Prestige Magazine

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YAK-52 WARBIRD

MALT CRUISES

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HTT PLÉTHORE

BRIONI SUITS ISSUE NO. 32

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SAMSUNG JET THE QUEST FOR TECHNOLOGY

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The products are multifunctional and cross-sectional, easy to use and with undeniable visual appeal. Coulors, irony, a feast for the senses, transparency effects and unique shape for unique shapes: Kartell products are immediately recognised worldwide or the excitement they create, their durable functionality and undisputed quality. The continuous evolution in how we use materials and experimentation with new technologies to discover new properties are fundamental in developing Kartell products.

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70/72 Bree Street Cape Town Tel: +27 21 487 9060

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1 Jellicoe Avenue Rosebank, JHB Tel: +27 11 343 8900

contents

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motoring & aviation 30

SuperCool SuperCar

50

Yakkity-Yakkity Yak

86

The Mille Miglia

94

Got Wings? Get Wings

104

HTT Pléthore

Yak-52 Warbird

Coming to South Africa 2010

Learning to Fly

Hovering Heroes Port Authority Pilots

marine 26

Get Wet

60

SuperYacht Namoh

82

Aicon 82 Open

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Summer Sailing Preview

Family Yacht Charters

Taste the Good Life

Sporty Elegance and Innovation

Upcoming Events

Image: © Dan Ljungsvik /Match Cup Sweden

travel

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Nkomazi

38

The Cradle of Life

90

Brescia

100

A Sense of Wonder

Nkomazi’s Mountain Land

Italy’s Other City of Art

Classic Malts Cruising Off Scotland’s West Coast

contents

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lifestyle 20 Actual Rocket Power New Samsung Jet

40

Polo

54

Italian Design

72

Brioni

76

Rebirth of Cool

98

Reuben’s

Divots, Mallets, Polo Pants and Ponies

Meeting Function – Beautifully

Tailor-Made Craftsmanship

The Madiba Aston Martin

At The Robertson Small Hotel

special features 16 Tomb Raiders

If Adventure Had a Name, What Would it Be?

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22

The Power to Write

44

André van Vuuren

62

Ming

64

Life in Danger

Montblanc and UNICEF

Discovering an Internal Terrain

From an Ancient World

The Galapagos Islands

regulars 10 From the Helm 12 Live the Life 108 Premier Portfolio

Sotheby's International Realty

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Making Waves

Flight Training

Follow the leader

Put yourself in the pilot seat.

Our flight training operations offer the perfect learning environment where highly experienced, passionate and goal orientated instructors provide training on Robinson and Bell helicopters, Tecnam and various other aircraft types.

Fixed and Rotor wing • Private Pilots License • Commercial license • Night rating • Instrument rating • Hire and Fly

541Training/Prestige/14.09

To find out how you can earn your wings, call National Airways Corporation.

ISO 9001:2000 Quality Assured An Imperial Company

Lanseria (+27 11) 267 5000 • Rand Airport (+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 • Visit our website: www.nac.co.za

from the helm “If you build it, they will come.”

– Field of Dreams South Africans are more privileged than what we tend to acknowledge. We live in one of the most beautiful and best endowed countries in the world, with a deep history that reveals traces of the first microscopic life on earth, as well as some of humanity’s first upright steps and implements.

Furthermore, we are part of living history, engaged in a dynamic laboratory of political and social evolution that has often had the world hold its breath in awe or anticipation, and sometimes seen them chuckle at our optimistic failures when tackling problems on which other nations have already Prestige Magazine's New Chairman given up. But as a nation, we keep on moving forward, as Vivien Natasen witnessed once again with the current entrepreneurial resilience shown in the face of a (thankfully waning) global financial crisis.

Central to our continued march forward have been the efforts of entrepreneurs who have made common cause with the issues of the day. Often driven by strong passion for our land and a great belief in what is possible, they have been building, and people have come. For the past few years, Prestige magazine was driven by a couple who returned to South Africa to make common cause with this challenging society and to raise their kids with a South African view of the world – one of compassion, optimism, and a love of nature.

Parallel to this process, a youthful South African entrepreneur switched his Deloitte’s partnership for the risk of building the Neo Africa Group, a major player in moving Africa forward through its involvement in critical infrastructure projects. Common to both entities, Prestige and Neo Africa, emerged strong reputations for delivery and integrity, and commitment to shaping meaningful ways in which South Africans, rich and poor, create a better society for all of us to share, along with a sincere caring for the physical world which we inherited. Such shared views were bound to intercept one another somewhere along the line in a country of one-and-a-half degrees of separation.

So, after many a blind date and a dance, we are proud to announce that Prestige and Neo Africa have joined forces to create a new publishing entity, Neo Publishing, in which Prestige can flourish and take its rightful place as South Africa’s leading luxury lifestyle magazine, not only in content, but also in scale. With the shared commitment to publishing excellence and to increasingly providing our growing number of well-off readers with intelligent content aimed at meaningful lives beyond money, old or new, Prestige will continue to grow as a luxury brand by itself, with thoughtful editorial that resonates with the opportunities and challenges presented to our readers by living affluent lives in a country with serious need.

In this edition, we cover the successful manner in which luxury brands such as Montblanc, IWC, Dubai World, and Aston Martin are blending the world of luxury with the particular social and environmental challenges of our time. And a lot more other exciting features for our readers to enjoy. We also welcome onboard Kevin Barker, our newly-appointed Aviation Editor, whose voice and knowledge of this industry quickly add wonderful appeal to our readers’ interest and exposure to the luxuries and adventure of the airborne.

Enjoy the read. As always, we loved working on creating yet another edition for your enjoyment.

Vivien, Charl & Tanya

SUBSCRIBE AND WIN! Subscribe to Prestige and stand the chance each month to win a

Canon Powershot SX1 IS camera, valued at R7,999.

The PowerShot SX1 IS offers a revolutionary series of features never seen before on a Canon compact camera – a 10 Megapixel Canon CMOS sensor, 4 frames per second continuous shooting, and full HD movie capture.

SMS the words 'Subscribe Prestige' to 082 452 8110 or email your name, cell number and delivery address to mail@prestigemag.co.za.

Issue 32 PUBLISHER Neo Publishing (Pty) Ltd Tel: +27 82 452 8110 Fax: +86 678 6370 CHAIRMAN Vivien Natasen vivien@neoafrica.com MANAGING EDITOR Charl du Plessis charl@prestigemag.co.za GROUP EDITOR Tanya Goodman tanya@prestigemag.co.za EDITOR Toni Ackermann toni@prestigemag.co.za AVIATION EDITOR Kevin Barker kevin@prestigemag.co.za ADVERTISING Lodene Grobler Tel: +27 79 876 4130 lodene@prestigemag.co.za Rui Barbosa Tel: +27 84 290 2070 rui@prestigemag.co.za Adie Pranger Tel: +27 83 601 2291 / +27 11 465 1572 adie@prestigemag.co.za Claudia Henkel Tel: +27 82 443 6470 claudiahenkel@prestigemag.co.za DESIGN & LAY-OUT Liesel van der Schyf VDS Design Studio Tel: +27 82 336 7537 liesel@vdsdesign.co.za SUBSCRIPTIONS R499 for 12 issues; R949 for 24 issues SMS the words SUBSCRIBE PRESTIGE, followed by your name and email address, to +27 82 452 8110.

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

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

Cover Images Credits Main: Gallo Images / Getty Images; Samsung Thumbnails: Kevin Barker; Christine Spreiter; Montblanc; HTT Technologies; Floris Leeuwenberg / Vista / Tcs

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All rights are reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. PRESTIGE is published by 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 there from. No part of this publication may be used, or reproduced in any form, without the written permission of the publisher.

Copyright © 2009. All copyright for material appearing in this magazine belongs to Neo Publishing and/or the individual contributors.

All rights reserved.

livethelife

A Jewellery Box

Filled with Colour

A New Sophistication in Shopping

Every item in the Zoccai Collection of stone jewellery captures the charm and vivacity of the free-spirited, sophisticated woman. With a vibrant palette of colour and an array of different shapes, the pieces are created with precious elements like citrine, amethyst and rose quartz, and set in the finest 18-carat white, yellow and rose gold. This collection of voluminous stones, which comprises a range of finely-designed timeless cocktail rings, feminine necklaces and beautiful bracelets, hints at old world elegance reminiscent of the renaissance period, and emphasises the beauty of the wearer. View the latest collection exclusively at Tanur Collection at the V&A Waterfront or Sandton Court. Contact +27 21 418 5524 or +27 11 783 7191.

Those in the shopping know will tell you that the hottest new address to pound the Prada pavement in Cape Town is the Cape Quarter. And with a further addition called the “Extension” set to open in October, your MasterCard will be burning a hole in your back pocket in no time.

Located in the trendy district of De Waterkant, Cape Town, and encompassing the block of Somerset Rd and Dixon, Napier and Jarvis Streets, the pavements here are beautifully cobbled and landscaped.

The gentrification of this previously run down area, too, has been done with sophistication and purpose. Upmarket boutique stores focus on décor, design, furniture, and fashion while a piazza has elegant restaurants and charming cafés spilling out onto the cobblestones. A creative epi-centre retaining a village feel; the Cape Quarter is urban renewal at its best.

Top Accolades for

Fleur du Cap Vintages Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest 2008 and Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Sauvignon Blanc 2009 are among the record 41 new five-star wines selected from nearly 6,000 individual wines that will be featured in the 2010 Platter's South African Wine Guide.

The Late Harvest 2008 is a rich blend of 58 percent Sémillon grapes and 42 percent Rhine Riesling grapes. On the nose the wine shows attractive aromas of honey, apricot and dried pear with classic whiffs of musky botrytis, while the palate rewards with delightful tangerine peel, marmalade and honey. Great acidity tempers the sweetness and accentuates the fruit flavours. The Sauvignon Blanc 2009 is made from grapes meticulously selected from terroir-specific vineyards situated in Lutzville, Darling, Cape Agulhas, Elgin and Stellenbosch so to capture as much varietal character as possible. This luscious wine shows spicy green pepper aromas with fig leaves and asparagus and just a touch of delicate tropical fruit on the nose, while the palate is fresh and beautifully balanced showing both herbaceous and tropical fruit flavours with well-integrated acidity. While both these wines are already available at retail outlets, Platter’s 2010 guide will be available from end November.

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FEATURE

Summer Cool Silverware

Add a touch of shimmering style to your summer celebrations with one of Windsor Silverware’s elegant wine or champagne coolers. The cooler can be purchased in medium or large sizes, holding four or six bottles respectively, though a smaller cooler is available to hold single bottles for more intimate affairs with friends. For those with a flair for the magnificent, an authentic piece from the Royal African Collection, with the raised relief of an elephant on the side, is a must. For more information call +27 11 886 0422 or visit www.africaimpulse.com.

Drambuie –

the Drink that Satisfies

A century after the brand’s first bottling in Edinburgh in 1909, Drambuie will unveil a dramatic new bottle design.

Granted the packaging has scarcely changed since its first commercial bottling and while the bottle has indeed been something of an icon, it is so heavily associated with an afterdinner liqueur that a radical approach to new packaging was decided upon – in keeping with the times, one might say. With its origins dating right back to Charles Edward Stuart (known as Bonnie Prince Charlie) who carried with him a mysterious draught created by the royal apothecary, Drambuie is a secret selection of herbs, spices and Scottish heather honey infused by hand into a Scotch whisky base. Malts from the Speyside and Highland regions, renowned for their softness and smoothness, are used to complement the herbs and spices of this delicious elixir, which was originally known as “An Dram Buidheach,” Gaelic for “the drink that satisfies.” And satisfy it certainly does. Tasting the same but looking a little different, Drambuie will be available in its new, sleeker bottle from November.

Kylie Minogue’s New Collection of Hot Home Couture

Singing songbird Kyle Minogue has made her timeless sense of style accessible to others by way of her home collection, which reflects the glamour and sophistication she brings to the stage. The Kylie Minogue Home Couture range features opulent fabrics of shimmering organza, silky taffeta and iridescent weaves complemented by exquisite details, while sparkling sequins, diamante and embroidery lavishly embellish each item. The designs in the collection include “Sequins,” “Vintage,” and “Diamond Caramel” and are available from Stuttafords Sandton, Eastgate, Menlyn, Canal Walk, Claremont and the new store at Gateway, opening end October.

Tomb

Raiders

If Adventure Had a Name, What Would It Be?

If you so much as mention the name “Indiana Jones” to an Indy fan you will find a glazed look suddenly crosses his face. He loses focus on whatever conversation you are having and his mind wanders, conjuring up vast and varied mental images. You see, all die-hard Indy devotees have scores of sayings and swashbuckling moments of drama stored in their mental archives of tomb raiding. To them, “Indiana Jones” represents much more than just an adventuring archaeologist.

Words: INGRID KENMUIR Images: © GALLO IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES

T

o George Lucas, Indiana Jones represented an idea, a character he had thought up but had yet to create in entirety. Together with writer and director Philip Kaufman who, incidentally, introduced the Ark of the Covenant as the story’s main angle, Lucas worked on the concept but decided eventually to shelve Indy temporarily, instead dedicating his funding and film-making expertise to the making of Star Wars.

Lying on a beach in Hawaii one day with his old buddy, old pal Steven Spielberg, recuperating from the recent wrapping up of Star Wars, Lucas mentioned his idea of the cavalier adventurer to Spielberg, who

Certainly with his leather jacket, felt hat, three-day stubble, and cracking bullwhip, Indy is the everready adventurer, perhaps even the quintessential adventurer. responded by saying that he’d always wanted to make a “James Bond-like” film and thought this as good a way as any to do so.

Spielberg had ideas of his own, though.

Lucas envisioned a playboy, rogue-like archaeologist called Indiana Smith. Along

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with a name change from Smith to Jones came certain behavioural tweaks, shall we call them, most notably a shift away from Casanova-like tendencies towards tweedwearing academia.

As a college professor of archaeology, Henry Jones Junior is scholarly and learned.

When given the chance to recover important archaeological artefacts, however, this ancient civilisations lecturer transforms into the gritty Indiana Jones, perhaps the very definition of the early 20th Century explorer. Professor by day, grave robber on the weekends, he scours the world for lost treasures all the while being tailed by those seeking to relieve his rucksack of any riches it might hold.

Indy came from an age where global discovery had made way for historical discovery. Some peg him as a man on a quest, a noble treasure hunter, a superhero, a patriot, a detective. Certainly with his leather jacket, felt hat, three-day stubble, and cracking bullwhip, Indy is the everready adventurer, perhaps even the quintessential adventurer.

According to Producer Frank Marshall, Indiana was a real character, not one with superpowers: “Indy is a fallible character.

He makes mistakes and gets hurt... That’s the other thing people like.” Spielberg seemed to agree: “There was the willingness to allow our leading man to get hurt and to express his pain; to get his mad out and to take pratfalls and sometimes be the butt of his own jokes. Indiana Jones is not a perfect

hero and his imperfections, I think, make the audience feel that, with a little more exercise and a little more courage, they could be just like him.”

But Indy wasn’t the only raider ever to tickle the fancy of adventure flick fans.

Lara Croft certainly got people interested in archaeology too. Both characters are fearless adventurers, relentless in their searches for ancient treasures, and both have a knack for escaping harrowing situations with minimal blood loss – their own, at least. But they’re different, too, physical forms aside. Lara’s weaponry, for a start, illustrates the new idea of the adventure hero, and she is armed with nickel-plated automatic pistols rather than a revolver and bullwhip. She doesn’t partake in fist fights either, but prefers to knock her ever-unprepared opponents out of the game through her use of swift martial arts manoeuvres. Lara has a small arsenal of nifty gadgetry and several superfast modes of transportation at her disposal too, whereas Indy has only what he carries in his pockets.

One could argue that their personas are fairly similar, as are their interests and their fortune-seeking methods. Fans are left wondering then: is one merely the gender inverse of the other? Was Lara Croft the gaming industry’s answer to the movie industry’s Indiana Jones? Yet another mystery we'll have to wait for a raider to find an answer to. Take five, roll tape. 

506241

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2010 RANGE ROVER NOW AWAITING YOUR APPROVAL Contact your nearest dealer for more information Tread lightly off-road.

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S UPER S ONI C

ACTUAL rocket

POWER The New Samsung Jet Consumer reports all over the globe are abuzz with the release of Samsung’s new Jet smartphone. Move over Lara, Indy and Bond (or rather Q?) – the quest for the best techno gizmo is over, as Samsung, a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies, delivers the very best in power, speed and brilliance.

Words: CLIFF JENZEN Images: © SAMSUNG

T

he Samsung Jet's innovative features take handsets to the realms of being “faster than a smartphone.” The Jet is housed in a sleek and stylish design to produce a unique touch experience. Opening up a whole new world of web experience, its high performance Dolfin web browser and revolutionary 3D cubic interface was developed in-house and allows easy, super fast surfing. The Jet also supports the option of multi-window

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browsing to surf several web pages simultaneously – as many as five pages at any one time.

The 3.1-inch Samsung WVGA AMOLED display, which offers unrivalled quality and brilliance for its users, is four times sharper than a WVGA screen. This makes for stunning, super bright and vivid images in perfect natural colours, with the very best high-resolution display for viewing multimedia on the go. The remarkable image quality transforms mobile content

into amazing visuals while the display’s 480dpi brilliance provides a high-quality multimedia experience, transforming everyday mobile videos into pure viewing pleasure. The display also has a fast touch response and is super efficient in its power consumption – thanks to its WVGA AMOLED technology, the Jet consumes 40 percent less energy than a mobile phone equipped with TFT-LCD display.

When it comes to music, Samsung Jet's unique features give users the option to

S UPER S ONI C

operate simultaneous playback audio and scroll through the phone's music library with superb sound quality. For video, the DVD-like video playback recording (with D1 video playback and D1, 30 frames per second video recording) enables seamless playback without residuals and the ability to instantly download and play DivX and Xvid formats without converting and resizing, all in HD-like quality.

The Samsung Jet takes the meaning of performance in full-touch mobile phones to another level with its revolutionary speed, all thanks to the 800 MHz Accelerated Application Processor. This sophisticated high-performance processor is the device’s secret to speed and versatility, integrating multiple applications into one marvellously seamless experience. Instant response from a 3D touch interface matches the speed of touch while the processor is able to integrate various functions, such as navigation and viewing, so users can access them all without usual lag time or blurred visuals. The Jet also has an A-GPS application to provide GARMAP navigation services and includes a two-year licence.

