Prestige Magazine December 2008

PRESTIGE i n

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l u x u r y

galeon yachts

pride of africa

champagne

dive raja ampat

classic alfa ISSUE NO. 22

R39.95

volvo ocean race

contents

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56

boating & yachting 20 Galeon Living With Beauty

40

SuperYacht

56

Maxi Dolphin

The Divine Mr Terrible

51 Power

sail & cruise 12 Volvo Ocean Race Deeper Into The Unknown

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VendĂŠe Globe

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The Caribbean On A Cloud

Solo Circumnavigation

Small Ship Cruising

lifestyle 18 The Wren Press

The Age-Old Art Of Letter Writing

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Sensual Bubbles

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JVB

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Picture Perfect Plasma

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Magic Persian Carpet Ride

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Creature Comforts

It's Champagne Season

Home-Grown Goodness

The Resolution Revolution

In Conversation With Victor Lidchi

Finding A House Sitter

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travel & interest 28 Rovos Rail Vic Falls To Pretoria

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Raja Ampat

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The Triangle Mysteries

Underwater Wonder

The Bermuda And Dragon Triangles

motoring 34 La Passione

98 Years Of Alfa Romeo

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Koenigsegg CCXR Eco-Friendly Supercar

regulars 8 From The Helm 10 GizmosGadgetsGear 74 Cocktails 76 From The Galley 78 Live The Life 80 Making Waves

from the helm Walking through the dining room this weekend, I caught a whiff of the ripening peaches in a fruit bowl and remembered why we love summer – because it is such a sensual experience.

Finally, as we head towards our welldeserved annual rest, it is a chance for all our senses to come alive. This edition of Prestige is filled to the brim with the In our next edition: Gun dog hunting same assault.

Our Lifestyle Editor, Toni, covered Rovos Rail this month for our readers, starting at the world’s most magnificent tourist attraction, the Victoria Falls. Most magnificent, because you can see it, hear it, taste it, smell it and feel it on your skin. Try not to shield your eyes against the sheer beauty exhibited in the luxury feature on the launch of Galeon Yachts in South Africa, as well as the stunning regular yacht advertisers who make Prestige their home.

Imagine bubbles of Dom Pérignon, Moët & Chandon or Veuve Clicquot bursting in your mouth and tickling your face when you read our champagne story, or feel the breeze through your hair when you drop the roof of the (soon to be yours) $2.4 million Koenigsegg CCXR exotic car. For the salty dogs, Volvo Ocean racers faced some of the toughest summer weather on their Cape Town stopover, but are well on their way in the next leg, having scrubbed and polished all that the ocean could throw at them back to racing perfection. Feel the adrenalin coursing through your veins as you vicariously experience the heroic and daring exploits of the solo sailors currently circumnavigating the Earth in the Vendeé Globe Race. Smell the sea, the sweat and the sunscreen, and hear the white quiet of a roaring wind in the sails of the world’s fastest yachts.

We wish a meaningful change of pace to all our readers and colleagues in the industry. Get some sun on your skin, hear a new song and plenty of laughter, smell the granadilla lollies on the beach, let only the best pass your lips, and come back seeing the world with new eyes.

Charl & Tanya PS: Prestige Edition 23, January 2009, will be a Special Edition on Mauritius. We will cover investment opportunities, luxury resorts and adventure sport. Our Prestige subscription competition, where you can win two airline tickets to Mauritius, also draws to a close at that time, so this would be a great opportunity to hint to your nearest and dearest that although you have everything, a gift subscription to Prestige might round the year off nicely.

Issue 22 PUBLISHER: Chapel Lane Media PO Box 13404, Hatfield, 0028 Tel: +27 82 452 8110 Fax: +27 866 78 6370 mail@prestigemag.co.za MANAGING EDITOR: Charl du Plessis (MBA Yale, PhD Darden) charl@prestigemag.co.za EDITOR: Tanya Goodman (PhD Yale) tanya@prestigemag.co.za LIFESTYLE EDITOR: Toni Ackermann toni@prestigemag.co.za ADVERTISING: Boating & Yachting Rui Barbosa +27 84 290 2070 rui@prestigemag.co.za Gauteng Adie Pranger +27 83 601 2291 +27 11 465 1572 adie@prestigemag.co.za Lifestyle & Property Lodene Grobler +27 79 876 4130 lodene@prestigemag.co.za DESIGN & LAY-OUT: Henco Meintjes Virtual Da Vinci Creative Room SUBSCRIPTIONS: SMS the words SUBSCRIBE PRESTIGE, followed by your name and email address, to +27 82 452 8110.

Alternatively, email your name, cell number and delivery address to mail@prestigemag.co.za.

Print: Business Print, Pretoria DISTRIBUTION: Prestige is available at major news stand outlets and through subscription. Prestige is freely distributed in leading five-star hotels and airport lounges, as well as upscale coffee shops, wellness centres and spas, and waiting areas for private banking clients.

Cover Images Credits: Main: Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race. Thumbnails: Galeon; Rovos Rail; LVMH International; Alfa Romeo; Claudia Pellarini-Joubert and Leon Joubert of www.bittenbysharks.com

PRESTIGE i n

SUBSCRIBE, SAVE & WIN Get Prestige delivered to your door each month and save up to 48% on the cover price. All new subscriptions before January 2009 are eligible for a chance to win two airline tickets to Mauritius, courtesy of British Airways.

12 Issues for only R299 (save 38%) and 24 issues for R499 (save 48%).

SMS the words SUBSCRIBE PRESTIGE, followed by your name and email address to +27 82 452 8110.

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All rights are reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. PRESTIGE is published by Chapel Lane Media. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or any of its clients. Information has been included in good faith by the publisher and is believed to be correct at the time of going to print. No responsibility can be accepted for errors and omissions. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information and reports in this magazine, the publisher does not accept any responsibility, whatsoever, for any errors, or omissions, or for any effects resulting there from. No part of this publication may be used, or reproduced in any form, without the written permission of the publisher.

Copyright © 2008. All copyright for material appearing in this magazine belongs to Chapel Lane Media and/or the individual contributors. All rights reserved.

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GizmosGadgetsGear Go, Go Gorillapod Most certainly the most versatile camera tripod available today is the agile and ingenious Gorillapod. While the Gorillapod serves all the functions of a traditional camera tripod – steadying your camera under low-light conditions, taking timed shots and so on – it is the only tripod malleable enough to provide you with that one perfect shot while wrapped around a tree branch, hanging from a pole, perched on a jagged rock, or dangling from a ledge. What makes the compact and lightweight Gorillapod so special are the more than two dozen flexible leg joints that bend and rotate through a full 360 degrees to form the ideal shape you need to snap your Kodak moment. Made from high quality, injection-moulded plastic, these snug joints stay firm and solid use after use after use. The slim-line attachment stays connected to your camera and simply snaps in for almost instant setup, while a lock ring enables extra security to ensure safe attachment. Rubberised ring and foot grips offer extra gripping for the power to grapple wherever you go, while optional extras include spike feet for added traction on soft ground, snow or ice. The Gorillapod comes in five variations: the Go-Go, the original GP1, the SLR, the SLR Zoom, and the Focus. Prices range from around R300 for the original to around R2,000 for the Focus. The whole range is available from Singer Photographic Services, contact +27 11 791 2208 or +27 21 424 7164. Alternatively, email sales@singerphoto.co.za or visit www.singerphoto.co.za.

Slide through the Water with a Scubapro Everflex Wetsuit Tired of trying to squeeze your love handles into the tight contours of a wetsuit that actually doesn’t suit? Perhaps you should slip into something a little more comfortable. The extrasnug Everflex suits use a new-age neoprene with 200 percent more flex to give incomparable fit and flexibility – the entire Everflex suit is made of Everflex neoprene. Comfort is unrivalled, and because the suit fits every contour of your body, water entry is minimal, meaning you stay warmer for longer. Everflex is available in a 3/2mm ideal for warm water diving, snorkelling or even sailing and general watersports, and a 5/4mm version suited to longer scuba dives or cooler waters. The suits retail for upwards of R2,695 and can be bought from your nearest Scubapro dealer. Visit www.scubapro.co.za, email info@scubapro.co.za, or contact +27 11 444 6563 for more information.

Tell Time with a Protrek Casio’s recently released Protrek PRG-130 outdoor watches make excellent additions to the wrists of those who enjoy ocean and outdoor activities. The Protrek includes a compass, barometer, thermometer, and tide graph, with other utilities including a moon data function, which displays the lunar date and the phase of the moon, a timer function that can be used for timing races, and an atmospheric pressure, altitude and temperature meter, which makes it ideal for surfers, sailors and swimmers. An auto EL light illuminates when you lift your arm to look at the watch, while a high-capacity solar-charger generates power even in low fluorescent lighting conditions. The watches are treated with a grey ion plating finish that resists corrosion and abrasion, and a urethane surround to ensure they do not get pressed accidentally. The PRG-130 comes in two models: one with a lightweight resin wrist band and one with a corrosion-resistant titanium wrist band.

Water resistant for up to 200 metres, the Protrek watches retail for around R4,499. Contact +27 11 314 8888 or visit www.jamesralph.co.za for more information.

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Volvo

Ocean Race Deeper into the Unknown

“No one who was watching the Cape Town start from a boat will ever forget it,” reported Ericsson 3. “It was like experiencing the whole first leg in one hour. We had everything from 25 knots to almost no wind at all. The fleet was a bit separated after 25 minutes, but then we went into a big light spot, just outside the harbour, in the wind shadow from Table Mountain. It felt like a mini Doldrums where anything could happen.”

Words: TANYA GOODMAN Images: © Gustav Morin/Ericsson Racing Team; Rick Deppe/PUMA Ocean Racing; Dave Kneale all of Volvo Ocean Racing

and offers a new set of complex decisions for the skippers and navigators, specifically whether to go further south and into the stronger breeze for maximum scoring gate points, or rather to stay further north, in lighter conditions but closer to the finish.

For the first time, the race is stopping in Asia, with Cochin, India, the finish port for Leg 2. In past races the fleet has covered the Indian Ocean in the lower latitudes, surfing wildly along the Roaring Forties, Frothing Fifties and Screaming Sixties (the degrees of latitude) on strong westerly winds bound for Australia or New Zealand.

Although the fleet was expected to dip into the Southern Ocean out of Cape Town, the

route to India eventually takes the boats north and across the Equator for the second time in the race. This is a route never sailed before during any professional yacht race.

Expected to take around 18 days to complete, tricky sailing conditions along the way were anticipated by the teams, including tough currents to battle, the Maldives to navigate around, and monsoon conditions possible on the approach to India. Large fishing fleets of small, wooden vessels also represent as big a hazard here as the “liquid Himalayas” of the traditional southern route.

A scoring gate south of Mauritius and along the meridian of 58-degrees East represents a further opportunity to collect points on the leg (4 points to the first boat to pass, 3.5 to second, 3 to third and so on) and designates an exclusion area to keep the fleet away from known areas of piracy. “We are entering completely uncharted territory for sailboat racing,” said Ken Read, the skipper of Puma. “We are going to have to be smart, use common sense and we need to understand as a group that we are in this together. If there is a situation out there that we do not like we are going to have to agree as a group to share information.”

“

“This is insane. Thirtyfive knots of wind, pitch black, 1,500 miles from land and we are desperately trying to squeeze more speed from a boat that feels and sounds like it is going to self destruct any second.” – Ian Walker on Green Dragon

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espite gale-force winds earlier in the week, November 15 was a spectacular day to watch the eight-strong Volvo Open 70s fleet depart from the V&A Waterfront with ample sunshine and thousands of people on the docks, spectator boats kicking up wakes and helicopters buzzing overhead. After spending time with friends, family and shore crew, plus a few days indulging in the delights the Mother City has to offer, the teams set off for Leg 2 (4,450 nautical miles), some armed with valuable stocks of biltong. This portion of the race sees the resumption of the battle for supremacy

The scoring gate gives incentive to get east as quickly as possible, but that might not be a winning strategy for the overall leg, according to Ian Walker, the skipper of Green Dragon. “There may well be decisions to make as to how well you want to do at the gate versus how well you want to do at the finish,” he said. “But until we see the weather closer to the time, we won’t know whether passing the gate first is also the best way of finishing in India first. I can see different teams taking different strategies.

