Prestige Magazine

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VILANCULOS

Dive the Arctic Exploration Yachts

Eat Pray Love AUDI’S LATEST

• Hawaii • Vox Olympian Speakers • Royal Chundu Zambezi River Lodge • Fairline Squadron 65 • Cruise Halong Bay • Coastal Property Investments • Diving Watches • V-22 Osprey • Dr John Demartini • Kenya’s New Marina ISSUE NO. 41

R39.95

South Africa’s Premier Luxury Lifestyle Magazine

The new Audi A8. The art of progress.

Vorsprung in its most advanced form.

Introducing the new Audi A8, a new era of prestige. LED headlights raise the bar in innovative, efficient lighting technology and add a new dimension to the striking face of the Audi A8. The precisioned lines of its aluminium body underscore just how agile and light a sedan in this class can feel. Design that unequivocally states: a cut above the rest. At Audi, we call it the art of progress.

Model available: A8 4.2 FSI速 quattro速 Tiptronic. Official fuel consumption: 9.5l/100km (combined). CO2 emissions of 219g/km (combined).

JHB 26619

The Jupiter Drawing Room 39946

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Wealth Actualisation At Absa Wealth we have a profound appreciation for

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Boating & Yachting Ocean Exploration – SuperYacht Big Fish

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EnglishPoint – Marina Resort for Mombasa

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Plain Sailing – Frederic Makelberge

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Fairline Squadron 65 – Thrills Big Boaters

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Haute Horlogerie & Audio-visual Vox Olympian Loudspeaker – Made for Yachts

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Back from the Deep – Vintage Diving Watches

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Business & CSI Vilanculos Mozambique – Ultimate Getaway in the Market

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Property on the Water – Coastal Investments

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Managing Your Wealth – From the Inside Out

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TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE

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Birder’s Paradise – Royal Chundu Zambezi River Lodge

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Fit or Fat – Exercise is Good for You

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Halong Bay – Cruising Among the Karsts

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Dr John Demartini – His Story

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Sweating it Out in Paradise – Hawaii

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NAC couldn’t wait to see the back of me

HELICOPTER FLIGHT TRAINING Christine Jansen, trainee pilot.

ROBINSON R22

ROBINSON R44

BELL 407

S A L E S l M A I N T E N A N C E l PA RT S l AV I O N I C S l C H A RT E R l T R A I N I N G l VA L U E A D D E D P R O D U C T S l F I N A N C E l I N S U R A N C E

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“NAC’s instructors have spent hundreds of thousands of hours helping a wide spectrum of pilots like myself earn our wings at their facility at Rand Airport. Some graduates have even gone on to become captains and first officers with a wide variety of operators across the world, as well as different helicopter charter operators in Africa, so I know I’m in good hands. NAC also cater for ratings such as Instrument Rating, Instructors Rating and Conversion Training on most types of helicopters. This includes game catch / cull ratings, external load rating and all types of advanced training, including mountain flying. But for now I think my flight instructor will just be happy to see the back of me, when I take my first solo flight!”

“If you’re looking for a company that will really get behind you as a trainee pilot, speak to NAC today.” – Christine Jansen For more information contact: Lanseria +27 11 267 5000 • Rand +27 11 345 2500 • Cape Town +27 21 425 3868 Pretoria +27 12 567 5161 • Durban +27 31 571 8316 • Gaborone +267 397 5257 Australia +6189 429 8881 • USA +001 316 685 8660 • ISO 9001:2008 Quality Assured • www.nac.co.za

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Motoring & Aviation Audi A8 – Remarkable New Model

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V-22-Osprey – A Most Notorious Craft

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The Brits are Back – English Motor Manufacture Resurgence

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SPECIAL FEATURES Spinning the Golden Fleece – The World’s Finest Suit Fabrics

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Diving the Ice Caps – DeepSea Under the Pole by Rolex

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Eat Pray Love – Julia Roberts

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Reflections of a Freedom Fighter – Justice Albie Sachs

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Carol Bouwer – Committed to the Good of the Country

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Time Out – For Body, Mind and Soul

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Unsolved Mystery – Agatha Christie’s Greenway

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Regulars

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Letter from the Chairman

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Letter from the Editor

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Live the Life

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Premier Travel Portfolio

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Making Waves

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letter from the

chairman

Balance and well-being – these are common words bandied about in today's stressed-out society, burdened by the pressures and demands of everyday life. Balance, however, is all about where one chooses to place the fulcrum and is a completely relative phenomenon. In a world full of choices, where hindsight is the best indicator of the accuracy of our decisions, it is generally accepted from many learnings that only those who are truly present will find their paths easier to tread.

We also live in a time where understanding diversity and tolerance of other people’s culture is paramount to peace and acceptance, yet so many people wander around with pouts of righteousness, oblivious of the plight of others. It’s a wonder that people are even talking at all.

In the lull of the current economy, it’s a case of survival of the fittest, as with limited resources many corporates and individuals are finding themselves worse off than anticipated.

So, right now, while it appears that most people are taking stock of their lives and developing through this closer alignment to being and purpose, we thought this edition should be concentrated on exactly this topic.

From my personal point of view I do see myself as a disciple of the wellness concept. So whether you are interested in a little pampering, looking to reconnect with your soul or are starting to re-engineer your entire life, this edition highlights some of the touch-points of rejuvenation and will hopefully provide you with some food for thought.

We are now entering spring and it really is a time of new beginnings and

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fresh starts, so with all the drama and mayhem behind us, take this great opportunity to look for the next achievement from a continent level all the way down to personal ownership at an individual level.

This time of year is also nostalgic for Prestige as our own beginnings are rooted in the yachting industry and we have not forgotten the market that got us going. It is a time of boat shows and outdoor activities and Prestige recognises its influence as well as its obligations over not just the yachting market, but to lifestyle in general.

I would also like to welcome onboard Dr John Demartini as a contributing writer to our magazine.

Dr Demartini is a mentor to me and has been instrumental in inspiring me personally, on taking Neo Africa to new heights. We believe his expertise will be of great value to many business and spiritual leaders.

Finally, in the words of Marcia Wieder, the well-known motivational speaker, “It is essential to our wellbeing, and to our lives that we play and enjoy life. Every single day, do something that makes your heart sing.” These are simple yet great words to live by and remind us of what life should be about.

As is the norm, a warm thank you to those who took the time to email us their thoughts on Prestige.

Inputs are always welcome on escuchar@neoafrica.com.

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BLASTING DESIGN BY RADO

PRESTIGE i n

letter from

the editor “I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment... Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.” – Dalai Lama, Head of the Dge-lugs-pa order of Tibetan Buddhists, 1989 Nobel Peace Prize As most of us emerge from winter bleary-eyed and likely not as slim and trim as we’d like, the significance of well-being comes into play. Be it physical, mental, emotional, financial or other, the importance of this holistic approach to life centres around what is ultimately good for a person. So we spent some time pondering this and put together an edition of Prestige that we think makes a perfect end-of-winter read and which we hope will sate your literary needs.

When it comes to luxury offerings, we at Prestige serve you only the best. Thus we have a superb article on the Vox Olympian speaker, a marvel of craftsmanship that has now been adapted for use on yachts. We test drive the latest model from the Audi stable – the A8, and take a look at the resurgence of British motor car manufacturing. Of course we’ve also recommended a fantastic luxury weekend getaway and a brilliant spa cruise, too.

For your mental and physical well-being we consulted with sports science experts about the best ways to get your body fighting fit, and spoke to the esteemed Dr John Demartini about how he turned his life around so completely, and what advice he can give to others wanting to do the same. We have a story on the beautiful and talented Julia Roberts about her portrayal of a woman searching for meaning in life, in the film Eat Pray Love. We look into alternative therapies and find that Ayurvedic treatments are becoming the new favourite, and take a trip to Hawaii to see what it offers those wanting to enjoy an action-packed island holiday.

We consider the well-being of the environment, too, in our story on the DeepSea Under the Pole by Rolex expedition. Here, scientists spent several weeks exploring the polar ice caps to better understand the plight of our planet. We also speak to the inspirational Carol Bouwer, whose various philanthropic endeavours should be a lesson to us all.

And we didn’t forget the coming of the warmer months either, with our feature on the revival of classic diving watches, where we weigh up the pros and cons of each. We quizzed a leading industry expert about how well South Africa’s sailing and yachting industry is faring in comparison to international markets and have the latest news about what’s hot on the water, from the impressive exploration superyacht Big Fish and the most recent Squadron from Fairline, to marina and coastal property developments happening along the African shoreline.

Unwind, in the lap of luxury, with us. And please, do enjoy.

Toni

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PUBLISHER – Neo Publishing (Pty) Ltd Tel: +27 11 484 2833 Fax: +27 86 699 2266 CHAIRMAN – Vivien Natasen vivien@neoafrica.com EDITOR – Toni Muir toni@prestigemag.co.za SALES MANAGER – Rui Barbosa (Advertising, Distribution & Subscriptions) Tel: +27 84 290 2070 rui@prestigemag.co.za TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY EDITORS – Charl du Plessis – charl@prestigemag.co.za Tanya Goodman – tanya@prestigemag.co.za ADMIN & CIRCULATION mail@prestigemag.co.za ADVERTISING Adie Ceruti Tel: +27 83 601 2291 / +27 11 465 1572 adie@prestigemag.co.za Katy Essa Tel: +27 82 633 2962 katy@prestigemag.co.za DESIGN & LAYOUT VDS Design Studio Liesel van der Schyf Tel: +27 82 336 7537 liesel@vdsdesign.co.za Proof-reading Clive Moses Print Paarl Web, Gauteng SUBSCRIPTIONS R499 for 12 issues; R949 for 24 issues EMAIL the words SUBSCRIBE PRESTIGE, followed by your name and email address, to mail@prestigemag.co.za.

DISTRIBUTION Prestige is available on newsstands and through subscription. Free public space distribution includes charter fleets operating in the Southern African region. Top five-star hotels and all major business class airport lounges nationally receive free monthly copies. Also look for Prestige in upmarket coffee shops, spas and private banking waiting areas.

Cover Images Benoit Poyelle / Ghislain Bardout DeepSea Under the Pole by Rolex; GreatStock/Corbis; Dirk Boshoff; Martin Short; Audi Media Services; Big Fish Expeditions

All rights reserved. Prestige is published by Neo Publishing.

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 therefrom. No part of this publication may be used, or reproduced in any form, without the written permission of the publisher. Copyright 2010. All copyright for material appearing in this magazine belongs to Neo Publishing and/or the individual contributors. All rights reserved.

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Contact your nearest dealer today. www.landrover.co.za

livethelife Monogram Empreinte

by Louis Vuitton Since 1892, when it created its first city bag in leather, Louis Vuitton has crafted a dazzling array of designs from this most noble of materials. The iconic Monogram pattern has now been subtly embossed on the most supple calf leather. So delicate is the impression that it brings out the leather’s finely textured grain and soft, sensual feel. Balancing the street appeal of bold zippers and metallic hardware are quiet reminders of Louis Vuitton’s tradition of craftsmanship – flawless saddle stitching, tonal edge dying, ingenious details. On offer are two totes, the bohemian Artsy, a bowling bag and a clutch, complemented by a wallet and coin purse. Available from Louis Vuitton stores in Sandton City, Johannesburg (+27 11 784 9854), and the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town (+27 21 405 9700). Visit www.louisvuitton.com.

Engineered Leather Get Enough

Gucci

Gucci’s new autumn/winter 2010 collection exclusively features model Raquel Zimmerman, photographed alongside male counterpart Nicola Jovanovic. Shot on location in Marrakech

by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, the images evoke the same sense of extreme luxury and sleek glamour found in this season's line. The collection is exclusively available at Gucci Boutiques in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Contact +27 21 421 8800 (V&A Waterfront, Cape Town) or +27 11 784 2597 (Nelson Mandela Square, Johannesburg), or visit www.gucci.com.

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by Porsche Design

Porsche Design presents its third line-up for autumn/winter 2010/2011, relying on its proven success factors: a classic, timeless range combined with high functionality. Clear, masculine lines and classic, sporty design make the collection unmistakeable at first glance. Porsche Design has once again focused the collection on leather jackets, with each and every product a reflection of an individual personality. The most exclusive item of this collection is a leather jacket made of hand-woven nappa lambskin, limited to 200 pieces worldwide. The new products are now available from Porsche Design stores and franchise stores worldwide.

C R E AT E

Spinning the

Golden Fleece The World’s Finest Suit Fabrics

C R E AT E

In its historic mill, fitted out with the most advanced technology and staffed by weavers with generations of experience, Bower Roebuck Ltd makes the finest, most exquisite men’s suiting fabric, supplying the world’s most prestigious tailors and textile businesses.

Words & Images: © JULES MARSHALL/TCS

S

traddling the North of England, the county of Yorkshire has always had a lot to be proud of, from sportsmen and engineers to fiery politicians and bold entrepreneurs. Its textile mills in towns such as Huddersfield, Leeds and Bradford were once the powerhouse of Britain’s industrial revolution, before foreign competition and poor investment in the 1970s decimated it.

But throughout its ups and downs, one precious source of wealth has remained constant: a fortunate confluence of geology, climate and topography that sees 125 centimetres of rain a year fall on the heather-covered Pennine hills, to be percolated through gritstone and shale. The result is the softest water in the world, as important to the local textile manufacturers as terroir is to French winemakers, and a major reason why the area’s leaner, fitter industry is still able to produce such dazzlingly luxurious fabrics.

They’ve been making cloth in the village of New Mill for more than 500 years, when monastic weavers from Flanders first arrived in the 12th century. Drawn by this magically pure water, they brought their weaving techniques with them. Over time, the energy from the swift-flowing rivers and streams was harnessed for the mills that grew in the area, and later, locally mined coal.

In New Mill, two independent family firms of Bower and Roebuck combined and registered Bower Roebuck & Co Ltd in 1899 and renamed their facilities Glendale Mills. They specialised in making classic British cloth for suits and coats. Absorbed by a large fabrics group after WW2, the Brussels-based Scabal Group cloth merchants took it over in 1973.

Scabal’s historic emphasis on luxury allowed investment and expansion at Glendale and today it is one of the most modern mills in Europe. Its 3,000 squaremetre factory employs 71 local weavers, menders and designers producing some 360,000 metres of luxury cloth each year.

Most of the 5,000 fabrics offered by Scabal are made at the historic mill, which combines the most modern

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weaving technology with the skills base of local residents to produce a range of traditional and classic fabrics with modern performance for today’s lifestyle. They do so with 18 top-ofthe-range Dornier weaving machines and the first Benninger Versomat warping machine in Britain, capable of combining 280 different threads, as well as a healding machine that can thread 5,000 individual threads in a predetermined order.

They were helped by a bit of luck when, in July 2002, the millstream burst its banks and flooded the weaving room with four feet of water.

“Fortunately it was our summer holiday, so we could recover,” says managing director Ronald Hall. “But it was an ill wind – the £20 million insurance payout allowed a full re-fit with top machines!”

But Bower Roebuck’s preeminence – it is widely regarded as making the very best men’s suiting fabric in the world – has not been down to luck. “Scabal had the foresight to move operations from its

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antiquated four-storey mill into a modern one-level facility, which wasn’t really being done in textiles in those days,” says Hall. Scabal also bucked the trend by refusing to transfer its production facilities to Asia, maintaining that though weaving is a technical skill, the creation of the very finest cloths is an art. It is this combination of technology and Yorkshire craftsmanship that has allowed Bower Roebuck to venture where few other mills dare to tread.

As a testament to the grandness of design ambition, more than 30 years ago Salvador Dali was commissioned to create 12 paintings depicting the clothes of the then still futuristic 21st century. In 2004 a Tribute to the Dali range of woolcashmere Super 150 fabrics was created based on these pictures.

Customers looking for the ultimate in personalisation can even have their own name or message woven into the Private Line fabric.

Scabal has continued to invest

millions in modernisation, part of it in the crucial area of designing and sampling, with five computerised design sample looms. Combined with exhaustive research into trends and coming innovations and close work with yarn suppliers, Bower Roebuck continues to set the pace for the high end of the global suit industry. “When we had the flood, one of the reasons we went for the highest capability weaving and healding machines was so we have that extra design capability,” says Hall. “It is not used every day but it gives us that extra design edge. Italy has some fancy fabrics, but they are generally bulk operations, while China is plain, standard, buy-it-by-the-kilometre weaving on a machine that only uses 6-8 interlacings, and the machine never stops. We only go up to 1,200 or even 2,000 metres of one design, for a bank in Hong Kong, for example, that wants all its managers to have the same. But these contracts are the exception.”

Bower Roebuck does not make its own yarns but rather works with spinners worldwide to ensure supplies of the very highest quality, most of them made to its own specifications regarding wool micron, count, turnsper-metre and colour. For fine suiting, they mostly use Merino wools from Australia and New Zealand – British wools are too coarse and heavy.