Users looking for the ultimate in high definition and touch screen perfection need look no further than Samsung’s Jet-speed Jet phone. This supersleek phone begs for the coining of a new phrase, something like accessionality (accessory with functionality) or connectabulous (connected while fabulous). Finally, impatience has become a virtue. 

Samsung Jet Specifications HSDPA 3.6 Mbps (900, 2100 MHz) Revolutionary 3D Cubic Interface Display: 3.1-inch 16M WVGA AMOLED Camera: 5.0 Megapixel AF camera+ Dual Power LED; Face Detection, Smile Shot, Panorama Shot, Blink Detection, Geo-tagging, Photo Editor Video: D1 Video Playback/D1 30fps Video Recording MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV, DivX, XviD, Video Editor Audio: Music Player with DNSe & SRS WOW Sound Effect, Find Music, 3.5 Ear Jack, FM Radio/Recording, MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, AMR, MIDI, SP-MIDI, i-melody, WAV, MMF, XMF, OMA DRM v2.1, WMDRM, DivX VOD & Wi-Fi Active Sync for Push Mail Value Added: In-house developed Dolfin Browser, WAP 2.0, One-Finger Zoom Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, Share Pix & Mobile Widget, A-GPS, GARMAP Navigation, TouchWiz 2.0, Motion UI, Media Gate 3D, Multi-tasking Manager Connectivity: Bluetooth® v2.1, microUSB (USB v2.0 Hi-Speed), Wi-Fi Memory: 2GB onboard memory & 8GB microSD card (included) Battery: 1,100 mAh – Talk time: 2G/492 minutes, 3G/300 minutes – Standby: 2G/422 hours, 3G/406 hours Size: 108.8 x 53.5 x 11.9 mm

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FEATURE

The Power to

Write

Montblanc and UNICEF Nearly five million South Africans are totally illiterate and, according to the South African Minister of Education, about 54 percent of the population has not completed an adequate level of education.

Words: LEE NELSON Images: Š Giacomo Pirozzi; MONTBLANC

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FEATURE

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FEATURE

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he ability to read and write is a fundamental human right and deeply connected to the foundation of our culture.

Education is critical to our development as individuals and as societies, and every child and every adult is entitled to it. However, there is still an evident lack of education in many regions, most notably the developing world. Even now, more than 100 million children cannot read and write and do not have proper access to education.

Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and literacy spokeswoman for South Africa comments: “Some 95 percent of the world’s illiterate people live in developing countries. As Africans we have monumental obstacles to overcome in terms of both reducing illiteracy and providing adequate education.

Adult literacy rates are below 50 percent in 21 African nations and, in Sub-Saharan Africa alone, about 45 million children do not go to school.”

Achieving higher levels of literacy is a vital part of the effort to eradicate African poverty. But the relationship between the two is complex because the effects of poverty are also a major obstacle to literacy.

The HIV/Aids pandemic exacerbates the literacy problem as the virus further reduces opportunities for children to go to school when many become primary caregivers for their ailing parents. Without education, children orphaned by Aids are unable to provide for their own living, easily falling prey to exploitation and further deepening the cycle of poverty.

However, despite the monumental challenges faced, recent years have seen a number of initiatives by the government, the private sector and non-profit

organisations such as UNICEF to counter inadequate education and overcome illiteracy.

UNICEF, long known as a leading education campaigner, has established a number of projects to address the present situation, most notably the Schools for Africa programme. Co-founded with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the programme aims to increase access to basic education for children throughout Africa, building and rehabilitating schools and providing a framework for the training of teachers.

From a state perspective, the South African government has unveiled plans to reduce illiteracy by 50 percent by 2015 through the provision of their Kha Ri Gude (meaning “Let us Learn”) programme, a mass literacy campaign aimed at adults. Initial figures from the project are encouraging – in 2008 the campaign recruited 360,000

How to Get Involved • Volunteer at a venue or as an educator for the Kha Ri Gude project: if you have a venue for the workshops which you’d like to offer free of charge or extra time you’d be willing to donate as a volunteer educator, contact the Kha Ri Gude call centre on 0800 20 29 33.

• Purchase a Montblanc Special Edition product: visit any of the authorised Montblanc agents in South Africa and purchase a product from the Signature for Good Special Edition. Part of the proceeds will be donated to UNICEF’s Schools for Africa programme.

• Donate to UNICEF directly: visit www.unicef.org/southafrica and click “Donate Now.”

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An Icon of Writing Culture

learners (60,000 more than forecast) along with 24,000 educators and 2,800 supervisors.

The programme is thus providing access to education for thousands of adults looking to supplement their learning capabilities thereby increasing their employability.

The literacy cause has also garnered support from both the private sector and a host of famous celebrities eager to use their renown for philanthropy. The most prominent of these campaigns is the Montblanc Signature for Good, a global initiative which has seen screen sirens such as Sienna Miller, Milla Jovovich, Susan Sarandon, and Lauren Hutton donating their time. Montblanc, which has a longstanding commitment to the culture of writing, recently released the Signature For

Good Special Edition collection, a speciallydesigned range of writing instruments, jewellery and accessories from which a part of the proceeds will go to UNICEF’s Schools for Africa programme.

“The power to read and write transcends all boundaries of race, class, creed and age and provides a unifying force for people the world over,” says Chaka Chaka. “And, while the present situation is at best dire, there seems to be a commitment from all sectors towards tackling illiteracy and inadequate education. The culture of reading and writing is one of the oldest achievements of mankind and we need to ensure we provide these basic skills to those who need it most. A learning nation is a better nation.” 

Marking the 85th anniversary of Montblanc’s coveted Meisterstück, the Montblanc Signature for Good Special Edition provides a unique interpretation of this iconic writing instrument. First unveiled in 1924, the Meisterstück has become a symbol of excellence across the globe and remains the preferred writing instrument for royalty, celebrities and collectors.

Synonymous with sophistication, timeless aesthetics and outstanding craftsmanship, this design classic has been a cherished companion for over eight decades.

The Signature for Good Special Edition pays homage to this heritage, boasting a handcrafted 14-carat gold nib meticulously assembled in 35 individual stages, polished and tested by hand. Each piece in the collection also blends the Meisterstück’s signature elements with new innovations in a tribute to charity partner UNICEF, including a sparkling blue sapphire and a goldplated wreath.

The Signature for Good Special Edition is available at Montblanc boutiques in Sandton City, the V&A Waterfront, Gateway Durban and selected outlets. For more information, call +27 11 317 2600 or visit www.montblanc.com.

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Get Wet Family Yacht Charters

Yacht charter holidays are becoming more and more appealing to South Africans as the Rand surges upwards. The concept of travelling in an intimate group on a yacht to various ports in the Mediterranean, Aegean or Caribbean and exploring the towns at leisure, getting to know the locals, is becoming very popular with holiday makers and business groups alike.

Words: CHARL DU PLESSIS Images: Š ISTOCKPHOTO.COM

S AILA W AY

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et’s get it straight from the start – you need not know how to sail in order to charter a fabulous holiday for your family, colleagues or business associates. And neither do you need to own the keys to Fort Knox. There is literally room for every taste, pocket and level of proficiency on an internationally chartered yacht, and it is by far the best way to start exploring your potential interest in the wonderful sport of sailing, without having to leave the family behind.

Given that the Rand is so strong at the same time when European and American guests are slower on the uptake, an early booking for the next northern summer vacation could beat a hotel and self-drive holiday in many of these same destinations hands down on price.

Speaking to Neville Wolfaardt, the local agent for one of the world’s largest charter operators, Kiriacoulis, the words “beautiful blue waters” keep popping up. He recommends that given some difficulty with language in fashionable areas such as

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Greece, Turkey or Croatia, and to a lesser extent in Malta and the Caribbean, South Africans should enlist the help of an experienced skipper on a first charter. “A skipper can help you get the lay of the land,” he says. “Watch how they find the best seafood in each marina, and how to avoid the tourist traps. On the next trip, the world is your oyster if you want to go it alone.”

Kiriacoulis has an extensive listing of over 450 yachts available, from 34-foot vessels to superyachts ranging from 100 foot and up. Life is made easier due to the private marinas they own all over the Med and Caribbean, allowing charter families to have a sailing holiday experience like no other.

By far the most attractive destination in my view, after reviewing all the glorious brochures Neville has to show me, is Malta.

From the magical Blue Lagoon, passing massive cliffs and age-old castles and fortresses, you feel as if you have joined the 1,000-year-old seafaring tradition of Genoan and Spaniard galleons who have passed by this mid-way point. The three islands of Gozo, Comino and Cominotto make for easy destination sailing, where pristine beaches and coves await your family for sun-filled days. Anchor close if you want to join the crowd, or keep a solitary distance if you prefer. This is not hard sailing, with a seven-day trip covering

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106 nautical miles, or a 14-day trip stretching over 350 nautical miles. And to put price into perspective, a Bavaria 44 that can sleep up to nine people will set the whole party back as little as R30,000 for the week, with a few extras to be added.

Kiriacoulis also services Greece, Italy, Croatia, Turkey, France and the Caribbean, using well-known series yachts such as Bavaria, Dufour, Fountain-Pajot and Lagoon sailing boats and catamarans. On the luxury yachting side, LMY (Luxury Motor Yachting) offers top-end concierge services that include air charters, mega yacht charters and all the bells and whistles demanded by the most exacting and affluent of clients.

So, our generation of South Africans grew up with passport restrictions and thinking that a trip to the Kruger or Plet was about as good as it gets. Now, locations like Split, Birgu, Bodrum and Kalamaki are heard more and more over dinner tables.

My suggestion is that you start planning next year’s June/July holiday early to beat the rush of locals who want to escape soccer madness. Find your family a small coastal marina in the Med where you can watch the football on the village screen after a good day’s sailing.

For more information, contact the South African agent Neville Wolfaardt on +27 82 899 4235 or email him at bluewater.saf@gmail.com.  

S h a m b a l a

G a m e

R e s e r v e

• Waterberg •

password: “privacy”

For reservation and rate enquiries: Tel: +27 (11) 292 6030 • Fax: +27 (11) 292 6001 Email: reservations@shambalagamereserve.co.za Visit: www.shambalagamereserve.co.za Part of The Saxon

FEATURE

S u p e r C o o l

S u p e r C a r

HTT PLÉTHORE

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FEATURE

In a relatively small market like Canada’s, when it comes to building cars, there has never been much to boast about. Until the HTT Pléthore supercar came along, that is.

Words: TONI ACKERMANN Images: © HTT TECHNOLOGIES

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he Pléthore is the brainchild of Luc Chartrand, an electronic and composite material specialist who never doubted that he would one day develop his own supercharged masterpiece. Chartrand began his quest back in 1995, at the time dubbing the most potent version of his car the “High Tech Toy.” Today, the company is called HTT Technologies – HTT coming from the initial “High Tech Toy” idea – and, some 14 years of hard work and ingenuity behind them, the prototype is up and revving.

The Pléthore, French for the word, plethora (appropriately meaning “an overabundance or excess”), is a mid-engine coupé made entirely out of carbon fibre and with no engine sub frame, which makes for an exceptionally rigid chassis. It is the first supercar to ever feature a central seat for the driver, as found on the McLaren F1.

HTT claims that this central driving position makes for a better feel of the car, as well as increased driveability and stability. It also makes the Pléthore the world’s first threepassenger supercar.

Under the engine cover lurks a modified version of the Corvette ZR1’s 6.2-litre,

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supercharged V8, which delivers an impressive 750hp (560 kW) with torque rising to 655 lb-ft, while a six-speed manual manages the phenomenal output.

An optional high-performance engine with between 1,100 and 1,300hp has also been hinted at as an option. When fitted to the 1,300hp engine, the Pléthore weighs around 1,089 kilograms, giving it the power-to-weight ratio of a Formula One race car. The remainder of the Pléthore’s mechanicals are what any petrol head would expect from a supercar: aluminium double-wishbone suspension with adjustable hydroelectric shocks and antiroll bars, racing vented disc brakes with AP racing callipers and alloy wheels with 275/35ZR19 front and P345/25ZR20 rear tires.

Even the body of the supercar is worthy of praise and reverential stares as it is mighty muscular and oh so fine. Rippling bodywork aside, the look is angular and strong, and there is a certain measure of menace in the slanting of the headlights.

The Plethore’s visual trademark is the batlike scissor doors that open at an angle wider than 90 degrees, reminiscent of those found on the Lamborghini Murcielago.

Even the wider rear end, with its quad circular taillights and potent-looking tailpipes, should serve to warn those behind it that this machine means business.

On the interior we find a dash made of cowhide and carbon trim and a trio of carbon-fibre bucket seats clad with twotone leather. Two backup cameras with LCD screens make parallel parking a breeze, while a seven-speaker stereo with six-CD changer takes care of your supercar soundtrack.

Since we know that size really does matter, the car measures 181 inches in length, 89 in width, 45 in height and rides on a 115-inch wheelbase. And while we’d never pose this question to any woman and expect an honest answer, according to HTT the Pléthore tips the scales at just 1,150 kilograms, roughly the same weight as the Mazda MX-5, which isn’t bad considering it packs a serious punch.

The Pléthore is expected to lighten the wallet by no less than US$350,000. A sales and service network is currently being set up in France, Italy, Germany and England, with countries like Russia and Turkey potential battlegrounds too. More than 10 of these tarmac-tearing babies have already been pre-sold, and HTT anticipates to eventually crank out as many as 50 units annually. As with most supercars, something of a plethora of options is on offer in terms of customisation possibilities, a must for a car of this nature.

For more info, contact Carl Descoteaux at info@httsupercar.com or call him on +1 819 536 9765 or visit www.httsupercar.com.

FEATURE

Nkomazi

A Sense of Wonder

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FEATURE

The world has come a long way and many a trail remains where critters, craters and treasure hunters have raged against the challenges of their own time. We pass these by as if “now” and “us” are all that have ever existed in eternity. At Nkomazi, however, it is as if we are at the frontier of time, and all of the Earth’s history comes into focus in one incredible snapshot.

Words: CHARL DU PLESSIS Images: © MANTIS COLLECTION; CHARL DU PLESSIS

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here is drama in the landscapes of the eastern Highveld. The Makhonjwa Mountains tell us where Swaziland likely begins and all along the curves of the Komati River on our way to Nkomazi, little settlements with swatches of green irrigated fields shimmer below hills populated by hundreds of aloes of varying size. At a distance, they look like half-people,

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or impis charging down the slope at an unsuspecting kraal. The late afternoon sun lights up the sprawling grasslands, swaying left in just the slightest of breezes. A lone “umbrella-tree” far out in the savannah catches the eye of one of our little ones, who turns to me and asks, “Is that where the lions rest?”

The wilderness is surprising. For land so trod over, delved into, dug through and uprooted, it is blissfully serene and beautiful. A sense of adventure percolates through the scars of ditches, pits, paths and the patchy overlay of alien plantations. The timeless mountains that frame our journey hold the best preserved records of the Earth’s earliest life forms. In keeping with their geology, the grassy ridges and forested valleys are full of rare and endangered species of plant and animals. Wildlife, vegetation and geology; all are inextricably interconnected, and we are on an adventure in the middle of it.

For a few nights we are in this stunning landscape as guests in the Royal Suite at Dubai World’s Nkomazi Game Reserve.

Here, 88 struggling tobacco farms have painstakingly been stitched together over the past decade into a 30,000-hectare Big Five reserve that hugs the Komati River and goes to bed at the foot of a folded and peaked mountain range that gets the hiking-feet itching. The way in which this all came together amid rivalry, land claims, hardship and hold-outs by greedy neighbours is a fireside story worth listening to through the night.

It is dry and the wind cuts to the bones, yet the welcome is as warm as anyone could wish. The current management team of Louis and Belinda have worked for some of the best international hospitality groups across the region, and they have just that five-star touch that makes you feel entirely at home within minutes. Nkomazi is part of the Mantis Collection – representing only the very best tourism experiences in our region, and every staff member lives up to its reputation.

Once we have settled into our luxury tent with adjacent lounge suite, the kids and I follow a little dirt path down to the mighty Komati. This dry time of the year it is a mere inkling of its rainy season might, with watermarks metres higher than where we are now climbing. We skip over a few rocks, look at the fresh spoor and droppings of nyala that must have passed by just now and, as with any young boy, Pierre has to throw several stones into the deep, green waters. Tessa, our pathfinder, is the one to discover the tadpoles in the hollow of a river rock, and after spending what felt like hours watching these minute creatures split water, they get a careful ride in a little

bowl up to the bird bath at our tent, where they will spend the next few days.

But, we came for creatures small and large, and soon we are huddled under cosy blankets on a game drive with the softspoken and ever-so-patient ranger, Hugo.

Rhinos, giraffes with their young, antelope, zebras and wildebeest range the grassy plains, while a few bushbuck skulk around the riverine areas. There is plenty of excited talk about the newly-arrived cheetahs being released the next morning, with elephant and lion on their way from Shamwari, a sister property in the Eastern Cape. The real awe, though, sets in from little tidbits Hugo shares about this land.

The enormity of the history and origins of the geography on which we are tracking plainly dwarfs the significance of us temporal warm-blooded species staring at one other.

We learn that we are traversing a region called the “Cradle of Life,” as the area’s geology includes the best preserved truly ancient rocks on Earth. Despite the rocks being 3.5 billion years old they are so well preserved that their fossils faithfully record the earliest life forms on the planet as well as provide evidence of the first recorded massive meteorite impact. For years this region has attracted teams of international scientists who return annually to research and interpret the story of the Earth’s beginnings and the evolution of life.

This is because it is only the beautifully preserved rocks of the Makhonjwa Mountains where researchers are able to find the clues that science needs to learn about the Earth’s earliest history and how life began. I feel smaller every day as we learn more, and the issues waiting back at the office pale completely.

We spend the rest of our days lazing around our own pool, enjoying more game drives, taking high tea with the Belgian tourist party we have hardly seen given the discrete settings of all the tents, and simply relishing in the comfort of the Royal Suite.

Dinners are fire-lit in an outdoor boma, under the exceptional care of the aptlynamed Blessing, always ready to offer before we even ask. After tip-toeing back to our tent at night, guided only by torchlight and the soft glow of lamps along the path, we brace ourselves for the bite of cold nights, only to be smothered by the warmth of the best bed I have ever slept in and a fleece-covered hot water bottle. I start each morning with an outdoor bubble-bath shared with my three-yearold boy, in a deep tub that looks right out on the river and mountains. Yes, we could have stayed there forever, overtaken by the magnificence of this setting with a childlike sense of wonder. 

