It is time to stay and play in St Francis Bay!

St Francis Bay is named after St Francis of Assisi – the name was bestowed in 1575 by a Portuguese seafarer called Manuel de Mesquita Perestrelo, who was tasked with mapping the coastline of southern Africa, noting safe places to anchor.

“A storm forced Perestrelo’s ship into this bay,” says local resident and history buff David Lundon as we cruise around the canals on his boat, Matilda. “He was impressed by the dunes and named the bay after the patron saint of animals and the environment.”

Little did Perestrelo know that the name would stick and 400 years later it would be one of the most popular places for South Africans to spend their summer.