The weaving process begins with warping, where the vertical or warp threads that form the cloth are prepared and transferred onto a weaving beam. In a process known as healding, each individual warp thread is arranged in a predetermined order relating to the design required. The healded beam is lifted into the loom prior to the insertion of the weft (horizontal threads). The cloth is woven in multiples of 65 metres, known as a piece. Each woven piece is inspected for faults, which can be in the yarn (knots, uneven places, broken threads) or in the weaving. Expert menders eliminate these faults by literally removing the single offending yarn and re-sewing it in by hand.

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The cloth, now in what is called a “grey state,” is by no means complete.

For this, the cloth is transported a short distance down the road into Huddersfield, to finishers WT Johnson & Sons, run by Paul and Dan Johnson, great-grandsons of the company’s founder. “The grey state cloth is

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scoured or washed to eliminate the oils and waxes used in production and to allow the natural wool to expand and create the softness and drape,” says Alan Dolley, technical manager at Johnson’s. “Finishing is a big differentiator in the high-quality end of the market. We’re very much a part of the whole fabric process.”

Three are three stages to finishing: scouring, drying and setting, and it’s here that the Yorkshire water reveals its quality. The Johnson brothers’ great-grandfather knew this. During the 1930s he spent two years drilling his own 1,500-foot deep borehole, which guaranteed a supply of water the equivalent quality of which the local water company simply could not – and still cannot – provide.

Johnson & Sons only uses pure animal fat soap on the scouring dolly.

After drying, close cropping eliminates surface fibres. The cloth is then set and pressed to give it stability, antishrinkage and lustrous finish. Each machine in the process can be set up in many ways; with huge variables to meet customer needs.

The 190 centimetre-wide grey state material that left Bower Roebuck returns after finishing as 170-centimetre, standard suiting width. The finished pieces are reinspected before being dispatched to the customer in full or half-width rolls. From yarn to final cloth takes between 15 and 20 working days.

Customers range from the tailors of London’s Savile Row to Middle Eastern sheikhs to top luxury brands.

Thanks to New York-based agent Neal Boyarsky, the “Fabric Czar,” Bower Roebuck’s fabric has adorned many a Hollywood spectacle, from Leonardo DiCaprio’s Titanic suit to Godfather movies of the 1970s. In Barry Levinson’s 1991 film Bugsy, 130 yards of the same Prince of Wales fabric were used in Warren Beatie’s death scene alone. Costumes had to recreate the Roaring Twenties, so Bower Roebuck searched its archives to reproduce exactly the right ones.

Stars of The Addams Family, Apollo 13, Casino and Men in Black all wore

Bower Roebuck designs, but none more elegantly than Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. “We never thought we’d be selling wool to the likes of Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Gucci, who tend to work with bigger producers,” says Hall. “But now we work very closely with them, in the very top two percent of their budget, on specific goods.”

Bower Roebuck also make nonScabal fabrics for its Savile Clifford range, aimed at a younger, designer market, working with stylists for McQueen, Tom Ford, and Gucci among others, on a semi-bespoke basis by offering minimum six-metre switches – enough for just 20 suits. Their customers don’t use fabric to which everyone has access. The philosophy is: Not a lot. Very precise.

All Bower Roebuck designs are still originated by hand on good oldfashioned (8x8) graph paper. “Because we’re using such fine cloths, you cannot actually get a realistic print to show customers ‘this is what the cloth looks like’,” says Hall. “Our customers want to be able to touch and feel. We’ve been told for 20 years that CAD (Computer Aided Design) will take over, but it has not even come close.”

In an industry that has seen computerisation and mechanisation massively de-skill textile work, Bower Roebuck, like its parent company, also bucks the trend. “What we have to do is cut out problems related to producing things that are not problems related to the skill,” says Hall. “We still need the basic knowledge of yarns, of twists, of count and colour and design.”

Says Hall in conclusion: “China has the very best machinery, run by European and Japanese technicians, but it’s not creative and they need long runs to keep the looms running 24/7, 365 days a year. We can never compete on price, but we’re doing shorter runs now than we did 10 years ago, we’re more specialist than ever, and we can compete on design, innovation, composition and bespoke work.” 

DISCOVER

Diving the Ice Caps

of the North Pole

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DISCOVER

In March this year, a crew of eight young explorers set off to ski-trek 800 kilometres at the North Pole and scuba dive under the ice cap, collecting scientific data and audio-visual material as they travelled, to better understand the predicament in which our ice caps seem to be.

Words: TANYA GOODMAN Images: Š Benoit Poyelle / Ghislain Bardout / Deepsea under the pole by rolex

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he expedition started at the beginning of spring and was timed to take place over 65 days. As with previous initiatives supported by Rolex, the DeepSea Under the Pole expedition was a pioneering quest to the North Pole, one of the toughest climates on the planet. The expedition’s tasks were twofold: to help measure and monitor the snow and ice as part of the European Programme DAMOCLES (Developing Arctic Modelling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies), and to document humans’ physiological response in extreme situations, especially as related to decompression for scuba divers.

Investigating and archiving nature above and below the polar ice cap is urgent. In 2008, scientists expressed concern that for the first time in human history, ice at the North Pole was likely to disappear completely during the summer months after a record melt the previous summer (2007) depleted much of the old, thick ice. “From the viewpoint of science, the North Pole is just another point on

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the globe, but symbolically it is hugely important,” says Mark Serreze of the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Colorado. “There is supposed to be ice at the North Pole, not open water.”

Although three days of skiing were assigned for every day dedicated to diving during the expedition, things did not turn out quite as expected.

After fewer than 30 days, the team realised that their progression over the ice had become far harder than anticipated as the rate of melt increased and the terrain became more dangerous. The changes on the ice became extreme and aggressive, and the temperatures much higher, by about 10 or 15 degrees, than the normal averages. There was no way they could cover the distance in the allotted time.

When the decision was made to leave the Pole earlier than planned, Ghislain Bardout, leader of the expedition, explained why: “The ice is fragmenting into pieces more and more every day: the leads open, compression ridges are forming around us following the movement of two ice floes, we heard cracking noises underwater a few days ago

while diving and we hear it while in the tents at night.” It was definitely time to move; though getting the team out entailed a complex logistical operation as the overall situation deteriorated. Looking for a landing spot on the ice strong enough to support the weight of the plane was one of the main priorities, as was identifying a good enough window of weather in which to fly.

Though disappointed by this change of plan, the team was pleased that their primary goal had been achieved. After 45 days on the ice, covering 170 kilometres and completing a respectable 51 dives, the expedition collected almost 40 hours of video footage of the under-world of the polar ice cap and took over 10,000 images. In fact, the team completely exhausted its tape stock and digital capacity. For many team members, recognising the uncertain future of this fascinating region of sea ice meant that they made the most of each day offered. While organising dives under the ice when the surface temperature is -40 °C was a long and tedious process, the dives themselves were a magical experience.

Emmanuelle Perié, the only woman who took part in the DeepSea Under the Pole expedition, reflected on the experience: “With every step we took up there we grew more curious. There is still so much to discover! Yet, for how long? We can see it changing every day; non-stop renewing landscapes, sometimes changing just there, in front of our little insignificant eyes. Let us leave the glacial Arctic Ocean alone as it is already condemned. If we all are conscious about that, perhaps we will leave some time for the children of today to explore this universe as well.

I wish for that with all my heart.”

According to daily reports about behaviour of the ice cap observed by Meteorological Observer Wayne Davidson, what is happening with the ice floe in the Arctic this year is new and extremely alarming. According to Davidson, who has followed changes in the Arctic ice floe from a base in Resolute Bay since 1985, the Arctic ice has been getting noticeably thinner since 1998, resulting in an increase in surface temperatures that he has never seen before. It is simply far too warm in the Arctic. 

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Should you need proof that Julia Roberts is a resourceful actress, consider a scene from her latest movie Eat Pray Love, in which she ravenously devours a slice of pizza. Not only was the scene shot at eight in the morning but it took eight takes – and eight slices – to get it just right.

Words: AMY LONGSDORF / FEATURENET.CO.ZA Image: © GREATSTOCK / CORBIS

julia roberts Eat Pray Love

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ith a warm laugh the actress recalls: “I proceeded to start my day with eight entire slices of pizza in 45 minutes. So the deliciousness of something wears a tiny bit thin after piece seven just because you're speed eating. But that scene in particular I sort of relished, just wolfing it down, because I felt like [my character] was so excited to be there in Naples, so excited to be eating this pizza.”

Eat Pray Love is based on the best-selling memoir of Elizabeth Gilbert, a Frenchtown, New Jersey writer who, following the end of her marriage, hits the road to Italy, India and Indonesia in the hopes of getting her mojo back. In the movie, Roberts plays the questing Gilbert, Billy Crudup her ex-husband, Richard Jenkins a Texan she meets in Italy, and

LIVE

Javier Bardem as the free spirit she hooks up with in Bali. “This particular journey that Elizabeth goes on, I think, is [about] letting go and just connecting to all the people that she encounters along the way,” says Roberts. “She's a very open vessel.”

Since its 2006 publication, Eat Pray Love has become something of a sensation, selling eight million copies in America alone. Even before it hit the top of the New York Times bestseller list, Roberts counted herself a Gilbert fan. “When I started reading the book, I thought it was so terrific that 30 pages into it, I got on Amazon. com and sent one to my best friend in Chicago,” she recalls. “I said, 'Let's read this in tandem because I think it's going to get real good, real fast'.”

Despite loving the book, Roberts was initially apprehensive about anchoring the movie version. It took a bit of cajoling on the part of the film's director and co-writer Ryan Murphy (the creator of Glee and Nip/Tuck) to get Roberts to sign on the dotted line.

“It took me weeks [to decide] because it's not just committing to a job,” she says, “you're committing to so much travel and so much time away from home. And it was [me] working every day. A lot more math goes into a decision like this than just, 'Do I want to drive to the Sony lot for three days a week for a couple of months'?”

Now 42, Roberts says she instantly related to Gilbert's pursuit for inner peace. The actress went through a similar transformation when she took a break from acting a few years ago to marry cinematographer Danny Moder, with whom she has three children – five-year-old twins Hazel and Finn, and three-year-old Henry. “I didn't [feel the need to change my life] in the urgent way that Elizabeth experienced it,” she says, “but I definitely knew that my life would not continue to evolve until I found that place which I could fully occupy and live in – and that's the home I have now. So, I relate to her search and her pursuit. And it was definitely great to have a fulfilled sense of my own life.

I'd be playing some of these scenes and then come home at the end of the

day and be, like, 'Okay, I've got it.

Everybody is here. We're good'.”

Appropriately enough for a movie called "Eat Pray Love," there are many scenes showcasing an array of mouthwatering delicacies. Asked to name her favourite bites, Roberts recalls treats from each of the film's three locations: “In Italy there was this one plate of pasta that was just delicious,” she says. “It was super-simple spaghetti with a little tomato sauce.

In India, I actually remember turning to this 10-pound box that I carry around [for the kids] filled with bandaids, Tylenol and snacks and eating a granola bar that tasted so good. And in Bali, I loved their fruits. A fresh mango after granola bars at midnight?

That was refreshing.”

Roberts admits she gained nearly five kilograms after eating her way through platefuls of Italian cuisine.

“Everyone said, 'Oh, it's going to drop right off in India'. But I didn't get that memo. That didn't happen.” But, like her character in the movie, Roberts is a firm believer that members of the opposite sex don't necessarily care how many kilos a woman is packing.

“That's what dimmer switches are for, people,” she says with a giggle.

In Rome, Roberts received sustenance of a different sort when she met up with Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert for the first time.

The actress was wary of spending too much time with the novelist before shooting began for fear of doing an imitation of Gilbert rather than an interpretation of the character in Murphy's script. “I didn't want to meet her until we had done so much of the movie that I couldn't change

Eat Pray Love was shot in chronological order, which allowed Roberts to slowly progress from a woman in a state of emotional crisis to a happy individual with a strong sense of well-being.

[my performance],” reveals Roberts.

“But when she came to Rome, she was a delight. She's like a warm hug, the second that you lay eyes on her.”

Unlike most big-budget movies, Eat Pray Love was shot in chronological order, which allowed Roberts to slowly progress from a woman in a state of emotional crisis to a happy individual with a strong sense of well-being. “For me, it was a great luxury to shoot in chronological order. I think it was almost a necessity of emotional evolution.”

Some of the first scenes Roberts shot were among the most emotionally devastating of her career. Helping her come undone convincingly on camera was Billy Crudup, whom she calls one of her favourite actors. “Billy, in a lot of ways, had just the greatest challenge because he was helping [me] create a marriage that you believe in,” she says. “You believe these people had a significant relationship but that it just fell apart in their hands... He was just amazing.”

When No Country for Old Men Oscar-winner Javier Bardem was cast as the Spaniard of Gilbert's dreams, Roberts admits she was initially sceptical. But her doubts faded away when she met the actor for the first time. “It's been well reported that I was a little terrified to be around Javier after No Country for Old Men but he was just great fun. He puts you right at ease. I said to him near the end: 'I thought you'd be so intense and broody and weird. I thought I'd have to be handling you and stuff but you're so sweet and funny and this was so easy'. And he goes: 'I'm not normally like this. I just wanted to try it once to see how it works'. I said: 'I'm really glad that you did'!”

Towards the end of the movie, Roberts’s character comes up with one word that describes exactly where she is in life. We asked Roberts her word. “What's my word? I did have a word. I guess it's ‘amnesia’ now,” she answers with a laugh.

“What was my word? It wasn't ‘hope’, that sounds sappy. Maybe ‘optimistic’?

Oh, man, I'm going to say that ‘loyal’ is my word.” 

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LISTEN

Living Voice’s

Vox Olympian Loudspeaker

Sets Sail

Sound systems in yachts usually mean compromises, hidden loudspeakers, and emphasis on seaworthiness, at the cost of sound quality. Specialist hi-fi manufacturer Living Voice and custom installer Advanced New Technologies have joined forces to adapt one of the world’s most impressive loudspeaker systems for maritime use. The result will forever change the definition of “the sound of the sea.”

Words: KEN KESSLER Images: © LIVING VOICE

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LISTEN

A

s soon as you mention cars, planes or boats to audio designers, they either panic or shrug.

They much prefer creating amplifiers, CD players and loudspeakers for the relative calm of a domestic environment. The typical home certainly doesn’t suffer movement (unless you live near, for example, the fault lines in California), while temperature and humidity are fairly constant. As a result, electronics engineers need only concern themselves with such matters when they’re making products suitable for export to the tropics.

Take the audio equipment away from the security and stability of the home, and all of the physical parameters change, not least being the constraints of limited space. For sound systems fitted to cars, vibration is an issue. In airplanes, cabin pressure is a concern. For yachts and sailing craft the swaying of the vessel and the exposure to constant moisture – even with the most luxurious of yachts – must be addressed.

For audiophiles who know the various brands’ allegiances, Living Voice might seem like the last manufacturer who would be a candidate for supplying a sound system to send to sea. The company manufactures horn loudspeakers, which are intrinsically huge, and fashions them from fine woods, which may be susceptible to the ravages of moisture. To compound this, Living Voice favours the most fragile, temperamental and maintenanceneedy amplification of all: valve electronics.

Along with its sister company, Definitive Audio, which specialises in creating custom-made, high-end music systems, Living Voice has managed to work around such seeming incompatibilities. And the least of one’s worries is a ship’s movement, because anchoring interior fittings for ultimate security is a known skill.

Reassuringly, Living Voice reminds the wary client that the systems “are in themselves essentially bespoke, as they

are designed and tailored to each specific circumstance.”

When producing a system tailored to an individual’s needs, rather than resorting to a collection of components selected “off the shelf,” Living Voice and Definitive Audio have to deal with several factors that affect performance. Not least is matching a system to the dimensions of the listening room, its reverberant characteristics – which are affected by the furnishings, their size, shape and materials, wall surfaces, floor materials and other influences – and the distance of the listeners from the loudspeakers. And that’s in addition to ensuring that the components have been matched for both sound quality and electronic characteristics.

When one considers that even the

most elaborate of custom installations employ a selection of pre-existing components, what Definitive Audio and Living Voice are offering goes a stage further. They work with the clients’ interior designers, independent audio designers, cabinet makers, silversmiths, sculptors and foundries to create one-of-a-kind loudspeaker designs that are bespoke in the true definition of the word, in both their visual design and choice of materials.

For the customer, this means complete freedom from the conventions of commercially available loudspeakers – the one part of the system that you cannot hide in a cabinet.

With this approach eliminating any limitations, the companies are free to use whatever materials suit both the sound of the loudspeakers

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F E AT U R E

and the aesthetic concerns of the client. Living Voice has fashioned speakers from a vast selection of unusual and exotic woods and wood veneers, employed with traditional artisanal woodworking techniques.

Complementing the woodwork, or even presenting a complete alternative to woods, are enclosures using cast aluminium, bronze, copper or iron, stainless steel, carbon fibre and even solid metal billets. Living Voice can chemically “force-patinate” the surfaces to create a range of colours and textures so to ensure that they harmonise with the decor in their eventual resting place.