I can see a team that’s maybe not doing so well on the approach to the gate not worry about the gate and head more directly towards India.”

At the Table Bay start, Puma scorched off the line, leading the fleet. With her

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is actually quite similar to some of the conditions faced in Leg 1, but in reverse.

“The reason is that the Earth’s climate features distinct bands, lying horizontally and looping the globe, running out from the Equator to the Poles in a mirror image,” he explains. The most straightforward part of the race will be catching the trade winds along the Mauritius latitude. Then there are the Doldrums to

“

It was a frustrating time for the crews who were very aware that whoever found the breeze first would make a huge gain. This race has been won and lost in this bay before, and to be first out of Cape Town can make all the difference.

“

huge, red masthead gennaker set and going like a freight train, Puma blazed the trail, with water pouring over the deck and a small, number four jib working as a staysail set underneath the gennaker. But, instead of leaving the fleet standing as promised, halfway down the final leg, Puma came to almost a complete standstill as the wind dropped and the fleet compressed, surfing up behind in typical Cape Town fluky conditions. Code Zeros were hastily unfurled as wind dropped to almost nothing and it was a frustrating time for the crews who were very aware that whoever found the breeze first would make a huge gain. This race has been won and lost in this bay before, and to be first out of Cape Town can make all the difference. By the second night, however, Puma reported they were well on their way, “careening down waves in 27 knots of breeze against 2+ plus knots of the Agulhas Current.”

In his running online commentary, the Ten Zulu Report for the Volvo Ocean Race, Mark Chisnell provides a detailed analysis of the tactical strategy and decision nodes for Leg 2. “The combination of inbound storm systems and outbound current, of warm water and cold water, of big waves and shallow ground,” he says, “creates one of the nastiest pieces of ocean on the planet. And if you want to go from Cape Town to Cochin on the direct route, you’ve got to go across the Agulhas Bank, and battle the current north. Whereas dipping south from the Cape of Good Hope, down into the Southern Ocean and then going east before you turn north, means dodging the whole sorry mess. The trick with this strategy is finding the exit – let’s say you get a ride on a low pressure system, smoke east for 2,000 nautical miles in a blaze of spume and glory, then score maximum points at the gate. The problem now is finding the off-ramp for Cochin – transiting from the westerly storm track and dodging around the sub-tropical high to get into the trade winds.”

Chisnell points out that this dilemma

contend with again and predominantly light air all the way north to Cochin.

For all the teams in this leg, the crucial challenge is the great unknown. “Unlike the Atlantic, where we saw the well established pedestrian crossing through the Doldrums (at 30-degrees West),” continues Chisnell, “there is no such history for this part of the world. Since the last sailboats to regularly go this way (with an eye on the clock) were square riggers, there is no encyclopedia of racing knowledge to fall back on.” All of these factors should prove a great test for the boats and their crew.

The 6,500 nautical miles of Leg 1 from Alicante to Cape Town were certainly a proving ground for the race itself, with tactical decisions to be made early on in the course, particularly in the Gibraltar Straits and through the Canary and Cape Verde Islands. The weather Gods threw everything they could think of at the fleet including strong currents, oily calms, high winds and huge seas, which the boats all

negotiated in fine style, despite a few mishaps along the way.

As the fleet geared up, for example, for a 40-knot gale south of the Doldrums and prepared for the sleigh ride to Cape Town, Ian Walker wrote from Green Dragon, which was clinging to third place, “This is insane. Thirty-five knots of wind, pitch black, 1,500 miles from land and we are desperately trying to squeeze more speed from a boat that feels and sounds like it is going to self destruct any second.” Then, the Green Dragon was wounded, burying her bow so hard that the spinnaker came back and stove in the pulpit and forward stanchions before ripping to pieces. This was followed by a deafening crunch as the boat hit something and came to almost a complete standstill. “I don’t really know where to start as the last 24-hours have been so incident-packed,” wrote Walker in his daily blog.

At the official prize-giving in Cape Town, Ericsson 4 skippered by two-time Olympic gold medallist Torben Grael of Brazil, was Leg 1 winner. The team are also the holders of a new World Record for Monohulls, travelling 596.6 nautical miles in 24 hours. (The previous record 562.96 nautical miles was held by ABN AMRO TWO, skippered by Sebastian Josse in the 2005/6 Volvo Ocean Race).

Grael paid tribute to his squad, calling the results, “a real team effort from the very beginning, starting with an excellent boat.” The media crew member on board Ericsson 4, Guy Salter, was awarded the Inmarsat Media Prize for his outstanding work over the course of the leg.

By the time you read this story, Leg 2, Cape Town to Cochin, is likely to have been completed. Leg 3 departs Cochin for Singapore on 13 December. Keep up with the race at the phenomenally informative hi-tech Volvo Ocean Race website (www.volvooceanrace.org) where you can get access to audio and TV footage as well as in depth data analysis. 

s tat e

The

Wren Press

The age-old Art of Letter Writing The elite English stationer, the Wren Press, which has a London showroom in Chelsea as well as offices in New York, Hong Kong and Dublin, recently extended their worldly scope by providing representation at Johannesburg boutique hotel, The Peech. Their exquisite stationery is extravagant and luxurious; no surprise that it is thus highly sought after by celebrities, royalty and high-end corporate brands.

Words: TONI ACKERMANN Images: © THE WREN PRESS; TONI ACKERMANN

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n answer to the question, “Who makes the best cards?” the esteemed editorial team at the UK’s Harpers & Queen magazine swiftly replies, “The Wren Press.” Their fashion savvy counterparts at Vogue UK agree that thank you letters and invitations should only be written on stationery from the Wren Press. With an elite client list spanning the globe, including both HM The Queen and HRH Prince of Wales, as well as several A-listers including Madonna, Elton John, David and Victoria Beckham, Elizabeth Hurley, and Dame Judi Dench, not to forget many of the world’s premium corporate brands, among them LVMH, Goldman Sachs and Harrods, the Wren Press is widely regarded as one of the world’s finest printers of bespoke stationery.

Perhaps what makes the Wren Press so incredibly special is the manner in which it produces its stationery. Using huge,

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With an elite client list spanning the globe, including both HM The Queen and HRH Prince of Wales, the Wren Press is widely regarded as one of the world’s finest printers of bespoke stationery.

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beautiful printing presses dating back to the 1940s, of which there are only five or six still in existence today, plus the highest quality of paper stock, the Wren Press attends to each order with painstaking detail and an extreme commitment to making each piece flawless in every aspect. The result is a final product that resembles a piece of art.

The fonts are delicately embossed, just enough that when one runs a finger over the print, the slight rise and fall of the alphabet is like soft brail beneath the fingertips. Silver foiling adds a touch of glamour while gold edges, stamped crests and monograms finish each item off with indulgent finesse.

Printing on their own presses ensures

that each set is handled with the utmost privacy, leading to the company’s excellent reputation for confidentiality, and in the highest recognition, the awarding of two Royal Warrants for the royal household.

Says British actress and model, Elizabeth Hurley, “I’m obsessed with beautiful stationery and I frequently delay writing important letters if I'm waiting for my new stationery to arrive. I always order my Christmas cards from the Wren Press and agonise for hours over which border, which ribbon and which font to use.”

For those with a taste for the finer things in life, this family business takes care of paper and envelopes, letterheads, personalised correspondence cards, thank you cards, at home cards, and invitations to

weddings, parties, christenings and bar mitzvahs. Owner of The Peech Hotel, James Peech, says using stationery from the Wren Press is reminiscent of the old art of letter writing and communicating by hand. “It shows that time has been taken and thought and effort put into the task when a hand-written card is received, rather than just a short SMS or brief email. Stationery from the Wren Press is a luxury purchase, and not something you think of lightly. It is bespoke, private stationery, and the quality of it is distinct. It is very individual and unique, and therefore no two pieces are ever the same.”

For more information, contact James Peech on +27 11 537 9797 or email james@thepeech.co.za. 

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galeon

Living with Beauty

s pa C E The recent entry into the South African market by the Polish manufacturer Galeon brings a whole new aesthetic to the luxury sporting lifestyle. The first Galeon530Fly on local waters is moored at Mosselbay, with easy access this summer for the wealthy set who holiday at Plettenberg Bay and surrounds.

Words: CHARL DU PLESSIS Images: Š GALEON

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he international yachting scene has been set abuzz by Galeon’s march into the mid-size range under the helm of legendary boat designer, Tony Castro, since 2006. The Galeon390 (Fly and HT), Galeon440 (Fly only), Galeon530 (Fly and HT), and Galeon640 (Fly only) have all come to market at a significant discount to European competitors, while delivering a sturdier and extremely stylish finish ideally suited to South African waters. Owners can choose between Hardtop and Flybridge variations for the exterior, but it is really the interior finishing that catches the eye and the imagination. The use of space and the central positioning of the owners’ cabins set a new standard in comfortable luxury yachting.

RANGE ROVER SPORT Tread lightly off-road.

504831

www.landrover.co.za

Galeon530Fly & Galeon530Hardtop

The first thing that strikes you when stepping aboard the Galeon530 series is the smart use of flow between the different interior areas that results in a tremendous sense of space. And then you also cannot ignore the elaborate finishes. Galeon bucks the trend towards pared down minimalism, and rather focuses on creating the comfortable moments for which the yacht was intended. Note the snifter on a coffee table conveniently situated next to the captain in the helm. Or the back-lounge option for someone to keep him company during a cruise.

Guests can spread out in the lounge area within earshot and visibility of the captain and whoever is busy in a galley that is set to the side rather than creating a break in the main interior cabin flow.

Small touches show themselves unexpectedly – plentiful handrail placement for when the going gets fast and furious, the racing car feel of the wheel at the helm, the extra drawers for jewellery in the stately main cabin below, cup holders in just the right places where guests will be relaxing, and many other little creature comforts that testify t o the 20 years of experience in manufacturing that Galeon has accumulated. Clearly, they have been listening to their customers, and have progressively added the detail that owners deem nice-to-have rather than necessary. Interior upholstery and finishes can be customised.

The current Galeon flagship is the Galeon640, soon to be eclipsed by the Galeon Raptor, a 70-foot beauty. The interior layout of this yacht feels like you are stepping into one of the world’s most exclusive boutique hotels, with significant comfort and privacy below deck for owners and guests alike. Meanwhile, the entertainment spaces above deck are designed for days and nights to remember.

Catch some rays on the sun beds at the helm or to the front of the boat by day, dipping into the cooler boxes on top of the flybridge. Or, step off the extra wide diving platform for a dive in the ocean. At night, dance away the evening on the spacious aft deck, or take a moonlight shower.

Galeon yachts, in the 39-foot to 70foot range, allow for either a comfortable multi-day cruise with several guests onboard, or for an exhilarating day of speed and sun at sea. There is no limit to your international access, and several local boat

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Galeon640Fly

owners permanently moor in European ports in Greece, Turkey, France (including Monaco) and Spain. More recently, the local trend has grown to moor in Mauritius or the Seychelles, with a much shorter flight to get started, and some of the globe’s most beautiful waters under your hull. Sleep, entertain, and play onboard – or just drop in at a quiet cove for a day of peaceful reading of a good novel and the occasional snorkelling plunge to cool down.

To arrange time onboard Galeon for a test, speak to the affable Ben Schutte, the local agent for Galeon in South Africa. Ben is assisted by his son, BJ Schutte. Galeon is

based in Johannesburg, and Ben loves spending his time out at sea with interested buyers in the Garden Route area (a quick flight from Johannesburg, Bloemfontein or Cape Town) where South Africa’s first Galeon is moored. Also enquire about the Galia range of smaller motor boats for weekend use on rivers and lakes.

Entry level pricing for the Galeon260 starts at approximately €57,000, going up to roundabout €1,2 million for the Galeon640Fly. To this base price, add the cost of engines, and budget for the main, interior, electronic and exterior equipment too. The absolute top of the range in

everything, which includes two of the largest possible MAN V-12 1360 horsepower engines, plasma screens in all living areas, air conditioning and too many other features to list here, as well as stateof-the-art navigation and communication equipment could be added at no more than a further €390,000.  Contact Galeon Southern Africa • Tel: +27 11 452 6916 • Fax: +27 11 452 6515 • Cell (Ben): +27 82 857 4202 • Cell (BJ): +27 82 496 7433 • Email: ben@galeon.co.za • Website: www.galeon.pl

Rovos Rail and Victoria Falls An Epic Adventure

The 1,600–kilometre journey from Victoria Falls to Pretoria onboard Rovos Rail takes you through unspoilt wilderness, infuses you with new experiences, and instils in you a renewed respect for tradition, beauty and the luxury of time.