FEATURE

The Cradle of

Life

Nkomazi’s Mountain Land

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he Earth is about 4,550 million years old, but no terrestrial rocks that old have been found: the oldest known rocks are from Canada where, in a small area near the Arctic Circle, the Acasta Gneisses have been dated to just over 4,000 million years old. The next oldest rocks, from Greenland, are about 3,800 million years old. Although these ancient rocks provide important glimpses into the deep past of our planet, they are of limited value because their exposures are relatively small and because they have been “cooked and stirred” under such high temperatures and pressures that their original features have been thoroughly destroyed, and most traces of their origins erased. In contrast, the slightly younger rocks of the Barberton Mountain Land, which “clock in” at between 3,000 and 3,600 million years ago, are exquisitely preserved, in many places as if they originated only yesterday. Here, researchers can “read” and interpret the early chapters of Earth’s history with an unrivalled degree of accuracy.

Along the road from Badplaas to Elukwatini and from there into the Songimvelo Nature Reserve, or along the Komati River from the Nkomazi Wilderness area, just east of Tjakastad, to Kromdraai and beyond, one can visit large outcrops of these old rocks. In the late 1960s the twin brothers Morris and Richard Viljoen, who were then young researchers at the University of Witwatersrand, discovered an entirely new class of volcanic rock along these river sections. These rocks are now known as “komatiites” and have been agedated between 3,470 and 3,482 million years old. The Mpumalanga komatiites

SWISS

The solid bedrock of Mpumalanga tells a rich story that takes us back to a time when the Earth was youthful, a mere 20 percent of its present age. Africa’s oldest known rocks come from Mpumalanga and adjacent Swaziland, exposed in the rugged Barberton mountain chains that run from Elukwatini and Tjakastad to Komatipoort, straddling the Swaziland border. The world’s oldest fossils have been found here, making the area a Mecca for scientists. In a real sense, Mpumalanga represents the cradle of life.

Words: MANTIS COLLECTION Images: © MANTIS COLLECTION; TANYA GOODMAN

became overnight celebrities because they are confined to the history of the early Earth and are unknown from volcanoes of the modern Earth.

Komatiites often display spectacular textures of skeletal crystals, known as spinifex textures, which branch out like fern leaves. From these textures, and the chemical make-up of the rocks, it can be deduced that komatiite lavas crystallised exceptionally rapidly from very hot and probably water-rich molten magma. For such komatiitic magmas to have reached the Earth’s surface as lava flows, the internal conditions of our young planet must have been significantly different from those measured today. Yet, more than 35 years since their discovery, the precise origin of komatiite is still hotly debated.

Volcanic basalts associated with the komatiites are also of great interest. These rocks often display spectacular bulbous features known as pillow lavas. The outer rims of the pillows comprise volcanic glass in which microscopic traces of the world’s oldest life forms have recently been discovered in the presence of hair-like tubes. These tubular structures are also found today in glassy margins of pillow lavas that cover the modern oceans in great abundance and are constructed by bacteria that consume chemical ingredients from the rock-glass to sustain their metabolism: these bacteria literally “eat” rock. The new Mpumalanga finds confirm without doubt that simple life was rife on Earth about 3,500 million years ago, and that most of its upper oceanic crust was teeming with bacteria. Additional microscopic fossils have been discovered in the Barberton Mountain Land in numerous

other rock types, suggesting that there was a significant diversity of bacteria. Thus, between 3,200 and 3,500 million years ago, primitive life in Mpumalanga was already exploring a number of ecological niches and has established the world’s oldest biodiversity hot spots.

When gold was discovered in this region over 120 years ago it was the site of one of the milestones marking the industrial development of South Africa. And those mines are still producing the oldest gold on the planet. The Makhonjwa Mountains are also a veritable treasure trove of other heritage values of great significance.

Biologically, they are home to an incredible variety of native plants and animals, and are one of the recognised “Centres of Biological Endemism” in South Africa. They contain very important high-rainfall mountain catchments, which are protected in terms of several proclaimed nature reserves.

Numerous other important observations based on experiments with the rocks from the Barberton Mountains have provided insight into the hostile environmental conditions that prevailed on Earth in those early days. For example, tiny spherules have been found in thin rock layers that are widely spread throughout the central parts of these mountains. These are the rock equivalents of hailstones that settled out from clouds of molten rock droplets spewed into the atmosphere as a result of the extreme heat and mechanical energy liberated during periods of intense meteorite bombardment and volcanic activity at the time. Furthermore, detailed structures preserved in the sedimentary rocks of the imposing ridges that dominate the road sections between Barberton and Josefdal,

and across the Swaziland border into Piggs Peak, illustrate that the Earth-Moon tidal system was already operational. From these rock “inscriptions” one can calculate that the Moon was considerably closer to Earth, that the Earth was spinning faster, and that terrestrial days were consequently shorter than they are today.

A particularly intriguing metalliferous rock mass near Bon Accord, close to Malelane, was made up almost entirely of iron and nickel, probably representing a chunk of the inner core of the early Earth that was embedded in its rock near the surface at a time of dynamic upheaval.

Scientists have also tested rocks from the central parts of Barberton Mountain Land to prove that the Earth at that time had a self-generating magnetic field, although this field was probably not as strong as it is today.

These, and many other geological treasures, provide tiny glimpses into the workings of our young planet. But the record is fragmentary and there is still much that we cannot understand. Scientists have only just scratched the surface of Mpumalanga and there is much more to still be discovered. The importance of studying the geological history of the Barberton Mountain Land cannot be over emphasised: it has allowed South African scientists in the past 50 years to define the very cutting edge of research into the beginnings of our planet’s history and, in doing so, has helped to shape the future of new emerging sciences like geo-biology and astro-biology, and will continue to play a role in planning future missions to Mars in the quest for signs of life on other planets. 

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Divots, Mallets, Polo Pants Who doesn’t remember that scene from Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts takes off her wide-brimmed hat to eagerly stomp the divots at her first polo game, taking careful heed not to step on any steaming ones. And who hasn’t seen at least one photo of England’s Prince Charles looking spiffy in his polo garb. The game has a rich history, indeed, and some intriguing traditions. But where does it all come from?

Words: TONI ACKERMANN Images: © SA POLO ASSOCIATION

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S TEE D

the greatest nation of horsemen in the ancient world. Radiating outwards from here, polo spread to Japan, Tibet, China and India.

In India, polo was widely played in medieval times. Sultan Qutubuddin Aibak, who built the Qutub Minar, one of Delhi’s most famous landmarks, died of a fatal accident, impaled on the ornate horn of his saddle after a fall on the polo field in Lahore. But it was Babar, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, who really established the popularity of the game in India during the 1400s.

In Japan, the horsemanship and courage of players was tested under the name of “Da-Kyu.” The Russians called it “Khis Kouhou” while the Turkish referred to it as “Djirid.” The origins of the modern

The origins of the modern name for the sport can be traced to Tibet, where it was known as “Pulu.”

and Ponies

I

f the image you conjure in your mind of the game of polo is as a gentle Sunday sport enjoyed by the “ginand-tonic brigade,” then you’re sadly mistaken because, as players and spectators will fervently agree, polo is arguably one of the most demanding of sports. It is rated by insurance companies as the most dangerous contact sport in the world – understandable given the fact that the only protection offered comes from a helmet, and that players dart about on horses weighing up to half a ton, attaining

speeds of up to 40 km/h.

Patronised by kings and the horsed cavalry, historic figures who played the game include the likes of Genghis Khan, Darius, and Alexander the Great. History records that the ancient Persians, who referred to the sport as “Chaughan,” meaning “mallet,” played it as far back as 25 centuries ago. Ancient civilisations claiming a long-standing tradition of polo probably picked it up from the central Asian nomads. Certainly, polo reflects all the qualities that made the Mongol hordes

name for the sport, however, can be traced to Tibet, where it was known as “Pulu,” meaning “ball” and which, in its anglicised from, is known to the world as polo.

At first, polo was played as a training game for cavalry units, usually the king’s guard or other elite troops. To the warlike tribesmen, who played it with numbers of up to 100 a side, the game was a miniature battle. It developed over the years, emphasising equestrian and military skill.

For many, this was seen as the ultimate test of a warrior’s skill and dexterity.

Although the game had been witnessed in Manipur, India by British tea planters in the early 19th Century, the earliest rules would only be drawn up several decades later, for which we can thank the British Cavalry. The British tea planters founded the world’s first polo club at Silchar, west of Manipur, in 1862, with England’s first club, Monmouthshire, established 10 years later by Captain Francis “Tip” Herbert.

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A Gaming Glossary Chukka: the term used to describe the basic period of play. In polo, each chukka is 7.5 minutes long. There are six chukkas in each match.

Divot: the pieces of turf cut out of the ground by horses' hooves. These are traditionally stomped or treaded in by spectators during half time.

Foul: this constitutes an infraction of the rules as laid down by the Polo Association.

Most fouls govern safe riding and the concept of the line of the ball.

Goal: a point is added to the score each time the ball travels between the goal posts, whether hit in by attacker, defender or pony. The team's direction of play changes after each goal is scored.

Handicap: the comparative rating of players awarded by the Polo Association.

Handicaps are expressed in goals and do not describe the number of goals the player is expected to score, but rather the player's value to the team.

Hook: one of the two defensive manoeuvres allowed in the rules. In this case the mallet is used to block or interfere with another player's swing at the ball.

Line of the ball: the imaginary line created by the ball as it travels across the field. The line of the ball may not be crossed or infringed except in exceptional

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circumstances. This is a pivotal concept on which many fouls or infractions are based.

Mallet: a long bamboo-shafted club with a wooden, cigar-shaped head, used to hit the ball.

Near-side: the left side of the horse.

Off-side: the right side of the horse.

Out-of-bounds: when the ball is hit out of bounds the clock continues to run and the ball is thrown in by the umpires at that spot.

Penalties: fouls result in the umpires awarding a shot at goal (penalty) to the offended team (the more severe the infringement, the closer to the goalmouth the penalty is awarded).

Puttees: the leg wraps applied to the horses' lower legs for support and protection.

Referee: the referee is off-field and has the final word in the case of a dispute between the two mounted umpires.

Ride-off: this is used to break an opposing player's concentration, move them off the line of the ball or spoil their shot.

Throw-in: the game is started with a throw-in, where the ball is literally thrown in between the line-up teams.

Umpires: these are the on-field officials.

Mounted on horses, umpires are active players responsible for enforcing the rules.

Courtesy of the SA Polo Association

The spirit and sportsmanship of the game swiftly caught on around the world.

The first official match took place on 3 September 1875, in Argentina, where the game had been taken by English and Irish engineers and ranchers. It found its way to the USA the following year, courtesy of James Gordon Bennett Junior, a noted American publisher, balloonist and adventurer.

The sport reached South Africa by way of British cavalry regiments garrisoned in the Eastern Cape in the late 1800s. They had learnt to play in India. South Africa’s first recorded tournament took place in King Williamstown in 1885.

By the 1930s, polo was enjoying a spot firmly in the spotlight and, as an Olympic sport from 1900 to 1936, drew crowds of more than 30,000 spectators.

This royal sport, this game of kings, is now played on five continents in at least of 84 countries and continues to draw crowds who delight in divot stomping at half time, laugh not at the unusual attire donned by players, and take their polo, like their gin and tonics, very seriously.

Visit the South African Polo Association’s website at www.sapolo.org.za for an updated fixtures listing. The SA Polo Association was formed in 1905 and is the controlling body of polo to which five polo provinces are affiliated – Highveld, East Griqualand, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, and the Cape. It is affiliated to the Hurlingham Polo Association, the generally recognised world body of polo. 

ALLIANCE

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Zimbali Zimbali

SPECTACULAR SPECTACULAR AFRICAN AFRICAN RENAISSANCE RENAISSANCE

32 32 MILKWOOD MILKWOOD Located on the coast, this magnificent villa falls in Zimbali’s Golden Mile Located on the coast, this magnificent villa falls in Zimbali’s Golden Mile on Beach Row and offers a lifestyle of luxury and leisure. Built on over on Beach Row and offers a lifestyle of luxury and leisure. Built on over 1100m22 of land, the living space includes 5 bedrooms with full en-suite 1100m of land, the living space includes 5 bedrooms with full en-suite bathrooms, 3 lounges, a dining room, a study, a fully-fitted kitchen and bathrooms, 3 lounges, a dining room, a study, a fully-fitted kitchen and a double volume atrium. Ideal for an entertainer, it also has a large deck a double volume atrium. Ideal for an entertainer, it also has a large deck with a rim-flow pool and a Koi pond. Enjoy spectacular views of the Indian with a rim-flow pool and a Koi pond. Enjoy spectacular views of the Indian Ocean from this beachside home. The architecture and finishes of this Ocean from this beachside home. The architecture and finishes of this property are truly a must-see, making this residence the finest there is. property are truly a must-see, making this residence the finest there is.

1 1 Cherrywood Cherrywood

Erf Extent is 1408 square meters Erf Extent is 1408 square meters The vacant stand is located next to the new Fairmont, it is set forward from The vacant stand is located next to the new Fairmont, it is set forward from the other residences so that the completed dwelling will have 180 degree the other residences so that the completed dwelling will have 180 degree uninterrupted sea views. It is completely surrounded by virgin indigenous uninterrupted sea views. It is completely surrounded by virgin indigenous forest that guarantees absolute privacy. Beach access is superb. The forest that guarantees absolute privacy. Beach access is superb. The owner will have immediate access to the Fairmont Hotel as well as the newly owner will have immediate access to the Fairmont Hotel as well as the newly constructed Zimbali residential pools and entertainment complex which are constructed Zimbali residential pools and entertainment complex which are immediately, but discreetly located behind this prestige property. Please immediately, but discreetly located behind this prestige property. Please note: the architectural guidelines of the estate allow for the construction of a note: the architectural guidelines of the estate allow for the construction of a dwelling, which would ensure sea views over the forest from ground floor level. dwelling, which would ensure sea views over the forest from ground floor level.

Date: Tuesday, 27 October 2009 @ 11am Date: Tuesday, 27 October 2009 @ 11am Venue: Zimbali Imbizo Conference Room, The Fairmont Zimbali Lodge, Zimbali Venue: Zimbali Imbizo Conference Room, The Fairmont Zimbali Lodge, Zimbali Call Prinola Reddy for an exclusive pre-auction viewing Call Prinola Reddy for an exclusive pre-auction viewing +27 73 224 6974 • preddy@alliancegroup.co.za +27 73 224 6974 • preddy@alliancegroup.co.za Web:Alliancegroup.co.za/Zimbali Web:Alliancegroup.co.za/Zimbali

w w w. p r e s t i g e m a g . c o . z a AllianceGroup.co.za • 0861 ALLIANCE AllianceGroup.co.za • 0861 ALLIANCE

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AndrĂŠ

van Vuuren A South African Dreamscape: T h e D i s c o v e r y o f a n I n t e r n a l Te r r a i n

South African born artist André van Vuuren brings together a new body of work that explores the South African Landscape by delving into the private realms of his memory. Through his intimate portrayal of scenes from his past and present, all of which have an eternal resonance in his life, van Vuuren has created a series of large-scale paintings that encompass a strident beauty in their haunting tonality.

Words: AMY THORNE Images: © GRAHAM’S FINE ART GALLERY

Van Vuuren, Andre Francois (1945-); “Sunday Morning;” Oil on Canvas; 180.2cm x 270.5cm; Signed: “van Vuuren” (Lower/Right)

Van Vuuren, Andre Francois (1945-); “Hydrangeas;” Oil on Canvas; 180cm x 270cm; Signed: “van Vuuren” (Upper/Left); Dated: 2009

B

orn in 1945 in Benoni, André van Vuuren expressed an aptitude for art and design from a young age. He studied Graphic Design at the Johannesburg College of Art from 1965 to 1967 but found he was dissatisfied with the narrow view of school academia that existed in the art institutions of South Africa, and left to join the vanguard Visual Arts Research Centre in Johannesburg as one of its first students.

This school strived to establish a Europeanbased approach to studio work for artists seeking a freer form of working in an environment that was vibrant with activity, and encouraged an ardent interaction between such artists.

This “avant-garde” school was headed

by George Boys, a well known Abstract Expressionist in South Africa at the time.

Trevor Coleman was a lecturer while other contemporaries included Louis le Sueur, Nils Burwitz and Richard Smith. To circumvent what van Vuuren describes as an “instant gratification” from producing stoic imagery, this group of artists endeavoured to rebel against the perceived comfort zones of the conventionally middle class, privileged background from which many of South Africa’s artists came.

Instead, they developed a visceral form of

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art, distinctive from that of the theoretically parsimonious South African art schools already established. This different practical approach allowed van Vuuren to experiment freely with developed European art movements such as Dadaism, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism. It was this unreserved exploration that ultimately led van Vuuren to develop a way of painting that evolved throughout his career, both in style and in subject matter.

Previously, van Vuuren’s early work had

The hushed, subdued nature to these landscapes of indefinable redolence is anything but straightforward. dealt predominantly with abstraction, creating images both subtle and insidious, although he still periodically delves into this defining Abstract Expressionist genre which comes to him as an innate proclivity.

Michael Coulson of the Financial Mail astutely described van Vuuren’s work as: “Soft and gentle, with the contemplative quality of classical Chinese watercolours.

They’re predominately in subdued blacks, blues and earth colours... They’re rightly

described as abstracts, but your mind identifies a standing figure here, a face in profile there. Like all good art, the longer you look, the more you see.”

In 1985, van Vuuren travelled to Europe, spending time specifically in West Germany where his work was influenced by the prominent and established field of German Expressionism. This introduced a robust sense of colour in bolder, more figurative compositions, which initiated a new investigation of line and form. On his return to South Africa, this evolved into a sociopolitical commentary, seen in his work throughout the 1990s, when he kept a studio in the centre of Johannesburg and was thus surrounded by the inner-city culture. Van Vuuren was exponentially influenced by being in the midst of street hawkers and activist marches and introduced a frenetic, vigorous dimension to his compositions, which included certain compositional figures in frenzied dance and works that universally celebrated South Africa’s emergence as a democratic republic.

Throughout his developing career van Vuuren had an interest in landscapes, though it was the first of several trips to Zanzibar in 1999 that really engaged him with this extensive subject matter; diverse and inestimable in its explorative

possibilities. From his explorations of the East African landscape van Vuuren travelled to Italy, where Tuscany became one of his most favoured subjects.

