Cape Town Wind: Planning Around the South-Easter

The south-easter, or Cape Doctor, is Cape Town's dry summer wind. It blows most often from about September to March, usually builds through the day and can gust to gale force. It pulls the tablecloth cloud over Table Mountain, closes the cableway when it is strong at the summit, cools the Atlantic and makes some beaches uncomfortable. Plan active things for the morning, keep Clifton in mind for the beach and leave room to move boat trips.

What the south-easter is

• The south-easter is a dry wind driven by high pressure over the South Atlantic, and it usually brings clear skies rather than rain.
• Its nickname, the Cape Doctor, comes from the old belief that it blew disease away, and it still clears smog from the city today.
• When it blows hard, moist air is pushed up the mountain, cools and condenses into the white tablecloth cloud that spills over the top of Table Mountain.
• Gusts can be very strong, particularly in the City Bowl, where the mountain funnels and swirls the wind through the streets.

When it blows

• It is a spring and summer wind, most common from about September to March and often at its most frequent around November.
• It typically strengthens as the land heats up, so mornings are often calmer than afternoons.
• It tends to come in spells, and the first calm day after a windy run is the one to use for the beach or a boat.
• In winter the pattern changes: north-westerly winds ahead of cold fronts bring most of the city's rain, sometimes for days at a time.

Beaches on a windy day

• Clifton's coves, separated by large granite boulders, are usually the most sheltered beaches on the Atlantic Seaboard when the south-easter blows.
• Smaller rock-framed coves such as Glen Beach can also be more comfortable than the long, open beaches.
• The main beach at Camps Bay can be sandblasted on a strong day, which is a good moment to move to a table on the Camps Bay strip.
• The wind pushes warm surface water offshore on the Atlantic side, so the sea can feel colder still after a few windy days.
• False Bay beaches such as Muizenberg are warmer but more exposed to the south-easter, so they are better kept for calm days.

Table Mountain, boats and outdoor tables

• Wind is stronger on the summit than at street level, and the cableway closes when it picks up, so check the live status on the official website or app before you go.
• The cableway's website currently says tickets are valid for seven days, which gives you room to move your visit to a calmer day.
• On a windy forecast, go up first thing, and if you hike up, be ready to walk down if the cableway closes while you are on top.
• Skippers decide on the day whether a charter or sunset cruise can sail, so morning departures and flexible dates are the safer choice in the windy months.
• For dinner on a windy evening, ask for an indoor or screened table rather than an open terrace, even where the view is the reason to go.

How to plan a windy day well

• Check an hourly wind forecast the evening before, and look at the gusts as well as the average speed.
• Put the cableway, hikes and photographs in the morning, when the air is often calmer and the light is clear.
• Use the afternoon for things the wind does not touch: a long lunch, a Winelands tasting, a gallery, a spa or the villa.
• Go to the beach late in the day only if the forecast shows the wind dropping, or choose Clifton.
• Keep one or two flexible slots in your week so a boat trip or the cableway can move to the calmest day.

Having it arranged

• Cohen Concierge arranges yacht charters, private chauffeurs, restaurant reservations and Cape Winelands days, 24/7 across the Atlantic Seaboard, City Bowl, V&A Waterfront and the Cape Winelands.
• Send one message by WhatsApp, phone or the website, and they usually reply within minutes with options or the questions they need answered.
• Every arrangement is quoted first with the full cost shown, and nothing is booked until you approve it.