When teamed with yacht fitters Advanced New Technologies (ANT), the system benefits from further specialised attention, including the correct compliant isolation and anchoring systems for both the loudspeakers and the associated electronic equipment. At this year’s Monaco Yacht Show, ANT showcased Living Voice’s Vox Olympian loudspeaker system, thus raising the possibilities for high-end sound while at sea to levels that are hard to attain even on land.

Nigel Sherlock of ANT explains: “We specialise in supplying and integrating the latest 'must haves' for

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the luxury yacht market and, with audio-visual entertainment high on our discerning clients’ priority lists, we are constantly looking for the most advanced and pioneering technologies to integrate. Simply put, the Vox Olympian speaker is a work of art that also happens to perform beautifully.”

In purely aesthetic terms, the Vox Olympian is wholly sympathetic with yachts, especially as the materials employed recall the sublime woodwork found in the decks of classic sailing craft from the 1920s and 1930s. But even the exotic materials from which it is made are determined entirely by its functionality as a reproducer of sound. In addition to the real woods used in its enclosure and the horn itself, the speaker also contains parts made of gold,

The esoteric nature of the Vox Olympian speaker works perfectly for luxury boat owners... with interior design and technology seen as a direct reflection of personality and taste.

silver, bronze, tellurium, beryllium and alnico.

Inspired by the massive and magnificent horn loudspeakers that fed cinemas in the era when amplifiers could only produce a handful of watts, the Vox Olympian is an exceptionally efficient speaker able to deliver concert levels with small amplifiers.

This makes it suitable to drive with the valve amplifiers preferred by Living Voice because of their warm, realistic sound. Its numbers are impressive: the Vox Olympian boasts a whopping 105 dB/w sensitivity across a remarkable 40kHz bandwidth from its four horn-loaded drivers. In plain English, the Vox Olympian will go as loud as you could ever want, with a frequency range wide enough to encompass every note in your favourite recordings.

Each speaker is entirely handmade in England, the construction process requiring approximately 1,400 manhours. The speakers stand 1.5 metres tall and weigh 240 kilos per pair.

Living Voice constructs the Vox Olympian horn from beech in a multilayer ply format familiar to boatowners, while cabinets are finished in exotic hardwoods according to the desires of the clients.

It will come as no surprise that the Vox Olympians are made to order, with prices quoted on application. The minimum lead-time is four months, the final cost typically in excess of £210,000, depending on finish. Says Sherlock: “The esoteric nature of the Vox Olympian speaker works perfectly for luxury boat owners, as superyachts have become second homes to many, with interior design and technology seen as a direct reflection of personality and taste. With its powerful output and eye-catching design, the Vox Olympian ideally suits large living spaces and cinema rooms onboard superyachts – areas where it can add style while performing at the highest level, where large volumes of air need to be moved around to gain the ultimate sound experience.” Visit www.a-n-t.net for more information. 

LIFE PASSION ADVENTURE

OfямБcial agent for Riviera luxury motor yachts in South Africa.

NATIONWIDE : 0861 FAIRLINE / 0861 324 754 DURBAN HARBOUR : Durban Yacht Mole Tel: 031 301 1115 / 083 324 4630 DURBAN POINT : The Quays Tel: 031 332 1987 / 079 872 2335 CAPE TOWN : The Waterclub, Granger Bay, V&A Waterfront Tel: 021 418 0840 / 082 881 2607 / 072 860 6401 www.boatingworld.co.za | info@boatingworld.co.za

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LIFE PASSION ADVENTURE

9/8/09 8:07:07 PM

DRIVE

New

AudiA8 Back in the mists of time Audi wasn’t much of a player, creating bland cars that were little more than reliable. They were famously understeery, nose-heavy and poor to drive when compared with other German manufacturers. But it is this context that makes the brand’s current position ever more remarkable, and its latest model ever more impressive.

Words: ALEXANDER PARKER Images: © AUDI MEDIA SERVICES

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DRIVE

T

he prevalence of the brand on our roads should tell you all you need to know about how Audi’s cars are received in South Africa.

There is one model, though, that’s never really made it; a car that’s always been there but which has never attracted love and admiration as have the A4 and the A3. It’s the Audi A8, and the folk at Audi are quite open about admitting that it hasn’t done well in the past, primarily, I suspect, because the quality of the competition is so intimidating that they almost didn’t bother.

Still, times change, and there’s a newfound sense of purpose at Audi’s headquarters in Midrand, largely because there’s a wholly new version of the A8. And you should see the Audi people – they’re buzzing about this new car and clearly believe it is a vehicle that will sell.

First impressions confirm they have reason to be confident. The new A8 is unmistakeably an Audi and is unquestionably handsome. The design language on the car is shared across the range, making the vehicles instantly recognisable as being from the Ingolstadt manufacturer.

Audi’s designers talk about “second glance theory,” meaning that you see the car and think, “yes, that’s an Audi,” but on second glance realise that it’s slightly different. You note its size and design details like the tickshaped LED running lights up front, and then you notice it’s the new A8.

Such a smart exterior needed to carry through to the interior, which is where Audi really hit their stride.

Some might find their interiors too sombre and too sober, but you really cannot knock the quality of absolutely everything that comes to hand inside an Audi. In the new A8, this quality has been distilled.

This being a high-end luxury car

there are lots of toys; the usual stuff you’d expect at this level, including four-zone climate control, a superb navigation system and a Bose stereo.

But there’s a delightful bit of innovation here too. The gear selector doubles up as a place to rest your wrist while using the touchpad, which works much like the mousepad of a laptop computer. Instead of laboriously twirling a knob and dangerously taking your eyes off the road as you spool round from one letter to another to

The new A8 is unmistakeably an Audi and is unquestionably handsome.

spell out your destination, you actually “write” the destination. Now, being a right-hand drive, the “writing” has to be done with your left hand, but righthanded people needn’t worry because the system appears to be able to recognise even the most appalling of scripts. It’s extremely clever and works very, very well, making the process of loading a destination or a waypoint into the navigation system quick and painless.

So, destination loaded, you fire up the big Audi and off you go. On launch, only the 4.2-litre, V8 FSi model was available, though by the end of the year this will be joined by V6 and V8 diesels as well as a V6 petrol motor.

Now, cars like this need power, but the 4.2-litre FSi gives the big Audi more urge than perhaps one might expect. This is mostly due to the mass of the car. Audi is very proud of what it calls the Audi Space Frame, a lightweight aluminium design that ensures the car doesn’t get too weighty. Add the quattro 4x4 system and you’re dealing with a vehicle that feels much smaller and lighter than it looks. Its drive, therefore, is very different to that of its competitors.

There is a lightness to it that is most unusual in a car this large. The ride is firm and sporting, the noise from the big V8 entertaining and, of course, it being a quattro, cornering is remarkably neutral. It also comes with ZF’s excellent new eight-speed gearbox, which is smooth and smart, and never seems to hunt around for the right cog.

As a car for drivers, the new Audi A8 exceeds expectations significantly, making the all-round package an interesting one. It’s a proper driver’s car; a handsome, elegant and fine car, and, of course, luxurious in the extreme. It’s easy to understand why the Audi people are so excited. 

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S T AY

Royal

Chundu Zambezi River Lodge

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S T AY

If you’re not the sort of person who can just sit back, relax and indulge in a little quiet time, then a stay at Royal Chundu Zambezi River Lodge might not be for you. But if you’re the sort who can envision yourself lazily stretched out on a sun lounger on the banks of this surging river doing little other than enjoying your natural surrounds, then a trip here is an absolute must.

Words: TONI MUIR Images: © TONI MUIR; MANTIS COLLECTION

S

ituated in the Kazungula province of Zambia, on the banks of the Zambezi River, Royal Chundu perches proudly atop a verdant piece of untamed Africa. Our first afternoon here draws to a close by way of a leisurely sunset cruise on this mighty watercourse. We arrive at the Lodge’s small wooden pier to find that one of the sun loungers –

complete with soft, fat cushions and fuzzy chenille blankets – has boarded the boat along with our captain and guide, Fred, and soft-spoken butler extraordinaire, Emmanuel.

As the boat quietly chugs its way downstream, past a lone fisherman balancing upright in his mokoro, and the sun dips ever lower behind us, a gentle upset in the water ahead catches our attention. Bubbles break

the surface, followed by the flat, grey face of a hippo. Her ears twitch once before she dips below the water, only to resurface a few seconds later, the smaller, pinker face of her baby alongside.

We drift onward, towards a lush island isolated in the middle of the river. Here, African Skimmers dart up and down the narrow beach, their bright orange beaks hard to miss,

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even in the dwindling afternoon light.

They take off, wings spread wide as they fly low over the water, skimming their beaks through the light swells.

Back on land, Chef George and his kitchen crew have prepared us a fourcourse feast, which we pair with a delicious South African chardonnay.

Bleary-eyed, we head to bed, sleeping this night and the next in one of 10 luxury thatched villas positioned on the water’s edge.

For the next few days we divide our time equally between the water and the land, not forgetting some time spent just revelling in the pleasure of doing nothing at all. I finish one novel and start on the next, while my other half makes his way through a magazine, a bird guide and a glossy coffee-table book documenting the country’s people and culture. We sunbathe, we chat, we nap. We watch a troop of Vervet monkeys forage for fallen berries in the scrub across the riverbank and sit in quiet wonder while a tiny European Bee-eater flits from treetop to treetop looking for lunch. On one afternoon, a

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very rare African Finfoot flaps its way across the water, ducking beneath the exposed roots of a tree on the other side of the river just as we manage to grab the binos. On another, we follow two Giant Kingfishers as they play tag to and fro in front of us, vying for the same territory and calling out angrily to each other as their chase plays out.

One morning we get up early and try our hand at tiger fishing. The other half lands a floating twig, a branch and eventually, an entire tree, and we spend the better part of 10 minutes trying to disentangle the line from its dry branches. I land nothing but am pretty sure I feel a sharp tug on the line at one point, though I was perhaps a little slow on the uptake, my attention diverted by the large, open-mouthed crocodile lounging all but a generous lunge away from the boat.

Another day we venture out on inflatable canoes, which make for quite a jaunt in the choppy rapids of the Zambezi. We paddle for about four kilometres in all, not enough to be considered a tough workout but more than enough to get us soaked to

the skin, our faces plastered with grins as wide as the river itself.

One afternoon we find ourselves in the local village of Mushekwa, where community leader Edith leads us on a spontaneous tour of the modest settlement. Here, a small group of unemployed women farm an assortment of fruits and vegetables.

With only one pump and metres of thick tubing snaking their way up from the river, the women face many challenges in keeping up this endeavour, though the thought that it is for the good of the community and the orphaned children in their care keeps them at it, day after trying day.

We dedicate one entire day to a border-crossing into neighbouring Botswana, and a visit to Chobe National Park. We’d heard the birdlife was prolific in this area but were quite unprepared for the bird species we were lucky enough to see in their natural habitat. Well, as natural as can be expected when surrounded by countless boats of tourists armed with binoculars, 600mm-zoom lenses and gesticulating forefingers. We see

African Jacanas, African Fish Eagles, Marabou Storks, Spoonbill Storks, Open-Billed Storks, a Black-Winged Stilt, a Blacksmith Lapwing, and a rather cross-looking Collared Pratincole. And this is just the tip of the feathered iceberg. Indeed the banks of the Chobe River are like a what’s what of the Roberts Bird Guide.

Our afternoon game drive into the park saw us come up close and personal – almost too close in my opinion – with a large herd of elephants enjoying an afternoon sand bath; two trees full of Cape and White-Backed Vultures; a dazed herd of impala; several thirsty giraffes bending low to drink at their waterhole, a troop of baboons, many with round-faced babies clinging to their moms’ bellies; and one lone, majestic Roan Antelope. The animals here are very relaxed, seemingly unthreatened by the truckloads of gawking humans. I am still torn about whether this is a good or bad thing.

That night, we sleep in one of just four private villas on Katombora Island, situated four kilometres

upstream from the main lodge. The villas are open, spacious, and discreetly colonial in their decor.

Think king-size bed draped with snowy white mosquito net, doublevanity bathroom with two showerheads, plush armchairs facing the river, enormous outside bath open to the heavens, and private deck with large sun lounger (the other half and I dub this the ossewa as its shape is oddly reminiscent of this Afrikaner artefact of yesteryear’s Groot Trek).

We spend the following morning mostly in silence, absorbed in our own thoughts. That afternoon, Fred leads us on a walk of the island. As we plod along in his wake, Fred explains to us the various traditional uses of the many trees, shrubs and berries, pointing out which ones we could eat should afternoon tea seem just too far off, and which could be ground up and used as washing powder, should the world’s supply of Omo run short anytime soon.

Royal Chundu is currently planning the addition of a spa, which

will jut out over the river in a most exceptional setting. Treatments and programmes are still being finalised, but from the small taste we enjoyed during our stay – a one-hour full body massage with indulgent Africology spa products – this lifestyle extension is sure to be a good one.

All too soon our time at Royal Chundu draws to a close, and we leave with heavy hearts but fond memories of this beautiful place on the Zambezi River.

Royal Chundu is a short flight from Johannesburg and an even shorter transfer from Livingstone Airport, meaning there really is little excuse not to spoil yourself with two or three nights in blissful bushveld luxury.

Royal Chundu Zambezi River Lodge contributes to the unique and prestigious portfolio of the Mantis Collection’s world-famous game reserves, boutique hotels and ecoexperiences located across the globe. Visit www.royalchundu.com, www.mantiscollection.com, or contact +260 213 327060 for more information or to secure your booking. 

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Albie

SACHS

Reflections of a Freedom Fighter In Mozambique in 1988, Justice Albie Sachs lost his right arm and the sight in one eye when South African security agents planted a bomb in his car. But according to this former freedom fighter, the psychological scars he endured during the struggle years were far more profound than the physical injuries.

Words: JACQUELINE COCHRANE Images: Š OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; JUSTICE ALBIE SACHS

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E D U C AT E

C

onstitution Hill was originally home to a fort, which was later converted into a notorious Apartheid prison complex that was known as Number Four. Famous freedom fighters such as Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi, Albert Luthuli and Joe Slovo were all incarcerated here at some stage, and it is fitting that, today, Constitution Hill has become a symbol of justice as the seat of the Constitutional Court of South Africa.

It is here, on a cold but strangely bright night, that Justice Albie Sachs brings to life the horror of the 168 days he spent in solitary confinement.

A small audience is seated in the former women’s jail, now well illuminated and polished, to listen to Justice Sachs talk about his 2009 book, The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law. His voice is gentle, if not slightly weary, as he describes the October morning in 1963 when he was arrested in Cape Town. “I was detained under what was called the Ninety Day law. You could be held in solitary confinement on the basis that police suspected you had information about terrorism, and you could be held without access to lawyers, without being brought to trial, without contacting your family, without reading matter or writing material or anything of that kind – just locked up in a concrete cube.”

Albert Louis “Albie” Sachs had been practising as an advocate at the Cape Bar, the majority of his efforts aimed at defending those who had been charged under Apartheid's racist and repressive legislation. He continues: “I’m in a little cell, you can get an idea of the cells over here [in the Women’s Jail], and I stare at my toes, I stare at the wall; I stare at the wall, I stare at my toes, my toes the wall... And three minutes had passed.”

At this, the crowd’s silence is broken by laughter, though there is nothing

humorous about this nightmarish ordeal. “I tried to do things to keep my sense of self, and I remember going through the states of the USA. Then I started on songs, going through the alphabet again. My theme song became Always.” After a pause, Justice Sachs’s voice fills the air again, this time singing: “‘I’ll be living here... always. Year after year... Always. In this little cell, that I know so well, I’ll be living swell, always...’ And I’d sort of waltz around, and kind of be amused that this song that Noel Coward took from Irving Berlin and used in a comedy about upper-middle class manners was keeping this young freedom fighter in South Africa in good spirits.”

After the 90th day, a policeman fetched Sachs from his cell and gave him his suit, watch and tie. “The station commander was there with a big smile and he said ‘you’re free’. I’m very mistrustful and asked: ‘am I really free’? He said ‘yes, yes, yes’ and I had to sign that I got my watch back and I got my tie back, and I’m walking out, a part of me just feeling a surge of elation...

And then I see one of the interrogators walking in off the street. With a big smile on his face, he put his hand out and shakes my hand and says: ‘I’m placing you under arrest’. In terms of this old British law, you touch the body of a person when you arrest him.”

The deep, psychological scars that Justice Sachs still bears come from this period, when solitary confinement, sleep deprivation and violent interrogation changed him profoundly.

“Something inside me had been so deeply hurt and broken that, to this day I haven’t got over that. It was far, far worse than the bomb,” he says, referring to the incident in Mozambique in 1988. “It was just a physical explosion, it cost me an arm and the sight of an eye, but the psychic destruction, the sense of people imposing their will on you, by getting your body to fight your mind, and deprive you of self-determination

is more profound, more long-lasting, and it will never leave me...”