Words: TONI ACKERMANN Images: © ROVOS RAIL; ILALA LODGE; TONI ACKERMANN

W

e, my other half and I, arrive at Livingstone, Zambia, after a pleasant, two-hour flight from Johannesburg. The air is warm and dry, and border formalities crossing to Vic Falls, Zimbabwe, are relatively hassle-free. Here, the greeting from locals is warm and genuine, and a concierge wearing animal skins, feathers and a broad grin extends a booming vocal welcome to Victoria Falls Safari Lodge (VFSL). Here, we will spend the next two nights before boarding the Rovos Rail train for our journey home to Pretoria.

Once in our suite we indulge in a bit of bubbly chilling in a gleaming ice bucket on the bureau and walk out onto our private deck. Set high on a natural plateau, the westward-facing VFSL borders the Zambezi National Park, just four kilometres from the thunderous Victoria Falls. The sun had long since reached its zenith and the baking sand beneath us steadily sends shimmering waves of warmth up to the deck, where we stood gazing into the wilderness. Down at the waterhole, a small herd of lazy elephants ambles past a troop of bored baboons squatting beneath the Acacia trees, slothfully grooming one another.

Wilderness Safaris transfers us to a pier alongside the Zambezi River, where we board the exquisite Ra-Ikane, a small, luxury cruise boat outfitted to suggest, in fine detail and period décor, a time of exploration of the mysterious Dark Continent. We float serenely down the mighty Zambezi, watching in trepidation as large crocodiles lie open-mouthed on the banks of the river. In the distance, we spot something large and dark in the water. Is it a lone croc, a hippo separated from its bloat of mates, or something else? As we get closer, a trunk rises from the water to the front of the still-shapeless creature, and we laugh as we realise it is an elephant – clearly a very warm elephant – bathing in the waters just off shore. Within minutes of our G&T glasses being refilled, the sun sets over the River in a striking stain of bright orange and blood red.

We wake with the dawn and stumble out onto the deck, still groggy with sleep.

Already the temperature is high. We watch a family of inquisitive mongooses rise from their early morning suntan session to scamper around in the red dust in search of food scraps. They scratch around for several minutes and then as quickly as they appeared from out of the bush they disappear back into it. Overhead, a great many vultures have gathered, soaring effortlessly on the thermals; up and down,

round and around. Over the next half hour even more of them gather, until what must be close to 100 birds of all sizes are circling menacingly above us. As the weather changes, so does their flight pattern, and they flap their giant wings and rise up through the cerulean sky.

We make our way towards Victoria Falls to experience the Smoke that Thunders.

Mosi-oa-Tunya, as the locals call it, is a sheet of solid water that plummets over a ledge 1.7 kilometres wide and 108 metres high, at an average annual flow rate of 1,088 cubic metres per second when in full force during the months of April and May. The sight is spectacular, to say the least; a full assault on all five senses.

As we make our way along the winding path that follows the arc of the Falls, the gentle mist rising from the base of the chasm soon becomes a soft spray which, by the time we reach the Rain Forest, is a dripping rain that soaks our t-shirts and dampens our sunscreen-slick skin.

The water clings to my eyelashes before sliding in tears down my cheeks. My hair lifts in the vapour, curling tight against my head as the humidity increases. Spray meets sunbeam at just the right angle to create a spectacular rainbow: red and orange melting into yellow and green, smudging into blue and indigo and finally, fading into violet. It smells like fresh rain; like moist green grass after the first summer shower; like paradise. As the water tumbles over the rocks, crashing into the swirling pools below, a roar rushes past our ears and drowns out our gasps. Overhead, the constant thud thud thud of helicopters offering aerial views merges with the crashing crescendo beneath us in a sonata of sound. I lean forward over the rickety wooden railing, reaching out to touch the miasma of this awesome cascade. My other half tilts his head back and lets the drizzle touch his tongue, then grins with eyes sparkling with childish glee.

That night, our cheeks still pink from the excitement and exertion of our Vic Falls hike, we join a lively crowd at a table in one of the two VFSL restaurants – this one is the Boma, Place of Eating, set in the Gusu Forest some 500 metres from the main Lodge. We feast on roast warthog, buffalo and ostrich, join a drumming circle, take heed from the wise words of a sangoma, enjoy the melodies of an a capella choir, and then retire, utterly sated.

After a breakfast that I am convinced would impress the Queen of England herself, we make our way into town, to where the Rovos Rail steam train awaits us. Our names are called off a roll, and we

follow a graceful hostess up a plush red carpet and board the train. To say the Rovos Rail trains are pieces of history would not do them justice at all. These incredible carriages and engines, some of which are more than 100 years old, are the absolute pride and joy of Rovos Rail owner and luxury train travel entrepreneur, Rohan Vos. A narrow passage runs down the left of the train, flanked by guest suites to the right. At the very end of the train is the lounge car, where smartly-dressed barmen serve double G&Ts in tall glasses filled with ice. The open observation car just behind this offers unspoilt views of the passing scenery, and a fleeting look at the tracks as they rush by beneath the train. Inside the lounge, the lamp-lit wooden panels and leather and rattan furniture are reminiscent of a bygone era, and we relish the thought of two days spent in languid luxury as we sink back into the cushions.

The sound of a brass gong announces the serving of lunch – perhaps the grandest sitting of the midday meal I have ever enjoyed. A wine list is presented; its contents ranging from exclusive champagne selections to the finest vintage and estate wines. My eyes dart from the oaked chardonnay with hints of vanilla and peach undertones to the rich, ruby-coloured cabernet with notes of spice and a lasting finish. And then the menu is presented. The dishes are uncomplicated but extravagant, simple but complex... Each bite brings with it a new flavour, texture and feeling; a sensual pleasure that sends tingles down the spine. Dessert is presented with a

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flourish as the train slowly chugs through the barren Zimbabwean countryside.

The next morning, a late breakfast is followed by what my other half flippantly calls “ten o’clock tipple” – probably because that is precisely what it is. Only here is it not considered inappropriate to order a G&T before noon. In the lounge car, an elderly German gentleman emits a loud snore as he dozes in the sun next to his blushing wife.

Perhaps the most indulgent aspect of one’s time spent aboard Rovos Rail is time itself. You have every excuse to just do nothing, and to enjoy it: a game of chess; an afternoon snooze; the next chapter of a classic novel; a conversation with a stranger.

As we enter the dining car for dinner on our second and last night, I realise I was wrong to think we couldn’t possibly get any more spoilt. Maître d's wearing tuxedos pin red roses to the lapels of the men’s jackets, and yellow ones to those of the women. While a feeling of colonial elegance echoes through the train, it is in the dining car where this aura is most notably felt. With one of these carriages dating back to 1911, embellished with tassel-tied draperies and white linen-dressed tables, it is easy to be transported back to the Edwardian era. Flickering candlelight dances on the silverware and casts soft, golden shadows on the mahogany panelling.

The staff are immaculate, the food exquisite, the timing impeccable, and the ambience unforgettable.

After dinner, we return to a suite romantically turned down with rose

petals and champagne. I flop onto the kingsize bed in giddy bliss. The gentle swaying of the carriages lulls us to sleep, where I am chased by steam dragons and laugh ‘til I cry.

It is midday and we are in the observation car again. We notice a bird with glossy feathers flap its wings just hard enough to keep a speed constant to that of the locomotive. We watch him for a while until he tires and falls back. The Zimbabwean wilderness long since rushed into the Botswana countryside which has now, on our last day, become the South African landscape.

Nearing Pretoria, we stop at a small but busy station to change to a steam locomotive – it is not possible to travel the entire journey using steam alone. The horn sounds, high and hollow, and the train slowly pulls away, great puffs of steam billowing out as she chugs along. This was a magical journey, one filled with a cornucopia of new sounds, smells, sights, tastes, textures and of course, emotions.

Travelling on a piece of history such as Rovos Rail, it is difficult to not feel just a tweak of emotion, and huge respect for her aged grandeur.  Contact Rovos Rail • Tel: +27 12 315 8242 or +27 21 421 4020 • Website: www.rovosrail.co.za Contact Vic Falls Safari Lodge • Tel: + 263 13 43211 • Website: saflodge@saflodge.co.zw Contact Ilala Lodge for Ra-Ikane river cruise • Tel: +263 13 44737 • Website: www.ilalalodge.com

spin

L a Pa s s i o n e 98 Years of Alfa Romeo An Alfa Romeo is not just a car. It is a global symbol of elegant design, and an Italian expression of automotive passion. From humble beginnings 98 years ago, to the marque’s modern prominence as a producer of beautifully crafted, carefully detailed automobiles, Alfa Romeo has followed a great journey as one of the world’s most iconic automakers.

Words: Bernie Hellberg Images: © alfa romeo

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O

riginally, the idea to establish what would ultimately become one of the world’s most recognisable automotive names, Alfa Romeo, was first conceived in Italy in 1906 with the establishment of a partnership between Italian aristocrat Ugo Stella and French automobile entrepreneur, Alexandre Darracq. Known only as A.L.F.A. or Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, the fledgling company originally produced cars in Naples, but after the partnership between Stella and Darracq floundered, production was moved to Portello.

While the company operated under the A.L.F.A. banner until 1910, the very first non-Darracq car, the 24 HP, signalled the official birth of ALFA. With designer Guiseppe Merosi at the creative helm, ALFA began venturing into the world of motor racing, but due to the onset of World War I, production of passenger vehicles was halted for the next three years.

In 1916, under the direction of entrepreneur Nicola Romeo, the company turned to producing military hardware.

When car production recommenced in 1919, the company was completely taken over by Nicola Romeo. In 1917, the very first car produced with the Alfa Romeo badge was the Torpedo 20-30 HP. Aside from road cars, Alfa’s racing heritage would ultimately be the driving force behind the legacy.

Despite its numerous automotive achievements, Alfa Romeo found itself in a crisis when Nicola Romeo left the company in 1928 as it struggled to gain momentum after the end of his defence

contracts. Stepping in to take full control of the company in 1932, the Italian government salvaged Alfa Romeo, ensuring that its status as national emblem would remain intact. This proved to be Alfa Romeo’s renaissance, and the company continued creating some of the most capable racecars, such as the 2900 B Tipo 35, and magnificently driveable passenger cars.

Even after the onset of World War II, which saw the Alfa Romeo factory all but destroyed by Allied bombing, the company responded by adapting its models to compliment the changing tastes of each new era. Luxury vehicles gave way to the coupés and open two-seater roadsters of the Giulietta series. While body styles may have changed, the classic Alfa Romeo Twin Cam engine remained in production until 1995.

Once motorsports resumed after World War II, Alfa Romeo proved to be the car to beat in Grand Prix. The introduction of the new formula (Formula One) for single-seat racing cars provided an ideal setting for Alfa Romeo's Tipo 158 Alfetta, which Giuseppe Farina drove to victory in the first Formula One World Championship in 1950.

Financial hardship during the 1970s ultimately lead to the Fiat Group’s takeover in 1986. Alfa Romeo cars produced subsequent to the 1990s combined Alfa's traditional virtues of avant-garde styling and sporting panache with the benefits of the new parent company’s global expertise.

Today, Alfa Romeo motorcars are recognised and respected the world over as the epitome of Italian automotive passion, a legacy that shall live on in all Alfisti for a long time to come. 

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s pa r k l e

Sensual Droplets

Champagne Season

Champagne played its part in that first seduction. When my young love gathered his things from my apartment the following morning to rush to class, I kissed him goodbye with my lipstick telephone number scribbled on his shirt and a trace of my perfume lingering in his neck. But I kept that champagne cork.