In van Vuuren’s latest body of work, A South African Dreamscape: The Discovery of an Internal Terrain, he explores an introspective view of the outside world and places that have had a personal bearing on him and his life. He revisits these physical places from memory, painting various locations across South Africa; places he visits or has visited in pursuit of solitude and tranquillity, or sites he reconstructs from years gone by. These localities are devoid of somatic presence, but exist as internal landscapes for the artist and aesthetically represent the collective principles of his style of painting: expressive brushstrokes indicative of his German Expressionist influences; a sensitive colour palette; bold and deliberate compositional lines; a luminous tonality that is achieved through layered washes and glazes; and a sense of haunting beauty that seems inherent to van Vuuren’s most successful works.

The hushed, subdued nature to these landscapes of indefinable redolence is anything but straightforward. They require the viewer to take time with each piece, to notice the subtle disposition that differs from work to work. As a common characteristic to van Vuuren's paintings, figurative or abstract, one is able to identify hidden, yet sometimes ineffable, features to every work, which creates a dense reading of each composition. The generally large format of the paintings in this latest exhibition allows the viewer to be totally absorbed into this dreamlike world and act as windows into this introspective plane.

The luminously haunting quality of each composition undoubtedly leaves a lasting impression on the viewer.

A South African Dreamscape: The Discovery of an Internal Terrain will be open at Graham’s Fine Art Gallery from 1 October to 1 November 2009. For any inquiries contact Graham's Fine Art Gallery on +27 11 465 9192 or visit their website at www.grahamsgallery.co.za. 

Right: Van Vuuren, Andre Francois (1945-); “Karoo Morning;” Oil on Canvas; 225cm x 150cm; Signed: “van Vuuren” (Upper/Left); Dated: 2009 Below: Van Vuuren, Andre Francois (1945-); “Lost Stream;” Oil on Canvas; 180.5cm x 270cm; Signed: “van Vuuren” (Lower/Right); Dated: 2009

Yakkity-

Yakkity

Rounding the top of the loop 3,000 feet above the azure waters of the Indian Ocean, "Red Star Two" and "Red Star Three" bob in unison, just inches from each other as the onset of G-forces squeeze the pilots into their seats.

With noses pointed vertically down towards the beach, the formation builds up speed before pitching up into a barrel roll, arching up and over as the horizon inverts itself once more.

Words & Images: © KEVIN BARKER

YAK I f the idea of learning to fly is at the forefront of your thoughts, it is often easy to be turned off by the squadrons of seemingly regular trainers that are available on which to complete abinitio pilot training. The average first aircraft bought, which normally tends to be a trainer, comes with a purpose-built lack of adrenaline, and no Top Gun tendencies whatsoever. In short, other than taking off, landing and slow paced cruising, once you have learnt to fly there is not much else you can do with them. A fact which is often overlooked when studying accidents is that they involve pilots who get up to mischief because they are bored with the aircraft at their disposal. You could, of course, try Yakking...

First designed for the Russian Air Force in 1976 as initial trainers, the Yakovlev, or just plain Yak-52, has proven through its longevity and popularity, that it makes a superb trainer. It is extremely robust – enough to handle the type of abuse often experienced at the hands of low-time learners. It is easy to fly, and is very forgiving. But these are typical traits of most trainers. It is outside of the training environment that the Yak-52 really makes its mark.

At 998 kilograms empty weight, the Yak-52 is delightfully responsive and very capable as an aerobatic aircraft. And yet, it is also easy to fly and land, unlike most aerobatic mounts, which are terribly tricky when it comes to takeoff and landing. It has been used in international aerobatic competitions up to the Advanced level and is capable of manoeuvres up to

+7 and –5 G. It also boasts a very spritely roll rate of 180 degrees per second and is capable of every manoeuvre in the Aresti Catalogue – the aerobatic pilot’s Bible, if you will.

The Yak-52, like most Soviet military aircraft, was designed to operate in rugged environments with minimal maintenance.

One of its key features, and a radical departure from most western aircraft, is its extensive pneumatic system. Engine starting, landing gear, flaps, braking and steering are all pneumatically actuated.

Spherical storage bottles, replenished by an engine-driven compressor, are situated behind the rear cockpit and contents displayed on the instrument panels.

The operating pressure is between 10 and 50 bars (145 and 725 psi) and an emergency circuit is reserved for lowering the undercarriage if the normal supply is exhausted or the compressor fails.

Additionally, both main and reserve bottles can be charged from a port on the ground with compressed air, usually from a Scubatype air bottle. The steering/braking arrangement, in particular, takes some adjustment for pilots accustomed to hydraulics because the plane uses differential braking controlled by rudder pedals and a hand-operated lever on the control stick to steer on the ground. But, once more, like anything in aviation, enough practice makes this second nature.

The tricycle landing gear is retractable but remains partially-exposed in the retracted position, affording both a useful level of drag in down manoeuvres and a measure of protection should the plane be

forced to land “wheels up.” Up front, the pilot controls the Yak-52 with a fighterlike joystick, with another stick and full instrumentation in the rear cockpit.

Settling into the Yak’s cockpit, you are immediately immersed in the fighter pilot’s world, with the sounds and smells transporting you back to World War II. The Yak-52 just screams to be taken to a dogfight, or to be thrown around the air at high G numbers. It is as if the moniker warbird was created with the Yak-52 in mind.

Few will argue that the throaty roar emanating from the 360 hp Vedeneyev M14P nine-cylinder radial engine makes most typical trainers want to creep into their hangars to hide. One would think that for so much grunt, there is a heavy fuel bill to foot, but the Yak-52 burns no more precious Avgas than the average fourseater on today’s market – roughly 70 litres per hour – most certainly making the Yak52 a viable training option in the current economic climate.

For those who would like the added benefit of four seats, another thoroughbred is available from the Yakovlev stable.

Dubbed the Yak-18T, it features all of the same forgiving traits as its smaller cousin, the 52, though this one comfortably seats four adults and their baggage in a structure that can be compared to the hardy robustness of a tank. But it is still aerobatic, and a delight for the low-time pilot to handle. They say that Americans build fourseater aircraft and call them six seaters,

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while the Russians build six-seater aircraft and call them four seaters. This is true in the case of the Yak-18T, as it will out-load any other regular “four seater” on the market, with room to spare, while most typical four-seater trainers are really only capable of carrying two adults and two small bags due to weight restrictions.

While some might cry heresy that I

The Yak-52 is extremely robust – enough to handle the type of abuse often experienced at the hands of low-time learners. It is easy to fly, and is very forgiving. suggest the Yak-52 and 18T as initial trainers, it has to be remembered that in previous years the South African Air Force was using the heavy, tail-dragging Harvard as its ab-inito trainer, and also that the Russians designed the Yak-52 for exactly that purpose, as well as to train its future aerobatic stars. Notoriously tricky to handle, with lots of inertia and momentum, the Harvard is considered a rather advanced aircraft to master and, in general, not a toy for the new pilot. The “poor man’s Harvard,” as the Yak-52 is known, has none of the nasty traits associated with flying a tail dragger – an aircraft with the little wheel at the back, instead of under the nose,

while still offering the authentic warbird experience – without demanding too much from the new pilot. It is also an aircraft that won’t have you wondering what to do today. It is very, very difficult to be bored when you have a Yak in your hangar.

Entry to the elite club of flight overalls, hand-dogfights and all-knowing Yak grins is the cost of a mid-range SUV away and, after a minimum of 45 hours of flight training, the new owner will have a Private Pilot’s Licence that will allow him to carry passengers and fly during the daytime in good weather. With the South African Yak population growing at a steady pace (in excess of 28 aircraft), a number of owners have joined forces with such big names as the Silver Falcons, Red Arrows, and some of South Africa’s top aerobatic pilots to hold annual “Yak Weeks,” where owners undergo training in the art of formation flying and mild aerobatics, and which normally culminates in their participation at an air show.

Such has been the success of Yak owners in recent times that very few local air shows don’t feature at least one of the roaring Russian machines. Flown by ordinary, non-commercial pilots, recent air shows in Durban featured formations of up to 13 Yaks flown in front of thousands of spectators by their proud owners, most of whom are everyday businessmen who have been flying for less than two years – a true testament to the Yak’s ability to train good formation pilots. 

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S TYLE

Design Meets Function –

Beautifully

Italy is a young country by European standards. During the mid 1800s, the attempt to break the hold of monarchs over several independent city states resulted in “Il Risorgomento,” which ended in 1861 when Garibaldi and his Red Shirt democrats yielded to the aristocratic politician, Camillo di Cavour in the name of unification. Soon after, modern day Italy became one under Victor Emmanuel II, King of Cavour’s region, Sardinia.

Words: CLAIRE PIENAAR; CHARL DU PLESSIS Images: © SALT & PEPPER

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H

owever, the diversity of Italian culture, history and regional politics still persists 150 years later, as a strength of Italian industry and identity rather than as a drawback. Today, towns and regions still promote their local, familystyle and co-operative businesses under Brand Italia, yet each with a very unique flavour. This expression of diversity in unity might perhaps best be known through the different kinds of regional Italian dishes, but it permeates many other areas of culture, including design.

The Italian Trade Commission in South Africa recently hosted a visit of several designers from the Lombardia region to develop collaborations with local architects, designers and retailers for their avantgarde creations. The Italian way forward, as in the past, remains closely knit to the SMME style of family business, yet they have developed global clout for their aesthetic execution across many industries and through banding together in growing their international trade opportunities. As explained by the Italian Trade Commissioner, Dr Gianpaolo Bruno, this model of SMME promotion that has worked so well for Italy could be of relevance to the nascent South African design industry. During discussions at the Italian Technology and Heritage Expo that formed part of the Italian designers’ visit, it became apparent that there are already some two-way collaborations, with African elements sneaking into some Italian designers’ portfolios. The Trade Commissioner pointed out that South Africans, up until this point, have always been biased towards Italian design innovation, expecting “baroque style” furniture and lifestyle pieces. The purpose of the initiative was to broaden the view that South Africans have by including a contemporary, fresh feel.

The designers who accompanied this initiative hail mostly from the Lombardia region. Lombardia, once part of Austria, was swopped with the victorious French in

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1859 in exchange for Italy yielding Nice and Savoy. This swop filled in the regional gap that Italy needed to complete unification. If you did not know, the international style epicentre, Milan, is also part of Lombardia, in the furthest NorthEastern part of Italy adjacent to Switzerland.

High mountains and plentiful lakes are the aesthetic backdrop against which these Lombardian designers live their love for beauty and draw their inspiration.

A special relationship already exists between the region and South Africa. This relationship commenced in 2003, when the Lombardia region invested money into various local health and social programmes.

At the Expo, the Lombardians exhibited several pieces of their work, featured on these pages, to demonstrate how the boldness of the Italian design ethos, breakaway since the 1960s, persists in their modern execution. The shroud of heavy baroque has been shrugged off completely, and it might have been our imagination, but a Teutonic flavour of light and clean lines and sharp edges reminded one of the Lombardian political history. What was evident from speaking to several of the designers is their enthusiasm for South Africa, as a destination and as an inspiration for design elements; their warmth for the idea of developing small-scale, familyowned collaborations; and, most of all, the excellence of their concepts and execution.

What we find very refreshing in the Trade Commission’s approach to introducing these designers into the South African market is the complete absence of any traces of cultural imperialism. Instead, it marks the start of a fascinating journey of collaboration between two societies that are willing to risk their identities in the joint creation of a more beautiful world of design.

For further information, contact Claire Pienaar on claire@salt-pepper.co.za, who can place you in contact either with the Italian Trade Commission or arrange direct contact with any of the designers who accompanied this initiative. 

Italian Exhibitors Effebiquattro www.effebiquattro.it Fabbian Illuminazione www.fabbian.com I 4 Mariani www.i4mariani.com Lualdi Porte www.lualdiporte.com Paola Lenti www.paolalenti.com SAGSA www.sagsa.net Enrico Cassina By Omp Porro www.ompporro.com Flou www.flou.it La Murrina www.lamurrina.com Matteograssi www.matteograssi.it Porada Arredi www.porada.it SMANIA www.smania.it SWAN Italia www.swanitaly.com TONON www.tononitalia.it UNIFOR www.unifor.it Zanotta www.zanotta.it

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Airport collections in a Rolls Royce Phantom

S u p e r Y a c h t

NAMOH Taste the Good Life Built in 2003 by the Cheoy Lee shipyards and guided by naval architects, Mulder Design, at 38 metres (or 125 foot) Namoh is an ideal superyacht to charter for an intimate gathering of colleagues or friends. With five cabins, she can host up to 10 guests in style, with seven crew members on hand. Understated, yet with every amenity necessary, Namoh offers a taste of the high life.

Words: ELLA TURNER Images: Š IYC

S UPER S I Z E

T

he master stateroom, as expected, has lovely touches and quiet spaces. Located on the main deck, forward of the dining room, it is entered through the owner’s private office on the starboard side through double stained glass doors. There is a cedar-lined walk-in closet, three hanging closets, ample drawer space, entertainment centre, and large windows on the port and starboard sides. A king-size bed in this full beam stateroom takes centre stage. There are his and hers baths with Persian-gold marble vanity tops, floors and bulkheads with mother of pearl inlays. All hardware is polished gold with crystal faucets. Her bath has a Jacuzzi tub/shower with steam bath and his has a shower with frameless door.

All of the guest staterooms are accessed from the main deck starboard entrance foyer via stairs that lead to a large guest foyer with blue granite-topped cabinetry.

The lower guest accommodations are finished in quarter-figured Anigre wood and a selection of marbles and granites.

Two VIP staterooms house island king-size beds, granite-topped bedside nightstands, entertainment systems with individual satellite decoders, hanging closets, and bureaus. Both en suite bathrooms have a Jacuzzi tub/shower and millennium blue granite vanity tops and floors. One additional guest stateroom has a queensize bed, while the second has twin beds.

When it comes to entertaining, the spaces are large and inviting. In the formal dining room, forward of the main salon, is a beautiful custom dining table that comfortably seats 10. There is a marbletopped buffet forward and long banquettes to port and starboard that are “fiddled” to house the yacht’s crystal and china. The dining salon is separated from the main salon by a four-posted entertainment centre that contains a 37-inch pop-up flat screen TV that will rotate, allowing it to be viewed from the dining room or salon. The salon seating area consists of two sofas and two chairs around a coffee table. There is Wi-Fi access throughout and all of the cabins have iPod docking stations.

The main aft deck, which has teak flooring, is well proportioned and has a beautiful custom mahogany inlaid hi/lo, in/out table that seats 10. There is access from the rear deck to the skylounge deck, the swim platform, and walkaround decks.

The skylounge deck is another excellent place for entertaining. There is a large formal bar in Makore and black-galaxy granite that seats five, a large semi-circular sofa around a big screen TV, a card table, and electronic player piano. Access to the covered outside deck is through double stainless sliding glass doors. This deck features a 32-inch flat panel TV and teak

table and chairs for 10, as well as a large, round six-person spa with lots of built-in seating.

The spectacular sundeck has a helm with complete electronics and three captains’ chairs. Just behind these is an oversized, semicircular sun pad with back cushions – offering excellent views and the ideal spot to sit and watch the scenery pass by. The sundeck also has a BBQ grill and a refreshment centre.

The selection of tenders and toys include a 29-foot Jupiter, a 17-foot Zodiac Eclipse, waverunners, the necessary slew of wakeboards, water skis, towables and more.

Nice-to-have extras include an 18-foot water trampoline, two electric mountain bikes and four sets of golf clubs.

All in all, this vessel was crafted with comfort and carefree times in mind. She is available for charter at $125,000 per week in the Leeward Islands, Corsica and the French Riviera with other areas available on request.  For more information, contact International Yacht Collection (IYC): • Tel: +1 954 522 2323 • Email: charter@iyc.com • Visit: www.iyc.com

Ming

From an Ancient World

The Ming Dynasty, which ruled China from 1368 to 1644 under a great many emperors, left a legacy of transformation and development, history and legend, short stories, novels and theatre and of course, beautiful ceramic pottery. Nowadays, it is the latter for which the Ming Dynasty is best remembered, these artefacts considered immensely valuable pieces of art.

Words: INGRID KENMUIR Images: Š GALLO IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES; iSTOCKPHOTO.COM

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S ALVA G E

Literature from the Ming Dynasty

M

ing, meaning “bright” in Chinese, was an appropriate name for a dynasty whose 276 years of rule were marked, most notably, by a dramatic flourishing of the arts. For centuries, Ming porcelain vases have been regarded as the epitome of priceless beauty.

Although the first capital of the Ming dynasty was in Nanjing, the third Ming emperor, the Yongle Emperor, who ruled between 1402 and 1424, transferred the capital to Beijing. Here, a great palace of “heavenly purity” was built from wood and marble, coming to be called the Forbidden City because people needed the emperor’s permission to enter. Under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, the Forbidden City swiftly became an international landmark.

The Dynasty also saw a period of astonishing innovation in the manufacture of ceramics. New techniques were investigated in design and shapes, and a predilection for colour, painted design and an embracing of foreign forms was shown.

The Yongle Emperor was particularly curious about other nations and how they used the latter, and favoured unusual shapes, especially those inspired by Islamic metalwork.

During the Xuande reign of 1426 to 1435, something of a technical refinement was introduced in the preparation of the cobalt used for under-glaze blue decoration.

Before this, the preferred cobalt had been a brilliant colour, though it tended to “bleed” during firing. The adding of manganese dulled the colour somewhat, but resulted in a crisper line. This porcelain, called Xuande porcelain, is considered among the finest of all Ming creations.

Under the rule of the Chenghua Emperor, between 1465 and 1487, enamelled decorated was fine-tuned to perfection. These pieces were greatly prized by later collectors. By the late 1500s, works from this and the Xuande era had become so sought after that their prices almost equalled that of antique wares from the Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and older.

The later Ming period shifted dramatically towards a market economy and the exporting of this beautiful porcelain. The kilns at Jingdezhen became the centre for large-scale porcelain exports to Europe in particular, from around 1572 onwards, under the reign of the Wanli Emperor.

By this time, further developments had taken place, most notably the addition of pottery stone and kaolin to the vase paste.

Pottery stone could be fired at a lower temperature than paste mixed with kaolin, while the addition of kaolin to the paste produced wares of great strength and improved the whiteness of the body. When form blue-and-white wares gained popularity, it was this trait of greater whiteness that made them much soughtafter property.

As China’s last native-ruled empire, the Ming dynasty is revered as a pinnacle of cultural achievement.

Imperiallysupervised workshops and kilns followed rigid guidelines set forth by the courtbased Bureau of Design for the creation of goods for royal consumption. Under these strict rules, Ming porcelains and other artworks such as lacquer, metalwork, and textiles became world renowned for their quality, retaining their immense value even today. 

