Page 150 - Bulletin 8 2004

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Viking in Kalk Bay and prided himself on sailing to his mooring between the wooden jetty
and the beach. I understand that Viking, of varnished teak, was built for display at the 1936

World’s fair in New York. She was fastened with “treenails”, a system of using wooden
dowels instead of metallic fastenings, for even bronze or copper causes deterioration of

timber around the nail or screw. She is now owned by Mike Chalice and moored in the

harbour of the island of Rhodes, in the eastern Mediterranean.

At the same time a 25 ft. yacht, a “Cape 5-tonner” – Spindrift, which belonged to Mr. Hans
May, was moored on the same “trot” as Viking. In the same location a cabin cruiser named

Lorelei was also moored.

At least one fishing boat, bought by Eric Wale, was dedicated to leisure use and this boat,

Primrose, distinguished itself on Boxing Day 1955 by catching, on yellowtail tackle, a 110
lb. yellow-fin tunny just outside the harbour. This was the first time that tunny had been

seen so close to the harbour.

Various smaller leisure boats were moored in the harbour as well, and, in my opinion, the

general tone of the boats in the harbour was somewhat above what is to be seen there today.
One gets a distinct impression at present of some boats being “seedy” and neglected. The

reason for this may be the decline in fish stocks but that is not my topic. Certainly the
harbour is devoid of the “grand” or elegant boats, the presence of which was once the rule

rather than the exception. A reason for this absence may be the physical hostility of the

harbour in terms of the powerful surge present at all times except in calm weather, and the
faded promise of outer breakwaters. These would both have expanded the water area of the

harbour significantly and attracted greater numbers of boats, which in turn would broaden
and diversify the income base of the harbour. For my part I would like to see the mooted

expansion of the harbour take place.