Port St Francis, Eastern Cape

Port St Francis seen through a chokka boat

© Chris Marais

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Port St Francis, 1 of the great seaside assets of the Eastern Cape, owes its existence, in part, to a tasty ocean dish called calamari.

In these parts, calamari is also known as squid, chokka or, simply, white gold. South Africa exports almost all of it to mostly Mediterranean countries like Italy and Spain.

However, it’s no secret that you can feast on prime calamari at 1 of the many restaurants in Port St Francis.

Back in the 1980s, sophisticated fishing fleets replete with staff cabins and huge freezers used to sail from Port Elizabeth down to St Francis Bay. Then some leading local lights successfully lured the so-called ‘chokka business’ down to the newly established Port St Francis.

This meant that the boats could be moored in the bay, and the fishermen spent their money in the area. There was also a mini-boom in related industries.

These days, Port St Francis presents an idyllic, modern coastal village.

There is a working harbour where fleets of squid, hake and pilchard vessels are moored right next to upmarket seagoing yachts.

Visitors and locals love coming down to the port to watch the boats being launched, or when they are offloaded. They see the boat crews at work, repairing nets and chatting about their day at sea. It’s a bit like having a touch of Majorca – with an African twist.

The chokka boats go out fishing at night, with massive lights on deck. The lights bring in the fish, which in turn are preyed on by the squid – which are then caught with a hand line or jig by the fishermen.

The offshore sight of the many bobbing lights of a fleet of chokka boats is 1 of the special Port St Francis features.

The port – the 1^st privately owned port in South Africa – also has a rather spectacular harbour residential complex surrounding it. And right below these apartment buildings is a series of pubs, restaurants, themed shops and, of course, a yacht club. Oh, and there’s also a little airport nearby for those who wish to fly in.

On the cards are future shopping centres and golf courses, and a slew of port holiday accommodations.

Port St Francis is part of St Francis Bay, said to be named after a Portuguese monastery by 1 of the 16th century explorers. The bay embraces Port St Francis, St Francis Bay, Cape St Francis and Oyster Bay.

In centuries gone by, this area was infamous for its shipwrecks. Today, it’s famous for its golf, its great surfing and, naturally, a superb plate of calamari...