South Africa will have to up its game if we wish to accommodate all the cruising yachts wanting to visit our shores.
So says Jenny Crickmore-Thompson, the overworked director of the Ocean Sailing Association of Southern Africa who has her hands full with an incoming armada of cruisers big and small.
“It has already been a hectic international cruising season for circumnavigating yachts coming to South Africa, and we’re not even at the end of November!” Crickmore-Thompson told SABBEX in response to queries about the seasonal influx. “To date we have had 227 yachts register for pre-arrival authorisation, most of them arriving late October into November. Needless to say, marinas and berths are jam-packed everywhere.”
The reason for the congestion is two incoming rallies, the World Arc and the World Oyster, with the former currently squeezing into Richard’s Bay – 21 at the Zululand Yacht Club as of November 19th and a further 10 in Small Craft Tuzi Gazi. Another 18 are still on their way, Crickmore-Thompson said. “Then another 22 World Oyster yachts have just left Reunion and Mauritius bound for Durban, to add to the five or six already there. All these boats, with the rest of the yachts who have already left Richards Bay and Durban, are en route down the SA coast towards Cape Town for Christmas.”
Unfortunately it’s going to be a major juggling act to accommodate everybody in the Cape, with the V&A Marina and Royal Cape already jam-packed. “So yachts are stopping in Hout Bay amongst the fishing fleet, and in False Bay amongst the navy,” Crickmore-Thompson said. “Can TNPA put some money up to rebuild/refurbish? Or is there a willing private donor somewhere who would like a project?”
Smaller ports could also be developed to accommodate some of the traffic, such as Port Alfred and St Francis Bay.
“Fortunately we now have Saldahna Bay (Yacht Port) as a port of entry/departure, so there will not be as much pressure on boats wanting to clear out of the country early January, but it is still fun trying to fit everyone in,” she said.