Soon after his second release, Sachs went into exile in England and Mozambique. Justice Sachs returned to South Africa in 1990, where he became one of the key figures in the drafting of the new Constitution. Four years later, after the country’s first democratic election, then-President Nelson Mandela appointed him to serve on the Constitutional Court.

Justice Sachs participated in some of the country’s most significant rulings, touching on issues such as gay marriage, capital punishment and the government’s duty to supply HIVpositive pregnant women with antiretrovirals. Sachs also curated the collection of art in the atrium of the Constitutional Court, which includes works by William Kentridge, Gerard Sekoto and Cecil Skotnes.

His 15-year term on the Court has drawn to a close, and earlier this year, Justice Sachs received the Alan Paton Award for the second time for his memoir, The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law (he had received the same award in 1991 for Soft Vengeance of a Freedom Fighter). Now in his seventies, Justice Sachs is still full of spirit. Father of a four- year old, he is currently working on a film script. Like his struggle-days comrade, Nelson Mandela – he epitomises the term “living legend” and is testimony to the resilience of the human spirit. 

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V O YA G E

Big

Fish

SuperYacht

V O YA G E

Big Fish, a 45-metre (148-foot) exploration yacht, has captured world attention for her imaginative, innovative and ecological features. Launched earlier this year and having just debuted in the tropical waters of Tahiti, she is due to undertake the first-ever yacht crossing of the Northeast Passage, over the top of Russia, in September 2011.

Words: TANYA GOODMAN Images: Š BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS

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S

o delighted was the vessel’s Hong Kongbased owner with the design and construction process of Big Fish at McMullen & Wing that he has established Aquos Yachts to develop a line of similar high-volume, ecologically focused world cruising vessels. “I was surprised by the profound enjoyment I derived from the creative process of developing my yacht,” he says. “As a businessman I realised that between my substantial investment in design, engineering and my visionary team, we had something new both in substance and in process to offer the yachting world.” A deal has already been struck between Aquos Yachts and McMullen & Wing to build a second yacht of 50 metres (164 foot), code-name Star Fish.

The philosophy behind Aquos Yachts and Big Fish is that a luxury expedition vessel must be able to safely, securely and comfortably take its owners, guests and crew to any ocean, and to remain on station for extended periods of time. This means adequate stores of fuel, water, consumables, and supplies for any imaginable mission. It also means the ability to transport a cargo necessary to carry out a chosen mission. Want to carry medicine, books or building supplies to a remote village, or scientific equipment or mobile

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laboratory on a voyage of exploration?

A submarine or float plane? No problem.

Whatever its current mission, Big Fish is capable of recording the adventure in full HD video, thanks to the world's most sophisticated cameras. In addition to recording experiences at sea, these systems offer the most advanced security from pirates, floating debris and other navigation hazards, and are the only technology certified to detect whales – be it day or night. This protects both the yacht and the marine mammals, and has the added benefit of helping detect these magnificent creatures for the viewing pleasure of owners, guests and crew.

Aquos Yachts takes its responsibility for protecting the marine environment very seriously. While many yachts attempting to be “green” in their construction go to extreme – and expensive – lengths to achieve incremental benefits, Big Fish adheres to a sensibly green philosophy. This incorporates proven systems and technologies and acknowledges that how a boat is used often has more adverse environmental impact than how it is built. For example, plastic bottles are simply not allowed onboard, nothing harmful or polluting is ever discharged to the sea, and every bit of energy produced on an Aquos Yacht is recycled and reused.

For those onboard Big Fish, life revolves around the joy of adventure and exploration, which is unhindered by any of the yacht's surfaces or finishes. Woven vinyl floors and virtually indestructible stone decks requiring no maintenance mean any type of footwear – from high heels to bare feet – is perfectly acceptable.

No maintenance means the crew can focus more on their guests and less on the boat. The same principle applies to the general arrangement, where space is allocated for numerous dining locations but no major area is designated exclusively for formal meals.

Aside from a massive, bridge-deck owner's suite, Big Fish's layout includes two cavernous, full-beam lower-deck VIP suites, each of which can be transformed into a pair of generoussize, double staterooms. Three couples can thus travel in equal comfort and style, and even the largest of families can be easily accommodated. In addition, exceedingly comfortable quarters for up to 10 crew members help to ensure joyful and tireless service onboard.

One way to experience Big Fish for yourself is to take advantage of the offered 10-day fly-in, fly-out charter service to join her in Antarctica during the months of December, January or February. From there, she is expected to travel to the Amazon in March and April before heading for the fabled Northeast Passage over the top of Russia in July and August. She anticipates being the first luxury yacht in history to complete a polar circumnavigation, entering both the Arctic and Antarctic Circles, crossing all lines of meridian and passing or rounding all five major Capes. Big Fish will be available for charter throughout this route.  Contact Aquos Yachts: • Email: jim@aquosyachts.com • Visit: www.aquosyachts.com Contact McMullen & Wing • Email: david.porter@mcmullenandwing.com • Visit: www.mcmullenandwing.com

BAZARUTO Island View Estate

Almost 50 percent of the rst phase sold to savvy rst movers, the development at Bazaruto Island View Estate is offering an entrylevel investment from as low as R95,000. Anticipated prices a year down the line will be vefold. From there, the developers will offer a set of three turnkey building plans from which to choose. A unit starts at around R800,000 with prices going up to roundabout R2.4 million. The ambition behind the development is overwhelming.

Seeking investors to take part in the building of the lodge, a complete holiday resort that will include watersports, golf and more. The facility will also house an international medical tourism clinic specialising in plastic surgery. The benet of this to inhabitants is that they will have access to excellent health care on the estate.

The Bazaruto Archipelago (a World Heritage Site) is exceptional.

Benguera, Bazaruto, Magaruque and Santa Carolina sit across a channel of warm, clear, azure water that ebbs and ows with the tide. Residents can visit these islands with the development’s yachts, or venture out to the Two Mile Reef. The people who come here enjoy nature and the quiet calm of the area.

Vilanculos Beach Properties is rolling out a major launch campaign commencing in October. Contact them early to arrange a visit to the area and to stake your claim of a little piece of paradise.

Contact Debbie de Jongh Tel: +27 11 467 4443 • Cell: +27 82 824 7720 Email: sales2@mozprops.com • Visit: www.mozprops.com

F E AT U R E

Fit or Fat? Exercise: something that starts off in a blaze of

well-intentioned energy and then all too often degenerates into a tiresome and repetitive chore. But truth be told it is an essential activity for achieving and maintaining optimum health and wellness. And scientists agree, the exercise regimen that’s best for you is one that is specifically tailored for you.

B

Words: GAVIN BARFIELD Image: © ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

eginning a “serious” exercise programme needs a controlled and scientific approach if maximum benefit is to be derived from it.

Says Shoneé Muller, biokineticist and Discovery Fitness Centre Manager in the Sports Science Institute of South Africa’s (SSISA) Wellness and Fitness Division: “Starting an exercise programme later in life is something that needs to be taken slowly in the beginning. If your body isn’t used to exercise, it will take some time for your muscles to adapt to it. The best approach would be to see a

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biokineticist for an assessment so that realistic individual goals can be discussed and the correct programme drawn up to help you achieve and maintain them.”

According to Muller, the type of exercise you need depends on your likes and dislikes as well as your capability. “It really is important to see someone before you start any exercise programme, as the wrong one can cause more problems than it will ever solve. You have to exercise correctly and eat correctly for your body to function correctly. You need to know things like what heart rate zones you should be working in, in order to achieve cardiovascular capability.”

Biokineticist Kim Woolrich, Intermediate Programme Manager of SSISA’s Discovery Healthy Weight Programme, reiterates this: “Anyone wanting to take up an exercise programme, especially men aged 45 and over and women over the age of 55, should see their doctor so that he or she can identify any medical contraindications to exercise and pick up whether you’re likely to be at increased risk due to your particular age and symptoms. The check-up should involve determining your body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol level, blood sugar level, family history, any current medications and should of course take into account your previous medical history. If you’re in those brackets, and you have two or more coronary heart disease risk factors (these include smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes or too much alcohol, as well as increasing age, being male and having a family history of heart problems), you should have a stress electrocardiograph (ECG) before you start exercising.”

So what would be the best sport to take up for overall benefit to your health, and is there something you can do that will have as much benefit but take up less time? Tim Noakes, Discovery Health Professor of Exercise and Sports Science at the Research Unit for Exercise Science & Sports

Medicine, run jointly by the University of Cape Town and the Medical Research Council, answers: “I'm not sure that an activity that is the most beneficial for you will necessarily be the one that people will choose. The most beneficial activities are those that produce high energy turnover and in which there is associated sweating, so running and cycling come to mind.

However, that isn’t the whole story. It is also necessary to do some strength training for the upper body, so working out in a gym is also important.”

“There’s no such thing as quick fixes in this business,” says Marius Cornelissen, SSISA biokineticist and manager of The Gym at Old Mutual.

Scientists and trainers recommend 30 minutes of exercise every day. Studies have shown that you can break those 30 minutes up into three 10-minute sessions with the same benefit. Doing 30 minutes a day will benefit your overall health, but you’ll need to do more than that to really improve your fitness. “Golf is a great sport; but walk – don’t use the golf cart. You could go hiking, mountain biking or diving with friends or a club; trail running is something that has increased in popularity in the last few years. Life is about change and adapting to needs – one day you run; the next you might swim. Make time to create the healthy lifestyle habit.” Adds Prof Noakes: “Another point is that simply going from being totally inactive to doing something is beneficial. As long as people are doing something and not being totally sedentary, they will be benefiting.”

But how do you know what you ought to be trying to achieve? “There are a lot of exercises that can supplement the current sporting codes,” says Cornelissen. “Exercise or gym-based programmes should be

Life is about change and adapting to needs... Make time to create the healthy lifestyle habit.

supportive of whatever sport the person is involved in. A general strengthening programme is recommended, as this will help satisfy the physical needs of your sport as well as your day-to-day activities.

Your biokineticist can adapt certain exercises to make your individual programme more sport-specific and functional. Areas that take priority are things like strengthening big muscle groups, where muscles are isolated and trained to a required level of strength. From there on your exercises can become more dynamic and functional, maybe focusing on activating smaller muscle groups that play an important part in stabilising and providing support.”

And how do you go about losing weight and looking a little more presentable while at the same time avoiding “fad” diets and useless exercise programmes? “As you get older,” answers Woolrich, “you start losing muscle mass and fatty tissue starts increasing. It’s important at this point to eat less and to keep exercising, as this can slow down the process of muscle loss and weight gain. Exercise is beneficial on so many different levels – it can even help reduce anxiety and depression, and it really does increase your life expectancy in many instances.” For people in this category, Woolrich advocates a programme of three to four sessions a week, depending on your fitness level. “Each session,” she says, “should consist of 20 to 40 minutes of cardiovascular exercise with another 20 to 40 minutes of strengthening exercises.”

Cardiovascular exercise includes running, swimming, cycling, and rowing, while strengthening exercises should include all the major muscles – hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, triceps, biceps, chest, back, shoulder and the abdominal (core) muscles.

Concludes Noakes: “The focus of exercise is to make you feel happier and to improve your self image.

Once people start exercising, their brain function improves and they just feel better, and that's the best outcome.” 

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Halong Cruising Among the Karsts of

Bay

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Few places anywhere rival the extreme natural beauty and tranquillity of Vietnam's Halong Bay. In 1994, it was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site and has been shortlisted as one of the world's new Seven Natural Wonders. The cruising vessel, Emeraude, offers a retreat of a different kind amid the dramatic rock formations, or karsts, that rise from the Bay. Words: TANYA GOODMAN Images: Š EMERAUDE CC / ROGER PARKER

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he name Halong Bay literally means Descending Dragon, a reflection of the ancient legend that describes fire-breathing beasts that saved Vietnam from ocean invaders. According to these myths, it was the thrashing of the dragons’ tails and the jewels and jade they used as missiles that are said to have combined to form the 1,960 islets. The myths lie side by side with scientific evidence suggesting that prehistoric Soi Nhu people lived here as early as 18,000 BC. They were followed by the Cai Beo, who lived here until 5,000 BC. All of these people left their mark, as did French visitors to the region during the 19th

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century, who decorated the grottoes with drawings and messages, some of which are visible today and which modern-day tourists can witness during one of the anchorages the Emeraude makes on her journey.

Since its debut in late 2004, the Emeraude has set the standard for upscale passage on Halong Bay. Styled in the manner of a paddle steamer that travelled these waters from 1906 to 1937, the vessel evokes the romance of the nautical age with classic architecture, polished wooden floors, beadboard wainscoting and brass fixtures. Its air-conditioned cabins, en suite bathrooms, awardwinning cuisine and spacious decks set the stage for the voyage of

a lifetime, accommodating 74 passengers in 12 superior cabins, 24 deluxe cabins and three suites. Each cabin features outdoor seating, as does the commodious sun deck up top where a movie is screened each night – Indochine, which was set in Halong Bay, is of course a favourite.

A number of different itineraries are on offer, though most tempting as a retreat from the frenetic pace of Hanoi is the “Spa Among the Karsts” voyage. Massages, facials and body scrubs are part of the luxurious onboard package. Hanoi-based Santal Spa provides the Emeraude with four skilled therapists who focus on feet and shoulder massages. These treatments take place on the sun deck, while full-body treatments are carried out in rooms boasting views of the majestic surrounds, adding a whole new dimension to the experience. Santal Spa is best known for its signature massage – a relaxing “four hand” massage performed by two therapists using a blend of Shiatsu, Thai, Swedish, Balinese and Hawaiian Lomi-Lomu techniques.

Other available treatments include traditional Vietnamese massage, warm stone treatments, Western reflexology and Asian-style foot massages, as well as body wraps and scrubs and a range of facials.

Plentiful options for exploration and relaxation while onboard or at anchor abound. Learn new recipes from the Vietnamese chefs at a cooking demonstration, try your hand at squid fishing with the Emeraude crew, or meet the tai chi instructor on the sun deck at dawn. Even if you choose not to leave the boat, there are many spectacular sights visible from the sun deck, such as the Floating Villages of Cua Van and Vung Vien, where people spend almost their entire existence living on the water and earning their sustenance by fishing.

F E AT U R E

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Almost 1,600 people live on Halong Bay itself in similar communities.

However, launching a kayak for a nearby islet in the jade-green water is not to be missed, nor is disembarking for Sung Sot Grotto. Here, early French visitors who wandered among the 10,000 square metres of this cavern dubbed the space Grotte des Surprises,

or Surprise Cave. Some 50 steep stone steps lead from the wharf to the entrance, though the view is well worth the effort. Sung Sot, on Bon Ho Island, more than lives up to its reputation, too. The grotto has thousands of stalactites and stalagmites. Paths, lights and signposts guide you through two caves, which

continue with yet more twists, turns and, yes, surprises throughout.

The Emeraude also anchors at Hang Trong, or Drum Cave, which refers to a nearby cave that earned its name as a result of the sound made as the wind blows through its stalagmites and stalactites. The waters here are quiet for swimming and there is plenty to explore by kayak. Titov Island is another stop, named after a Soviet astronaut who was the second person to orbit the earth. The island is noted for a beautiful, crescent-shaped beach that is popular with swimmers and watersports enthusiasts. You may also hike 420 steps up to a pavilion at the summit for a panoramic view of Halong Bay. For visitors, each season presents a different perspective on Halong Bay. There are blue skies, endless sunshine and swimming in the summer; while winter brings a misty and mysterious atmosphere. Either way, a trip aboard the Emeraude is sure to evoke an era of bygone glamour when people travelled in real style.  Contact Emeraude Classic Cruises: • Email: sales@emeraude-cruises.com • Visit: www.emeraude-cruises.com

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J

The

Dr Demartini Story If you delve into the lives of the most successful people on Earth, down through the ages, you will usually find one common denominator; they have all endured some form of extreme hardship, either physically, mentally or circumstantially, in their earlier years. In the case of well-known human behavioural specialist, teacher and author, Dr John Demartini, it was all three.

Words: TRACY O’BRIEN Image: © DEMARTINI INSTITUTE

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ohn Demartini was born on Thanksgiving Day in 1954 with seemingly little for which to be thankful. He had a leg and hand deformity that imprisoned him in braces for the first few years of his life, not unlike the film character Forrest Gump.

He was dyslexic and would not learn to read or write until he was 18 years old.

At age seven, his first-grade teacher announced to his parents in front of him, that he had a learning disability and that he would never read, write or communicate, never amount to anything or go very far in life. “I was made to wear a dunce hat and sit in the back corner of the classroom,” he remembers. How wrong this teacher would later prove to be.

Aged 14, uninspired by academics and tired of being bullied, Demartini quit school. He left home with his parents’ blessing and headed to California and Hawaii to pursue his enthusiasm for surfing. “The next four years of my life were a blend of homelessness, panhandling to survive, drugs, alcohol and surfing,” he says. But he had two intense experiences during this time that shaped his future.