While the Ming era is certainly remembered for its beautiful pottery, it is also noted for four great novels: The Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, dated late 14th Century; Wu Chengen’s masterpiece, The Journey to the West, published in 1592; Dong Yue’s novel Tower of Myriad Mirrors, published in 1640; and The Plum in the Golden Vase or Jin Ping Mei, written anonymously in the late 16th Century and circulated privately until it was published in around 1618.

Wu Chengen (1500-1582) created a character who featured in several of his written legends as well as his masterpiece, The Journey to the West.

Many years later, Dong Yue (1620-89), wrote the novel Tower of Myriad Mirrors based on the character of the Monkey from Wu Chengen’s earlier work. Tower of Myriad Mirrors was intended to fit in after chapter 61 of The Journey to the West. Dong Yue's story builds on the notion of fantasy and dreams, which the author explains in an extract from the preface of the novel: For men, desire is a demon without form, without sound – A man may not be conscious of it or know about it.

It may enter by way of grief, indulgence, A single doubtful or vacillating thought, or the sensory perceptions.

It seems as if the desire that enters the sphere of your thought Cannot be stopped or changed or ignored; as if once it enters it can in no way be expelled.

But to recognise desire for the demon is to achieve success.

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L if e in D an g e r

Galapagos I s l a n d s

It was London, 1859, and 50-year-old naturalist, Charles Darwin had just published his controversial book "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection."

Darwin’s work revolutionised the scientific world view and, although provocative, established the basis for modern biology. The keyword of Darwin’s theory of the origin and progress of species through gradual selection and adaptation to local conditions was “evolution.”

Words: IWC; TONI ACKERMANN Images: © IWC

FEATURE

I

n this same year, but many miles away in Boston, 18-year-old Florentine Ariosto Jones was dreaming a different dream, which, in its own way, was also about evolution. Yet his profession lay in an entirely different field – the watchmaking industry – where important changes were taking place under the new conditions of advancing industrialisation.

It would be almost 150 years before these two evolutionary lines would coincide, a very worthy cause bringing them together – the conservation of the Galapagos Islands.

Tomás de Berlanga was the Spanish archbishop of Panama. On a voyage to Peru in 1535 he drifted off course in the strong Humboldt Current and found himself stranded on an unusual archipelago. De Berlanga was the first European to arrive here and, considering it to be completely uninhabitable, pronounced the island group as “cursed by God.” Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius recorded the new discovery on a map of the world for the first time in 1574, under the name “Insulae de los Galopegos,” meaning, “Islands of the Tortoises.” Another Spaniard, Diego de Rivadeneira, a deserter from the army of the conqueror Pizarro, who had also been driven to these islands by the ocean current, called them “Islas Encantadas,” meaning, “the Enchanted Islands” because of their reputation for being able to make themselves invisible (something far more likely to have been caused by the use of inaccurate navigation instruments of that time and to the frequent cloud formations that enveloped the islands than anything else).

From the 16th Century, the Galapagos Islands were a favourite retreat of familiar pirates and buccaneers, from Francis Drake to Captain Morgan, the volcanic caves on Santiago and Floreana Islands providing a lair for their crews and a hiding place for their treasure. In 1832, the Galapagos Islands were annexed by Ecuador and a notorious penal colony was subsequently stationed on San Cristóbal, and later on the island of Isabela.

As interest in the natural world grew, so the archipelago attracted the attention of zoologists, botanists and ornithologists and the start of scientific research and

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investigation into its flora and fauna began.

Budding British naturalist Charles Robert Darwin took inspiration for his 1859 book during a five-year voyage on the British survey ship, HMS Beagle, which brought him to the Galapagos Islands in 1835.

Several years later, in the course of two expeditions between 1875 and 1878, German geologist and natural scientist Theodor Wolf discovered the origin of the islands to be oceanic-volcanic, and that they had no links of any kind to the South American continent, something that proved to be of great importance to Darwin’s theory. But why was this archipelago of such importance?

Formed on a hotspot on the Earth’s mantle, the Galapagos is located in the Pacific Ocean, some 1,000 kilometres west of Ecuador and comprises around 70 islands, including a dozen larger ones. It sits on the Nazca plate, which is shifting eastwards at an annual rate of

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approximately nine centimetres. The movement of this plate leads to a geological conveyor belt-effect over the stationary hotspot, with the result that the islands furthest to the east, Española and San Cristóbal, which were created by volcanic activity, are already three million years old and have now cooled down, whereas the youngest, Fernandina and Isabela, are only 700,000 years old and still volcanically active. The formation of new volcanic islands is thus possible at any time.

The archipelago extends for 320 kilometres on an east-west axis, with the equator running precisely through the highest point, the 1,700-metre high volcanic crater, Wolf, on Isabela. The difference in the age of the islands, which never had any contact with the mainland geologically, and their distance from one another, together with the unique microclimate due to the effective Pacific Ocean currents and a great animal diversity,

predestine them to be the laboratory of evolution. It was here that the emergence of diverse species according to Darwin’s theory of evolution was favoured.

The settlement of specific fauna on the Galapagos Islands, which in many cases differed from island to island, took place millions of years ago and occurred by the random migration of a small number of individuals from the mainland or a submerged early form of the island group. For example, lizards may have overcome the distance on drifting tree trunks, a distance that would have been insurmountable under normal circumstances. Birds that had been driven off course became native and brought with them seed-bearing plants. These species also initially became resident on only one of the islands and began to reproduce. In a similar way, members of the same species crossed over to other islands and remained isolated there for a period long enough to

FEATURE

allow them to adapt to the new biotope. In this way, they began to differentiate themselves – in the course of evolution – from their former conspecifics. The inhabitants adapted gradually, giving rise to new species through a process of natural selection – survival of the fittest. Giant tortoises, iguanas, finches, and plants have thus evolved into different species. A distinctive marine fauna with endemic animal species also evolved along similar lines.

Darwin’s prime example to corroborate this was actually a small bird named after him. The Darwin’s finch developed different specialisations, depending on the particular circumstances on the individual islands of the archipelago, which has led to the emergence of a dozen different species – identifiable by the differences in the shape of their beaks. Many Darwin’s finches use their beak to crack seeds, and others to catch insects, and one species has even learned how to hold a cactus spine in its beak as a tool with which to remove small insect larvae from wood.

Austrian biologist and behavioural scientist Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt visited Galapagos in 1954 on the vessel Xarifa as a member of the underwater expedition organized by Hans Hass. He was captivated.

Three years later, he led the IUCN-UNESCO expedition to the archipelago. In 1959 this resulted in the establishment of the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) as a non-profit organisation and the first Charles Darwin Research Station, which was completed in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz in 1964. Today, the CDF operates with a team of more than 100 people – scientists, students, teachers and volunteers – at two additional stations in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (San Cristóbal) and Puerto Villamil (Isabela) in close cooperation with the Ecuadorian government and the Galapagos National Park Service.

The CDF does not even have a vessel of its own and relies mainly on donations to enable it to continue its work.

Galapagos has enjoyed protection as a

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nature conservation area since 1959 by decree of the Ecuadorian government and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978. But in 2007 it had to be inscribed on the World Heritage in Danger List because these islands, this laboratory of evolution, with its unique animal and plant species, are massively at risk.

The National Park Administration and the CDF are struggling doggedly, and with a chronically tight budget, to conserve the

Fishing fleets, which are only interested in the lucrative fins of the many species of shark in the archipelago, have brutally “finned” and killed more than a million sharks in recent years. ecosystems. What may still appear promising on land, for example, by the imposition of restrictions on tourism or by the eradication of invader animals on the islands, is almost a lost cause in the face of the maritime campaigns of destruction.

And this in spite of the fact that the World Heritage Site was extended in 2001 to include a marine reserve. The waters of the archipelago are home to no fewer than 37 endemic subspecies of shark (of around 350 worldwide) that are only found here.

This includes the Galapagos shark, the elusive but beautiful whale shark, and hammerhead sharks. Fishing fleets, which are only interested in the lucrative fins of the many species of shark in the archipelago, have brutally “finned” and killed more than a million sharks in recent years, according to estimates by the CDF. This systematic hunting for a delicacy with allegedly aphrodisiac effects will have devastating effects on the maritime food chain – not to mention the loss of its appeal as the most beautiful diving ground on Earth.

This is where the two lines of evolution finally come together. Watch manufactory IWC, International Watch Company, ranks among the small circle of luxury watch manufacturers with a global reputation. It is famous for its technically innovative and horologically exquisite mechanical timepieces. Since 1967, for example, it has been producing sophisticated, extremely robust divers' watches.

The manufacture of high-quality timepieces necessitates considerations of sustainability. IWC Schaffhausen is also committed – entirely in the spirit of the underwater pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau – to promoting the love and appreciation of marine paradises, so that mankind is encouraged to conserve them. They have thus felt committed to marine research and preservation for many years.

IWC’s new partnership with the CDF arises from a parallel objective of protecting the basis of human existence and the attractiveness of natural processes and conserving jewels like Galapagos for future generations. For this reason, a particularly attractive model from the Aquatimer family will be the bearer of this message – above and below the water – as the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Galapagos Islands. IWC will support the Charles Darwin Foundation with part of the proceeds from the sale of this watch, because the laboratory of evolution must not be destroyed. Or, as put by the behavioural scientist Irenäus EiblEibesfeldt, who led the first UNESCO expedition to the island group in 1957: “If the balance moves out of equilibrium, the jewel that is the Galapagos Islands will be lost for the entire world.”

The notion that the sea and its treasures belong to no one is surely false. It is only the realisation that it belongs to all of us – present and future generations – that will pave the way for sustainability as a guiding principle.

For more information you can contact IWC on +27 11 317 2600. 

B r i o ni Tailor-Made Craftsmanship

Brioni is a master of traditional tailoring and has, over time, become the favourite fashion house of many charismatic men, among them Nelson Mandela, James Bond and John Wayne. A Brioni suit ought to be considered a “fashionable work of art,” given the number of man-hours and the unparalleled accuracy it demands. Such a suit is subject to no less than 186 phases, a dedicated specialist displaying his or her skills within each of these.

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azareno Fonticoli and Gaetano Savini started the Roman fashion house in 1945 and re-integrated colour into men’s fashion during the 1950s by producing unconventional creations. Brioni quickly amassed critical acclaim as an avant-garde couturier and challenged the established British tailoring method to become the embodiment of the new, slim Italian style; a style embraced around the world and one that redefined the concept of “tailor-made.”

The factory is located in the small town of Penne in the Abruzzi region, and an obvious detail upon entering this work space is its silence. The absence of large

Words: ROUPERT MULLER/TCS Images: © FLORIS LEEUWENBERG / VISTA / TCS

cutting machines and other computerised production artillery is unusual in the contemporary fashion industry. Where other prominent brands are forced to seek financially-efficient production methods, it is authentic craftsmanship,

Shoulder pads are stitched with military precision, patterns are drawn by hand and fabric cutting is a rhythmic dance between carefully-controlled hand movements and razor-sharp scissors.

superior quality and pure passion that drives Brioni.

Each Brioni suit is based on the Roman tailoring method, a technique that originates from the majestic Abruzzi region and possesses an elegant and stately character. “There are two main styles in Italy: Abruzzi and Napolitano. The difference between the two is difficult to determine and can mainly be found in the details and the basic construction of a suit,” explains Antonella de Simone, granddaughter of Nazareno Fonticoli. “The Napolitano style is, shall we say, more ‘dandy’ than the Abruzzi.” Antonella emphasises the sentimental reasons for the location of the factory and refers to the heritage of the area: “My grandfather

specifically chose to establish the factory in Penne. The art of tailoring has been in the blood of the people here for generations.

It was my grandfather’s dream to give back to the community that helped him realise his dreams. The people here live for the craft of tailoring.”

During the 1970s, Brioni’s reputation was flourishing but there was a shortage of capable tailors. To ensure better skills in the tailoring craft, Brioni decided to launch Scuola Superiore di Sartoria Nazareno Fonticoli, its own tailoring school, in 1978.

The four-year education, with an additional one-year apprenticeship, teaches students chosen from the Penne region according to traditional Abruzzi standards. Two master tailors from Penne offer classes in the art of tailoring and also provide insights into industry processes and routine factory activities. From drawing patterns by hand to cutting fabrics, everything must be mastered to perfection. The students must possess exceptional talents for handcraft and only three or four students will become master tailors. From this elite group, one will eventually gain responsibility over the collections.

Those who do not become master tailors specialise in specific areas of the tailoring

craft. “We have 300 specialists for cutting and 160 people who are solely dedicated to shaping buttonholes,” explains Antonella.

“Given the enormous concentration required to perform these tasks, we integrated a morning and afternoon shift. In doing so we are able to guarantee quality and maintain a healthy output.”

Shoulder pads are stitched with military precision, patterns are drawn by hand and fabric cutting is a rhythmic dance between carefully-controlled hand movements and razor-sharp scissors. Even the buttonholes are shaped by hand using specialty tools developed by Brioni.

The choice of fabrics is, naturally, driven by perfection. Brioni possesses a distinctive fabric collection, including luxurious cloths such as cashmere and silk. In co-operation with Loro Piana – a highly respected fabric weaver – a Super 230 quality was developed exclusively for this Roman fashion house. A level of refinement other luxury houses envy with a price tag of €800 per 1.5 metres.

Another typical Brioni trait is the lack of designers: “Brioni solely employs tailors.

The tailors are the designers,” says Antonella. “This approach ensures craftsmanship, which forms the basis for the Brioni quality. The tailors are conscious

of the developments within the fashion industry, both at a creative and technical level. They are responsible for the collections and integrate the necessary adjustments to ensure the collections are up to date.”

Angelo Petrucci is currently the master tailor and is proud of his craft: “I was born and raised in Penne, and Brioni is a local institution,” he says. “If you come from this region and your ambition is a career in fashion, then it is only natural that you want to work for Brioni.”

The humble craftsman successfully graduated from the Brioni School in the 1980s. His talent, dedication and passion enabled him to become master tailor and thus head of the men’s collection. Captains of industry, politicians, royalty and movie stars rely on his tailoring: “I’m in love with what I do. My work is extremely diverse and I consider it a privilege to dress people according to the Brioni vision,” Petrucci says.

The characteristic Brioni signature has also seduced a certain James Bond: “It was absolutely fantastic to dress James Bond!”

Petrucci exclaims. “The tuxedos needed special pockets in the linings to hide the gadgets and weapons. We needed to ensure one would not notice 007 was carrying all these gadgets and guns. A huge challenge, but the more difficult the challenge, the better!”

Brioni has been a family-owned company since its founding and is now headed by the third generation. In recent years the company grew to such an extent that it is now a global luxury brand. But despite its expansion into accessories, casual wear and women’s fashion, the Brioni emphasis continues to remain on tailor-made suits for men. And, of course, all products in every collection are made by hand. Antonella de Simone reminds us of the house’s driving ambition: “Brioni follows a simple philosophy: to be the best in the art of traditional tailoring.” 

ReBirth of The

Cool

Madiba Aston

Martin

In a world dealership debut of the new Aston Martin DBS Volante recently, the first available model worldwide was signed by Nelson Mandela and auctioned off with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF).

Words: CHARL DU PLESSIS Images: © ASTON MARTIN

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o big or go home, goes the saying. This held too true when Aston Martin South Africa decided to unveil the first Vantage V12 and DBS Volante to reach our shores with a massive launch party under the theme “The Rebirth of Cool.” Held at Taboo in Sandton, the guest list soon became one of the most sought after among the local social set, and Aston Martin’s team went to town making it a night to remember.

After walking a gauntlet of impressive

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Rolls Royce and Aston Martin models parked outside the entrance, a life-size martini glass with a bikini-clad young woman floating inside welcomed guests to the party. Upstairs and down, the place was packed in eager anticipation of a lingerie show, a charity auction and for the main event – the auctioning of what would not only be the world’s first available DBS Volante, but also one that had been signed on an engraved plate by none other than Nelson Mandela.

The auction took a steady pace, with

several well-known local personalities and Aston Martin regulars offering bids. When it seemed as if the winning bid would stop at roundabout R3.2 million, the NMCF’s representative suggested a price of R3.67 million, to correspond to the Fund’s “67 campaign.” The 67 marks the number of years Madiba has committed to the liberation struggle, and all South Africans had been asked to donate 67 minutes earlier that week to assist with any project in the country that honoured the legacy of Mandela.

This raised offer of R3.67 million, now in line with the fundraisers’ signature numbers, was graciously accepted by Vivien Natasen of the Neo Africa Group, until then rather shyly standing off to the left during the auction. With that closing bid, a significant amount of money was raised on the evening for the NMCF. Other benefactors included Graham’s Fine Art Gallery, which donated a R50,000 painting, and the Pepper Club, which offered some of its similarly expensive Cape Town hotel suite stay-overs as prizes to be won.

Already the proud owner of a few Aston Martins, Vivien mentioned to us after the event that as much as he disliked the very public nature of bidding for this Volante, the idea that this special Madiba edition stood for was of such a special nature, and so close to the basic ethos that the Neo Africa Group stands for, that he felt he had to make that winning bid. And surely, one could count on it that this particular car with Madiba’s signature will remain a collector’s item.

Guests left the venue with a fat goodie bag, with Prestige Magazine and a few other luxury items tucked in to extend the feelgood factor after the event. I kept wondering what cool meant before this evening. Was it really a rebirth, or did Aston Martin actually invent a new standard of cool?

Editor’s Note: Fresh on the heels of the Volante, Aston Martin is about to launch yet another new model, the AM Rapide, the first four door, four seater ever to come from this iconic British manufacturer.

Despite the move to the larger size, the Aston Martin ideas of speed and precision

remain very much alive, as the Aston Martin racing team recently celebrated 50 years since its winning of the 1959 World Sportscar Championship, and in grand style by claiming both the Team and Driver titles in the 2009 Le Mans Series championship. 

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S ALT

In the Summer Sailing

w e i v e Pr

Over the next three months, the sailing season picks up steam, with round-the-world

stopovers in Cape Town, a slew of local regattas, and a series of international top-tier events like the World Match Racing Tour, the new Louis Vuitton World Series, and the indispensable Rolex Sydney Hobart Race.