Words: LAUREN BOURDIEU Images: © LVMH INTERNATIONAL; ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

W

ith time, my champagne cork collection has grown and the Chinese vase on my night stand has steadily filled up. Not because I have kept up with the promiscuity of an earlier generation, but because life has given me so much to celebrate. When I pick through these corks on a blue day, the milestones of the happy thread through my life, the memories come back as clear as the day…

Champagne was there when I graduated from university, with de rigueur blue eye make-up and big hair bundled up under my academic cap. My father’s rough hands popped that cork with great ceremony, as he thought he was introducing our cohort of young nymphs to this nectar of the Gods for the first time – a welcome to

the world of sanctioned sensuality. If only he knew. I am still reminded of his kind naïveté whenever I sift through my corks; the fading name of the household brand that he saw fitting for that special rite of passage scarcely showing on the cork. My taste grew more exotic and more expensive from there onwards, and I have a cork to trace my every upwardly mobile step.

I imagine a whiff of marzipan when I cradle the cork that came home with me from my best friend’s wedding. That cork was not all that came home with me that night, and many years later he is still asleep in my bed as I write this in the bewitching hours of the morning. We have opened many bottles of the best bubbly as our lives together have grown full. I think there is still a grain of sand clinging to our honeymoon cork. There were moments shared when our children were born, when

he won a race or got a promotion, and when I brought home my awards. And every year, our march through this wonderful journey together was sealed with the New Year’s cork, tagged with a date, getting dropped with care into my Chinese vase, now cracked and glued back together from a time when my young daughter’s curiosity got the better of her.

This year, our journey has left us no need for leaping further hurdles on our way up. We will be celebrating our joy at where we are and all the great things that life has given us. I will slowly sip those sensual bubbles with complete delight, each droplet rolled in the mouth in the same manner you hang onto a good memory. Blow your horns, light your firecrackers, and shout all you want – we will be in a different space. And champagne will once again be our companion in this special moment. 

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LVMH, the ultimate name in champagne, has several special releases for Christmas 2008. Make every summer day a champagne kind of day.

New Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 1998 Synonymous with the ultimate in rarity, seduction and decadence, Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 1998 is always sold in limited numbers because the quality of the grapes that the Dom Pérignon style requires is truly exceptional. This means that each Dom Pérignon Rosé vintage shares a gene that dictates the very essence of luxury: the rarity of excellence. Boasting all the inimitable traits of Dom Pérignon Rosé, the new Vintage 1998 seduces with shades of orange, copper and gold; its radiance and unique colours the source of its fleshy, almost oriental highlights and sophistication.

Available from R3,590.

Veuve Clicquot Vintage 2002 Made only in exceptional or vintage years, this wine is a blend of about twenty crus, all grand and premier crus, and all harvested in the same year. The strength is balanced by the finesse and elegance of the remaining third of chardonnay.

A firm, structured wine, which reveals substance and great finesse when tasted, the Vintage has a powerful, elegant fragrance. Available from R599.

Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame La Grande Dame was created as a tribute to Madame Clicquot.

Widowed at 27, this exceptional woman, nicknamed in her day the “Grande Dame of Champagne,” took over and developed the company founded by her father in law in 1772. Sporting a gorgeous bottle with immaculate lines, La Grande Dame is concocted of varietals from eight historic grand crus – verzenay, verzy, ambonnay, bouzy, aÿ, avize, le mesnil-sur-oger and oger – grown in the villages of the same name where Madame Clicquot had acquired vineyards. Available from R1,679.

Dom Pérignon Vintage 2000 Dom Pérignon Vintage 2000 is produced exclusively from the noble grape varieties chardonnay and pinot noir, selected from grapes grown on Dom Pérignon’s eight grand crus. The wine benefits from a long aging in the cellars and its own individual characteristics – tactile, carnal and complex – shine through. Available from R1,499.

Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial Deliciously feminine, the Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial is the most seductive expression of Moët & Chandon. A lively assemblage of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, the aroma is dominated by the scent of wild strawberries. Available from R479.

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SuperYacht The Divine Mr Terrible Like many superyachts, Mr Terrible is built for both fun and speed. But this particular superyacht is one after my own heart with such careful consideration of the details, such as a margarita machine on the flybridge for sultry summer days or perfectly placed infrared heat panels for warming up those starry nights at sea. The hot tub, of course, is for either occasion.

Words: Ella Turner Images: © Delta Marine

F

rom a first glance at Mr Terrible’s dramatic lines, smoked glass and sleek profile, it is clear that this yacht is powerful. Twin MTU 16v4000 engines with 3,650 horsepower each are at the heart of Mr Terrible’s impressive performance, allowing it to reach cruising speeds of 20 knots quite comfortably, and a maximum speed of almost 24 knots.

Step aboard Mr Terrible and the floor plan is open, airy and light.

Complemented by the sleek, contemporary

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exterior styling of Juan Carlos Espinosa, the overall effect is a harmonious contrast of modern and primitive.

For the décor, Delta Design Group's Adriel Rollins worked closely with the owners to create an interior that blends Polynesian and art deco influences. Splashes of colour, for example, are infused in the hand carved floral inlay carpet and fine upholstery, thereby providing an enticing contrast against the soothing, neutral walls. Bamboo, woven woods, leather hides and textured fabrics are integrated into the architecture to give a feel of transcendent

simplicity. Furniture collections feature a heavy use of hardwoods and rattan, and were designed for comfort. One particular hallmark of Mr Terrible is the elegant woodwork that spans the interior spaces, from the African walnut flooring to the bubinga ceiling beams.

A majestic chandelier, comprising abstract botanical forms and brushed aluminum fronds, frames the dining salon, with seating for 14. The central staircase creates a dramatic focal point and is crafted of bubinga and accented with wenge and stainless steel.

splurge

Follow the central spiral staircase downstairs and you will find four spacious, tastefully appointed staterooms. Each one shares the same harmonious design scheme that prevails throughout Mr Terrible, yet to give each room a dash of originality, they are finished in four separate colour palettes.

The rooms are equipped with Pullman berths for children, while the two VIP suites include a settee.

Inside the master suite, one discovers an intimate and private oasis. High above the king-sized bed, a nautical-inspired stained glass oculus brings in natural light, yet it can be screened at the touch of a button. The master head, containing bronze and black glass mosaic tiles, sets a dramatic canvas for the opulent copper soaking tub

– another ideal place on this beauty to begin or end a day of adventure.

Not just a decadently decorated living space for sailing the oceans, Mr Terrible is also thoroughly equipped for fishing enthusiasts. The quest for marlin, dorado and tuna is a great source of enjoyment for the owners and their friends, so the fishing cockpit on the main deck features a live bait tank and rod locker. Or, guests can choose to get up close and personal with the aquatic life by taking advantage of the nitrox dive compressor and six full sets of dive gear on board. Perhaps it’s waterskiing or kayaking that suits you best. Two tenders are equipped to take you wherever you need to go. Finally, for those who like to experience marine adventure from the

luxurious comforts inside, an underwater camera installed under the transom captures deep sea curiosities in real time and broadcasts the action live.

Mr Terrible is a 154-foot (47-metre) high performance superyacht built by Seattle-based Delta Marine Industries, a leader in the custom boat industry.

Recently honoured as both the “Best Newcomer of the Year” and “Best SemiDisplacement or Planing Motor Yacht in the 40m+ Size Range” at the World SuperYacht Awards, Mr Terrible is by no means an unpleasant experience. In fact, the only terrible part of your stay onboard might be the day you step ashore and say goodbye to this charming and irrepressible host of the high seas. 

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A D V E RT I S E M E N T

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submerge

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submerge

RAJA

AMPAT

Islands at the Ends of the Earth

A fellow diver, moved almost to tears after his dive, sat dazed and dripping, muttering a mantra under his breath, “One million fish, one million fish, one million fish…” After this, diving will never be the same again. Raja Ampat is not just another new place to jot down in your dive log; it is diving’s “Holy Grail.”

Words & Images: © Claudia Pellarini-Joubert and Leon Joubert of www.BITTENBYSHARKS.com

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U

nder a clear blue sky with a lush jungle backdrop, our Papuan dive guide counted “Satu, Dua, Tiga!” and six of us back-rolled off the side of the boat. As we descended, a seemingly jumbled mess of coral and fish, fish, and more fish greeted us from below. Nowhere on the planet had we seen such excess, such undisturbed abundance of life in the water. Nothing had prepared us for this spectacle.

A school of about 50 over-sized barracuda cast us a wary eye, schools and schools of sweetlips and jacks, fusiliers and triggerfish, massive bump-head parrot fish and surgeonfish cajoled above coral reefs that seemed to move in waves of yellow, red and purple. A cacophony of sound reached our ears, so loud that not even our thunderous breathing could drown it out.

We tuned into the crackle and pop, munch and crunch of thousands of fish going about their business, utterly oblivious to our stares.

We glimpsed Black Tip Reef Sharks in the distance, heard a huge fluttering sound as Giant Trevally swooped into a school of thousands of fusiliers, and watched Giant Dogtooth Tuna patrolling the outer edges of the swirling mass of marine life. It was like a grand opera stuck in its thundering crescendo with all the instruments in use at the same time: we were awe-struck, confused and overwhelmed. We lowered our cameras, and looked on transfixed. How could it be real?

This was the jaw dropping spectacle of the ebb and flow of Raja Ampat, the underwater Wonder of the World. More than 9.8 million hectares of land and sea encompass the Raja Ampat archipelago, in Indonesia’s West Papua Province, off the north-western tip of the island of New Guinea. Four main islands, Waigeo, Batanta, Sulawati and Misool, and their thousands of satellite islands, cover an area of virgin paradise.

The archipelago forms part of an area known as the Bird’s Head peninsula, which is considered the epicentre of global marine biodiversity: the world’s richest reefs – home to 75 percent of all known coral species and more than 3,000 species of reef fish. A survey in 2006, conducted by Conservation International, discovered over 50 new species, including sharks, shrimp and reef building coral, confirming the region as the Earth’s richest seascape.

Many of the new species recorded here are believed to be found nowhere else on earth.

These reefs have been referred to as “species factories,” replenishing other reef ecosystems by sweeping coral larvae across

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the Indian and Pacific oceans via their strong currents.

The only “raja” you are bound to meet in the Raja Ampat, is the dashing Dutchman Max Ammer. A modern day Indiana Jones, Max is a pioneer, adventurer extraordinaire and a local legend. He has ventured into the outer reaches of the archipelago and, over the last 17 years, has developed the only land-based resorts in the area on Kri Island. In the process he has proven his dedication to preserving the pristine surrounds while respecting and uplifting the local people. The latest addition to his repertoire is the MS Papuan Antares, a 46-metre vessel currently being refitted in the Netherlands to the highest standards known in the industry. This ultra luxurious live-aboard ship will set sail on scenic trips through the Raja Ampat archipelago from late 2009.

Topside, the scenic beauty is unsurpassed: dramatic lime-stone island outcrops dot the azure ocean, while on the larger islands, coastal mountain ranges punctuate the lush velvety forest canopies, which sweep downhill toward thick plantations of coconut palms, presiding over beaches of the finest, white sand powder. The dense vegetation supports dozens of bird and animal species unique to these islands – uncommon Birds of Paradise are endemic to the area, and scientists are continuously discovering new species of fauna and flora in parts of Papua entirely untouched by humans.

As soon as you drop beneath the water’s surface, a fairytale wonderland awaits. The diving is a smorgasbord of extremes. This is one of the few places on Earth where you can find almost everything underwater: from historic World War II wrecks to colourful, unblemished reefs teeming with life; from virgin mangrove ecosystems to protected bays alive with pulsating jellyfish; from rich coral gardens to sheer vertical walls; from calm glass-like conditions to adrenaline-filled drift dives; from giant Manta Rays and Wobbegong Sharks to rare Pygmy Seahorses as small as a grain of rice; Raja Ampat has it all!

At least once in a lifetime, make your way off the beaten track, to one of the Earth’s few remaining areas of true wilderness, an eclectic mélange of phenomenal scenic wonder, both above and below the water – feed your soul on the Raja Ampat, and return renewed, inspired and complete.  Visit www.bittenbysharks.com for Raja Ampat land-based and live aboard adventures, bookings and information.

Contact Claudia and Leon on +27 76 047 8510 or email info@bittenbysharks.com.

P r o u d Catamar ans

Proudly made, Proudly owned!