“On my way to California I met a man on the streets who offered me some wisdom. He encouraged me to learn to read and gave me advice that was to form the foundation of my future vision and teachings – that wisdom and love are the only two things that no one can ever take away from you.” The second experience was when he nearly died from strychnine poisoning. As part of his recovery, Demartini attended a free yoga class where an elderly man named Paul Bragg, a well-known naturopath who revolutionised the American health industry, was giving a special presentation. “At the end of the class, Bragg instructed all his students to close their eyes as he took us through a meditation intended to reveal our purpose.” And so Demartini’s life took on a whole new meaning and direction. “He changed my life and did

COACH

so by drawing out of me a profound and inspiring vision,” he says. “Dr Bragg taught me that when you can see it, you can be it. He gave me an adage to say to myself each day: ‘I am a genius and I apply my wisdom’. I have not missed a day since.”

Still unable to read or write, Demartini made the decision to dedicate his life to the study of universal laws as they relate to health and human consciousness with the intention to awaken human fulfilment and potential. “I decided then and there that I was going to be a teacher, healer and philosopher.”

Inspired, Demartini headed home to Texas to confront his greatest obstacle – literacy. Months of studying a dictionary and being tested 30 words a day by his mother and his dyslexia was conquered. “Before I could enrol myself in a learning institution I first needed to pass a high school equivalency test and then a college entrance exam, which I passed by guessing,” Demartini says.

From that time until today, Demartini immersed himself in text books, one of which was on cosmology. This led to an interest in astronomy, which unfolded into physics, then metaphysics, theology, mythology and anthropology until eventually his insatiable interest took him through the studies of over 260 disciplines.

At the age of 18, Demartini read a book by the philosopher Gottfried Wilheim Leibniz entitled Discourse on Metaphysics. In the first chapter, Leibniz spoke about what he called the “Divine Perfection, Love and Order.” Demartini recalls: “Leibniz said that few people ever came to experience this highly ordered awareness, but those who did have their lives changed forever. This idea really inspired me to set out on a quest to find a way of helping myself and others discover and experience this underlying divine order.”

After graduating from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science Degree, Demartini enrolled

to study Chiropractics at the Texas Chiropractic College, where his name was later recorded in the “Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.” He was presented with an International Man of Achievement Award and graduated magna cum laude in 1982, earning a Special Achievement Award in Clinical Practice. He remembers sitting in class one day and overhearing a fellow student saying to another: “That Demartini is a friggin’ genius.”

He thought back to the dunce hat and his first teacher’s disparaging words with renewed understanding and appreciation.

Within four years of opening his first chiropractic office in 1982 it had grown to five times its original size, adding five associate chiropractors and support staff members to become one of the largest chiropractic facilities in Houston. At the pinnacle of its success he sold the practice, dedicating his energies instead to speaking, teaching and consulting to other health professionals and entrepreneurs.

Today, Dr Demartini spends 360 days a year travelling the world actualising his vision of sharing his knowledge to inspire others to clarify their purpose, and live an inspired and fulfilled life. He has addressed audiences across the world and has shared the stage with some of the world's most influential people, among them Stephen Covey, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra and Donald Trump. He has appeared in numerous

Dr Demartini has addressed audiences across the world and has shared the stage with some of the world's most influential people, among them Stephen Covey, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra and Donald Trump.

documentaries, including The Secret, The Opus, The Compass and Oh My God. In 1982 he founded the Demartini Institute, a private research and education foundation based in Houston. In 2006, the Institute expanded into Africa, opening an office in Johannesburg. It has a curriculum of over 72 courses, teaching multiple aspects of human development. His wisdom has been documented into 40 self-development books, 10 of them currently available commercially and many of them bestsellers. His trademarked Demartini Method® is the result of 38 years of cross-disciplinary research into human behaviour. He says: “My method challenges one-sided thinking, replacing it with a balanced perspective to dissolve any deepseated emotional issue within a matter of hours.”

Dr Demartini personally teaches people how to use the Demartini Method in his signature two-day programme, The Breakthrough Experience®, which he presents nearly every weekend in a different part of the world. In South Africa, he has donated his time to work with prisoners and the SA police service and also teaches a course called “Young Adults Inspired Destiny,” to underprivileged students across South African schools and universities.

Dr Demartini went from being a physically handicapped, learningdisabled beach bum to one of the world’s most respected intellects, accomplished authors, sought-after speakers and business consultants.

He believes challenges help us to grow. “If you have no challenges in life, you will stay playing small.” Now his biggest challenge is time – not having enough of it. “It concerns me that I may run out of it before all my dreams have been realised,” he says.

Dr Demartini will be in South Africa in September 2010 delivering his signature programme “The Breakthrough Experience,” incorporating The Demartini Method.

Visit www.drdemartini.com. 

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BERTH

EnglishPoint

Marina Resort

New SuperYacht Stopover in Mombasa

Superyacht owners attract fan websites across the world where people try to spot where the rich and famous are vacationing. For the Paul Allens and Roman Abramoviches of the world, dropping $20 million a year in running a superyacht is nothing, and their crews will sail halfway across the world to be ready whenever the owners jet in for time-out in a new destination. The next hot stop – Mombasa.

Words: CHARL DU PLESSIS Images: © ENGLISHPOINT; PINEWOOD BEACH

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nly recently, Mombasa played host to the 100-metre luxurious superyacht owned by Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder.The vessel unfortunately had to be moored midstream with no service facilities. The planned superyacht marina at EnglishPoint in Mombasa, Kenya will have a fully serviced five-star marina capable of mooring 80 to 100 boats, and will be able to cater to these sorts of demands.

Over the past few years, the Indian Ocean islands have increasingly attracted the attention of superyacht owners the world over. Eden Island Marina in Seychelles has played host to many of the world’s most soughtafter, ultra-luxury yachts. Yet, it is a long haul for the crews to this side of the world, and by adding an additional resort stopover capable of managing toys of this size, the developers of EnglishPoint Marina are sure to strike gold. Given the other attractions of Kenya as a luxury travel destination, EnglishPoint is set to become a regular stopover. What a proposition to be able to experience a five-star safari from your marina destination.

Situated on a spectacular waterfront across the creek from the Fort Jesus in Mombasa, EnglishPoint Marina will be an iconic and landmark multi-use development that will attract an investment of approximately US$50 million. The property will feature onsite facilities such as a hotel, conferencing facility, rooftop restaurant, a casino,

swimming pool, serviced apartments, a seafront restaurant of international standard, a spa and gym, a boardwalk with retail outlets, underground car parking, a watersports centre and a first-of-its-kind serviced marina.

Alnoor Kanji, one of EnglishPoint Marina’s developers, says the investment has the ability to open up the high-end international investment market for Kenya as well as the highend tourist market. EnglishPoint Marina will be designed to cater for yachts between six and 30 metres, with the idea that the destination attracts cruising yachts from the Seychelles, Mauritius and South Africa, international boat races, seawater fishing competitions and luxury charter services capable of private cruises to Lamu, Zanzibar and other coastal destinations.

The development of this marina concept comes at a time when the local industry is highly optimistic about the growth momentum for the tourism sector. Kenya recently reported a 16 percent rise in international arrivals for the first quarter of 2010 due to the market diversification efforts that have lured new tourists from China, India and the Gulf region. The Kenyan government aims to make Kenya one of the top 10 long-haul tourist destinations, offering diverse and high-end experiences by 2012 to a targeted five million tourists per year, assisted by the development of landmark investments such as this one at EnglishPoint.

The sheer magnitude of this five-

star investment will herald the creation of more jobs in the Kenyan services sector. The developers project a workforce of 400 during the two-year construction phase and a workforce of 200 when the development is complete in August 2012. The apartments will offer a wonderful opportunity for both international and local investors to own a piece of this development and lifestyle. EnglishPoint Marina comes on the verge of an anticipated expansion of Mombasa Port, which will require high-end real estate to accommodate the influx of professionals and managers. Lamu is being prepared for Lamu Port; one of Kenya’s biggest infrastructural investments since independence.

These developments are expected to make Mombasa one of Kenya’s corporate hubs.  For more information, contact Alnoor Kanji: • Tel: +254 (0)20 807 0331/2 • Email: info@englishpointmarina.com • Visit: www.englishpointmarina.com

About the Developers Mombasa-born brothers Alnoor and Amyn Kanji had the vision when they acquired the property at EnglishPoint to recognise its unique location and untapped potential. Alnoor and Amyn both gained degrees in the UK, with Alnoor successfully qualifying with a BSc degree in Pharmacy from Leicester and Amyn with a BA Hons degree and MBBS in Medicine from Oxford and London. Alnoor spent time in the UK and Canada working within the pharmacy sector before returning to Kenya to become the Managing Director of Jubilee Hardwares Ltd in Mombasa and undertaking the development and management of Pinewood Village Beach Resort. The main development kicked off in mid-2010. The brothers bring with them the experience of building and managing the award-winning Pinewood Village Beach Resort in Galu Beach, south of Mombasa.

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The Untold History of the Notorious

V-22

Osprey

Mother Nature’s osprey is an aquatic bird of prey. It hovers over water, dives to catch fish, then takes off vertically and zips to shore, where it pauses to devour its catch. The United States military’s Osprey is also capable of

hovering, diving, taking off vertically, and flying fast. But with a “flyaway cost” of $64 million (Marine Corps version) and $76 million (Air Force version), the armed services’ Osprey mostly just devours money.

Words: JASON ZASKY / FEATURENET.CO.ZA Image: © AP/PICTURENET.CO.ZA

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hen one considers the research and development investment, the technological challenges of developing a VSTOL (vertical and short take-off and landing) aircraft, repeated political assaults on the programme, and the bad press suffered in the wake of multiple fatal accidents, it’s remarkable that the Osprey survived a quarter-century long struggle to reach the battlefield.

In The Dream Machine: The Untold History of the Notorious V-22 Osprey (Simon & Schuster), veteran military and aviation writer Richard Whittle examines the tortured history of this revolutionary hybrid aircraft and the previously unreported details concerning the deadly test crashes that nearly doomed the programme.

What makes the Osprey unique?

Richard Whittle (RW): The Osprey is a tiltrotor, meaning it has rotors out on its wingtips that it uses to take off and land – like a helicopter. But once it gets airborne it tilts those rotors forward and flies like an airplane. It’s one solution to what I call the search for aviation’s Holy Grail, which began in the 1930s. The problem with creating that kind of aircraft has always been that you need two different kinds of thrust, vertical and horizontal, which adds extra equipment, extra weight and extra drag. The tiltrotor is an elegant solution because you have only one mechanism to create thrust, and it transforms itself from vertical to horizontal thrust.

What advantages does the Osprey have over planes and helicopters?

RW: The obvious advantage over airplanes is that it doesn’t need a runway to take-off. The advantage over helicopters is speed. All the

military helicopters in use today fly between 120 and 150 knots (220 and 280km/h). The Osprey can fly faster because once it tilts its rotors forward the rotors, in effect, become propellers. The Osprey cruises at about 250 knots (460km/h).

What are the disadvantages as compared to planes and helicopters?

RW: The primary disadvantage is that to create rotors that can do the job of a rotor and the job of a propeller, they have to put a special twist in the rotor. That makes the Osprey less efficient than a helicopter at hovering.

And to function as a rotor, the Osprey’s prop-rotors, as they’re called, have to be larger than an optimum propeller. So it doesn’t fly as efficiently in airplane mode as an airplane does.

What were some of the challenges engineers had to overcome to create the Osprey?

RW: There were quite a few. To get the programme started, the Marines had to embed it in a larger programme whose purpose was to create a tiltrotor that all four services could use. The original plan was to build an aircraft that would be able to do 10 different missions. Among other things, it was supposed to be able to cruise at 30,000 feet and fly nap-ofthe-earth (at treetop level). Its cabin was to be pressurised against nuclear, biological and chemical contaminants and it was to incorporate thencutting-edge technologies like fly-bywire flight controls.

One major design difficulty was the fact that the Marines wanted a fuselage big enough to carry 24 combat-loaded Marines and a crew of four. At the same time, the aircraft had to fit on an amphibious assault ship. This meant that the Osprey’s rotors had to be smaller than optimum for the size and weight of the fuselage.

For years, engineers struggled to find

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ways to reduce the weight of the aircraft to get the most out of the undersized rotors. At one point, they had several dozen engineers whose full-time job was to look for ways to cut weight.

In light of the design challenges and crashes (there were four, three of which were fatal), how did the project stay alive?

RW: Some people will tell you that it was pork-barrel politics, and there was an element of that. Boeing hired subcontractors in 44 states to make sure they got the broadest Congressional support possible, and they did all the usual things that defence contractors do to lobby Congress. But what really kept it alive was the determination of the Marine Corps to have the aircraft.

One of the things I’m sure a lot of people don’t appreciate – I only began to appreciate it when I started writing the book – is that the Marines, besides being the smallest and most unified service, are also the most paranoid.

Throughout their history there have been times when people advocated abolishing or shrinking the Marine Corps. The Marines live in fear that if they don’t remain different, somebody is going to come along and say, “Why don’t we just fold them into the Army?” The Marines saw the Osprey as a way to guarantee their future.

And the more they fought for it, the more convinced they became that they had to have it.

Another important reason it stayed alive was the dream it represents. One of the things that the Marines and manufacturers emphasised and won a lot of converts with in Congress was the idea that once the Marines proved the tiltrotor worked, civilian airlines would buy them and regional air transport would slowly give way to tiltrotors. And if the US produced them, the whole world would buy them from us.

How close are we to that reality?

RW: Pretty far away. Bell

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Helicopter and Boeing began working on a small civilian tiltrotor back in the 1990s. Boeing ultimately dropped out of the project and their place was taken by a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, AgustaWestland. The companies are still working on that tiltrotor, which is now called the BA609. I don’t know what the status is, but it has not gone into production. There is also a European consortium of which AgustaWestland is a part that is working on another tiltrotor design called the Erica. Then there is a very creative engineer in California [Abe Karem] who is working on a tiltrotor called the AeroTrain, which is the size of a 737. He thinks he’ll be able to offer it for sale to commercial airlines within the next eight or nine years.

How much has the Osprey cost American taxpayers to date?

RW: The figures are dramatic.

Critics like to use what is called total programme unit cost, which includes the total number of aircraft bought, modifications, spare parts, weapons, all the support, facilities, research and development for improvements, etc. The total they expect to spend to buy 360 Ospreys for the Marines, 50 for the Air Force and 48 for the Navy is $53 billion.

That works out to an average cost of $118 million each.

With as much as tiltrotors cost, will there ever be a market for them?

RW: Right now, every tiltrotor that has been built has been very expensive. It’s very complex machinery and difficult to build. A Bell Helicopter executive told me they weren’t sure there was going to be a market for the [BA]609 because its cost would be around $20 million. For that amount of money you can get a commercial helicopter and a small commercial airplane. There are people who think it will be like the Concorde – a wonderful way to fly, but too expensive to be commercially viable. 

LEAD

Plain H Sailing Frederic Makelberge Frederic Makelberge, the co-founder and current CEO of Aegir Performance Yachts Africa, agents for the Ferretti Group, received his first sailing degree when he was 10 years old. His 30 years of competitive and career sailing experience make him an expert when it comes to advising on the perfect yacht to suit a buyer’s demands, whatever they might be.

Words: INGRID KENMUIR Images: Š AEGIR YACHTS

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ow has the industry changed over the years?

Frederic Makelberge (FM): Over the past 20 years we have watched as the average size of yachts has got bigger and bigger, increasing from 34 to around 45 foot. One thing that has remained constant, though, is that worldwide, when it comes to yachts above 50 foot it is the quality rather than the size that is most appreciated.

Have these changes been for the better or worse?

FM: I am very positive about the changes to high-spec yachts rather than to size, as this gives the owner much more satisfaction in the long run. My family still owns a 40-foot Pershing that is 20 years old but which still has up-to-date technology and comfort exceeding many current new builds from other brands.

What is your outlook on the South African sailing and yachting scene and how does this differ to the international scene?

FM: South African and African

LEAD

yachting in general is still very much in its infancy. Although great sailing yachts are currently produced and owned in South Africa and we have seen many good, competitive sailors from this country go overseas, the motor yacht scene is still very small.

Lack of infrastructure at world-class level, such as new marinas and stillundiscovered territory along the west coast of South Africa, remain the cause of this.

How do our local standards compare with international standards?

FM: Although South Africa is not as yet on an equal level to Europe or America we are well on our way. Our sister company, Aegir Yacht Management, is bringing the right packages to the table, taking a hasslefree, arrive-and-drive concierge service that includes arranging financing, insurance, local moorings and so on, to Africa and the Med. What do you feel is important in this industry?

FM: Selling the right yacht to the right person. Every style from classic to hyper-modern, from long distance to speed must be considered. You don’t sell just a yacht you provide a dream. This is what we offer in the Ferretti Group. We pride ourselves on taking the client by the hand and standing by him, step by step.

Furthermore, service and flexibility is very important. We service in Cape Town but also have a base in St Tropez, France, to provide excellent hospitality to our clients in the Med. What do you feel the industry does well or has going for it at the moment?

