Silliness aside, Cape Town Partnership invited us to the relaunch of the funicular at Cape Point. The original funicular ran for year after year until eventually it was decided that money needed to be spent on ensuring a comfortable and safe ride for our visitors - I mean, we'd hate to send any of you shooting out over the edge of the cliff face like a clown would from a circus cannon! :D
Anyway, silliness aside again, The Flying Dutchman was the name of a Dutch sailing vessel that attempted to round Cape Point during a fierce storm in 1641. Several versions of the truth exist, but a popular one is that Captain Van Der Decken's crew begged him to wait until the storm had calmed but he swore that God would not even stop him and that he would round Cape Point even if it took him until Doomsday to do so. Apparently he defied an angel that appeared on board and with that his fate was sealed and he was sentenced by God to sail the waters of Cape Point until Doomsday - or so the story goes at least. :)
The funicular at Cape Point was named after Captain Van Der Decken's ship because since that day every once in a while on a stormy night someone reports seeing The Flying Dutchman and maddened Captain sailing the waters.