Words: TANYA GOODMAN

Stopping in Cape Town Images: © JSASTC

E x e r c i s e Tr a n s g l o b e

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ne race that is underway and passing through Cape Town is crewed by Britain’s Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force personnel representing all ranks, ages and gender. They are undertaking an adventurous sail training exercise that will

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circumnavigate the globe on three 67-foot steel-hulled yachts – Adventure, Challenger and Discoverer – under the banner of Exercise Transglobe. There are 13 stages being sailed with crew changes on most legs, allowing over 500 service personnel, some of whom have recently returned from tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, to

experience the thrills, spills and chills of ocean sailing. Transglobe is intended to provide members of all three British Armed Forces with the opportunity to develop their personal qualities and team skills in a challenging environment that will test their physical and mental stamina, their courage and help them develop self confidence and powers of leadership. The round-the-world event will take 12 months, with 14 crew members per yacht and 12 crew changes. Aiming to make it to Perth in time to compete in the Sydney Hobarth Regatta at the end of the year and Antigua Race Week in April should add to the excitement. For position reports as well as more details about Exercise Transglobe, visit www.exercisetransglobe.com.

S ALT Images: © OnEdition

Clipper 09-10 Round-the-World

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he Clipper Round-the-World Yacht Race is the only round the world race for non-professional sailors. It was founded by sailing legend Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail singlehanded, non-stop around the world. Sir Robin wanted to make the exciting challenge of ocean racing available to everyone, not just the privileged and professional. The Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race started on 13 September from the Humber on the UK's east coast and will return there in July 2010 after 35,000 miles of ocean racing. It is a feat that fewer people have completed than have climbed Mount Everest.

The race is tough. It is contested by 10 stripped down 68-foot racing yachts, each sponsored by an international city, region or country, all of them crewed by people like us, chasing around the globe. No previous sailing experience is required to take part as full training is provided. Crew can sign up for the whole circumnavigation or one or more legs. Onboard each of the yachts is just one professional – the skipper – whose role it is to lead the team to victory. The overall race is divided into individual races and points are accumulated according to each individual race position. The yacht with the highest total at the finish wins the race trophy.

South Africans can be proud to know that we have a number of locals on board, and the yacht named California is skippered

by our very own Pete Rollason.

Leg 2, from Brazil to South Africa, brings the Clipper Race to Cape Town. The first transatlantic crossing for the teams promises some of the fastest sailing in the race on their approach. The boats are due to leave Rio de Janeiro on 27 October and reach the Mother City around 14 November. They will have less than 10 days in port before Leg 3 sets them on a course for Australia. Yachts competing this year include: Team Finland, Hull & Humber, Cork, Qingdao, Spirit of Australia, Cape Breton Island, Jamaica Lightning Bolt, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, Uniquely Singapore, and California.

When the pennant was handed to a jubilant New York in July last year, crew member Gary Purdom said, “It’s spectacular in the sense that you think about doing something for 30 years. Winning is just the icing on the cake when you have a dream just to circumnavigate, so I’m thrilled.”

If you’re inspired to give it a go yourself, get in touch now! Crew places have sold out for Clipper 09-10, but they are currently recruiting crew for Clipper 11-12 which, at 40,000 miles, will be the longest round the world yacht race.

Visit www.clipperroundtheworld.com for more information.

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South African Sailing Scene Offshore Cape Races

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Image: © Trevor Wilkins

osted by the Royal Cape Yacht Club, the summer sailing season off our coast promises a number of tantalising events for sailors and spectators alike.

Starting with Lion of Africa Ladies Yacht Race in early October, this annual event, now in its seventh year, caters for both serious and recreational sailors. Last year saw 120 ladies compete, and organisers expect it to continue growing in popularity. “We are proud to be involved in this annual ladies yacht race as we believe it’s a great vehicle to help South African women achieve their dreams and aspirations,” says main sponsor, Lion of Africa Insurance’s CEO, Adam Samie. The skippers enter their yachts in either a spinnaker or non-spinnaker class and teams from other city Yacht Clubs are also welcomed. Instead of traditional silverware trophies, the ladies compete for beautiful sandstone sculptures of women.

Next, the annual Cape Offshore Race takes place in November, and takes competitors from Table Bay to False Bay overnight and then back again. The race is notorious for its treacherous conditions and always proves to be quite an event. In December, the Crocs Regatta tempts many a skipper and crew to outmanoeuvre the field, and the celebrations in the heat of the summer only make this event more festive. February brings the Mykonos Offshore Race. With 80 yachts crossing the start line, last year saw the biggest fleet in the history leave from Cape Town for Langebaan. For more information, contact michela@rcyc.co.za or phone +27 21 421 1354.

International Must-See Sailing

World Match Racing

Image: © Dan Ljungsvik

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he next three months offer great international sailing. From 5-11 October, the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) goes to Bermuda for the King Edward VII Gold Cup. This is the penultimate event of the season; the winner will be determined in December at the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia. The 10-event series is the only global series of sailing events in the world touching four continents and featuring America’s Cup teams, skippers and the world’s top sailors in the ultimate "race of truth." The WMRT uses the same one-on-one, match race format (course, rules, umpires) as the America's Cup. However, races take place in identical, event-supplied racing yachts for a true test of skill and teamwork.

Boats range from 30-40 foot with four to six crew on each yacht. Each event lasts five days with racing held as close to shore as possible for a exceptional spectator and hospitality experience.

To date, the racing has been fierce, though the most recent event, the Danish

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Open, saw a fairy tale finale. Having had one year out from match racing and the WMRT, local hero Jes Gram-Hansen was not top of the list of favourites going into this series. However, match racing for Gram Hansen seemed to be like riding a bike, especially when it is in a DS37 that he started racing intensively during his training as a youth back in the mid-1990s, and better still when he is racing these familiar boats in his home waters. He won

this nail-biting series 3-1, to go up against Torvar Mirsky in the finals, whom he trounced in a 3-0 result. Mirsky, nonetheless, retains his lead in the current world championship standings, with Adam Minoprio of ETNZ/BlackMatch a close second and Mathieu Richard of French Team, Peter Gilmour of YANMAR Racing, and Ian Williams of Team Pindar 70 not far behind. To follow the series online, visit www.worldmatchracingtour.com.

Image: © Bob Grieser/outsideimages.co.nz/ Louis Vuitton World Series

Images: © Carlo Borlenghi; Daniel Forster; For Rolex

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Louis Vuitton World Series

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ecently announced, the first event of this new series is set to debut in Nice, France, from 7- 22 November 2009. The Louis Vuitton World Series (LVWS) is an outgrowth of the successful and highly-competitive Louis Vuitton Pacific Series that took place in Auckland in February earlier this year. The launch of the LVWS is positive news for top-tier professional sailors as it guarantees a global world series aboard high-tech Version 5 ACC monohull racing boats. The Series will feature a 10-team field competing in shared ACC yachts in a round robin, one-on-one match racing format where the two finalists go head-to-head to determine the winner. Points will be accumulated throughout the series to determine the ranking of the season. The second LVWS event is scheduled for March 2010 in Auckland, New Zealand, followed by a Series in La Maddalena, Italy in May 2010. Organisers are also evaluating interest from other international cities to complete the racing calendar for 2010 and 2011. Bruno Trouble, creator of the Louis Vuitton Cup and LVWS, commented: "We have received serious interest from cities like Athens, Greece; Valencia, Spain; Newport, RI, USA; Cape Town, South Africa; Hong Kong, and Abu Dhabi to host future events."

Teams confirmed for the first event in Nice include: BMW Oracle Racing (USA), Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Italia by Joe Fly (ITA), K-Challenge (FRA), Mascalzone Latino (ITA), Swedish Challenge Artemis (SWE), Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS), and Team French Spirit (FRA).

All the LVWS events will be sanctioned by ISAF, the international sailing governing body and will take place over the next two years alongside the America's Cup, but are described as not intended to compete with the pinnacle of sailing. One of the major selling points for the Series is that teams do not have to build their boats so the format is cost-effective, accessible and turnkey for the participants.

T

he Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is widely regarded as one of the toughest tests of seamanship in the sport of sailing. Almost every year, heavy weather conditions are encountered on the course as the fleet heads south in the Tasman Sea, crossing the eastern part of Bass Strait on the way. The notoriety of the race comes from its ability to offer up wild conditions with little warning.

Along with the Rolex Fastnet Race in the UK and the Newport Bermuda Race in the USA, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is one of the world’s three biggest offshore classic yacht races. Over the past 64 years, the 628-nautical mile Rolex Sydney Hobart has become an icon of summer sport in Australia, starting annually from Sydney Harbour on 26 December.

Those who sail the race often say the first and last days are the most exciting. The start of the race attracts hundreds of spectator craft, and hundreds of thousands of people line the shore as helicopters buzz above the fleet, filming for TV stations around the world. The final day at sea is tense as crews fight to beat their rivals, while looking forward to the traditional Hobart welcome and to relaxing and celebrating their experiences. For more information or to follow the race online, visit www.rolexsydneyhobart.com. 

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Aicon 82 Open

Sporty Elegance and Technological Innovation

Words & Images: Š AICON YACHTS

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S W IFT

Combining the same decisive and flowing concepts that define the Aicon 62 and Aicon 72, the Aicon 82 Open megayacht was recently launched at the Festival de la Plaisance de Cannes to much acclaim.

A

fusion of rigor and style, the Aicon 82 Open provides a refuge for those seeking excellence. The yacht, with its integrated system of Domotics and centralised system of all electrical utilities and functions, defines innovation. The centralised system is able to control all functions onboard, including the automatic management of the craft’s power supply, inverters, hydraulic system and automatic safety procedures.

In terms of style, the exterior forms are decisive and flowing, with particular attention to open spaces. A long and continuous picture window characterises both sides of the yacht, from stern to bow, while the large hard top is connected to the windscreen by an almost invisible bar. Both these elements give the feeling of being totally in synch with the sea.

The yacht’s characteristic mixed-line form and the large porthole of the master cabin make its lineage immediately recognisable as Aicon stock. The purity of form, elegance of its proportions and the search for elongated lines interpret the

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sporty character of the vessel “through the shape of movement.” The streamlined external lines of the boat are mirrored in the interior styling with a duo-tone wooden essence running through the layout, while a ribbon of dark wood runs along the entire length of the broadside of the main deck.

All the outside spaces on the Aicon 82 Open have been conceived and equipped to experience every moment of the cruise in complete relaxation and with the maximum comfort. Rising from the stern platform, two teak staircases ascend to the stern cockpit, which is connected to the bow sunbathing area by two wide, side passageways. An ample and comfortable open-air dinette and spacious sunbathing area combine flawlessly with a multifunctional cabinet housing a wet bar, mini fridge and an electric barbecue grill. In true Aicon tradition, the light and airy living area reveals refined interiors, while generous picture windows assure an abundance of light.

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The main deck accommodates a large meeting area with an L-shaped sofa and dinette seating eight. Opposite it, in addition to another double seat sofa, is a hide-away LCD TV and an electric bar cabinet. Even the roomy helm station, which is accessorised with the most modern instrumentation technology, has an impeccable style, enriched by materials such as essence of teak, oak and precious fabrics.

The galley is complete with every comfort and characterised by seemingly endless cupboards for storage. The cabins have been conceived so as to guarantee that each area has its own privacy and comfort.

Two large opening portholes, defining the stylistic element of the entire Aicon range, light up the master cabin, which is located amidships to take advantage of the full beam. This cabin has a beautiful desk, ample wardrobe and elegant en suite bathroom, the shower complete with water massager and teak deck.

Towards the bow at starboard and portside are the two guest cabins with double beds and en suite bathrooms, while the VIP cabin, with its full bed and roomy bathroom, is located at the extremity. The aft-located crew quarters have two cabins, one of which has a double bed, and a separate bathroom. Upon request, it is possible to substitute one of the two cabins with a small galley and dinette area and position a cabin for a hostess in the space dedicated to the galley.

The Aicon 82 Open’s exceptional combination of class and comfort, innovation and technology, and conformity of space creates an environment that is open and functional, and allows for contemporary comfort and relaxation while sailing.  Contact Wiltel Marine • Tel: 0860 MARINE (0860 627463) • Tel: +27 82 562 5145 • Visit: www.wiltelmarine.co.za

Where Luxury Docks

25 - 27 FEBRUARY 2010 Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre

The world’s most beautiful ocean vessels, at the region’s most stylish boat show.

Headline Sponsor

Associate Sponsor

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces

Organised by

Conference Partner

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To visit and for information contact The Abu Dhabi Yacht Show Tel: +971 4 3365161 Email: info@abudhabiyachtshow.com Web: www.abudhabiyachtshow.com

S AUNTER

The Mille

Miglia Coming to South Africa 2010

Called “the world's most beautiful road race” by Enzo Ferrari, the Mille Miglia is an annual vintage car race over a route of 1,000 miles (mille miglia) from Brescia to Rome and back. By far the most popular road race in the world after 80 years of tradition populated by fearless drivers, this event is coming to South Africa in 2010.

Words: OZAN HADAD Images: © MILLE MIGLIA

T

he Mille Miglia is to Italy what the Tour de France is to France.

For days on end, each May, Italians from all walks of life find the excuse to line the route where the Freccia Rossa (the trademark red arrow of the Mille Miglia) will pass. The passion, the glory and the glamour of yesteryear play themselves out when, after daring feats of driving across high mountain passes, drivers arrive at section finishes with showy entries. On the esplanades of every Italian town and city along the way, winners and losers alike are welcomed daily as if fresh off the silver screen.

In the early 1920s, the town of Brescia had to swallow the insult of losing the Italian Grand Prix, when Monza was built in the Royal Park of Milan. The impassioned motoring enthusiasts of this region, backed by manufacturers who needed to revive their reputation for reliability in the eyes of the local public, dared not confront the

political powers in Milan directly, or wanted to simply imitate other emerging events such as the endurance race now known as Le Mans. Currying favour with the fascist regime in Rome, the idea of the Mille Miglia, a race covering the distance between Brescia and Rome was conceived, using the Roman mile, rather than the usual kilometre distance indicator. Rome enthusiastically endorsed the idea, in part, because the organisers’ ability to keep investment costs low by using public roads meant that they could help address the lingering problem of road maintenance that had plagued Italy since unification a good 60 years earlier. In March 1927, the first Mille Miglia race set off for Rome and back.

The first race was won in just over 20 hours, with entries from manufacturers such as Lancia, Alfa, Lambda, Isotta and even three foreign Peugeots, yet it was the OM that took the first three places in a race that wrecked havoc on tyres due to the

terrible condition of the roads. The average speed of the winner was 77 km/h, dramatically exceeding the expectations of organisers and manufacturers alike.

The success of the first event inspired the organisers on the first day after the race to start planning the Mille Miglia as an annual escapade. Manufacturers went into overdrive with modifications, based on their new knowledge of what the conditions would require. By March 1928, despite encroaching economic hardship, new entrants like Bugatti and Maserati entered the race, as did foreign entries such as Chrysler, two La Salles and the Lorraine Dietrich B3-6 that had beaten the OM at Le Mans in 1926. In one of the Chryslers, the Baroness Maria Antonietta Avanzo became the event's first female competitor. In this edition, Alfa was ready and took first place and the Coppa Brescia for the winning team. By 1929, the global economic crisis took its toll on foreign entries, but was livened up by more female entrants,

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including actress Mimi Aylmer who counted many a famous royal and politician as suitor, and through the addition of racing numbers.

With each new event, speed kept increasing, and tactics started to emerge as some competitors now had a good idea of what the course would throw at them. The popularity of the race skyrocketed with towns and regions lobbying for route alterations. Private and aspiring drivers could now also enter, renting cars from the auto manufacturers. The early 1930s saw foreign entries such as Mercedes and MG take line honours, resulting in predictable support from Mussolini’s fascist regime bent on seeing an Italian driver win an Italian race. This changed after Il Duce invaded Ethiopia in 1936, with only local racers participating and participants having to use fuel substitutes due to sanctions. A terrible accident in 1938, where a skidding car killed 10 school children, suddenly saw the Mille Miglia banned from public roads.

This resulted in the first “African Mille Miglia� being run between Tobruk and Tripoli in 1940, with a scaled-down circuit event on closed roads in Italy suggesting the end of a great tradition. It is rumoured that the leading BMW drivers got orders from Hitler to slow down in order to avoid humiliation for his Italian ally.

The first post-war event, scheduled in 1947, presented the new government with

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the opportunity to demonstrate that they could rival the Fascist regime, yet with considerable challenges. Roads and bridges had to be rebuilt, bandits cleared off the Appennine sections, and solutions found for rationed petrol and tyres by way of coupons, with a significant black-market value. Only 155 of the 245 entrants actually set off on the original route. On the positive side was the work being done by Ferrari, Cisitalia and Maserati on newer models, although an older, modified Alfa won when heavy downpours affected the leading Cisitalia spyder. All the drama of earlier races returned by 1948, with foreign

The Mille Miglia is to Italy what the Tour de France is to France. participants starting to join again and new classes being added. To top it off, racing legend Nuvolari, who was to lead the Ferrari challenge, was visited personally by Enzo Ferrari at the abbey where he was recovering from lung disease and the trauma of the death of his two young children. Bucking two mad-cap accidents, rumour has it that, midway through the race, Enzo eventually had a priest in full habit stand in the middle of the road in order to stop Nuvolari from further participating and risking his life.

Unlucky 17, the Italians believe, and after a rather uneventful 1949, the 1950 (17th) race had many elements of drama, not least how infighting kept plaguing Alfa, with Ferrari smiling all the way to the finish line. By now, the event was attracting almost 375 starters, a new record. Entering the race had become no more than a procedural formality. Anyone with a car and an international racing driver's licence needed only to fill in two copies of a form and pay a 15,000 Lire fee, which included insurance coverage. Consequently, 116 Fiat 500s started along with 52 cars in the Touring class up to 1100cc and 36 in the class above 1100cc. In 1951, the number of classes grew to 11 in order to make sense of the growing number of participants.

The 1952 edition would be known for the serious re-entry of foreigners, with Porsche, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Healy, Jaguar, Renault and Panhard back on the track. With the Mille Miglia gaining World Sports Car Championship status in 1953, the stakes were raised considerably, and the year was marred by unsportsmanlike behaviour between the two main Italian contenders, Alfa and Lancia. Compulsory crash helmets were introduced, as was the first TV crew. By now, average speeds had crept up to about 175 km/h. In 1954, this increase in speed made the use of codrivers redundant, and they were eliminated. The race course was now set

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permanently, at a distance of just below 1,600 kilometres. The total humiliation of Italian cars in 1955, led by British driver Sterling Moss and the inspirational fivemetre rolling-paper map of his navigator Denis Jenkinson, saw local interest starting to wane.