FM: The industry is, as any, recovering from a harsh recession.

But through innovation and constantly improved quality we are managing to keep our clients happy.

We also pride ourselves on having 98 percent client retention on new sales.

What do you think it is lacking?

FM: Quality. A lot of brands are still in a price war, something we do not believe in at Aegir as it does affect manufacturing quality and after-sale service as well as the overall technological evolution of the product.

How has technology changed the industry?

FM: Technological evolution is one of the key features of the Ferretti Group. For example, last year we released the first hybrid yacht, the Mochi Long Distance 23 metre.

Technology has also had an effect on the heritage and still avant-garde design of Riva, the stability systems of Ferretti, and the efficiency and high

Ferretti has always prided itself on being a step or two ahead of the pack and strives to educate and inform the market on the perception of quality.

The skills involved in building our yachts are well above industry standard. The Group also maintains incredible loyalty from its staff by passing skills and knowledge from generation to generation. Take my family as an example, this is currently the fifth generation involved in the sailing and yachting industry.

What changes would you like to see in the industry as a whole and in South Africa in particular?

FM: To have the private and public sectors working together in developing this industry as there

speed of Pershing.

How have changing design principles and the availability of skills changed the calibre of the craft available today?

FM: Today, yachts are better equipped, more stable, faster and more durable than ever before.

are many as-yet undiscovered opportunities. We need to work together for the greater good.  Contact Frederic Makelberge: • Tel: +27 21 557 5351 • Email: info@aegirperformanceyachts.co.za • Visit: www.aegirperformanceyachts.co.za

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BUY

Vilanculos Mozambique Ultimate Getaway in the Market

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BUY

The stunning Quinta do Sol Estate, on offer from Vilanculos Beach Properties, on a pristine coastal stretch in the Vilanculos beach area is now in the market for R45 million, to be snatched up by only the most discerning of buyers – either for private use or to operate commercially.

S

ome people leave a legacy larger than life.

They dream big, create their dreams, and then leave lasting footsteps in the sand for others to admire. Quinta do Sol, the prime real estate on the sought-after Vilanculos beach area of Mozambique, is one of these monuments to such people.

Quinta do Sol was developed by two well-known South African families for their private use, and constructed by the late patriarch of one of these families, whose lodges and estates include some of Southern Africa’s very best. Colin Powell owns property on an island in this area, as do members of the Danish royal family and several well-known South

Words: CHARL DU PLESSIS Images: © DIRK BOSHOFF; MARTIN SHORT

African industrialists. Forget about the cold waters of Plett and Clifton.

Here in Mozambique, visitors sleep with unlocked doors and walk for miles on unspoilt white beaches, far from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Stretching over 3.7 hectares right on 200 metres of private seafront, housing on this grand estate comprises two separate villa complexes of approximately 1,400 (South Villa) and 1,600 (North Villa) square metres respectively, connected by a common decked walkway.

The South Villa has a main house with two bedrooms en suite, with two chalets alongside that both include three bedrooms. That adds up to eight bedrooms in total, ideal for your

family and visitors, allowing some privacy when needed. The main house has a rim-flow pool looking over the ocean, complete with saltwater chlorinator and barbecue area. Ample cold and dry storage areas mean that you can bring in supplies for a long stay without having to run out to replenish stocks.

The North Villa boasts six en suite bedrooms of which five face onto the ocean. All rooms are air conditioned, and the entertainment areas outside are as lavish as those of the sister villa. If the lazy living at this wonderful place leaves you feeling guilty, drop into the shared gym – fully equipped with the most modern gear.

The facilities match the climate and location. High thatch roofs, cool

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tiles, ceiling fans and large doors and windows allow the cool ocean breeze through, while living and entertainment areas keep the blue ocean in permanent sight. The place was designed for easy living by the very best in the business. The massive work space in the kitchen as well as the full views of the islands and ocean in front of you from most of the bathrooms testify to the attention to such detail.

The furnishings are either lush imports or made from attractive woods by talented local artisans in the area. And the rim pools are just to die for, bringing the ocean right to your feet. At night, guests can settle around the raised fire pit and watch the African sky change colour.

The estate is just far enough from the local town to be left undisturbed, yet close enough to enjoy its conveniences.

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Access is actually surprisingly easy. The estate sits 10 minutes’ drive from the airport, which is being upgraded to accommodate larger planes up to 737 sizes. At this stage, both LAM and Federal Air already offer direct flights from OR Tambo International into Vilanculos. It is tarred road all the way from the airport right up to gate of the estate.

The intrepid adventurer, however, could tackle the six-hour drive north of Maputo with either 4x4 or the regular family motor.

The estate is rather self-sufficient when it comes to utilities. It has its own water purification facility, and although the local council supplies electricity, the estate has its own automatic back-up generators. A separate manager’s house and ample staff quarters offer the potential commercial operator all the accommodation needed to run a

decent 24/7 service for incoming guests. An industrial-size workshop ensures that all maintenance requirements can immediately be managed on the estate. The estate is also fully fenced and serviced by 24hour security.

The asking price of R45 million includes furnishings and linens, as well as workshop and other operating equipment. The whole facility is sitting just ready for its next owners to run it as one of Africa’s most sought-after destinations, or else, to secure the ultimate private getaway for family and friends.  Contact Debbie de Jongh at Vilanculos Beach Properties, Fourways, South Africa: • Tel: +27 11 467 4443 • Cell: +27 82 824 7720 • Email: sales2@mozprops.com • Visit: www.mozprops.com

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Prestige has firmly established itself as Southern Africa’s premier luxury lifestyle magazine for billionaires, millionaires and those aspiring to this lifestyle. The magazine offers a mix of luxury elements that appeal to both men and women: rarity, craftsmanship, generosity, freedom, curiosity, tradition, intelligence, wit, aesthetics, and adventure. It incorporates the latest in the areas of boating, motoring and aviation; travel, health and wellness; style, trends and haute horology; people, personalities and superstars, design, art and antiques; collectibles, investments and property; research, business and technology. Working with a finely nuanced definition of luxury, “meaningful and successful lives beyond money, old or new,” Prestige is a magazine for those who engage with the world across various dimensions and in significant ways.

Carol Bouwer Committed to the Good of the Country

August, Women’s Month, has come and gone. The power lunches were had, designer frocks were donned for celebratory morning dos, and for another 11 months women’s issues will take a backseat – unless we take it upon ourselves to be proactive in bringing about change.

Words: JACQUELINE COCHRANE Images: © NICK BOULTON FOR DESTINY MAGAZINE

ADMIRE

T

his is the message that TV personality, producer and businesswoman Carol Bouwer would like to share with other South African women. “I think every South African woman needs to realise this journey is not about getting onto the bus and sitting there, folding your arms. If we want to see meaningful change that will ensure that we’ve left a solid legacy for our daughters, it is very, very important that we are active participants in the change we want to see in the world. So the biggest message would be: South African women, you have got to identify fully what it is that you want to see happening in our country. What are the changes that you think are going to be important for us to move this nation forward? And once you have identified those, it is absolutely imperative that you look at what it is you have, what means you have to facilitate the change that you want to see. Whether it’s your voice and your ability to highlight issues, whether it’s knowing somebody who can effect change, whether it’s what you teach your children at home – there is always something that every single one of us can do. I think for me that really is the biggest thing, remembering that we have the power within ourselves to effect the change that we want to see.”

As the founder and CEO of Carol Bouwer Productions, Bouwer’s broadcasting roots run deep. Many South Africans will remember her as Kgomotso in popular soap Generations, the charming presenter on dating show, Buzzz, and the trendsetting international roving reporter of M-Net's travel and lifestyle programme, Front Row. But it was Motswako, a women’s show that she used to present and went on to produce, that allowed Carol to combine her love for TV with her commitment to empowering women.

Now in its 11th season, Motswako has been critically acclaimed for making a real difference in its viewers’ lives.

It is with much emotion that Bouwer describes the pride she feels for this programme “Motswako became about the women whose lives we were attempting to better, by providing them with information but also with a platform. It is a show that will talk to a minister today and a gardener tomorrow, and we’ve been very fortunate in that we’re able to do that seamlessly; none of those people ever look out of place, because the show is in conversation with a nation.”

Motswako has also played a significant part in allowing her to align her life to her ideals – something Oprah refers to as an “ah-ha! moment.”

Referring to her days as a wildly popular TV actress, and being seduced by the materialistic extravagance that came along with it, she says: “For many of us who grew up with so little, you get excited about all these things that are thrown at you... And then you forget about what it is at the core that you are about. You find yourself just going with the flow and believing your press and even trying to keep up with the image that others have of you. And those are not your ideals, that’s not who you are! For me, waking up one day and realising that part of the reason I felt unhappy at that time – no matter what I was driving or what size house I was living in – was because my life was not in accordance with my ideals, my life was not resonating with what was at the core of my being. I think for a lot of people that’s a big “a-ha! moment,” when you realise you’re a simple person who wants to do good, who wants to give back to the nation, who just wants to have a great

I think for a lot of people that’s a big “ah-ha! moment,” when you realise you’re a simple person who wants to do good, who wants to give back to the nation.

life that has meaning, and which is not about material things. And when you come to that realisation I think life becomes a little bit easier, because you stop chasing and you start enjoying the moment.”

Among her other philanthropic endeavours, Bouwer is an active stakeholder in the Cape Town Peace Island project, which has at its core economic and environmental sustainability. “The concept is to create an iconic structure for South Africa that will become part of our legacy as a post-94 new nation,” Bouwer explains. “It is in keeping with Madiba’s vision in ensuring that South Africa catches up to the world and becomes a player in the global field, and not a spectator. The Island is about job creation and about creating this iconic structure, but it’s also essentially about creating an environment for the world to come and learn about peace and how to attain it. Peace is a theme that permeates all the conversations that one has about South Africa.”

Some might say the notion of an artificial island that aims to address challenges such as lack of housing, access to education and unemployment is a crazy idea, but this is precisely what fuels Bouwer’s passion. “I do think bold ideas are what will ensure we solve our problems, and I started thinking ‘what role can I carve for myself, to play in the creation of the Island?' We are looking at the needs of government and how we can address them through the creation of this project – but also to facilitate it happening, to ensure we’re knocking on the right doors, to ensure that we’re speaking to the community and keeping them abreast as things develop. I’m a very involved, passionate shareholder who wants to see the Island happen for the good of South Africa.”

Before she departs, Carol reminds me to watch the women’s talk shows Motswako on SABC2 at 9:30pm on Mondays and No Reservations on SABC3 at 8:00pm on Wednesdays. 

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DIVE

Back from the Deep

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DIVE

V i n t a g e D i v i n g Wa t c h e s Despite the march of electronic diving timers, classic mechanical diving watches remain covetable and collectible; icons that never lose their appeal.

The watch industry has been rediscovering its diving legends, revamping them for modern tastes and requirements, in turn creating a new category of highly desirable reincarnations that obviate the need to locate increasingly rare originals.

Words: KEN KESSLER Images: © BLANCPAIN; BREITLING; OMEGA; PANERAI; SEIKO

D

iving watches have changed considerably since the Rolex Submariner and Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms created the basic format a half-century ago. New materials have come along for the construction of the cases – titanium and carbon fibre are among the most renowned – and the source of dial illumination. New lubricants improve the reliability of the watches, while better seals have increased resistance to moisture. Other features have been added, but the true professional still depends on the modern electronic wrist computer, with its myriad capabilities.

And yet they may also wear mechanical diving watches because mechanical timepieces have no batteries to malfunction or run down.

Despite the inevitable evolution over nearly 60 years, the overall looks remain nearly the same, with three fundamental requirements paramount to all determining the form. The first, ultimate legibility, means large hands and numerals, easy to read through a mask as well as in darkness. The second is imperviousness to water ingress and the pressure of the depths. The third is ideally some form of indicator to show elapsed time – usually a rotating bezel with the graduations to show how much time is left in a diver’s tanks.

Nearly every watch manufacturer in existence today features a diving watch in its range, with all-new models from Oris, Ball, Ulysse-Nardin, Richard Mille, Hamilton, and Bremont competing with revived models from Longines, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC and

the five showcased here. What all have in common is that they won’t let you down when you need to wear a timepiece under water.

There is, of course, a whole genre of diving watches that have never gone out of production, which have evolved naturally and which possess an almost haughty seniority to the above. Doxa’s legendary orange dial 600T, the Omega Seamaster in its various forms and the Patek Philippe Nautilus all boast continuity and longevity that will appeal to a certain type of connoisseur. But the crowning glory – in more ways than one – belongs to the granddaddy of them all, a watch which has remained available with unbroken continuity since the day it was launched: the immortal Rolex Submariner.

FIVE MODERN CLASSICS Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 5015 1130 52 (from £8,160 depending on model) To mark its 50th anniversary in 2003, Blancpain re-released the Fifty Fathoms, which had long been out of production. It had become a seriously collectible item, seen only in auctions. The following built up around it was an acknowledgement of its genuine military origins, as it was commissioned by the French Navy, while its form was as pure as that of its rival, the Rolex Submariner. A near-exact replica in severely limited numbers, the reissue soon sold out. Blancpain followed it with an ill-judged sequel that barely looked like the original. The company wisely returned to the style of the original for the current family of Fifty Fathoms models, a range that now includes a chronograph and a tourbillon, models in rose gold and variants that are larger and go deeper. Seen here, though, is one that captures the look and basic functionality of the 1950s original. For some of us, it’s a look upon which you simply cannot improve.

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Breitling SuperOcean (from £2,000 depending on model) Breitling will happily sell you a near-exact replica of its 1957 SuperOcean, with the designation Heritage, a true homage to the original. And wonderful though that iconic design is, the company also gave it a fresh facelift that increases its legibility and functionality: the new watch will withstand depths of 1,500 metres (5,000 feet), or more than seven times that of its predecessor. It features a rubber-moulded bezel and easy-to-read sloping numerals, with a choice of colours for the contrasting inner ring, all set against a matte-black background. The watch is driven by a selfwinding chronometer-certified movement. Elapsed time is charted by a unidirectional rotating bezel immune to inadvertent disturbances that might cause an incorrect reading of the dive time during an actual diving operation, and a safety valve is situated at 10 o’clock, to balance out the differences in pressure inside and outside the watch.

Panerai Luminor Base Logo (£2,700) Designed for the Italian Navy’s crack team of fearless underwater saboteurs in the 1930s, Panerai diving watches resurfaced 60 years later to become the cult diving watch of the 1990s and onward. The original limited edition replicas were snapped up by collectors in Italy, including one Sylvester Stallone, who helped create the cult. He has worn various Panerais in a number of his films, and even had models named after him, dubbed “SlyTechs.” Manually wound, and although it lacks the rotating bezel common to the others, the Panerai Luminor is now one of the most common sights at exclusive resorts around the world. It’s one of the reasons why we all wear larger watches in the 21st century, an iconic masterpiece, where form and function ended up equalling “cool” as well as useful. And the Luminor Base Logo entry-level model is certainly one of the coolest.

Omega Seamaster ProPlof (from £5,010 depending on model) To some, Omega’s ProPlof is brutally ugly. For the rest of us, it’s a breathtaking example of hyperfunctionality. Omega’s 1970 creation of a watch to withstand the crushing pressures endured by divers working deep below the ocean’s surface was originally called the Seamaster 600; its street name “Ploprof” derived from the first letters of plongeurs professionnels – French for “professional divers.” It was and still is of the most rugged divers’ wristwatches ever manufactured.

The new version features Omega’s Co-Axial calibre 8500, the new model designation is 1200M, signifying water resistance to 1,200 metres (4,000 feet). Fitted with a rotating bezel, it features an orange bezelrelease security pusher, now recognised as the watch’s signature detail. Also fitted is an automatic helium escape valve located on the side of the case at the 4 o’clock position, to allow helium to escape during decompression – particularly useful for professional divers operating from diving bells.

Seiko SRP043K1 (£325) Not all diving classics cost huge sums of money, and expensive watches can be a concern if you’re in a situation where you think you might lose whatever is on your wrist. If you want a genuine diving watch that’s inexpensive enough to knock about without making you feel guilty or profligate, Seiko’s mechanical diving watches are about as rock-solid as they get. For a butch diving watch that does all a diving watch should do, you can’t top this for the money: diver-certified to 200 metres, driven by an automatic movement, rugged stainless steel case and adjustable bracelet, proper rotating bezel and killer looks. When you consider that it costs less than the bracelets or straps for the others in this group, you might want to buy a dozen for spares. Also look out for its orange-dialled sister, aka the much-loved “Orange Monster.” 

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INVEST

Property on the

Water Money flows like water. I had a problem from an early age with what is probably the most common economic metaphor on Earth: likening money and economic activity to liquid.

Words: IAN FIFE Image Š ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

INVEST

D

onald Duck’s uncle, Scrooge McDuck, was forever diving into his vault of money, which seemed to me at the time a fruitless and even dangerous pursuit. There was no limpid pool with sparkling ripples that followed his dive. McDuck plunged through the hard metal and crunchy paper with hardly credible slipperiness, especially considering his shape. That bizarre millionaire was also the image that came to mind years later when I read American author Ernest Hemingway. “A rich man is just a poor man with money,” he wrote. It was the comic that made McDuck different, not the money.

