What a day of awesomeness, Firstly to have my grandson and his parents with us to view the Cannon firing and then to have a lunch at the beach with them… that was the first win! The Second was the Cannon – this 9″ RML cannon never fails to impress.
It was a windy day in Cape Town and on the hill in Simon’s Town where the Middle North Battery sits it was really pumping. The sea was churned up and the waves hitting the beach were very busy to say the least. There was a good crowd though and although I was positioned with my back to the wind to minimize the microphone noise I was able to hear the countdown and get the footage.
There was one big disappointment for us though, and this was before we arrived at the site of the Cannon. On the way to Simon’s Town we took a detour to Kommetjie. We were hoping to get some Samosas at a shop we quite often visit for just that purpose. Arriving there, I noticed that the parking was all taped off. To our utter dismay we found that the shop, in fact the larger portion of the entire building including what looked like a residence had burnt down recently. So that put paid to our plans for Samosa snacks. What a pity. Those Samosas were quite easily the best we have ever eaten. If anyone knows of these Samosas and who the supplier is I would be grateful…
Anyway back to our main adventure… despite the wind the reaction of the crowd was the same as it always is, complete exhilaration. The anticipation and build-up while the history of the gun is read, the moments of countdown before ignition, and the big bang with the marvelous plume of gunsmoke with the accompanying smell of cordite. You have to be there to experience it all. Words fail me…
Lots of thanks to SA Navy Museum and the Cannon Association of South Africa (CAOSA). Keep up the good work folks!
If you wish to find out more, the following links will take you to the appropriate Web Sites
SA Navy Museum: https://sanavymuseum.co.za/ or https://www.facebook.com/groups/279078652191754
CAOSA: https://caosa.org.za/ or https://www.facebook.com/groups/166064970145821
Here is the link to my video of the firing… https://youtu.be/6y85RQK28iQ
Enjoy the video… and thanks for watching.
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