MOSSEL BAY NEWS - At the beginning of the year the Mossel Bay Yacht and Boat Club (MBYBC) was forced to vacate its harbour premises, where it was based for decades after Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) discontinued its lease and hired the premises out to a restaurant owner.
The premises is hired by Albe Durand, whose company is Mossel Bay Waterfront Pty Ltd.
Status
Now, eight months since the yacht club vacated the premises, the Mossel Bay Advertiser contacted leaders in the yachting fraternity to find out the status of yachting in Mossel Bay.
In terms of large yachts and national and international competitions, Wilhelm von Schutz, the former president of the MBYBC, said: "The Tera World Championships which were supposed to have taken place in Mossel Bay next year will not be taking place here now. The loss of the yacht club premises was to the detriment of the Mossel Bay community, tourism and the economy. We cannot host races because we cannot guarantee facilities.
"The annual Mossel Bay Race which attracts 30 yachts together with crew's families, had to be cancelled too," Von Schutz said.
Mossel Bay Race
The Mossel Bay Race, usually held annually at September time, is the longest-standing ocean race in the history of yachting in South Africa.
Mossel Bay Waterfront owner Durand told the Mossel Bay Advertiser: "The Agulhas Race is going to use the slipway on 28 December. The competitors leave on 29 December. We want to get involved in that.
"With regards to the Mossel Bay Race, the organisers never contacted us and never asked us to use the slipway.
"We would definitely have liked to have been part of it. I know nothing about the Topper World Championships and why they were cancelled. We would like to have been part of it, but no one contacted us."
Durand said he was committed to tourism and bringing visitors to town who would boost the economy. He said upgrades would be done at the moorings for people coming off cruise liners.
Mothballed
Von Schutz said: "We are still looking at various rental options for the yacht club. We have not dissolved the MBYBC, but have mothballed it and appointed trustees to look after it."
Elfie Holden, who was principal of the Learn to Sail School in Mossel Bay under the auspices of the International Sailing Federation, said: "In order to compete in events one has to belong to a sailing or yacht club, so we started the Mossel Bay Sailing Club (MBSC). This is a requirement of World Sailing and Sailing South Africa." Previously the sailors in the Learn to Sail School were members of the MBYBC.
Holden is the commodore of the MBSC. She is also head of the Skipper Foundation in Mossel Bay, an NGO which she started to replace the Learn to Sail School. She coaches school-aged sailors, many of them for free, so that they can enjoy sailing socially and also eventually compete in races if they would like to.
Munro Bay
Holden's young sailors now launch from little Munro Bay, which is between Santos Beach and the old yacht club premises. Holden organised storage containers to house equipment above Monroe Beach.
Unfortunately steel was stolen from the boats because the area was not as secure as the previous yacht club premises. The loss has been R25 000. Because of the openness of the area, a special security system has now been installed to prevent further theft.
"MSec has been wonderful, helping us tremendously," Holden said.
She said the young sailors had to walk about 800m to the sea to launch their boats, which was difficult and strenuous. Launching there was not as safe as from a slipway and the trolleys for the boats were taking strain.
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