But difficult as Scrooge made the idea, the liquid metaphor has more than a ring of truth to it. It permeates financial and economic jargon. For instance, a company or individual is “solvent” when financial “liquidity” can absorb debt, insolvent when it can’t. Issuing too many shares in a company “dilutes” its returns. And wealth is supposed to “trickle” down from the rich to the poor. The flow of money can be “frozen” but then the victim can be “bailed out,” which originally came from bailing the water from a boat. It gets a little confusing when the flow is frozen too long and there’s a financial “meltdown.” So the metaphor stretches from the liquid itself to activity around it and in it.

Profits and assets “rise” or “fall” like the tide. Or they “dive” and cash “flow” gushes.

The meaning of financial and trade flows profoundly revealed itself when it all went wrong in the Great Financial Crisis. Fundamental to economy is the ceaseless flow of goods or services in one direction and money in the other. The counter flows meet at a point of tension when

price is negotiated and revealed.

They then move on. The purchased item is consumed and some of the money exchanged is used to produce more goods or services. “Money alone sets all the world in motion,” says Publilius Syrus in Moral Sayings of the 1st century BC, and that’s when it flowed physically from hand to hand.

The owner of a grand home at Zimbali Coastal Estate knows that if water stops flowing into his koi pond the water will stagnate, becoming toxic, and his precious fish will die. He can simply turn on the tap. Looking out from his patio over the Indian Ocean, he probably also knows that the liquidity of his home can also be a critical factor in his life, particularly if he has been trying to sell it in the current all-but-dead coastal and second home property market in South Africa. But there isn’t a tap he simply turns on.

Stock exchange shares are liquid; you can sell them overnight. Property is illiquid. It can take months, even years, to sell a property, transfer it from your name into the purchaser’s and collect your money. The wise investor knows this and usually keeps his direct property investment to less than 50 percent of his assets, with the rest in cash, government long-term bonds and stock exchange shares, so he always has cash when he needs it.

He also knows that the liquidity of his properties changes with the economic cycle. When the boom is on, as it was from 2002 to 2008, you could have people lining up to buy a property. But when the slump comes the property could be stuck in his hands.

The further away the property is from the prime city regions, the less liquid it becomes. A mid-priced flat in Claremont, Cape Town, The Berea in

Durban, or Johannesburg’s Illovo will sell at only slightly less than the rate they do in a boom. Sales in a golf estate in the country will drop off the edge of a cliff in a bust.

But the wise investor will also know that property is a defensive investment, that is, it keeps much more of its value during a downturn than bonds or shares. Stock exchange prices leap up and down by the minute because of their liquidity.

Property prices are calculated at most in months but usually in years.

Compare golf estate price changes between 2007 when the boom was just ending, to 2009 in the middle of the slump. The prices of homes in the urban golf estates actually continued rising, Mount Edgecombe in Durban from R3.6 million to R4.2 million, Dainfern in Johannesburg from R3 million to R3.7 million, and Pretoria’s Silver Lakes from R2.2 million to R2.65 million. But, on the other hand, prices at Pinnacle Point near Mossel Bay dropped significantly, as did prices at Clarens golf estate.

A more important signal of illiquidity is the number of sales; Boschenmeer in Paarl from 111 in 2007 to 29 in 2009, nearby Pearl Valley from 94 to 17, Pinnacle Point from 111 to 19, and Blue Valley in Midrand from 146 to 57. All the 20 most well-known golf estates should fall in turnovers of at least 50 percent, some as much as 85 percent.

Investors or second home buyers looking for bargains should scour the golf estates with the biggest drop and the smallest number of sales, as they will find the most desperate sellers here.

But for the wise owner, such a slump means little. He knows that when the market starts picking up, and wealth starts picking up, so will the price of his home. 

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STRETCH

Sweating it out in

Paradise

Hawaii 72

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STRETCH

Honolulu, Waikiki, aloha – the words roll easily off the tongue, conjuring up images of blue oceans, bougainvilleas, lean surfers and bronzed bodies. But the magic of these words paled in comparison to experiencing the real deal when we tackled Hawaii on a get-fit excursion of our own design.

Words: CHARL DU PLESSIS Images: © ISTOCKPHOTO.COM; TONI MUIR

I

f you placed the tip of a finger on Cape Town, and used the other hand to place a fingertip on Hawaii, you could spin the globe with ease, as it virtually halfway across the world – both vertically and horizontally. After one week in Hawaii, however, you will

feel as if the world has stopped spinning, slowing instead to just one long, sun-soaked afternoon on the beach. But that was not for us. We were here on an action holiday, full of ambition to tackle the most physical challenges these islands could offer, and buff up our bodies to boot.

We started in Waikiki, because it is the main attraction on the island of Oahu. This is beach life as you have only seen in the movies: rollerblades, street vendors, musicians, cyclists, and most of all, surfboards. Hawaii is the original home of surfing, and if you ever had any ambition to be cool,

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be it as a teenager or as part of your mid-life crisis, this is the place to find a willing instructor. The shallow waves are speckled with young and old, splashing and gliding, all dreaming about that one big wave.

Surfing must be one of the best metaphors for freedom, and that sense of light detachment from everyday reality permeates the air.

With shoulders aching after a few days of hard swimming and finally managing to stand up, we were getting fit and beautiful, and having fun too, you better believe.

A daytrip in an open Jeep Wrangler up to the Northern shores took us through small settlements, past little beach cafés and along endless white sandy beaches. At the right time of the year, when the winds turn, this is the area where the waves get really big and people flock from all over the world to come and see the long-board spectacular. The islands of Hawaii were created from several oceanfloor volcanoes that now rise high on the one side, with spectacularly fertile green mountains, and roll into the ocean as volcanic rock formations on the outer side. The reefs that form the special surfing conditions came about from the same geological turmoil.

Long beach runs and a late afternoon kayak kept our wellness ambitions alive, and we topped the day off with grilled line-fish eaten with our feet in the sand.

On a really scorching day (and when our muscles needed the break), a tour guide suggested we visit the restored Iolani Palace. Once the home of Hawaiian royalty, it housed the kingdom’s last two monarchs from

1882 to 1893: King Kalakaua and his sister and successor, Queen Liliuokalani. When opposition forces in cahoots with the Americans overthrew the crown in 1893, the queen spent the rest of her life locked in an upstairs bedroom. The building remained in use for various administrative purposes, falling into decline until its magnificent restoration was completed in 1978. In many ways this building crystallises the complex history of the islands – sometimes it is just so American, with fast food, parking rules and airconditioned shops, while at other times it feels as if you have stumbled upon an as-yet undiscovered Pacific paradise.

We were now starting to feel in good enough shape for Maui. We headed up to Hana, remotely tucked away on the Eastern coastline. The road trip took us one full day, as we stopped to climb, stare and swim along the most beautiful, rugged and unspoilt piece of Earth on which we had ever set foot. For a few blissful days, the rainforests became our gymnasium; the waterfalls and plunge pools our shower. We swam at Hamoa Beach, which James Michener described as the most beautiful beach in the world, and snorkelled off the black and red sands of Waianapanapa and the isolated Kaihalulu Beach. And at end of day, we would see the sun set to the other side as we stood in the surf with the Pacific to our backs.

Green rolling pastures laced the hills and evening fires on the beach were getting started for our freshly caught dinner. How can you help but lead a healthy life when in a place with so much natural beauty? 

F E AT U R E

Brits The

are

Back As a recent wave of strikes crippled

public services in South Africa, it was hard not to be reminded of Britain’s bitter “winter of discontent” back in the late 1970s, when public and private sector workers went on strike. This was, to all intents and purposes, the end of Britishowned car manufacturing.

Words: ALEXANDER PARKER Images: © QUICKPIC.CO.ZA

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he product was dreadful, poorly made and designed without flair. Companies such as Jaguar, Rover, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Mini, Aston Martin, TVR and Lotus continued to produce increasingly anachronistic cars in the face of their German and Japanese competitors. Soon, too, these brands began to fall into foreign ownership, and while some British people found this to be of great embarrassment, those with a wider, more nuanced understanding of the nature of globalisation saw the possibilities.

Rover and Land Rover went to BMW and then Ford. The big American company also nabbed Jaguar and Aston Martin. Lotus went to Proton.

TVR briefly went Russian and then went bust. BMW kept Mini. RollsRoyce Motor Cars also went to BMW, while Bentley Motors went to the VW group.

As the financial crisis of the mid/ late 2000s approached, Ford decided to divest itself of its PAG division.

Jaguar and Land Rover went to Tata Motors; Aston Martin went to a British consortium. This assorted ownership, in fact, has done wonders.

Ford – after the disaster that was the Freelander I under BMW – worked wonders with Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin, instilling modern production techniques and quality standards. Now with Tata Motors, the companies are in safe hands and have been left alone to do what they do best: design and build British cars.

Jaguar, especially, has undergone an astonishing rebirth. This announced itself in 2006 with the all-new XK, a Jaguar unlike anything anybody had seen before. Until the early 2000s Jaguar had been producing slightly embarrassing pastiches of its past.

The S-Type was designed to look like the magnificent Mk II of 1959. In overdoing their homage to the past, Jaguar had forgotten what Jaguar was about – making best-in-class, beautiful, fast cars.

Soon after the XK came the XF, which proved to a stunned motoring

press pack and car fanatics all over the world that the XK wasn’t a fluke.

The XF is still arguably best in class, and that’s up against the toughest competitors you can imagine — the BMW 5-Series, the Audi A6 and the Mercedes E-Class. It’s a car that fills your heart with song to drive, especially the absolutely insane five-litre, supercharged V8 XF-R. And then came the XJ, a proper big cat, stunningly sleek and evocative in a segment dominated by super-conservative German teutons.

Jaguar’s rebirth was complete. The

great GT cars. The fact that they’ve used some bits and pieces from the VW group has had the pub bores wittering away, but then they have probably not experienced that magnificent W12.

However, now separated from Rolls-Royce, the company has set out to design and build the first “pure” Bentley since the legendary eightlitre of 1930. It’s called the Mulsanne, for Le Mans' scariest corner, and it’s a masterpiece of design, craftsmanship and engineering. In everything you see, from the immaculate inlays to

cars, designed and built in Coventry

by English designers, are all superb.

The cat is back. And it’s not alone.

BMW has worked wonders with Rolls-Royce, building the company a huge, bunker-like factory near Goodwood, England. With everything in place, the company has been allowed to design and build the most astonishing range of cars. RollsRoyces of the 1980s and 1990s were old-fashioned and, you could say, ugly. These days the company builds the Phantom. In sedan, coupe and drophead varieties, it is a car of such mind-blowing sophistication that you can scarcely believe how quiet and cocooning it is to drive. Rolls-Royce has always claimed they make the world’s best cars. Finally, you could argue that this is true. Then, recently, came the Ghost, a smaller, more sporting Rolls-Royce. It’s blindingly quick, equipped as it is with a 6.75-litre, twin turbo-charged V12.

Bentley Motors, at Crewe near Manchester, is also back with a bang.

For the past decade or so they’ve been building Continentals and other

the hand-stitched leather, it is essentially perfect. And it’s also a Bentley, which means it needs to be fast and fun. Well, it’s got a twin turbo-charged 6.75-litre V8 that pumps out a simply mind-altering 1020Nm at just 1750rpm.

Aston Martin, now actually making money, recently released the Rapide, certainly the best Aston in my opinion. The whole range, from the V8 Vantage to the monster V12 GTs, are heart-breakingly beautiful cars, and they just get better and better, all the time.

Even Lotus, owned by Proton but based in Norfolk, has recently launched the Evora, their most GT-like car yet. But it’s still a Lotus, true to Colin Chapman’s philosophy of “adding lightness.” On a track, a modern Lotus is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

Those of us who love the heritage and the history of English cars have much to celebrate in the globalised ownership of these brands. As a result of it the Brits are back, and it’s a wondrous thing to behold. 

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HEALTH

Time Out for

Body, Mind

and Soul

When it comes to well-being, there is a great deal of new research that shows the significant relationship between mind and body. It is astonishing how long it took the Western world to start looking towards the East and to these ancient methods of healing.

Words: TANYA GOODMAN Images: Š TAJ HOTELS

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he revitalising qualities of Indian wellness treatments have long been recognised.

Today, these centuries-old therapies are offered at a select few of South Africa’s top health spas, including the Jiva Grande Spa at the recently launched Taj Cape Town hotel, the first of its kind in Africa.

Jiva Spas encapsulate the practice of Ayurveda, or the science of longevity. Its principles have been practiced in India for about 6,000 years and probably date as far back as to when the continents were still joined as one. The Ayurvedic form of traditional Indian therapy uses massage and herbs to relax the body, helping to restore natural balance, improve circulation and eliminate toxins. These therapies also stimulate the body’s cells and endocrine system, encouraging the secretion of naturally produced “medicines,” which help to heal the body from the inside out.

While many practitioners claim to be familiar with Ayurveda, only trained therapists are able to administer these massages effectively. The central aim is to create harmony within the body.

At an authentic Ayurvedic spa, you must first meet with the Vaidya, an

reflexology and acupuncture, Ayurveda targets certain pressure points on the body – known as marma points – that stimulate the body’s biochemistry. This encourages it to produce the hormones, neurochemicals and other natural secretions that are needed to heal the mind, body and consciousness. It helps to improve the functioning of the immune system, cleanse and detoxify the body, and boost one’s general health. For those who are ill or suffer from chronic ailments, it offers relief from symptoms and an overall improvement in their level of health. There are, of course, other techniques specific to Ayurvedic massage and a range of Jiva signature treatments.

Step inside a Jiva Spa and an immediate sense of serenity washes over you. Everything here, from the ceramic tea cups to the elegant cotton gown that you don, is handmade from organic materials. All treatment products are made of pure Indian herbs, Indian aromatherapy oils, natural creams and special ingredients. And the treatment rooms, both singles and doubles, are oases of tranquillity.

On my visit, I was treated to an

prayer. For the unacquainted, an Ayurvedic treatment room could look a bit like a torture chamber. But once you’ve surrendered to the therapist, it all makes sense. The long wooden massage table is made precisely to handle the litre upon litre of herbalinfused oil that is worked into your muscles with firm, long, downward strokes. The wooden box in the corner is where the steam chamber ensures that every pore has absorbed every drop of healing balm while your breathing, with your head remaining clear from the hot mist, remains deep and rhythmic. In true Indian tradition, the treatment ended with another ancient ritual that embraces Indian spirituality.

After two hours of drifting through the entire process, all my fatigue and daily aches had vanished.

Calm and energised, and walking slowly through a wintry Cape drizzle, I felt as pampered as a Rani – an Indian queen. Jiva believes in the time-honoured adage Atithi Devo Bhava, which means “the guest is God.” The exquisite traditional and royal Indian ethos of Jiva Spas is accentuated through holistic treatments, enlivening and meaningful rituals and ceremonies

Ayurveda physician on staff, who will evaluate several of your lifestyle factors, including sleep, diet, exercise, massage, meditation and detoxification. A variety of essential oils are then chosen to match your individual energy.

Along with traditional massage techniques that most people are familiar with if they have tried

Abhyanga massage and a Snãnã traditional medicated bath experience.

The Abhyanga is a medicated herbal oil application designed to provide such benefits as good appetite, alertness during the day, restful sleep and reduced stress. My therapist greeted me with a warm foot bath, a traditional sign of respect in India, and before we started, offered a

and unique natural products that are integrated with the experiences. For me, it opened my mind to a new awareness of body and soul.  For more information or to make a booking: • Tel: +27 21 819 2000 • Email: res.capetown@tajhotels.com • Visit: www.tajhotels.com

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U N R AV E L

Unsolved

Mystery Agatha Christie’s Greenway

Greenway, the legendary Devon holiday home of Agatha Christie, has finally been opened to the public. To mark the 120th anniversary of the Queen of Crime we visited this National Trust property to solve the greatest mystery of them all.

Words: MARCUS BREWSTER Images: © ANGUS MCBEAN/HARVARD THEATRE COLLECTION; MARCUS BREWSTER; NICK GUTTRIDGE; NTPL

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eptember is a special month on the English Riviera, that stretch of period-picturesque South West English coastline that is centred on the three key resorts of Torquay, Brixham and Paignton, collectively named Torbay. To mark the birthday month of crime novelist Agatha

Christie, who was born in Torquay and who honeymooned here, acquired a property, Greenway, in 1938, not far from Torbay on the River Dart. She spent several months here every year for the rest of her life. It comes as something of a surprise to learn that she never penned a single novel while in residence at what she described “the loveliest place in the world.”

hallways alluding to a gracious past.

Just down the hill from the Imperial are other markers on the Agatha Christie Mile, including the Princess Gardens, the Pavilion, the Strand, and the Princess Pier. The estimable Greenway Quay and Ferry Service operate trips and tours to Christie’s River Dart property from this latter point. One of these options,

Christie and to celebrate her localgirl-makes-good legacy, a festival is staged annually in her honour.