Our Pride: 38ft

40ft

44ft 64ft

70ft.

S a i l i n g , Po w e r a n d S p o r t F i s h i n g C a t a m a r a n s m a n u f a c t u r e d t o o w n e r s s p e c i fi c a t i o n s .

Contact: Keith McVeigh Tel: +27 82 320 5917 Email: keith@proudcatamarans.co.za www.proudcatamarans.com w w w. p r o u d c ata m a r a n s . c o m

O u r c a t a m a r a n s a r e n o w av a i l a b l e i n t h e S e y c h e l l e s .

C o n t a c t o u r I s l a n d A g e n t Jo h n d a C o s t a o n + 2 3 0 7 2 2 3 3 8 8

Koenigsegg CCXR

Eco-Friendly Supercar

Inspired at the age of five by a Norwegian animated film about a bicycle repairman who builds a racing car, Christian von Koenigsegg grew up dreaming about one day designing the perfect sports car. Having made his fortune from an invention called Click (floorboards that need neither nails nor adhesives), Christian decided it was time to follow his childhood fantasy.

Words: CHARL DU PLESSIS Images: Š motorpics

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n 1994, at the age of 22, Christian launched the Koenigsegg car company and set about creating what he believed to be the ultimate car, where no technical solution was deemed too difficult. Nowadays Christian enjoys a full R&D department with state-of-the-art equipment to help him out, but in the beginning sheer inventiveness and imagination had to suffice in order to create the first working prototype.

Incredibly enough, the prototype was completed in 1996 – just two years after Christian started.

By 2002, the first Koenigsegg production series came off the floor.

In the spring of 2004, Koenigsegg launched the CCR, a vehicle that left all others behind, breaking the “Guinness World Record” for the fastest roadgoing car in production by beating the Mclaren F1 by 1 km/h. In 2006, the Koenigsegg CCX took the top position on Jeremy Clarkson’s television show Top

Gear’s test race track and put in the fastest lap. The Koenigsegg vehicles were ahead – faster than all known supercars.

In 2007, Koenigsegg launched the CCXR, a 1,018 hp version of the CCX able to run on environmentally-friendlier fuel – a development that made it the world’s first and only green supercar.

The Koenigsegg CCXR was the talk of the town at the recent Johannesburg International Motor Show, combining classic sports car build with a powerful 4.8-litre twin supercharged V-8 flexfuel engine.

Hailed as the world’s first eco-friendly super machine, there was more to this than a decision to save the planet: it was to serve up even more tyre-frying power. The CCXR was re-engineered to be fuelled by E85 bioethanol fuel, a cocktail of 85 percent bioethanol and 15 percent unleaded petrol. The bioethanol is produced from corn, soybeans, or sugar beets. The good news is that apart from the extra tiger in the

tank, this mixture also emits about 70 percent less carbon, allowing the claim to the “green” label.

The designers at Koenigsegg also discovered that the higher octane biofuel has better cooling properties that could drop exhaust temperatures by as much as 150 °C. With this, the modified engine could obtain higher compression, with more spark advantage. The result is a massive hike in horse power, from 888 hp to the 1,108 hp only rivalled by the Bugatti Veyron, delivering a musclepacked 740 lb/ft of torque. All said, the carbon fibre body of the CCXR can blast from 1 to100 km/h in 2.9 seconds, and continue accelerating until it reaches a staggering 413 km/h.

At a price-tag of $2.4 million, you will most likely be alone in line at the E85 pump, as production is limited to only six models. Not bad for a car that runs on corn-oil from the local farmer, and started as a dream inspired in a five-year old boy. 

URM. ANY CHANCE OF AN UPGRADE?.

What’s your strategy? Say you’re on honeymoon?

Dress smartly and smile? The thing is, at British Airways upgrading isn’t about changing cabins, it’s about giving you a better experience. Be it online check-in at ba.com or just tastier food and wine on board. It’s how we do things and we don’t intend to stop.

Upgrade to ba.com/upgrade

style

JVB H o m e - g r o w n

G o o d n e s s

Following several successful years of trade on London’s Pimlico Road, South African Justin van Breda is bringing his contemporary furniture home, with a new store recently opened in Fourways, Johannesburg.

Words: TONI ACKERMANN Images: © JVB

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n early 1999, following his graduation from the University of Stellenbosch and Cape Town’s Design Time, School of Interior Design, a bright eyed and bushy tailed Justin van Breda moved to London to find his fame and fortune. Drenched by winter rains and desperately seeking employment, Justin took a gamble and walked into NH Design in London’s chic borough of Chelsea.

Here, internationally-acclaimed British designer Nicholas Haslam offered him a job on the spot; an appointment that would prove pivotal in this young designer’s career. After almost three years spent learning from this great guru of design, Justin made the decision to return to Cape Town and start working on his first collection for the shop he would one day open – JVB. In 2002, Justin opened his first store on London’s Pimlico Road. That same year, JVB was awarded top accolades at several design fairs. In October 2002, Justin’s second furniture collection, the Southernwood Collection, received the “Decorex International Futures of Design” Award, a rare accolade in an industry with very few acknowledged newcomers,

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thus hailing JVB as the new kid on the block to watch.

The shop’s first anniversary brought an unexpected treat. “There we were,” recalls Justin nonchalantly, “in the middle of unpacking stacks of boxes, when Madonna and her assistant walked in. The assistant said, ‘This doesn’t seem like a good day’ and all Madonna said was, ‘Yes, I can see that.’

But she ended up buying a mirror and has recently put in further large orders.” The Material Girl isn’t the only star to be taken with Justin’s wares: saucy actress Sharon Stone popped in one day and walked out with four lamp stands made from blown Swazi Ngwenya glass, while other patrons include several of Britain’s aristocracy and numerous influential political figures. JVB’s successes and acclaim in the UK are what stirred Justin to bring his furniture back home. Although the Fourways store is the first in South Africa, Justin does have plans to open more here, as well as in the UK. While JVB does have a strong South African element, Justin is mindful to make the pieces suitable for British conditions. “Houses there have narrow little stairs so you can’t make a massive sideboard, for example. It has to be slimmer,

style with carefully considered shelving that uses space to the maximum.”

Talking about investment furniture versus decorating on a dime, Justin feels you can generally divide people into two categories: those who DIY and those who don’t. “While people will always want to save, they are wiser to the phrase of ‘goedkoop koop is duurkoop’, (loosely translated to mean buying cheap goods ultimately ends up costing you more) and are therefore looking at quality. But the exposure and opening up of international markets has brought us an ever increasing range of products from around the world, and there is now the availability of boutique pieces sold at decent prices.” According to him, second hand purchasing in a brand that is developed, such as Ralph Lauren and the like, is a wonderful way to acquire a collection of contemporary items.

What are Justin’s thoughts on modern eclectic style? “Today’s world is populated with a much more discerning individual,” he says. “The exposure through travel and particularly the press, which reveals every corner of the globe, has produced

an individual who has developed a more cosmopolitan sense of style. Decor is no longer an academic process in which a style is informed through an interpretation of a set aesthetic. Rather, the individual client, based on their personal experience of the world, sets the tone for the look of the home and employs the designer to interpret that sensibility. Our homes are now the setting that reflects the lives we are living and not the life our designers think we should be living. This creates a mix of elements that are layered and interesting, reflecting memories, interests, and objects collected.”

In South Africa, Justin is working with local artisans and suppliers to develop product and furniture items that he has designed specifically for the South African market. These include a range of fabrics manufactured by a local fabric mill, a range of ceramics by a Cape Town based group of young artists using colour glazes specially designed by him, and wallpaper that embraces unique local elements such as porcupine quills. “Working with Nicholas was like going to furniture-design finishing school and I’d like to pass on what

I learnt,” says Justin, who aspires to join the Ceda-accredited Karatara Project outside Knysna to teach a course in furniture construction and entrepreneurship. “South African craftsmen often have unbelievable skills but wouldn’t have been formally trained in proportion or scale, for example.

I’d really enjoy developing and teaching a course like that.”

JVB was born out of a lifetime of solid, South African family values. Taking his inspiration from his grandparents’ style of decor and the glamour of the 1920s, Justin has successfully fused the richness and textures of this epoch with striking, contemporary elements, making the JVB look glamorous and timeless.

Concludes Justin, “Details of furniture from another era informed my eye when conceptualising the JVB look; my furniture is a sexy design vision that bridges interiors you can just flop down in with a sense of grandeur.”

JVB can be found at Dividend House, William Nicol Drive, Fourways Junction, Johannesburg. Contact +27 11 467 3406, email fourways@j-v-b.com or click onto www.j-v-b.com for more information. 

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Maxi Dolphin 51 Power

A New Sea Creature The Cannes Boat Show is one of the biggest events on the international yachting calendar, outshone only by Genoa a few weeks later. Here, in the chic centre of Cannes, the public can gaze at new releases and trends. The move by power boat builders towards classic shapes with beautiful wooden finishes was clearly apparent this year.

Words: CHARL DU PLESSIS Images: Š MAXI DOLPHIN YACHTS ITALY

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annes is just plain impressive. The yachts – power and sailing – are plentiful and well presented.

The main harbour at Cannes is not large enough to accommodate everyone and the superyachts have to dock out in their own section at a separate pier, Pierro Canto, connected by water taxis. My quick estimate is that exhibitors probably had about 700 vessels of one sort or another on display, and my feet could testify to the challenge of experiencing all of this in a few short days.

I could not help sending an SMS to one of my single friends who has a weakness for pretty women to mention that the Fashion TV yacht, Diamond, was moored in the bay. But the real eye-catchers this year were the number of new classic power boats reintroducing traditional wooden finishes and shapes or melding these classic design elements with very modern materials. Over the next few editions, we will publish a variety of these trendsetters such as the Wave, the Zeelander, and Riva. The good news is that this style of yacht will soon be available in South African waters, with the first of the exciting Turkish Kral range expected in the Cape during summer.

Maxi Dolphin Yachts (MD) introduced their 51-foot power yacht at the show this year with the sales by-line: “The sea welcomes a new creature. Agile, advanced, and distinctive. Newly born, but already a standard of excellence.” Yes, the Italians gave us the opera and so we should allow them to wax a little bit lyrical. This yacht deserves it, though. MD is a shipyard that produces once-off elegant sailing yachts between 33 and 118 foot and it has turned its magical touch to power boats.

At MD, sail and power come together in a different manner, as Maxi Dolphin is a craftsman high-tech boat builder. Using technologically advanced materials and ultra-modern working techniques, the care dedicated by the boatyard to each and every detail is the same as that practiced by an individual craftsman creating a once-off in his own workshop. Maxi Dolphin is, therefore, capable of managing the construction of either serial boats or large once-off yachts.

The Maxi Dolphin 51 Power is the first power cruiser built by the Maxi Dolphin yards of Erbusco, outside Milan. Classic and elegant lines clothe the very best of true power that lies dormant in its two 240 HP Volvo IPS600 engines. Its clean design disguises its apparel, intended to provide the utmost in cruising comfort

and enjoyment. Maximum speed at halfload is 38 knots, while the cruising speed of 30 knots yields a fuel consumption of 100 litres/hour.

The Maxi Dolphin 51 Power is a day cruiser suited for outings at sea or for brief excursions of a day or two. Below decks is a large owner’s suite with private bathroom and shower, plus a spacious adjoining dinette, saloon and small head. By day, the Maxi Dolphin 51 Power can host up to 12 people, while four people can stay overnight in the two double cabins below deck.

I particularly liked the way in which the MD people we met at Cannes insisted

that this yacht is “only for people who love the sea.” They might have added something like, “for those who have plenty of money and beautiful friends” to boot, but I suppose when life is lived as opera, you take those things for granted.

The Maxi Dolphin 51 Power is a rare item, so contact us at Prestige magazine if you are serious about the boat – either as a potential dealer or to buy directly in Italy.

The price begins at €980,000 plus around €200,000 in optional extras such as leather upholstery, a hard top, additional guest cabin, upgraded navigational equipment and more. 

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Circumnavigation Vendée Globe Race In theory, the Vendée Globe is a simple affair. Its fundamental principles come down to a few brief adjectives: a single-handed, unassisted, non-stop, round-the-world sailing race. That’s it.

