A Tale of Four Lighthouses - Part III

If you've been following my foggy tale of lighthouses at the southwestern-most tip of Africa, you will know that it has been a tortuous business. The first lighthouse (built in 1860) was situated too high up on Cape Point Peak to be visible in the fog that frequently shrouds the mountain... and so the second - and currently operating - lighthouse was built in 1913 at sea level to solve the problem.
Surely that was the end of the saga?
Not quite!
It turns out that the original peak-top light - when not obscured - could be seen by ships passing Chapman's Peak and this kept them well to the south before they turned and rounded Cape Point safely.

But the new light, set lower down and somewhat "around the corner" - and ideal for days when the fog came down - was no longer visible from the Chapman's Peak area. In its absence, and in misty weather, ships sometimes mistook Chapman's Peak for Cape Point, turned too soon and were wrecked on the coast near Kommetjie.

Oh, dear.

Another lighthouse? Yes, indeed.
Meet Slangkop (Snake Head) Lighthouse, an elegant cast iron tower begun in 1914 and finally opened in 1919 on the outskirts of Kommetjie. It is painted white to stand out against the green of the mountain, and emits 4 flashes every 30 seconds up to a distance of 33 nautical miles, from a height of some 40 m above the high tide mark. With the inauguration of Slangkop, the final part of a formidable project was complete. After many years and a great deal of money and effort, a pair of powerful lighthouses were finally in the perfect position to guide ships and their passengers safely around the wild southwesterly tip of Africa.

Fancy more?
Well, not far from Cape Point, and featuring in my novel The Girl from Simon's Bay, is the only lighthouse to be built on a single rock off the South African coast...