Dame Agatha’s much-loved sleuths Hercule Poirot, the dapper Belgian detective, and Miss Jane Marple, the English spinster, propelled the sale of some two billion books in over 50 languages, making Christie the most published author of all time. This year also marks the 90th anniversary of Poirot’s first appearance and the 80th of Miss Marple’s.

Arriving on the English Riviera one checks into the Imperial Hotel, a necessary first stop on the established Agatha Christie Mile.

Built on a promontory with sweeping views of Torbay, the Imperial not only hosted Christie at several social functions but appears as a setting in at least two of her books. Although significantly modernised, the property still has a rambling Edwardian feel to it, its decorative, toile de joie-patterned

the Fairmile launch, is an oceangoing RML 497 Rescue Motor. Those who do not fancy an approach by water (sailing around Torbay down the coast to Dartmouth and from there, riding a ferry up the river), will find no more delightful carriage than the company’s vintage bus: a 1947 Leyland. This 35-seater wooden frame, double declutching, Barnabybodied beauty runs passengers the 45 minutes or so to Greenway in nostalgic comfort. I was reliably

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informed by the bus’s driver, Roger, that the upholstery fabric, a sourced 1947 cloth, cost more than the old bus itself.

Arriving on the estate, the bus passes the Lodge (available to rent through the National Trust Holiday Cottages website) and curves through the profusion of Greenway’s lush landscape. Terraces levelled by Spanish Armada prisoners form the earliest garden, with the natural and spectacular woodland setting forming the backdrop to a significant and varied plant collection. The house itself dates from around 1792 and has been adapted, along with its garden, ever since.

Apart from its acreage, which has been a visitor attraction for some years already, it is the house itself – and its contents – that are the main draw.

Although Christie has become aesthetically synonymous, through numerous BBC productions and allstar-cast movie adaptations of her work, with the 1930s and 1940s decor style, Greenway is no art deco museum.

Rather, it is a Georgian backdrop for a languid 1950s retreat, all sunshine and unpretentious comfort.

Three generations of collectors have lived at Greenway, Christie and

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her second husband, archaeologist Sir Max Mallowan; Christie’s only child Rosalind and her husband Anthony; and finally grandson Mathew Prichard, who gifted the contents: rugs, quillwork and straw-work boxes, tartanware, Chinese ceramics, papermâché, stevengraphs, bargeware, studio glass, and shell paintings.

Agatha and Max had a passion for silver, and their collection shows the pursuit of a piece for every year from the mid-17th century to the ascension of Queen Victoria in 1837.

The feel of the house is not of a posh, stately home with museum-quality furnishings but rather of a generous post-war life of relaxed graciousness and gentility. Christie closed the dining room wing in winter to minimise heating bills and took her meals in the flag-stoned kitchen. If you make a reservation in advance you can enjoy a table there for lunch or tea – a rare treat. Elderberry juice, anyone?

So the mystery remains: why did she not write any of her best-selling novels while ensconced at Greenway?

Some of her most famous murders are recognisably set here, including the boathouse where Girl Guide Marlene Tucker is found strangled (Dead Man’s Folly), the garden where artist Amyas

Crale drinks hemlock-laced beer (Five Little Pigs) and the Baghdad chest in the hall, which was the final resting place of a jealous husband in the eponymous short story mystery.

After visiting and marvelling at the views down to the River Dart, at the sweeping forested slopes and verdant pathways, I understand why Agatha Christie didn’t write while staying here.

It is because Greenway, the home she called “the loveliest place in the world,” is simply too beautiful for words. Visit www.greenwayferry.co.uk. 

premier TRAVEL

TWELVE APOSTLES CAPE TOWN

Stand at the edge of the world where you can enjoy nature or explore Cape Town’s cosmopolitan V&A Waterfront with car transfer or helipad services. Voted Africa’s leading spa resort, the Twelve Apostles welcomes children and pets and promises an idyllic getaway for the whole family. www.12apostleshotel.com Reservations: +27 21 437 9000

FORDOUN SPA MIDLANDS

This family-run hideaway in the Natal Midlands, with its pristine country air and rolling hills, offers luxurious accommodation and some of the most advanced, award-winning spa facilities.

Highly personalised service includes the very best in traditional African treatments. Fordoun is the perfect place to escape and refresh mind, body and spirit. www.fordoun.com Reservations: +27 33 266 6217

RADDISSON JHB & PORT ELIZABETH

Spas, gyms and a unique “Yes I Can” concept that includes 100 percent Guest Satisfaction, both hotels have conference facilities and free Internet and offer luxurious rooms, fine dining experiences as well as opportunities to “paint the town Blu.” www.radissonblu.com/hotel-portelizabeth and www.radissonblu.com/hotel-johannesburg Reservations: +27 41 509 5000 (PE) and +27 11 245 8000 (JHB)

THE SAXON BOUTIQUE HOTEL & SPA SANDHURST Voted the World’s Leading Boutique Hotel six years in a row, The Saxon is the ultimate city base when in Johannesburg.

Close to the financial and business hub of South Africa, the lush tranquillity offers a calm retreat from a busy day’s work.

Enjoy discreet and highly personalised service in a tasteful African elegance. www.thesaxon.co.za Reservations: +27 11 292 6000

OYSTER BOX DURBAN

Hovering on the ocean’s edge, the Oyster Box Hotel is conveniently close to Afro-chic Durban, yet exudes an air of charm and elegance. This iconic hotel’s dramatic revamp now offers guests a vibrant, contemporary old-world experience, while evoking the warm nostalgia of days gone by. www.oysterboxhotel.com Reservations: +27 31 514 5000

BANYAN TREE SEYCHELLES

Nestled in Intendance Bay with spectacular views of the Indian Ocean and one of the world's most beautiful beaches.

Picture the sun on your skin, the sand at your feet, and plenty time on your hands while experiencing Banyan Tree's signature blend of romance, rejuvenation and exotic sensuality. www.banyantree.com Reservations: +27 11 463 8195 or +248 383 500

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Fairline Squadron Thrills Big Boaters 65 It comes as no surprise that the visionary and ever-evolving luxury motor yacht manufacturer Fairline has yet another spectacular model in its prestigious Squadron line-up.

Words & Images: Š BOATING WORLD

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I

mporter Derrick Levy of Boating World says: “The British-made Fairline Squadron 65 is the ultimate luxury cruiser and one which will meet the needs of even the most particular owner. She is amazingly spacious and beautifully finished to the highest standard of British craftsmanship.”

Everything about this boat lends itself to relaxation, such as the flatfloor, single-level interior, which offers an uninterrupted view from the saloon and makes the feeling of spaciousness even greater. The modern square finishes to the furniture enhance the contemporary look, while plenty of storage options blend in so well that many won’t even realise they exist.

Nothing mars the stylish, clutterfree appeal of this craft, with

unsightly warps and fenders well concealed in cockpit lockers. A separate hatch provides entrance to the engine room and lazarette, while a dedicated companionway affords access to the standard utility room.

(This can also be fitted out as an optional fourth cabin.)

The large, roomy cockpit with beautiful teak-laid floor can host several guests in generous seating.

For particularly special occasions, the ambience can be adapted through the use of blue LED “mood lighting,” which is available as an optional extra.

Transom gates lead onto the teaklaid hydraulic “hi-lo” bathing platform, which allows convenient tender/PWC launch or sea access for guests wishing to take a dip in the ocean. There is also a rigid swim ladder and a concealed overhead hot and cold shower for washing off after sun bathing or swimming.

Teak-laid steps lead from the cockpit to the expansive flybridge which, with its large teak table able to comfortably seat six, is great for entertaining. Refreshments are at your fingertips as the bar area includes a refrigerator, icemaker, sink and BBQ griddle. And to really get things moving there is an MP3 input jack with 100w amplifier.

Sun worshippers will appreciate the vast sunbathing areas on the flybridge around the helm position with day-beds and loungers wrapping around in front of the helmsman’s station. Those needing “alone time” can take their sun cushions onto the foredeck with its specially recessed self-draining area. Access to the main saloon is from a starboard side door.

The new-look interior design in either American white oak with satin finish or traditional gloss cherry or walnut is elegant, contemporary and tasteful. Impressively, the single-level,

flat floor extends from the saloon right through to the dinette and galley area. Settle into the freestanding sofa with plush, deepbolstered cushions, which is easily moved to the perfect spot for TV viewing on the HD LCD TV and sound system. Six people can dine at the table with fold-out leaf in the dinette, enjoying meals made in the fully kitted galley.

Guests will love the sleeping accommodation from the forward stateroom, which is as well appointed as the amidships, full-beam master stateroom. The forward stateroom has a state-of-the-art, modern skylight with electric blinds to allow the entire interior to be flooded with natural light. En suite bathrooms and ample storage complete the picture. The starboard guest cabin houses side-byside twin berths complete with en suite shower/WC compartment, hanging locker and stowage. An optional air-conditioned aft cabin with fold-up twin berths, lockers and en suite bathroom can be specified or the space can be used as a utility room with excellent stowage for provisions and equipment.

As expected, the Fairline Squadron 65 features the latest technological advancements from a touch-screen console at the helm station to the Fairline Systems’ “PILOT,” which gives the owner control and access of the boat’s electrical system. The craft is powered by two Caterpiller C18-1015 mhp diesel engines and boasts a top speed of 33 knots. If you opt for the two MAN V10 1100 mhp diesel option, she should easily reach a top speed of 34 knots.  Boating World has offices in Durban and Cape Town, contact: • Tel: 0861 324 754 • Email: info@boatingworld.co.za • Visit: www.boatingworld.co.za

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Managing your

Wealth

from the Inside Out A recent Barclays Wealth Insight survey found that the global financial crisis affected the way the world’s wealthy view their wealth management and investments. Economic uncertainty prompted a new “wealth consciousness” in High Net Worth Individuals around the world, with wealthy investors paying closer attention to how their wealth is being managed, and taking a more hands-on role in the actual process of investment.

Words: DIANE NAIDOO-NGESE Image: © ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

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ealthy investors are demonstrating increasing self-reliance in managing their portfolios with almost half (43 percent) reporting that they are reviewing their investment portfolios more now than before the downturn.

Says Absa Wealth Head of Front Office, Carl Roothman: “The wealthy are increasingly knowledgeable about how they invest. They want to question the rationale and risks that lie behind their investment approach.”

“Through research surveys such as this one, we gain invaluable insights regarding our clients – their

investment behaviour, their interests, and their appetite for risk. But more importantly, we understand what drives them,” says Roothman. The downturn prompted a thirst for knowledge among wealthy investors, with almost a third (30 percent) saying they are reading the financial press more than before and over a quarter (26 percent) spending more time talking to family and friends about investment or consulting their financial adviser more frequently than in the past (27 percent).

HNWIs have different goals for investments, philanthropy and spending. Says Roothman: “In South Africa, we urge our open-handed wealthy to consider investments in light of generations, not weeks or months or even a year. We still want to make sure that short-term liquidity needs are met and that there is always sufficient cash flow available to meet expenses. Long-term thinking has helped some of our investors end up on top.”

South Africa is home to many wealthy philanthropists who want to ensure that their money will go to people who need it most, possibly having witnessed cases in the past where good intentions may not have matched the actual outcome. Being able to give is for many a key driver for accumulating wealth and investing. “They want their wealth to create a legacy for them, whether it is to secure their family’s future or to invest in CSI initiatives,” says Roothman. “Wealthy investors are more conscious about social returns and as a group, they often have more time to ensure accountability and give attention to chosen projects.

Offering clients real-time performance updates, especially for their social investments, is not a ‘nice-to-have’, it is mandatory.”

The HNWI is fairly new. According to Roothman, around 15 to 20 years ago there may not have been much of a high net worth market per se. “While there were wealthy people with financial professionals serving them quietly behind the closed doors of

private banks, this ‘covert’ business of wealth management created a bit of a knowledge gap,” he says, explaining further. “Wealthy individuals did not quite know what their peers were doing to protect or accumulate wealth and private banks lacked the understanding of what their clients wanted from them. You could say that both sides played the guessing game.”

Frequent communication with clients entrenches confidence in the ability to manage wealth efficiently, but also in the integrity of the investment advice offered. Roothman stresses that communication is indeed key. “Not only between your banker and his team of experts that manage your portfolio but also between your banker and you,” he says. “We have upped the ante in our communication with clients, offering them relevant news, trends, market performance as it happens.”

Investors are more cautious with their money and are now seeking out investments that offer cash flow and capital protection rather than all-out growth. Investors of all levels of wealth have seen the value of their portfolios rise, then fall, then rise and fall again. After riding a roller coaster like that, it should come as no surprise that some people want to get off.

“HNWIs are placing greater emphasis on risk management,” says Roothman.

“In response, we offer our clients detailed scenario planning, a ‘what-if’ analysis on proposed investment and asset allocation models. Clients want greater transparency so that they understand the performance risks and fees of a particular investment before they buy.”

Roothman argues that wealth managers worth their weight in gold ought to welcome the opportunity to validate the strategies and products recommended to clients to entrench client confidence but also to demonstrate their value. “Investors are less likely to accept what financial institutions, regulators and analysts say at face value. They will not soon forget the experiences of the past few years,” he concludes. 

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makingwaves A Well-Chilled

Veuve

In innovative Veuve Clicquot style, the maison has released its latest limitededition chic champagne case – the Veuve Clicquot Fridge. Designed by Denis Boudard of QSLD Paris, behind its apparent simplicity the item recalls the iconic curves of the glamorous refrigerators of the 1950s. Marrying sophistication with technological know-how, the fridge has been designed to better ensure your Veuve can be enjoyed at optimal temperature – the nifty little fridge keeps your bubbly keeps cool for two hours.

Portable and impeccably stylish, the Veuve Clicquot Fridge is the ideal accessory for luxe summer entertaining. It will be available from September onwards at leading liquor merchants nationwide, from around R480.

KWV 20 Year Old

Wins Gold

KWV 20 Year Old, the oldest within KWV’s premium portfolio of brandies, recently underwent a transformation where the winemakers moved away from traditional flavours such as cigar box and port wine and introduced a more tropical aroma with hints of pineapple and banana. Their makeover was obviously a successful one, as the product won a gold medal for its superior taste and quality at the 15th anniversary International Spirits Challenge (ISC), held in London. The ISC awards bring together distillers and producers from all over the world and this year saw a significant increase in entries, making the competition particularly challenging.

To have won, KWV must certainly be a cut about the rest. Available from leading liquor merchants.

BOSS

Black Regatta Watch High-end fashion brand Hugo Boss has found in sailing a discipline with which it shares a blend of dynamic energy, aesthetic elegance and sporting chic. The eminently legible dial with chequered background, reverse-graduated countdown scale, well-defined counters and clear-cut colour-coding of the Boss Black Regatta watch is designed to facilitate quick and easy read-off of the relevant information. The counter at 10 o’clock plays a variable role, displaying the seconds during the countdown; and then, once the race has started, the hours, which are more useful to the skipper than the seconds. The model also boasts racing chronograph, alarm and a countdown function with an audible signal sounding every minute. The steel case of this rugged and reliable watch is water-resistant to 10 ATM and features a rubber-coated bezel ring and pushers to facilitate grip and handling, while the rubber strap bears the Hugo Boss boat’s racing number, “99.” The watch retails for around R6,950. Visit www.sbacher.co.za for a comprehensive list of stockists.

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Neo Africa Secure Prepaid Card Solution Effective card management solution

We not only provide you with a debit card, we provide you with the most secure debit card in the world.

We are extremely proud to introduce to you the Neo Africa Secure Card Solution, and we can boast that we are the most secure debit card providers in the market as our debit cards are protected by a world first technology system that has caused waves in the industry and has won us international acclaim for the best mobile telephone financial application.

World First Technology Our world first technology system allows the card holder to turn the Neo Africa Card ON and OFF for each transaction. This added security eliminates the risk of your funds being utilised by an unauthorised party.

Phone solution Location Based Services Concierge Services Emergency Response Tracking by Third Parties Budgeting PANIC! Button

Customised Solutions for Corporates Neo Africa Secure can also customise our solution to suit your requirements, which could include a co-branded MasterCard™ in your company’s name, a customised loyalty programme which offers brand awareness, retention of staff and clients, and cost-effective payment offerings.

Secure

For our personalized service please contact Mark Lehrer or Elaine Boardman on 011 484 2833 or Mark: 083 458 4243 (mark.lehrer@neoafrica.com) Elaine: 083 630 7229 (elaine.boardman@neoafrica.com)

THE SIMPLICITY OF INNOVATION. LUMINOR MARINA 1950 3 DAYS AUTOMATIC Automatic mechanical movement P.9000 calibre, two spring barrels, 3-day power reserve. Water-resistance 300 metres. Steel case 44 mm Ă˜.

Steel buckle.

www.panerai.com Toll Free: 0800 600 035

Available exclusively at Panerai boutiques and select authorized watch specialists.