In practice, it’s another story. And the tales that spin out from this great quest are by no means simple: they are extraordinary.

Words: TANYA GOODMAN Images: © Jacques Vapillon; vincent curutchet; both for dppi/vendÉe globe

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his remarkably gruelling event, currently in its 6th edition, covers an average of 26,000 miles and is estimated to last at least three months. Some claim that it is the toughest competition in all of sport. The race was founded by French yachtsman Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992, has taken

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place every four years. In the 2004/5 race, more than a third of the boats that entered were forced to retire. Fatalities occurred in the 1992/93 and 1996/97 events. To mitigate the risks, competitors are now required to undergo medical and survival courses. They must also be able to demonstrate prior racing experience; either a completed single-handed trans-oceanic

race, or a completion of the previous Vendée Globe. And their boats, Open 60s, must pass excruciating safety tests.

The route starts in Les Sables d’Olonne, France, and travels down to the Atlantic Ocean around the Cape of Good Hope then through the Southern Ocean below Australia, round Cape Horn and back to Les Sables d’Olonne. The competitors may stop

s o lo at anchor, but may not draw alongside a quay or another vessel and may not receive any outside assistance, including customised weather or routing information.

The race is open to monohull yachts conforming to the Open 60 class criteria, designed from the outset to be sailed by just one person. The Open classes are unrestricted in certain aspects but specific parameters, such as overall length, draught, appendages and stability, as well as numerous other safety features, must be met. Open 60s are one of the fastest boats in sailing. Built in carbon fibre using the latest hi-tech structures, they are designed to be as light as possible but strong enough to withstand the worst the seas can throw at them. These boats have a number of different sails to suit various conditions – not as many sails as a boat designed to be sailed by a 12-strong crew, but enough to keep the solo skipper working hard all the time matching sail plan to wind and sea conditions.

There are very few comforts aboard, with most of the space given over to hi-tech devices and navigation tools.

Skippers have found ingenious ways, however, to bring some sense of home with them, travelling with cuddly teddy bears or lucky red socks and savouring the discovery during their journey of stowedaway tokens from friends and gag gifts from their shore crew.

Upon their departure on 9 November for the 2008/9 race, the record-sized fleet of 30 yachts set sail under threatening

skies with an awkward swell and 13 to18 knots of breeze, with the knowledge that winds of up to 45 knots awaited. It was a tough first night, with skippers facing headwinds of 20 to 30 knots and 4 to 6-metre seas. Within the first 24 hours, two boats returned to port – Dominque Wavre on Temenos arrived with electrical problems, while Bernard Stamm on Cheminées Poujoulat had a collision with a fishing boat that damaged his bowsprit. By the end of the fourth day, a total of nine skippers had returned to Les Sables d’Olonne with a slew of issues, ranging from minor technological blips to major structural damage and dismastings; all of which would need to be repaired in time to meet the deadline for re-starting. Most managed to do so; however, four of these skippers – Yannick Bestaven (Aquarelle.com), Kito de Pavant (Groupe Bel), Marc Thiercelin (DCNS), and Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) – were ultimately forced to retire.

Like so many others, Alex Thomson had already overcome great hurdles to make it to the event. His team has been preparing for this Vendée Globe for the last four years.

The disappointment is acute, particularly for Thomson. Less than two miles away from the port of Les Sables d’Olonne and three weeks prior to the race, Thomson had collided with a fishing boat which hit through the hull of Hugo Boss, provoking a dismasting and damaging a large part of the internal structure of the boat. A team of nearly 30 people worked around the clock to get Hugo Boss and were thrilled to

have her ready for the start line. But, after being forced to return to port on Day 4 and assessing the repairs, a shattered Thomson had no choice but to retire, for the second consecutive edition of the race.

Thompson would have been one of many skippers who are back for more, some of whom have made multiple circumnavigations. This will, however, be the first time that two winners have competed against each other: Michel Desjoyeaux (2000) and Vincent Riou (2004).

And then there are the rookies who have neither circumnavigations nor Southern Ocean experience under their life jackets.

For them, a real baptism of fire awaits.

The average number of competitors who complete the Vendée Globe circumnavigation is 40 percent. Preparing participants for the challenges of the Southern Ocean, French solo legend Isabelle Autissier said, "To go there alone you have to really love sailing, because it will be hard to keep that love. The weather is bad, the sky is grey, it is cold, the sea is rough and you feel really far from the human race, mentally and physically. To go through that kind of thing, you have to be cool-headed; you simply have to be happy to be there. It is not a matter of doing a race and wanting to win, you sometimes have to just find your own personal balance." For many, simply staying the course and defying the odds of finishing the race will suffice.

To follow the race online, go to www.vendeeglobe.org/en. 

spook

The Triangle Mysteries N early everyone knows of the Bermuda Triangle, that mysterious area of the north-western Atlantic Ocean where ships and their crew and planes and their passengers vanish without a trace.

All manner of bizarre occurrences have been reported here, from freak storms and enormous waves to magnetic anomalies and complete cessation of all electrical activity. On almost the exact opposite side of the planet, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan some 100 kilometres south of Tokyo, is a similar anomaly of the sea known by locals as Ma-no Umi – the Dragon’s Triangle. Some people claim that the disappearances in these areas fall beyond the borders of human error or acts of nature; many tragedies thus attributed to the paranormal, a suspension of the laws of physics, or activity by extraterrestrial beings.

Although the boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle vary from source to source, it generally covers a trapezoid shape including the Straits of Florida, the Bahamas, the entire Caribbean island area east to the Azores, and sometimes the Gulf of Mexico, with most of the accidents concentrated along the southern boundary around the Bahamas and the Florida Straits.

The Gulf Stream Ocean current flows through the Triangle after leaving the Gulf of Mexico. Some researchers believe that this current, which has a strength of five to six knots, may have played a part in a number of disappearances. Sudden storms can and do arrise, and in the summer to late fall, hurricanes strike the area. The

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It is very likely that you have heard the legends, stories and tales of planes, boats and helicopters that disappeared over a certain area of the ocean known as the Bermuda Triangle.

A similar area off the coast of Japan, known as the Dragon’s Triangle, has also made its way into the spotlight of late. But just what these areas are still cannot be explained, though much speculation abounds.

Words: TONI ACKERMANN Images: Š ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

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one catastrophically off course.

With his 1989 book, The Dragon’s Triangle, linguist and author Charles Berlitz seeks to present a definitive guide to the aforementioned triangle. Inevitably, he makes a comparison to the Bermuda Triangle. The two are located on opposite sides of the Earth in both longitude and latitude, and both are on the eastern edges of continental shelves, where strong currents sweep over actively volcanic areas and where the ocean floor drops off into sudden deep trenches. The main agonic lines, where magnetic north and true north coincide, also run through these areas, though the line in the Western Hemisphere has shifted westwards into the Gulf of Mexico. Both spots also mark nodal points where major tidal and surface currents turn, usually in opposite directions.

Berlitz also noted some of the strange phenomena found in this area, including mysterious lights, sudden dense fogs, violent storms and unexplained disappearances. Among the missing craft are tankers weighing over 200,000 tonnes, and airplanes, warships and

“

The Bermuda and Dragon’s Triangles are the only two areas on Earth where a compass will point true north rather than magnetic north.

“

combination of tempestuous weather and heavy maritime traffic (this is a primary shipping lane) makes it inevitable that vessels could flounder in storms and be lost without a trace, especially in times prior to improved telecommunications, radar, and satellite technology.

The Dragon’s Triangle follows a line from western Japan north of Tokyo to a point in the Pacific before it turns westsouthwest past the Bonin Islands and then down to Guam and Yap, west to Taiwan and then returns north-northeast back to Japan, on the Bay of Tokyo, completing the triangle.

According to historians, Christopher Columbus was the first person to document something strange in the area of the Bermuda Triangle, reporting that he and his crew observed "strange dancing lights on the horizon” and “flames in the sky.” At another point, Columbus wrote in his log about bizarre compass bearings in the area.

The Bermuda and Dragon’s Triangles are the only two areas on Earth where a compass will point true north rather than magnetic north. At 20 degrees, this is enough of a compass variation to throw

submarines. According to Berlitz, with most of these, no oil slicks, flotsam or wreckage was ever found to indicate a sinking.

Berlitz poses a solid argument by saying that many of the incidents in the Dragon’s Triangle could be attributed to natural forces. In truth, the storms of the Pacific are some of the most violent on Earth. The depth of the ocean in this area is in nearconstant unrest, as volcanic activity constantly creates and destroys islands, and causes earthquakes in the depths that in turn cause tsunamis on the surface. In Berlitz’s view, rogue waves are quite capable of pushing ships under so quickly that no trace would be left on the water.

Substantial documentation does exist showing numerous incidents throughout the years to have been inaccurately reported or embellished. Several official agencies have also gone on record as stating that the number and nature of disappearances is statistically similar to any other area of ocean. Much speculation has led to much research, and the marine insurer Lloyd's of London has determined the Bermuda Triangle to be no more dangerous than any other area of ocean, and does not charge unusual rates for passage through this region. United States Coast Guard records confirm Lloyd’s conclusion. In fact, the number of supposed disappearances is relatively insignificant considering the number of ships and aircraft that pass through on a regular basis. The Coast Guard is also officially sceptical of the Triangle, noting that they collect and publish, through their inquiries, much documentation contradicting many of the incidents written about by various Triangle authors.

Recent theories involve a connection between the Bermuda and Dragon’s Triangles, suggesting that since they are, broadly speaking, at polar opposites on the Earth's surface, they may be linked through the Earth's core, creating a “black hole” super-gravitational effect. Whatever the answer, the Bermuda and Dragon’s Triangles remain one of the world’s best kept secrets. 

HD is all about resolution

© Multi Media Publications - 200808b

HD Ready It’s important that a HD Ready Panel should have 921,600 pixels to have the full benefit of a 720P or 1080i image for HD satellite reception. Hitachi HD Ready panels offer a minimun of 1,105,920 pixels.

Full HD Take advantage of the complete high-definition picture offered by the latest gaming consoles and high definition DVD/BluRay players. This 1920 x 1080 panel resolution shows you every pixel, giving you the FULL HD viewing experience.

Picture Master FHD Our latest Picture Master technology is our most powerful yet. With its 16-bit picture processing and new 3D colour management, it’s optimised for high definition. Add to this, its advanced dynamic contrast and digital clear technology and you get pictures the way they were meant to be seen.

Whatever you watch, Picture Master FHD makes it an incredible experience.

Imported and distributed by: Balanced Audio Tel: (011) 314-0760 Website: www.balancedaudio.co.za

FEATURE

P

icture erfect

lasma

The Resolution Revolution Now that High Definition Television (HDTV) and flatscreens have come to stay, there remains only one question when you upgrade: plasma or liquid crystal display (LCD)? As with the technology battle between VHS and Betamax video, you want to bet on the right horse.

Words: CHARL DU PLESSIS Images: © ISTOCKPHOTO.com

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ou most likely grew up with CRT technology powering your family’s box. Those cathode ray tubes, which seemed good enough when we stared at the test patterns

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for hours when television was first launched in South Africa during the 1970s are, however, too heavy and bulky to function in today’s ultra-thin flatscreens of ever-growing size.

So the problems that manufacturers

have been trying to overcome as screens grow bigger: weight, bulk, size, colour quality including brightness and contrast, sharpness, response time, viewing angles, screen burn, and energy usage.

Manufacturers do make an inordinate

see amount of noise about lifespan, and the average television set is expected to deliver 60,000 hours (27 years) of viewing at an average of six hours per day. I must say, however, I have never owned any set for even half that time and fully expect these same manufacturers to lure me back into the shop with even better technology long before the expiry date of my current set.

With CRT now evidently out of the race, the choice comes down to plasma or LCD. Plasma displays work much in the same way as fluorescent and neon lights – that is, they use electricity to illuminate a gas sandwiched between two glass plates with transparent electrodes. When voltage is applied to one of the electrodes, a surface electrical discharge produces ultraviolet rays that excite the coloured phosphors coated inside the opposite plate of glass, emitting light through the glass plate to create an image. Because the phosphors are red, green, and blue, the image produced is in colour.

