SS: Cape Agulhas light Traditional Geocache

This cache has been archived.

Knagur Green: Due to no response from the CO after the request to maintain or replace the cache, I am archiving it to, stop it showing on the listings and/or to create place for the geocaching community.

The Geocache Maintenance guideline explains a CO's responsibility towards checking and maintaining the cache when problems are reported.

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If the CO feels that this cache has been archived in error please feel free to contact me within 30 days, via email or message via my profile ,quoting the GC number concerned

Thank you for understanding

Knagur Green
Groundspeak Volunteer Reviewer

More
Hidden : 12/1/2010
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

An easy cache that forms part of the Shipwreck Series. For the series methodology and more info visit SS: Shipwreck Series via the related web page link.

At the end of the 15th century the early Portuguese seafarers christened this tip "Cabo das Agulhas" which means "Cape of Needles" and refers to the needle of the compass which at this point shows no real deviation between true north and magnetic north. A truly magic and desolate place, where suddenly one begins to understand the difficulties the early seafarers must have faced.

The many ship fatalities in the area soon demanded that a lighthouse be built. The Cape Agulhas Lighthouse is the second-oldest working lighthouse in South Africa and was built in 1848. It is one of only three buildings in South Africa to be inspired by Egyptian architecture. Today it houses a small restaurant and a Lighthouse Museum which is well worth visiting. You can then climb to the top of the lighthouse for a spectacular view.

Outside the lighthouse is a replica of a figurehead that was washed up on the rocks below the lighthouse. The original figurehead now resides at the shipwreck museum in Bredasdorp.

Although smaller than the 140 metre tower of the original, the Agulhas lighthouse faithfully reproduces the limestone façade and trio of towers that distinguished its more famous predecessor. Here, far removed from their northern deserts, the winged sun and twin serpents of ancient Egypt look towards the Antarctic. Somewhat more modest in size, this African replica is also much younger.

At a hundred and fifty years old the Agulhas beacon is a grand daddy among the lighthouses of the South African coast. In comparison, the wood-burning fires of the Pharos were maintained for fifteen hundred years before an earthquake finally destroyed the long-famous edifice in 1258.

By 1849 wood was in short supply at the southern reaches of the continent but fat-tailed sheep there were a-plenty. The first lamp that was used produced a beam of 4 500 candlepower which was fuelled from oil obtained from the tails of local fat-tailed sheep. In later years, paraffin was trekked in by ox-wagon. A rotating optical system was used from 1914 and an electric light of 12 million candlepower was introduced in 1936.

Besides the other listed SS caches in the area, there have been numerous other wrecks along this stretch of coast. Here are a few more examples: Cooranga (1964), Elise (1879), European (1877), Federal Lakes (1975), Geortyrder (1849), Gouritz (1981), and Gwendola (1968).

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

BCE?

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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