Page 125 - Bulletin 8 2004

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(Figs. 3.18 & 3.19). Legend has it that most of the monies – coins - collected from these
trips, in the case of Jimmy Edwards, lie buried in paraffin tins somewhere in the grounds

where the last remaining fishermen’s cottage still stands in Clairvaux Road. Is it an urban
legend or fact?

Skippers of the past did not want to share their secret fishing banks with anyone and were
prepared to take this knowledge to the grave with them. The crews on these boats were

forbidden from even admiring the views around them, just in case they could establish
landmarks and pass the facts on to other skippers. With the introduction of the echo-

sounder, or fish-finder, all these secret fishing banks were found.

The crewmen are always the ones who can make a skipper good or average, and throughout

the years Kalk Bay would continue to produce the very best as far as crewmen were
concerned. They were recruited into many other sectors of the fishing industry for their fine

seamanship and experience.

My late father had a boat built in 1948 called the Gwendoline and it is still in Kalk Bay

harbour. The total price including the engine came to £1,400.

In 1955 there were 57 boats of various descriptions registered in the harbour. The oldest
boat in the harbour today is the Violet Glen, which was built in 1924. (Fig. 3.20).

List of boats registered in 1955

Breakwater Wooden Jetty
Boat Owner Boat Owner
Tssessebe BDF 242 L. Williams Clemmie KBA 45 Clansy
Madeira KBA 45 Damata Three Sisters KBA 18 A. Donnely
Four Sisters KBA 42 J. Michaels Dorvic (Private)
Alma Lucie KBA 15 C. Sasman Tarpon (Private) L. Klein
Gloria May KBA 2 W. Orgill Kismet KBA 29 Mitchell
Clara KBA 65 S. Amos Irene (Private) L. Klein
Water Lily KBA 60 G. Fish Sea Pride KBA 59