LCDs are thin, flat display devices made up of any number of colour or monochrome pixels arrayed in front of a light source or reflector. Manufacturers in this area have been able to overcome most of their early “ghosting” problems and are fast playing catch-up in the international large screen HDTV market dominated by plasma, and quite often because their claim to lower energy consumption does seem to resonate with high-end luxury users.

There is no outright answer as to which of these technologies are better, and speaking to a specialist at Balanced Audio in Johannesburg, Jannie Dirks, his best suggestion is “decide what you want to watch, and how you want to watch.” He must have seen the puzzled look on my face, as he explained further. “The ideal viewing distance for television is generally that for HDTV, you should be at a distance of 3 to 4 times the height of your television set. The larger, the further away you will be sitting, and that might be limited by the actual space in your TV room.” We all know that the impulse is always to go for the biggest set possible, so let’s assume then, that you take home something big. This is where the choice between plasma and LCD becomes important. Here is the rule of thumb, which we should add, would be greatly disputed by many an expert: once you go over a 94cm screen (that’s the diagonal they measure), plasma is better suited.

When it comes to colour, plasma shows some advantage with a slightly bigger range. LCD colours are effectively produced by “taking away” colours from pure white, via the manipulation of the light waves

coming from a constant, rear backlight.

This makes it more difficult for LCD to deliver consistent vibrancy and authentic tones, with particular problems being overdominant greens and reds, and an overall colour “temperature” that’s too high to ideally suit video material. On the contrast side, plasma’s pixels individually create their own light source independent of other pixels, meaning that only the bright parts of an image need to light. This results in deeper black levels. With LCDs, individual pixels need to block out bright light from the constant backlight to make themselves dark, and since they can’t achieve this completely, they typically don’t reproduce blacks as well as plasma displays do.

The team at Balanced Audio’s emphasis on what you like to view becomes important when talking about response time. Sit up and listen all you sport fans. A screen’s response time is a measure of how fast its pixels can complete one full cycle, or how fast it is ready for the next image’s light needs. With LCD, completing a pixel cycle requires it to go from active (black) to inactive (white) and back again. Since each pixel is completely self-contained, plasmas can refresh themselves virtually instantaneously.

Plasma pixels react so fast that the term “response time” is practically irrelevant, as even the fastest movement looks crisp and clear. This seems to me to be the absolute slam-dunk argument for plasma in sports-

crazy South Africa, and Jannie Dirks tends to agree with my sentiment when I make that observation. It is for this very reason that Balanced Audio sees these huge plasma screens almost walk themselves out the front door right around major sporting events like the Olympics, or the rugby and cricket seasons’ best.

Should I still have had some lingering doubt, one of Jannie’s colleagues reminds us both that the reason why sport crazies often purchase large screens is to have a few friends over to enjoy the game with them. The final criterion that comes to mind, then, is the viewing angle. You do not all want to have to fight for the front seat in the middle to catch the game.

Plasma screens can be watched from very wide viewing angles without any significant loss in colour or contrast, thanks to the fact that they emit light directly from each of their screen cells or pixels. LCD pixels merely pass on a light originating from a single point behind them; therefore, LCD screens can lose contrast and colour if watched from angles as small as 45 degrees.

So, with Jannie’s help, I know where I am putting my money in time for Saturday’s game. But, why don’t you rather drop in at a specialist store such as Balanced Audio and let them help you make the right choice for your family’s viewing requirements.

Yeah – as if dads buy large flatscreen TVs with more than their own sports viewing needs in mind! 

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Victor and Veronica Lidchi in one of their showrooms

Magic

Persian Carpet Ride I n Co nve rs a tion with Victor Lidchi Victor Lidchi comes from four generations of Persian and Oriental rug dealers, dating back to the Ottoman Empire. He has been in this industry most of his life, travelling all over the Orient in search of beautiful items. As South Africa's best known specialist, he talks to us about the charm of Persian and Oriental carpets.

Words: NIKOLAS HOFFMAN Images: Š ryan woodley; ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

NH: Victor, how long has your family been in this field?

VL: We were originally based in Constantinople in Ottoman Turkey from the mid 1800s before moving to Paris, France in the early 1900s. From there we came to Johannesburg for the 1936 Empire Exhibition at the urging of Sir Ernest Oppenheimer (De Beers), who was a friend and client of my father, Henri. That makes us the longest established name in South Africa in this business.

NH: What is the fascination people seem to have for Persian and Oriental rugs? Why their prestige?

VL: It goes back to biblical times in the East, and since the Renaissance in the West when carpets were first imported for the nobles and royalty by merchants of Venice, Holland and other nations trading with the Orient. Being hand-crafted works of art (like with original

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swish paintings), each individual Persian rug or other Oriental rugs (such as those from Turkey, India, Central Asia, and so on) is unique, and so they carry something of the soul and personality of their creators. Also, they are an expression of the best of Eastern art, which has always fascinated the West – their seductive colour combinations and enchanting designs have made them the ultimate in luxury and style for traditional and contemporary interiors, from New York to Hong Kong, Cape Town to London.

NH: Even for today’s interiors?

VL: Oh yes. Leading interior designers and decorators worldwide love them and recommend them for their enormous versatility, endless range of styles and “moods” – from mellow and majestic to vibrant and rustic. These carpets add charm and originality, whether they are in a farmhouse, a penthouse, a mansion or a corporate reception area. Moreover, we keep a wide range not only of Classic styles, but also of delightful Contemporary styles that are being crafted today.

NH: What does a good rug cost?

VL: As with other art forms, there are the

“museum pieces” which can be priceless; the “collector’s items” which are rare and costly. It is a question of quality, size, supply and demand, rarity, age and so on. But the vast majority of our clients buy mainly for pleasure and decoration, although some also purchase them for hard assets. In our collection, prices start from under R10,000 to over R100,000 per item.

NH: What advice do you have for a would-be buyer?

VL: Above all, buy what speaks to you, and what moves you! It is the same as with any form of art. Don’t be swayed by “names” or origins of rugs, or other people’s opinions.

Also deal with someone with a reputation for professionalism and who has stood the test of time. And someone who has the time and patience to listen to your needs and questions as well as the services and benefits you will value.

NH: What services do you offer?

VL: Oh, they are rather wide. But the main ones are: we offer a very large range in both Classic and Contemporary Persians and Orientals, and we have a professional and helpful staff – very important! It’s no idle boast that my staff

are renowned with local buyers and with international visitors. We also provide an expert cleaning and repair department.

Clients can opt to use our free, noobligation “approval” service, where we bring a selection of carpets to you, to see in situ, and do all the carrying, opening and closing of the items. Our Certificate of Authenticity & Value and our Full-Credit Exchange Guarantee have an excellent reputation. But really, we offer anything you could need if you love these objects as we do.

We take great pleasure in welcoming new people to our showrooms. Come and look, handle and enjoy our collection over a chat with one of our staff. No obligation, whether you are new to this subject or an enthusiast.  Contact Victor Lidchi • Tel: +27 11 341 0367 • Email: vl@victorlidchi.co.za • Website: www.victorlidchi.co.za • Visit stores in Dunkeld West Centre, corner Jan Smuts Ave and Bompass Rd, Dunkeld, Johannesburg. Or, Clearwater Mall, Struben’s Valley, Roodepoort

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The Caribbean on a Cloud Small Ship Cruising Sailing on the Sea Cloud is a Caribbean cruise like no other. Since the day its keel was laid, this 360-foot yacht has been the focus of much international intrigue. Owners have included brutal Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo and EF Hutton and his wife, cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post. The ship even served as the American embassy in Russia during the Stalin years.

Words: JANET GROENE; FEATURENET.CO.ZA Images: © Sea Cloud Cruises

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or even the most jaded cruisers, the Sea Cloud adds up to luxury living, steeped in history and serenaded by the rushing, sighing sounds that only a real sailing ship can make. Thanks to the yacht’s smaller size, in comparison with a traditional cruise ship, she can ease into relatively small ports. And thanks to Sea Cloud’s varied itinerary, passengers can string together two week-long bookings and see new ports each week.

The earlier you book your cruise, the better your chances of getting one of a handful of original owner staterooms, which feature marble bath tubs and walkin closets. Hutton’s master suite even has a

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fireplace. There are 34 staterooms, each with en suite bath, to accommodate a maximum of 64 passengers served by an attentive crew of nearly the same number.

Our Caribbean cruise started in Barbados, known as “little England” and ended at Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. We sailed part of each day, lunching on a buffet that ran the length of the promenade deck.

Cocktails and dinner were served by spiffy staff in starched uniforms. The baker works through the night, preparing a remarkable breakfast with seas of pastries and breads, hot dishes, hot and cold meats, a cheese tray and juices. A silvery coffee pot stays hot around the clock.

On open water, the majestic ocean-

going windjammer flies 30 sails totalling more than 32,000 square feet of canvas.

Its main mast climbs 178 feet above the deck, forming a dizzying network of rigging that comes alive as dozens of crew scramble about the yards. Veteran sailors would deem her “stiff” and “seakindly,” which translates to stability and comfort for passengers.

Learning about the ship’s storied past is one of the highlights of a cruise. First named Hussar V, the yacht originally cost EF Hutton a cool $1 million in 1931 at a time when a good crewman could be hired for $75 a month. No design feature was too grand for the Wall Street magnate. Hussar V was built with a state-of-the-art diesel

electric system, a walk-in freezer and watertight steel doors that, at the time, were found only on submarines. Arriving in New York, Hutton shelled out an additional $95,000 in duty fees, a fortune during the Great Depression. One refit alone cost more than $3 million and required eight miles of manilla rope, acres of sailcloth, hogsheads of varnish, and millions of hours of loving labour.

His wife, Marjorie Merriweather Post, herself a successful businesswoman, designed the interior of the luxury yacht, with its then black hull, completely according to her liking. She dedicated at least two years almost exclusively to this task. Post rented a large warehouse in Brooklyn, drafted a full-scale diagram of the ship’s interior and arranged carefullychosen antiques as they should later be displayed in her own and the six other luxury cabins. It is no wonder that the décor was later exactly as she had imagined – and fascinates guests even today with its personalised style.

The Hussar V was built for one purpose:

to take the Huttons in their customary opulence to all those places they felt their presence was desirable, whether for representative or business reasons or simply the pleasure of travel and adventure. The Hussar V spent at least nine months of the year at sea – and the Huttons set course for such exotic destinations as the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii and the Mediterranean.

When Hutton and Post divorced in 1935, Marjorie got the ship and rechristened it Sea Cloud. She later married Joseph Davies, United States ambassador to Russia.

Everyone knew the embassy built for the Americans by the Russians was bugged – not to mention cold and ugly. For privacy and comfort, Davies and his socialite wife stayed on the ship in Leningrad. One of the most famous hostesses of the times, Marjorie stocked the galley with meat, cream, fruits and vegetables – luxuries for most Russians.

Like many large yachts, Sea Cloud was commandeered early in World War II. According to Sea Cloud’s website, “President Franklin D Roosevelt, who was a close

friend of diplomat Davies, at first rejected ‘military service’ for the Sea Cloud on the grounds that the yacht was too beautiful for such a deployment.” But war woes caused a course change. Sea Cloud was stripped of its priceless art works, carvings, and wood panelling by the US Coast Guard.

Pressed into duty as a U-Boat spotter and weather boat, Sea Cloud helped sink at least one German sub.

Historians aren’t sure why she wasn’t torpedoed. It could have been luck, or it could have been that the Germans refused to blow up a ship built in their homeland. It may also have been because German skippers relied on the weather information that Sea Cloud broadcast in clear Morse code, available to all.

After the war, Davies and Post reclaimed Sea Cloud, and sold the yacht in the early 1950s to Rafael Trujillo, a buddy of the diplomat. The Dominican Republic’s famously corrupt strongman renamed the ship Angelita, and often threw wild floating parties attended by Hollywood starlets and international playboys. After Trujillo was ambushed and assassinated in 1961, his relatives loaded the yacht with loot and set sail for Cannes. However, the Dominican Republic’s new government scotched the getaway and alerted the US Coast Guard, which seized the ship.

Under a succession of subsequent owners, Sea Cloud languished. Her brass corroded. Mahogany rails turned black and the sails rotted on the yards. A German group led by Hartmut Paschberg, an economist who doubled as a sea captain, finally rescued the ship in 1978, and restored Sea Cloud to her present state of grandeur.

