THE Cape of Storms lived up to its ignominious reputation at the weekend, delivering a ferociously icy, pre-Spring blast, which ripped roofs off buildings, uprooted trees, drenched homes and severely curtailed shipping operations in the port of Cape Town. As high-velocity winds and near-incessant rain pounded the West and Southern Cape coast for two days, the port of Cape Town was closed to incoming traffic from about 15:00 on Saturday, with the position unchanged at dawn on Monday. Seas off the Atlantic Seaboard appeared calm in the grey light of early day but not a single vessel could be seen as all chose to ride the storm out further out to sea. The NPA’s Captain Carl Otto told FTW Table Bay swells of around 7.5 metres had rendered it unsafe for pilot operations, so terminating all incoming movements, while sailings were left at the discretion of the ships’ masters, some of whom decided to stay put.