The death of 81 spectators at the 1956 Le Mans, shortly on the heels of the 1955 accident at Monza that killed Lancia driver Ascari, forced organisers to reconsider safety. Drivers would from now on be selected, and classes were cut back to see only 365 drivers take off. Italy restored its pride with wins by Ferrari and by Alfa Romeo’s new Giulletta Sprint Veloce and Osca in their respective classes. The final

edition of the original Mille Miglia in 1957 was marred by accidents. Victory went to Taruffi and Ferrari, but in the town of Guidizzola, less than 40 kilometres from the finishing line, Alfonso de Portago’s left front tyre blew and he went off the road killing himself, his co-driver Edmund Gurner Nelson and 10 spectators. Three days later the Italian government decreed the end of the Mille Miglia and of all motor racing on Italian public roads.

At the 50th anniversary of the first Mille Miglia in 1977, the Brescia Automative Club revived the tradition, shifting away from performance to a celebration of the vintage cars and the spirit of yesteryear. With enthusiasm

rekindled in what was effectively now a mobile museum, organisers kept on changing the rules to encourage drivers of some of the oldest, more difficult to drive vehicles to participate. The Mille Miglia came out of hibernation, and by 2009, had re-established itself as one of the world’s premier motoring events.

To coincide with the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, organisers are now working on running next year’s event in Africa for a second time – this time between Johannesburg and Cape Town, an even 1,000 miles. For motoring enthusiasts and the general public, the arrival of up to 350 of the world’s most beautiful vintage cars on local soil will be a sight to behold. 

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BRESCIA

I t a l y ’s O t h e r C i t y o f A r t Straddling the shores of Italy’s Lakes Garda and Iseo, the province of Brescia in the Lombardia region resonates with rich flavours. Its central location has meant that over the centuries its history has been shaped by a remarkable cross section of central European influences.

Words: KEVIN BARKER Images: © BRESCIATOURISM

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ot only does the city of Brescia represent a patchwork of cultural influences, but nature has blessed the region with a range of environments so diverse that each point of the compass offers something entirely different: imposing mountains offering world-class skiing to the north, lakes well known as water sports destinations to both the west and the east, and endless plains that play host to mountain bikers and hikers to the south.

The city of Brescia's origins can be traced back to the Bronze Age, though it did not become all that well known until it was designated the capital of the Cenomani Gauls of Brixia. The Cenomani were defeated and absorbed by the Romans in 187 BC, and it was only under the rule of

Julius Caesar in 49 BC that Brescia obtained full Roman citizenship.

The 12th and 13th Centuries enjoyed many great architectural achievements.

Brescia once more experienced a spurt of growth when, in 1426, it became a part of the Republic of Venice, remaining as such until 1796. Under Venice's liberal rule, the city experienced a period of wealth and economic development, though it began to feel the effects of Venice’s political decline towards the end of the 17th Century.

In 1797, Brescia rebelled against Venice and was included by Napoleon in the Cisalpine Republic. With the collapse of the Napoleonic Empire in 1815, however, Brescia was incorporated into Austrian territory.

In 1849, Brescian revolutionaries, spurned on by the success of the French revolution, rebelled against their Austrian masters for 10 dramatic days, earning

Brescia the title “Lioness of Italy.” In 1859, Brescia finally became part of a unified Italy, following the Wars of Independence, and its history from then onwards became tied to this country.

A visit to Brescia will reward visitors with plenty to see and do. A large number of the city’s cultural highlights can be found in the City Museum, housed in the Monastery of Santa Giulia. Founded in 735 AD by King Desiderio of the Lombards on the remains of a Roman era estate, the complex features the Basilica of San Salvatore, the Church of Santa Maria in Solario housing the treasure of Santa Giulia, and three renaissance era cloisters, beneath which two Roman villas, the Domus dell’Ortaglia, were discovered. The museum also houses an invaluable collection of objects dating from prehistory right up until the 19th Century.

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In most Italian towns, the cathedral is upgraded as people’s needs change. In Brescia however, the new church was built alongside the old one in order to give visitors some insight into the differences between the two, thus, Brescia is unique in its having two cathedrals. The historic Duomo Vecchio is completely dwarfed by its successor; but it is the older site that is the most interesting.

For art lovers, Brescia's most precious pieces can be found in a gallery to the south-east of the city centre, the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo. Highlights include works

by Raphael, Lorenzo Lotto and Tintoretto, as well as many local artists.

When it comes to the beauty of nature, Brescia did not draw the short straw. Lake Garda and its striking vistas, its captivating towns eliciting memories of the grander times, times of feathers, furs and haute couture have, for centuries, lured those members of upper-class society seeking relaxation and a visit to the lakeside.

The western shore of Lake Garda, the Riviera dei Limoni, has long captivated poets and writers such as Catullo, Joyce, Goethe and D’Annunzio with its extraordinary splendour. In contrast, the southern shore is characterised by gentle hills and is the birthplace of some of Brescia's most famous wines.

One of the most enchanting places on the lake, Sirmione, is located on a narrow

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peninsula that extends nearly four kilometres into Lake Garda and offers views of both shores. It houses the Rocca Scaligera, which was built in 1250 by Mastino I della Scala, Lord of Verona, as a fortress to protect the lake. The ancient township is entered via drawbridge and one can follow the narrow, Roman lanes from the town centre to the archaeological site at the end of the peninsula.

In Gardone Riviera, a typical 19th Century atmosphere still prevails as this used to be where the nobility and bourgeoisie of all Europe opted to live an axiom that became a motto of the era: “Mens sana in corpore sano,” translated as “a healthy body means a healthy mind.”

Brescian spas and wellness centres have been an integral part of the region since the first recorded settlement, and when combined with the distinctly provincial cuisine, the ocular pleasures on offer make it is easy to see from where the healthy body and mind sentiment comes.

When it comes to event hosting, Brescia enjoys its fair share. Gargnano is the port of choice for sailing enthusiasts, as it is renowned for the consistent winds that blow over Lake Garda in this region. It is for this exact reason that the area plays host to the most important regatta on internal European waters, the Centomiglia, which happens in September. This international event has been held on Lake Garda since

1951 and, as Europe’s most prestigious sailing race on internal waters, sees hundreds of teams launching from the small port of Bogliacco, which undergoes a metamorphosis from sleepy lakeside town to international yachting centre for the duration of this event.

February sees the Fair of San Faustino and Giovita in town, in honour of the city’s patron saints. Here, as many as 800 vendors descend upon the city to trade their wares.

To mark mid-Lent, a scarecrow full of fireworks is burnt to represent the evils of daily life going up in flames.

May sees the Mille Miglia bring with it hordes of spectators. The Mille Miglia is a historic automobile race that makes its way from Viale Venezia in Brescia through at least half of Italy before ending again in Brescia. The spectacle is a mindboggling procession of antique vehicles and plays host to the crème de la crème of auto manufacturers displaying their crown jewels.

Common sense reminds us not to judge a book by its cover, and Brescia’s somewhat industrial veneer needs to be scratched only very lightly to reveal one of Europe’s artistic and natural showpieces. With so much to offer the mind, body and soul, it is no small wonder that the area has proven irresistible to mankind since the dawn of time. For more information visit www.bresciatourism.it. 

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Got Wings? s g n i W Get “Learning to fly… But I ain’t got wings,” sang Tom Petty. These days, the lack of wings is a condition easily cured by a visit to one of the many flight schools out there. Let me not bore you with over-used mantras of slipping the surly bonds and leaving all your earthbound worries behind. Rather, let me assure you that once you have gripped the controls of an aircraft, manipulated it from take-off, navigated the oceans of air, and landed back on terra firma – you will be hooked. Game over. Perma-grin...

Words & Images: © KEVIN BARKER

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any think you need first undergo hours of training and endless classroom sessions before you get to sample a taste of flight. This is a gross misconception, and a visit to any flight school for what is called an intro-flight will soon see you allocated an aircraft and an instructor for a 30-minute flight that features you – yes you – in the left-hand (captain’s) seat. On this flight you will be doing most, if not all, of the flying, under the watchful eye of your mentor for the day, before you have ever had a lesson.

Assuming the bug bites, as it usually does, what is the next step? First and

foremost is the choice of the correct flight school. Like in any other game, there are varying levels of service out there, and doing decent research through word of mouth is paramount. Importantly, speak to some of the students about the school and how they are treated; do they feel like just a number, do they get the attention they require and are there senior, experienced instructors on hand with which to discuss issues. Find out about what types of aircraft are available to train on, because if you are planning to use your pilot’s licence for flying yourself and the family around after purchasing an aircraft, it doesn’t help training on a micro-light type. Speak about aircraft serviceability because a school with constantly broken aircraft is going to

slow your progress and potentially influence your safety – and that is the one thing that is not negotiable in aviation.

Cheaper is not always better when learning to fly.

The Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL) can be obtained in as little as eight weeks. Many schools will try to sell their PPL as a shorter course, but one has to plan for adverse weather conditions, possible aircraft downtime and just plain finding enough time in the rush of daily life. Some schools do offer full-time courses that make a five week PPL possible, and this is really the best way to go about it. Five weeks of fullon aviation emersion, normally consisting of two to three hours of lectures in the morning, followed by a briefing on the

lesson to be flown. Then you and the instructor go off on a daily basis to work through the syllabus of 27 exercises that need to be mastered before you are allowed to set off on your own. This process repeats itself twice a day and means that realistically you can reach the minimum required hours (45) in about three weeks, with the other two weeks dedicated to theory, which is tested by way of an online exam at the end of the course.

On the theory side you will be lectured on Air Law, the rules of the road for aviation, in which you learn the privileges of the licence you hold, dos and don’ts, and how to plan and operate a flight within the confines of the law. Not one of the most entertaining subjects, yes, but one that is said to be written in blood for good reason.

The laws are there to protect some from themselves.

You will then be taught how to interpret and understand the atmosphere in which all aircraft fly. Meteorology is the study of the air we fly in, and how its various moods and permutations affect an aircraft in flight. Another life and death subject because, like the ocean, the sky is very unforgiving of carelessness or neglect.

A slightly technical subject, Airframes and Engines, introduces the student to the mechanical side of things and how they perform in unison to grant man the gift of flight. All flight schools have aircraft and physical examples on hand to help illustrate what is being taught and if 17 year olds can get it, it can’t be too tough.

Principles of Flight is the most important theory subject and answers the often-asked question: “what makes an aircraft fly?” This is the study of how the shape, weight, power and loading influence how an aircraft and wing behaves in flight.

Navigation teaches you how to read a map and ultimately to be able to plan and complete a cross-country flight from take-

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off to landing, without the use of GPS and other technological trickery. It is a skill well worth having because, being electronic in nature, GPS and other navigation instruments can, and do, fail.

Terrifying some people more than the actual flying of the aircraft is the radio. As the primary and only form of communication in aviation, the student also undergoes a Restricted Radio Telephony course, which teaches all of the relevant terminology to be used during all phases of flight.

The practical side runs parallel to the theory and is really where the fun starts.

From day one you sit in the Captain’s seat and manipulate the controls. After learning how to inspect the aircraft for any defects before strapping in, you will be taught how to use a checklist to start the engine, organise the cockpit before taxiing out, and prepare the aircraft for take-off.

Learning to take-off comes next, followed by climbing and straight and level flight – the trickiest part in the beginning.

The effects of all the controls are taught and at this stage it is still easy to get lost in the beauty and awe of it all. It takes a few minutes to realise that you are actually flying and need to focus on the task at hand.

Striking terror into the hearts of most students are the words “stall” and “spin.”

Once you have learnt what these terms mean and how the aircraft reacts to them, you quickly realise that they form a natural part of the principles of flight and, as with anything in aviation, knowledge is power.

Understanding the principles will keep you safe.

A lot of time will be spent practising emergency drills for the unlikely day that you might need them. With training aircraft you learn from early on how to manage the aircraft if the engine stops, how to pick a field, and the techniques for a safe forced landing. This will be drilled into you with daily regularity, as the pilot who is well versed in emergency procedures won’t

panic when he faces the real thing.

Returning to the airfield, you will fly what seems like endless touch-and-go landings to teach you how to operate in the airfield’s traffic pattern and learn the “black art” of returning an aircraft gently back to land. Although they say any landing you can walk away from is a good one – schools like to be able to use their aircraft again, and a large percentage of your first hours will be spent “bashing the circuit.”

The balance or your time will comprise a mixture of flights with an instructor who demonstrates a lesson, after which you will be sent off to practice what you just learnt.

Once you have mastered all of the lessons to a level deemed safe and competent by your instructor you have to undergo a flight test with a designated examiner who will test you through all the phases you have learnt and come up with a scenario or two to solve in flight. He needs to see that not only are you physically capable of handling the aircraft but also capable of making intelligent decisions, all the while being able to navigate to pre-determined points on a map.

Then one day it happens. After landing your instructor will turn to you and say: “off you go, go and do one circuit on your own,” and jump out of the plane, leaving you with cotton mouth, a pounding heart and the realisation that this is it; this is what you have been training for.

Passing your final flight examination is the key to unlocking many doors: flying the family to your next holiday at the coast, flying yourself to the next business meeting or golf game, taking your friends on a fishing trip. In fact, it opens up the ultimate portal into a new dimension of personal freedom. There are few things that really say: “I have arrived,” quite like locking up an aircraft at a destination away from home and thinking to yourself: “I flew that piece of metal here – safely – and we can use it again…” 

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R Reuben’s At The Robertson Small Hotel The story of Reuben Riffel reads like a fairy tale. It begins with a small town boy starting a career in his father’s construction company and unravels into a narrative telling the tale of successive honours heaped upon him. When Reuben’s opened its doors in Franschhoek, Reuben was dubbed "Chef of the Year" within months, and the establishment named "Restaurant of the Year" soon after.

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euben’s most recent achievement, aside from the recent authoring of his own book, Reuben Cooks: Food is Time Travel, is the opening of Reuben’s at The Robertson Small Hotel. Shareholders in Reuben’s in Franschhoek decided to build The Robertson Small Hotel and it was a fait accompli to invite Reuben to open his restaurant there.

With a century and a half of richly diverse history, legacy and heritage, the number of national heritage sites in the charming town of Robertson is hardly astounding. One such building is Zandvliet, on 58 Van Reenen Street, built in 1909.

Now coined The Manor House, it is the heart of The Robertson Small Hotel.

In pretty Robertson, along the increasingly popular wine tourism route, which is home to local gastronomes and wine aficionados who deem the launch of a five-star establishment long overdue, this Hotel could not be more strategically positioned. Just two hours from Cape Town, this destination is sure to entice Capetonians to dine at Reuben’s and spend the night in sumptuous comfort in the Hotel’s romantic surrounds.

With 10 spacious, luxury, en suite bedrooms, manicured gardens and shimmering pools; the understated elegance of this boutique hotel is indeed refreshing. Timelessly restored, The Manor House harks back to the bygone Victorian era. It houses three spacious and elegant en suite bedrooms with high, intricately-

Words: JACQUI JONES Images: © THE ROBERTSON SMALL HOTEL

embossed, original pressed ceilings, artistic décor and stained-glass windows. The Manor House also contains the stylish chrome-pewter marble and glass bar and the modern, high-tech wine cellar. Not to forget, of course, Reuben’s at The Robertson Small Hotel. In addition to The Manor House are two out buildings: the casualcontemporary Stables Suites, with their two downstairs suites and one honeymoon suite upstairs, and the understated Poolside Suites, of which there are four, spilling out onto an elongated pool and deck.

Young and innovative designer, Nica Maree, has gilded the entire establishment with her Midas touch. She used a monochrome-palette of French white interspersed with hues of grey, silver and pearl, taking her artistic tendencies through to Reuben’s Restaurant too, where her vision of journeying from old to new meets seismically. Here, the elements are seamlessly integrated and aesthetically refreshing. The red-chequered floor section juxtaposes the grey and cream nuances, playfully and artistically infusing the colour theme with vitality. Reuben’s signature canvas is made three-dimensional and animated into the intimate and inviting cove of culinary cornucopia it is.

Reuben has unearthed a local rising star in the kitchen too: Executive Chef Aviv Liebenberg, who hails from Bouillabaisse restaurant in Franschhoek and was trained

by Reuben himself. Reuben and Aviv crafted the menu, which will change on a regular and seasonal basis. The menu features a variety of scrumptious dishes to suit every palate and, as far as possible, uses natural and seasonal produce, showing a progression towards organic. Begin your meal with cured springbok Carpaccio in a soy reduction infused with sesame, with a hint of apple and ginger for a starter with a twist. Reuben’s sweetbreads have received rave reviews, so perhaps this is another point from which to start your gastronomic journey. For an eclectic taste of the Mediterranean with nuances of the East, the dukkah-crusted lamb rack is cooked to tender perfection while the wing-rib is another speciality that simply must be tried. Those with a more conservative palate, as well as vegans and vegetarians,

are equally spoilt for choice. Pair any of these delectable dishes with a top-notch wine from one of the Robertson Valley’s acclaimed estates, all of which are represented in the restaurant’s state-ofthe-art wine cellar, sipped out of a beautiful Riedel glass. Desserts, under the auspices of patisserie-chef, Christien van der Westhuizen, are utterly sublime. for a celestial treat, try the berry panna cotta and black pepper meringue, wild berry sorbet, rose petal tempura and mint and pistachio pesto. And be sure you get up early enough for breakfast too, because the Eggs Benedict, prepared with duck eggs, reveals a nuttiness and richness that will take you to unprecedented levels of epicurean ecstasy.

The Hotel is ably managed by young, trendy and aplomb couple, Riaan and Stefané Kruger, of Royal Madikwe fame and whose reputation in the hospitality industry precedes them. With this pedigree in management, one can rest assured that staff will be expertly trained and wholly attentive. The unparalleled country luxury and culinary brilliance of The Robertson Small Hotel makes this destination unique and desirable. Set Reuben’s in this utopia, where peace pervades, along the increasingly popular Route 62, and one has a definite recipe for success.

Visit www.therobertsonsmallhotel.com or contact +27 23 626 7200 for more information. 

Classic Malts Cruising

, off Scotland s West Coast The dramatic, scenic isles off Scotland's west coast, formed by millennia of climate change, are

steeped in history – Viking raids and bitter clan feuds – and offer magical cruising among islands producing the cream of drams: single-malt whisky.