For reservations, call +001 888 732 2568 or visit www.seacloud.com.

Prices start at $4,160 per person based on double occupancy. A typical eight-day, seven-night voyage from Barbados to Curacao will take you to the following ports of call: Bridgetown, Barbados; Port of Spain, Trinidad; El Guamache, Isla Margarita, Isla Blanquilla, Venezuela; Kralendijk, Bonnaire; and Willemstad, Curacao. A second eight-day, seven-night voyage that could be tacked on would be from Curacao to Puerto Limon, starting from Willemstad, Curacao and docking at Oranjestad, Aruba; Santa Marta, Colombia; San Blas Archipelago, Panama; with a final port of call at Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. Sister ships, the more modern Sea Cloud II, River Cloud, and River Cloud II undertake voyages in the Caribbean, Europe, and Transatlantic. 

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Creature Comforts Finding a House Sitter As much as we love the comforts of home and the companionship of our faithful, furry, fourlegged creatures, there are times when the humans in our family need to travel, be it for urgent business meetings or just a little R&R. And when we do, it’s not the logistics of getting there that make me queasy, but rather the task of finding someone reliable to look after our house and take care of our pets.

Words: TANYA GOODMAN Image: © ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

colleague who had to leave town in an emergency quickly contacted Occupied House Sitters for the first time and within 24 hours had a meeting set up with his potential house sitter. Entrusting your home and pets to someone else while you are away can be such an emotional decision, but knowing that your precious animals and house are in careful and loving hands makes a holiday or business trip so much more enjoyable.

For more information, contact Petri Nel on +27 87 805 7152, cell +27 82 350 9876 or email petri@occupied.co.za. Visit the website at www.occupied.co.za. 

“

Professional; reliable; what a find! We’ve always stressed about finding a house sitter and consequently have not gone away. Great to know about you guys... Now we can get a life.

– Adi, Gallo Manor

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ittle did I know that an extremely professional service is at hand – Occupied House Sitters. Offering coverage throughout South Africa, the sitters on Occupied House Sitters’ books are fully screened and online profiles of each person are available for your perusal. House sitters range in age from 22 to 70 years old, and include couples. The client selects which person best fits their needs and an interview is set up to brief the house sitter and determine his or her suitability. An extensive catalogue of reassuring terms and conditions apply to how a sitter behaves in your house, including refraining from smoking and alcohol use, contacting you once a day to check in, and not inviting friends over or using your food and toiletries (unless approved by the client) for the duration of their stay.

Basically, the house sitter is hired to occupy your house at night. They turn the security system on and off as instructed, and will water plants and look after your swimming pool. For the pet-sitting component, a typical range of duties includes feeding of pets, playing with pets, giving them medication, walking of dogs, and other pet-related requirements you might have. Day services at a different rate are also available. A task or duty list is supplied by the company for you to outline your needs, and a daily log of activities is kept by the house sitter for you to review.

Perhaps the most impressive part of their service is the company’s personalised attention and undeniable efficiency. A

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Bubbly

Cocktails from the House of JC le Roux

JC le Roux’s newest addition is La Fleurette, a fresh and lively sparkling rosé that delights the taste buds with a pleasant mélange of fruity flavours. This exuberant bubbly flawlessly balances freshness and sweetness with its playful palate of strawberry and plum followed by the richness of Muscat.

Words & Images: © House of JC le Roux

Russian Peach

Ingredients • 50ml peach puree • 25ml vodka • JC le Roux La Fleurette

Method Shake together the peach puree and vodka.

Pour over ice in a chilled champagne glass and top to just below the brim with JC le Roux La Fleurette. Garnish with a cherry and enjoy.

Bubblegum

Ingredients • 25ml gin • ½ fresh lemon, squeezed to release the juice • 15ml raspberry liqueur • 15ml gomme syrup (sugar syrup) • small handful mixed fresh berries • JC le Roux La Fleurette Method Shake together the gin, lemon juice, raspberry liqueur, gomme syrup and mixed berries. Pour over ice in a tall champagne glass and top up with JC le Roux La Fleurette. Garnish with a cherry and serve chilled.

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s av o u r

From the Galley

Baked Kingklip with Herb Crust on a Duet of Cucumber and Potato Tossed with Chives and Lime Words & Images: © GARTH SHNIER

Method Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

2 x120g kingklip fillets 5ml olive oil 40g lime zest & juice 5g fresh chilli, crushed 20g coriander, finely chopped 80g fresh bread, finely crumbed 25g parsley, chopped 30g parmesan cheese, grated 60g cucumber, finely diced 40g onion, finely chopped 5g garlic, finely chopped 5g ginger, finely chopped 125g butter 80ml white wine, medium to sweet 40ml cream 10g chives, chopped 120g potatoes, finely diced, par boiled salt & pepper to taste

In a hot pan, heat the olive oil and seal the two kingklip fillets on all sides. Remove fish from pan. Into the pan juices, add the onion, garlic, lime zest, chilli, coriander, parsley and half the wine. Mix together well. Add 50g butter and fresh breadcrumbs to form a wet paste. Spread this breadcrumb paste on top of the kingklip fillets to form a crust. Place in a greased baking dish and bake slowly at 140 °C for 8 minutes, coating with the juices during baking. While the fish bakes, sauté the par-boiled potatoes in 50g butter until golden brown. Season with the parmesan cheese. Sauté the cucumber in the remaining butter together with the ginger, chives and remaining wine for no more than 30 seconds to retain crispness.

Add the cream and a dash of freshly squeezed lime juice and cook until simmering. Spoon the potato onto the plate and top with the cucumber mixture. Set the crusted kingklip fillet on top of this and garnish with a sprig of chives. Serves 2.

Chef Garth Shnier has been a member of South Africa’s National Culinary Team for 17 years, representing his country in no fewer than nine international individual and team competitions. He also competed in the world-famous Bocuse d’Or in 1995, again managing entry into the 2007 event. Garth is Team Manager of the South African Culinary Olympic Team which, under his captaincy, brought home a gold medal in the Hot Kitchen and two silvers and a bronze medal in the Cold Table at the 2008 Olympics. On the international front, Garth is an accredited judge of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS).

Currently, he is the Executive Chef of the Sandton Sun, one of four deluxe hotels in the Southern Sun Group.

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livethelife ToyWatch – the Latest Timekeeping Trend The latest craze in watches is proving that time doesn’t always have to be precious.

A favourite of international fashion editors, the oversized ToyWatch is as thrifty as it is cool. The brand has ignited a firestorm in the fashion, design and accessories industries; heralded as a sensation. Seen on the wrists of countless celebrities from Oprah, Madonna, Naomi Campbell and Paris Hilton, to Charlize Theron and Minki van der Westhuizen, the ToyWatch reached South Africa in late November.

Designed in Italy by Marco Mavilla, ToyWatches are chic timepieces, intrinsically lightweight, durable and modern. With see-through acrylic bands, sporty hardware and 35 different colour combinations, these new outsize plastic watches hold their own against the superluxe heavyweights. All ToyWatches boast serious hardware: a Citizen movement, stainless steel backs, and screw down crowns – they’re water resistant too. Available from Fabiani & Oro e Diamanti Jewellers, prices start at R1,799. Visit www.toywatch.co.za for more information.

Fire up the Grill with Eva Solo Summer is here and for those who enjoy throwing a shrimp on the barbeque, Eva Solo’s new Table Grill is as nifty a tool as they come. Perfect for easy cooking and lazy days by the pool, the porcelain grill is quickly fired up. Simply place it on the table, light the charcoal, and add your favourite tapas, from fresh shellfish and chicken wings to stuffed peppers and asparagus spears. Actually, you don’t even need a table to use the grill, as any makeshift surface from beach sand to picnic blankets will do. The bowl is made of porcelain while the grid and insert holding the coals are made of stainless steel. After use, the bowl, insert and grid can be put in the dishwasher so you don’t have to wait for your other half to scrub it clean. And when you’re not using it for a braai, the porcelain bowl doubles as a pretty salad bowl – now isn’t that versatile and stylish? The Eva Solo Table Grill is available online through www.yuppiechef.co.za and retails for around R3,655 with free delivery during 2008.

Gucci Viaggio for the Well-Heeled Drawing on 87 years of hand crafted leather goods making, Gucci recently released a new collection of exclusive luggage and travel accessories: the Gucci Viaggio Collection. Crafted from a resistant, high-tech resin, this innovative collection is the ultimate in stylish practicality. Clean lines characterise each piece, while classic Gucci details render the design’s individuality. Three different sizes of trolleys are available together with smaller carry-on bags, which can be conveniently stacked on top of the suitcases. Garment bags, briefcases and backpacks are also available, as well as document cases and computer holders. The suitcases feature firm pop-out handles for ease in transport and include well-organised internal compartments with stretch linings. The surfaces of these sturdy semi-rigid pieces are coated in a protective glaze that is available in plain black or double GG printed canvas. As with all exceptionally crafted accessories at Gucci, each piece in the Gucci Viaggio collection is entirely made in Italy, a renowned guarantee of both timeless style and exceptional quality. For more information, visit www.gucci.com or call +27 11 784 2547 or +27 21 421 8800.

makingwaves Quantum Stability for Boats World leaders in developing motion control systems for the marine industry, Quantum provides stability solutions for large, recreational and commercial boats measuring between 50 and 200 metres. For the SuperYacht market, Quantum manufactures and installs products such as the ZeroSpeed and OnAnchor yacht stabilisers, which feature digital ARC controls and hydraulic power packs.

With the kind of applications offered by Quantum’s technology, the ship becomes a much more stable platform for miscellaneous nautical, weapon and sensor systems, including added flexibility for operations such as landing helicopters on deck at a higher sea state. In addition, the custom designed stabiliser systems and hydraulics mean that crew onboard enjoy more creature comforts that help minimise operator fatigue, increase crew retention and maximise the effectiveness of naval personnel. Quantum has also supplied stabiliser systems and technologies to military customers over the years, and recently announced an arrangement with Schelde Marinebouw BV, which marks the company’s commitment to this important market for the future.

Visit www.quantumhydraulic.com for more information.

Aye Aye Guv’nor False Bay Yacht Club (FBYC) has begun its countdown to the final preparations for the bi-annual Governor’s Cup, a 1,700-mile summer ocean race from Cape Town to James Bay on St Helena Island, which starts on 29 December 2008 from the Cape Town Waterfront. Participating in the event are 17 yachts and competitors ranging from racing boats with experienced crew to cruising boats manned by small teams of family or friends. This year the youngest sailor to join the fleet is 12-month-old Saoirse aboard the boat, Taniwha. Sailing alongside the fleet to and from the island will be the 7,000ton mixed cargo/passenger ship, the RMS St Helena. The cruise vessel allows supporters and families to connect with the contestants during the race and also serves as a passage home for many of the competitors after the race.

First African to Skydive Mount Everest South African Adolphe Botha was one of 12 solo jumpers to accomplish the first ever sky diving event held over Mount Everest, and indeed the first South African (and African) to do so. Adolphe jumped 29,500 feet from an aircraft, soared over Mount Everest and landed on the highest drop zone on earth (12,205 feet above sea level) at Shyangboche, Namche Bazar in Nepal. In preparation, Botha completed over 75 successful skydives during the three months preceding this feat. As stimulating as it may sound to freefall through pure Himalayan skies, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had two dangers: specially-tailored skydive suits were needed to accommodate temperatures of up to minus 40 °C and seal up thoroughly, as even the tiniest gap in a zip would have exposed the skin to frostbite; and the oxygen systems had to be specially designed and built for this expedition. Says Botha, “All the jumps and training can never quite prepare you for such a staggering experience. The views while making the 40-minute flight to get to altitude were enthralling – even through the oxygen mask.”

We wait with bated breath to see what this blithe daredevil will attempt next.

Sunseeker Proven performance

www.sunseeker.com

Sunseeker as featured in

Sunseeker Indian Ocean Ltd Eden Island Marina, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles.

Tel +248 548 200 Fax +27 86 537 2312 Email: info@sunseeker-indianocean.com A global leader in the design and build of luxury motoryachts up to 37 metres with a worldwide network of appointed distributors. Boat shown: Sunseeker Predator 92 Sport.

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