MOSSEL BAY BUFFALO RALLY 2005
Halfway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth nestles the seaside town of Mossel Bay.
A bustling holiday resort in summer and the ideal retreat in winter, it is situated on a spectacular sunwashed peninsula embraced by the warm Indian Ocean. No wonder that the town is featured in the Guinness Book of Records as having the mildest all-year climate, second only to Hawaii. Mossel Bay has a fascinating history, much of which is on display at the Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex. Of the seven National Monuments on the Museum Grounds, 6 are buildings dating between 1830 and 1902. The history is reflected by the architectural styles found throughout the town and many of the well-preserved old stone buildings bear testament to this. The pride of Mossel Bay's sporting facilities is its 18-hole golf course, with a view of the sea from every tee. Aquatic sports are a prime attraction, and the modern mooring facility makes it a haven for yachting enthusiasts. Surfing, boardsailing, power boating, deep sea fishing and scuba diving are immensely popular as are the romantic, relaxing sunset cruises.
Could this be the reason why the Nomads targeted Mossel Bay as the ideal spot to host a fabulous BUFFALO RALLY?? – yes, very much so . . . and then some! . . .
Thursday 16 March 2005 started out very much the same as any Thursday except for one thing, one very big thing in fact, Mossel Bay would be visited by thousands upon thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts with one common interest at heart – the Buffalo Rally. When the reception gate opened and lifted the boom at 11h00 an endless stream of visitors entered the de Bakke caravan site taking first dibs at the sea facing views, securing their site for the long awaited weekend. By Thursday evening more than two thousand motorcyclists had passed through the gate and settled down for a weekend of fun and debauchery.
The food stalls were well set up and offered those present an evening meal of note. From the yummiest Chinese cuisine to good old fashioned burgers and chips, they were on the ball with hot dinners being churned out quicker than grease lightening itself. Majority of the motorcyclists called it a relatively early evening having ridden thousands of km’s from every province in the country - Lesotho, Botswana, Mpumalanga, East London and Namibia to name but a few. For some though it was business as usual with Gate duty and late entries which went on ‘till the wee hours of the following morning.
Well, were we in for a surprise or what – ‘cos if we thought we’d been busy on Thursday afternoon, it certainly was a calm before the storm! Come Friday morning it was all hands on deck with every available Nomad filling any gap possible. From fitting armbands to pasting head light stickers, from fetching cokes to standing for hours on end, from filling out forms to attending to endless enquiries – the list could go on for ever . . . and we did!!
Yes we most certainly had our shifts cut out for us but because of the ever increasing volume of arriving folk, one simply went from one time slot into another – there just weren’t enough hours in the day (or night) to manage comfortably with what lay ahead.
Not only to enjoy the music but to watch and participate in the Miss Buff 2005. A group of twelve lovelies were competing for the crown, sash, champagne and R1 000.00 – all wonderful contestants but there can only be one winner which was the incredibly popular pint sized Angelique Dennis. A delightful little persona who literally stole the show single handily. After the Miss Buff competition it was time for the strippers to strut their stuff whilst the band played on ‘till the next morning with the crowd singing and dancing in appreciation of entertainment par excellence.
Saturday morning the influx of motorcyclists hadn’t ebbed one iota and it was the usual thing of all Nomads at the gate doing what comes naturally. Krog had organised the concours in Mossel Bay and folk were getting itchy feet as time drew closer to the mass ride which was scheduled to leave the campsite at 11h00. Chairman Luderick Jacoby with wife Helewese led the bikes on this popular ride, whilst Secretary Roy Cowney and Club Captain Susan James rode closely behind proudly bearing the Nomads Motorcycle Club flag. The streets of Mossel Bay were lined with spectators cheering and waving as thousands of visitors bombarded their town.
With the Mass ride ended and re-entered the campsite an hour later with armband clad bikers thirsty after the midday run. It was now lunch time which meant more music and spell binding stunts performed not only by loyal rallyists but by the all time professional Ian Abrahams too.
Security was tightened as the mass ride ended and re-entered the campsite an hour later with armband clad bikers thirsty after the midday run. It was now lunch time which meant more music and spell binding stunts performed not only by loyal rallyists but by the all time professional Ian Abrahams too.
Saturday evening saw crowds of folk gathering yet once again in the adequately sized marquee for the prize giving and lucky draw. We were most honoured to be graced with the presence of the Mossel Bay Mayor and his entourage for the prize giving – gracious and grateful, they accepted a cheque from our profits, mingling later with the bikers but declining anything stronger than coke! After that they could call it a day/night, get some sleep, bid our visitors cheerio then start the big clean up!!
It was now late on Saturday evening but our Nomads were still on gate duty until midnight. After that they could call it a day/night, get some sleep, bid our visitors cheerio then start the big clean up!!
What a fantastic 2005 Buffalo Rally!