Words: ALEX PETERSEN Images: © CHRISTINE SPREITER

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ravelling from Oban on the mainland, we headed south, into the Firth of Lorn, where Islay and Jura lay ahead of us. Later, we would turn back north, to the legendary Isle of Skye. On the itinerary were four single-malt distilleries – no wonder the salted ozone air smelt fine and fresh here. The blue-grey colour of the sea – a colour the Scots and Scottish English used to call “blae” – scintillated against the vivid shades of the surrounding landscape. We were sailing to the isles, threading past nearby green hillsides and the odd cluster of white houses, standing sharp against the changing hues of the sea. A solitary piper on the quay at Oban bid us adieu above the shrill call of a lone seagull.

Grampus, a Swan 44, eagerly cut through the cold water as her owner and skipper, Stewart Robertson, helmed her to starboard of a buoy that marked a reef. The morning mist cleared to let the sun through and we quickly hoisted the main and genoa sails to a westerly breeze. Grampus was now pushing eight knots and more.

Hosted by Diageo and run by the World Cruising Club, the Classic Malts Cruise started in 1994 in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Oban Distillery. This year,

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over 100 yachts from 10 countries participated.

Some hours south we skirted several small islands north of Jura and later dropped anchor in a sheltered bay for a lunch of smoked Scottish salmon and other delights.

That afternoon the wind held as we sailed down the northwest coast of Jura, an island comprised of alternating weathered cliffs and sloping green hills, in the main deserted, but with strange, raised beaches perhaps 10 or 20 metres above sea level. Over 12,000 years ago, relieved of the weight as the ice retreated, the land rose, leaving the beaches quite literally high and dry.

After a night spent in a quiet anchorage, we again headed south, threading once more between the orange buoys of lobster pots and into the Sound of Islay. By midday we were at the pier of Caol Ila Distillery, rafting up with the other yachts and ready for a crash course in whisky making and tasting. A bus ride took us to Port Ellen on Islay's south coast, and to Diageo's malting plant.

Although the distillers insistently tell you otherwise, whisky making is surprisingly complicated, and all the initial processes are carefully measured and timed to an optimum. From home-brew days, I had always thought of malt as a brown, viscous

stuff, like molasses. But essentially a malt is barley (or other grain) that has been soaked in water and then aired to germinate, making the sugars accessible. Heating this in a kiln ends the germination before too much valuable starch is lost to growth.

On the often treeless islands, peat is an obvious fuel for the kilns, lending a smoky quality to the malted barley, though not all distillers want this. Port Ellen Maltings supplies not only to Diageo's own Caol Ila, Lagavulin and Port Ellen Distilleries, but to other distilleries on Islay and Jura too, so some kiln runs are unpeated and indirectly fired for a much lighter malting.

The malted grain is then crushed and mixed with hot water to form a mash, releasing the sugars. The resulting "wort" is then pumped into a fermentation tank, and the vital yeast added to convert the sugar to alcohol. The resulting liquid, at this point not unlike a beer, is what is fed into the stills.

“Get you a copper kettle, get you a copper coil,” go the words of the old Kentucky moonshine song. Stills are surprisingly varied and their very shape affects the point at which each distillate peels off. Unexpectedly, the copper plays a crucial role, chemically binding with impurities which are drained off. As a

result, sections of the thinned copper still frequently need replacement.

Our education was topped off with a “nosing” and a tasting. Elegant glasses much like narrow-topped sherry schooners are best as they allow the flavours to be concentrated in the nostrils. Eight such glasses, numbered and placed before us, set out the dissimilarities between an almost raw alcohol, showing the difference caused by years – 11, 16, or more in the American oak casks, and in some cases further years in former sherry casks. Between them, oak and peat endow single-malt whisky with a variety of possibilities and flavours, all subtly different, all worth exploring.

Off early the next morning, we were soon discovering the channels of the rocky islands where David Balfour, the hero in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Kidnapped found himself marooned among narrow coves of granite and a small isolated beach.

An hour to the north in the light breeze was Iona, the low island where, in the 7th Century, St Columba, an Irish prince, set up a monastery to spread Christianity to Scotland. Oddly enough, while the Irish had both Christianity and whisky earlier than

the Scots, it was the latter, as missionaries and merchants, who spread the two throughout the world.

One of our astounding stops was at Fingal’s Cave, a huge chamber carved into the cliff of Staffa Island. Such cliff caves are not rare in the islands, though the surrounding geometric basalt columns make them incredible, awesome sights, particularly when the pounding surf crashes at the base. That afternoon, hiking on Coll, a small, uninhabited island, we stumbled across hundreds of puffins and considered ourselves lucky to see these delightfully awkward, orange-beaked birds just a week or so before they set out for months at sea.

We spent our last night onboard Grampus, anchored in Skye’s Loch Scavaig.

We rowed ashore and clambered up to view the anchorage from the heights, then headed back to pick mussels for dinner.

The end of such an adventure has a bittersweet poignancy. We had touched but a small part of a new cruising ground which, like single-malt whisky, offers an amazing variety.  For more information online, visit www.worldcruising.com/classicmaltscruise.

Distilleries and Tasting Notes Caol Ila

Established in 1846 on the coast near Port Askaig, Caol Ila means “Sound of Islay” in Gaelic. Here, a waterfall supplies power for barley hoists and pressure for fire hydrants, while a seawater heat exchanger cools process water before returning it to the condensers. The malt is lighter and more subtle than other Islay whiskies with a smokiness that makes it highly prized by connoisseurs.

Tasting Notes Appearance: Pale straw.

Nose: Subdued, citric fruitiness; fresh and appetising, little smoke. Water raises almond oil and oilskins; still fresh fruit, a trace of olive oil, then potpourri.

Body: Firm, smooth, light to medium.

Palate: Sweet start; light, fragrant smokiness. Smooth, pleasant mouthfeel,with water light acidity, salt and sweetness – complex balance of primary tastes.

Finish: Lingering sweet smokiness.

Lagavulin

Founded in 1816 by John Johnston, Lagavulin takes its name from the Gaelic Laggan Mhouillin, meaning “hollow where the mill is.” Located on a cramped, chaotic, wildly romantic site, this is one of Scotland's

distilleries most highly in demand. The whisky gets its intense character from the distillery’s own richly peaty water supply, heavily peated barley, unusually long fermentation (up to 75 hours) and long maturation (aged 16 years).

Tasting Notes Appearance: Deep amber gold.

Nose: Intense peat smoke with iodine and seaweed and a rich, deep sweetness.

Body: Full, rich.

Palate: Dry peat smoke fills the palate with a gentle but strong sweetness, followed by sea and salt with touches of wood.

Finish: A long, elegant peat-filled finish with lots of salt and seaweed.

Oban

One of Scotland’s smallest and oldest distilleries, distilling began in 1794, Oban was built in the centre of the town that is its namesake by the original founders. The distillery operates just two small, lanternshaped stills and a slow condensation process takes place in traditional worm tubs that nestle in the rooftops.

Tasting Notes Appearance: Olive gold.

Nose: Rich sweetness and fruits – oranges, lemons and pears, with sea-salt and peaty smokiness.

Body: Full, rich.

Palate: Mouth-filling late autumn fruits – dried figs and honey sweet spices; followed by a smoky, malty dryness.

Finish: Long, smooth-sweet finish with oak-wood, dryness and a grain of salt.

Talisker

Built in 1830 by Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill, and still the Isle of Skye’s only malt whisky distillery, Talisker is situated beside Loch Harport, its name taken from the Norse, “Thalas Gair,” meaning “Sloping Rock.” This distillery’s unique arrangement of stills gives Talisker’s whisky an inimitable character that is easy to recognise even blindfolded – Talisker offers the most award-winning single malt in its class.

Tasting Notes Appearance: Brilliant gold.

Nose: Powerful peat-smoke with sea-water saltiness, the liquor of fresh oysters, a citrus sweetness.

Body: Full.

Palate: A rich, dried-fruit sweetness with clouds of smoke and strong barley-malt flavours, warming and intense. At the back of the mouth is an explosion of pepper.

Finish: Huge, long, warming and peppery; an appetising sweetness.

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FEATURE

Hoverings

e o r e H

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SOS

If maritime trade is the lifeblood of a country’s economic heartbeat, then ports are the transfusion points into and out of the body. Strangle the ports and you strangle the economy.

Worldwide, aviation plays an important role in keeping the cogs turning, nowhere more so than at the Port of Durban, Southern Africa’s busiest harbour. Every ship leaving or entering port needs to be navigated by a specially trained harbour pilot positioned onboard by helicopter.

Interestingly, South Africa was the pioneer for this type of operation, which started in the Port of Richards Bay. Words & Images: © KEVIN BARKER

H

andling 4,554 sea-going ships in the financial year 2008/09, Durban accounted for about 38 percent of the country’s overall shipping trade, totalling a whopping 130-million tons which included over 360,000 vehicles split between import and export. Nearly every single kilogram in those numbers can be directly attributed to the select group of airmen operating the National Ports Authority Agusta 109 helicopter, whose 24/7, 365-operation not only ensures that harbour pilots are safely transported onto and off ships anywhere within a 40-kilometre radius of the port, but also serves as an invaluable stand-by team for maritime search and rescue when things go wrong at sea.

Based out of the Port of Durban, the crews work in shifts, and a typical day can include up to 15 nerve wracking missions in which the pilot needs to bring the helicopter into a perfect hover alongside the vessel, move overhead the deck to a safe point on which to deliver and collect the precious human cargo, and then move off again – all the while ensuring that the rotor blades remain as well clear as possible from any of the ship’s superstructure, and that the helicopter remains perfectly stationary in all weather conditions while the winchman slowly lowers the harbour pilot to the deck. Snagging the winch wire or sling is normally fatal in this game.

Bear in mind that this precarious ballet takes place all hours of the day or night, in

horrendous weather, as well as in heaving swells – certainly enough to put hair on anyone’s chest, and to translate into seriously white knuckles on the controls.

There is no room for gung-ho attitudes in this environment though. The deck of a pitching ship with cranes, funnels and wires is littered with traps for the unwary and foolhardy, and it takes a special breed of cool-headed pilot with nerves of steel, especially on nights where visibility is limited to a few hundred metres and the ship needs to be located on radar first just to find it. Imagine trying to balance upright on a medicine ball that is floating in a pool, while you are blindfolded and I am sure you

get the picture. Let’s not mention trying to dangle a piece of string straight down while doing so…

At the heart of the operation is the Agusta 109E Power, specially designed with a smaller rotor diameter that allows it to get into really confined spaces on ships, lowering the risk of a blade strike. Its twin turbine engines and systems redundancies allow it to be operated in adverse conditions and, in most cases, it is crewed by a single pilot and a winch-man. At night and in bad weather, however, two pilots are used so that there is another pair of eyes in the cockpit while the pilot focuses on having full situational awareness of what is going

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on around all of the moving parts of the helicopter.

A secondary function, and one that is called upon regularly, is search and rescue.

Still fresh in the memories of the crew and most certainly the victims, is the recent dramatic sea rescue that took place off the

The deck of a pitching ship with cranes, funnels and wires is littered with traps for the unwary and foolhardy, and it takes a special breed of coolheaded pilot with nerves of steel. south coast earlier this year when the A109 was scrambled to save the lives of three sailors off the yacht Egg Nog, which was busy sinking 40 nautical miles south of Durban off Hibberdene.

Being a yacht, the crew would not be able to hoist directly off the deck thanks to the towering mast, so an NSRI rescue diver was taken aboard and the helicopter set off into the deteriorating weather and fastapproaching darkness. With about five miles to run, the weather had closed in to such an extent that the cloud base was down to 300 feet above the tempestuous swells with visibility down to less than 200 metres at times in heavy rain squalls.

Using a searchlight to locate the stricken yacht, the swimmer was lowered into the water, fighting gusting winds, and proceeded to recover the sailors one by one, by having them jump into the water before being hoisted up to the relative safety of the helicopter. When the third person jumped off the yacht into the pitching ocean, the darkness, poor visibility and swell caused the crew to lose sight of the victim, but good co-ordination between the pilot, co-pilot and winch-man soon had him spotted and safely winched up into the helicopter. Two hours after dispatching from their base in Durban, the A109 touched down again, three lucky souls heavier than when it left.

The crew of that fateful mission was awarded the NSRI’s highest accolades, proving that not only are they able to keep the country’s economy ticking over by facilitating the transfer of ocean-borne goods, but that they are also out there, keeping an eye on all users of the powerful but moody seas. 

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premier portfolio

411 The Waves Plettenberg Bay

A modernist masterpiece on Keurbooms Beach, this home is impeccably designed with floor to ceiling windows that make for light, airy living and invite the awe-inspiring ocean view inside.

Relax around the freshwater pool in the protected courtyard, walk a few steps to surf and sand, or simply marvel at the view from any of the large decks. Magnificent finishes can be found throughout this five-bedroom, four-bathroom home, which has a spacious open-plan living area with fireplace, family room, modern kitchen with pantry, scullery and laundry, separate domestic quarters and double garage. Come and enjoy over 300 days of sunshine annually. Walk out of your door and onto a stunning 10-kilometre stretch of sandy white beach or watch the spectacular sunrise and sunsets over the Tsitsikamma Mountain Range and the Bay. The dolphins swim past almost daily and the whales are literally right in front of you during the whale season from July to September. This home was made to impress. Asking price R25 million.

Contact: Hein Pretorius:

+ 27 83 701 3159

Visit: www.sothebysrealty.com

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Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

premier portfolio

Bryanston Sandton

Ambassadorial double-storey mansion under slate in millionaire’s row. Set in enchanting grounds (±10 538 square metres) – stately and impressive with character and charisma for the top executive. Five luxury bedroom suites and a luxury garden cottage as well as stunning “sit-in” cellar and exceptional kitchen with the best fittings and informal eating areas. Chic reception rooms lead onto an enormous terrace and the most beautiful treed and herb gardens. The pool and entertainer’s pool house are complemented by courtyards with Koi ponds and an internal wellness centre with a heated pool, sauna and gym. This opulent home is a must to view!

Asking price R45 million.

Contact: Manuela: +27 82 552 7119 Ester: +27 82 771 8389 Assisted by Maria: +27 82 690 0194 or Margie: +27 83 302 4992 Office: +27 11 463 8337 Visit: www.sothebysrealty.com

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

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premier portfolio

Sandhurst Johannesburg

This majestic Louis Louw creation, where perfection is a fact of life, was designed to accommodate the most fastidious seller. From the moment you enter the portals of this luxury abode you will be transported to a rarefied world of sophistication and class; a world where the magnificent garden of some 4,800 square metres integrates with the house at every turn. Nothing was spared in its making and this home boasts uroka and cherrywood carpentry, a stately lounge, dining room and family room, two studies, a fullyfitted gym, wine cellar, and gourmet kitchen with cold room.

There are five bedrooms en suite, a magnificent master suite with his and hers dressing rooms and bathrooms plus a private lounge. There is garaging for seven cars, a state-ofthe-art security system and four-bedroomed staff accommodation. Asking price R48 million.

Contact: Daniella Apteker: Mary Fourie: Office:

+27 82 412 1273 +27 82 779 1492 +27 11 886 8070

Visit: www.sothebysrealty.com

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Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

premier portfolio

The Heads Knysna

Stunning bed and breakfast in the Knysna Heads on offer, with breathtaking views of the ocean and the waves breaking onto the rocks. Eight bedrooms, all en suite with exquisite finishes, sensational entrance hall with lounge, dining room and cosy study with fireplace.

This exquisite, luxurious property also boasts a swimming pool and perfect views of the surrounding scenery.

Asking price R30 million.

Contact: Moira Gething: +27 82 872 9102 Office: +27 44 382 0600 Visit: www.sothebysrealty.com

Each Office is Independently Owned and Operated

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makingwaves Sure to Float Your

Branded Boat

Keeping Tabs on Your Power Usage Who hasn’t complained on at least one occasion about South Africa’s recent power shortages and escalating electricity costs? Now, more than ever, we should be savvy about our electricity consumption and make an effort to conserve power. The recent launch of a nifty wireless electricity monitor called “The Owl” makes doing this a cinch.

The Owl measures the electrical current in your home and then calculates the amount of power being consumed and the costs involved. It comprises two components; the first is a transmitter unit, which needs to be fitted into your electricity distribution board by a qualified electrician. The second is a receiver with an LCD monitor that can be taken anywhere in the home. It displays electricity usage in real time and the Rand value by applying your own particular municipal electricity tariff, so you’ll know immediately the financial implications of that can’t-do-without-it under-floor heating. The Owl also stores cumulative historical data, allowing you to compare your electricity use from month to month. The Owl retails at around R894.00 and is available from Radiant distributors. Contact +27 11 386 0000 for more information.

The Whisper Boat Building Academy has come up with an ingenious way for companies to market themselves during the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup. And, not only will your brand be getting mileage, but you’ll be lauded for being an innovative, socially responsible and eco-sensitive company – and you don’t really need to do anything to earn that respect. So just what are you branding? A “2010 Floating Soccer Ball,” that’s what. These floating, closable soccer balls can seat up to eight people and draw power from Torqeedo outboard motors. The batteries used will be charged by way of solar energy on a shore station, making these the most eco-friendly powered boats in South Africa. Additional features include a DVD player to play promo features, a beer tap, wine cooler, and several optional extras. The Floating Soccer Balls, which are built by deaf students from the Academy, will be skippered by the disadvantaged youth of the Izivunguvungu Sailing Trust, known as the “seed school” for the Americas Cup project, Shosholoza.

For more information visit www.wbba.co.za or call Peter Jacops on +27 72 776 8508.

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Gumpert apollo sport Sets New Record at Nurburgring Nordschleife

Less than an hour after the sun reached its zenith on 13 August this year, professional driver Florian Gruber crossed the line of the Nurburgring Nordschleife, unleashing the full 700 hp of his Gumpert apollo sport. Gruber’s only objective that cool, cloudy day: to break the record for road legal cars on the legendary 13-mile racetrack once felicitously entitled “the green hell” by racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart. The existing official record was set four years ago by the Donkervoort D8 RS06. Some 7 minutes, 11 seconds and 57 hundredths of a second after pulling away, Gruber crossed the line for the second time. He had proven what he set out to achieve, making the Gumpert apollo sport officially the fastest road legal factory car ever to circle the Ring. With an average speed of 171.84 km/h, the apollo was faster than the RS06 by 3.32 seconds. And, by the way, more than 13 seconds faster than the Maserati MC 12 in 2008. Said the seemingly unimpressed driver of his victory, “Well, I even could have gone a little faster...”

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ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST Arriving December 2009 Rolls-Royce Sandton: Sandton Isle, Cnr Rivonia Road and Linden Road, Sandown, Contact Jade Morkel, Telephone: +27 (11) 301 7000 or Mobile: +27 84 240 7414