants of those first Dutch, French and German settlers, i.e. people who evolved from their European cousins by speaking a new language and creating their own indigenous culture. They cultivated the land with vine, maize and corn, raised livestock, spread the gospel of Christ and essentially brought Western civilization to the tip of Africa.
Many great men followed in van Riebeeck's footsteps and built on his generation's success, transforming the untamed land into one of the few thriving regions of Africa.
The Drommedaris symbolises a remarkable voyage to a strikingly beautiful part of the world. Although she has long since vanished from the high seas, her legacy still lives on. The crew of Drommedaris Golf CC today look forward to ensuring that your journey to Africa will also be an unforgettable and exhilarating experience!
