COMMODORE’S COMMENTS

There is never a dull moment at KYC. Drag yourself to a Special General Meeting to prove that!!

For three years you, the members, have been requesting the Committee to investigate extensions to the Clubhouse and for the Committee to bring forward a proposal. This the Committee did, and I must thank all those who served on the subcommittee for all their efforts. A proposal was advertized on the noticeboard for three months, asking for your written comments. Nothing was forthcoming until a week before the Special General Meeting when some members proposed certain modifications. The proposal was not accepted at the Special General Meeting by a show of hands vote. Thank you, members, for all your input at the very lively meeting, and I believe this proved to be a good meeting.

I personally went to the meeting with an open mind and I must say that since the meeting we have already received some very interesting letters from members. So, where to now? The ball is in your court. Do you want a workshop to debate further ideas or would you rather the whole matter be put to rest? PLEASE write to the Committee and give some meaningful indication.

In the meantime, your Committee will continue with the process of having the long term leases finalized as quickly as possible, ie the parking area lease with the Knysna Municipality and the revised lease with the S A National Parks Board.

The sailing season begins this week with the Opening Cruise on Saturday, 4 September, and we are also handing over your donations to the NSRI at the same event.

Keep sailing............. Willo van Reenen

Commodore

NEW MEMBERS’ WELCOME

A hearty welcome to all our New Members. We trust that you will enjoy the use of all your Club’s facilities?

APRIL 1999 MAY 1999

MRS J C FROST & 2 x JUNIORS               	MRS J C RETIEF

MRS C J GOODIWN                                 	MR G M & MRS M WHITE

MR O GREENSMITH 			MR T P & MRS J KALIS

MR J E & MRS M A HENDERSON 	MRB H & MRS D J GILL

ALAN ROSEWALL (CANOE) 		MR A & MRS F COLLIN

MARK ROSEWALL (CANOE) MRS S A COXEN & 3 x JUNIORS

JACQUELINE, TRACEY & CHRIS 	MRS V POLUDNIAK

MR & MRS F H DELY & 1 x JUNIOR 	MRS V VADAS

MR & MRS C H BROMLY 		MR C ALBERTYN

Ms M L MURRAY

JUNE/JULY 1999 

MR M J DREYER (CANOE)

MR & MRS W F VAN EYSSEN

MR K WOOD 			MR M J OLDEN (CANOE)

MR & MRS P E SKEAT & 2 x JUNIORS      MR & MRS G A LUBBE & 1 x JUNIOR

MR & MRS J J SIMONIS & 1 x JUNIOR     	MR A W KING (CANOE)

MR & MRS K K PRISSMAN                     	MR G HARRINGTON

COMING ATTRACTIONS  AT KYC :

KYC OPENING CRUISE SAT, SEPT 4
followed by SPIT BRAAI (**)

KYC SUNDAY LUNCHON SUN, SEPT 12

H14 NATIONALS FRI, SEPT 24 - SUN, SEPT 25 ROUND TABLE DINNER & AUCTION SAT, OCT 2

BIRTHDAY PARTY SAT, OCT 16

TRAFALGAR DINNER SAT, OCT 23

(**) Tickets for KYC functions shall be available in good time from the Bar and details of the events shall be published in the local press and on the Club noticeboard.

Members are reminded that bookings for the Steak Evenings may only be taken ONE WEEK in advance.

NEW GALLEY NUMBER : 382 3101

THESEN ISLAND DEVELOPMENT

Dear Fellow Yacht Club Members,

As a member committed to the well-being of the lagoon and involved with the redevelopment of Thesen Island, I am concerned that only one side of the issue has been presented to fellow members.

In February 1999 Prof. Marker wrote a letter expressing doubts about the re-development of Thesen Island. This letter was forwarded to the Water, Environment and Forestry Technology Division of the CSIR. Mr. Piet Huizinga of the Coastal Development and Marine Resources programme replied to her in a 5-page letter dd 9 April 1999.

Prof Marker would appear not to have received this letter before the wrote her article in the April/May 99 KYC newsletter, as many of the issues raised in her article were the same as those which Mr Huizinga responded to in his letter.

Responding to Prof. Marker’s letters and articles is difficult as, while some issues are stated clearly, others are only suggested or hinted at, making it hard to understand what she means. Having said this, if anyone feels that I have not commented on any point that they feel is important, please contact me.

I will comment on what I see as the major issues in Prof. Marker’s article :-

Prof. Marker writes that the re-delveopment "will leave a silting estuary which will no longer be usable by keelboats". Of course this possibility would be of great concern to members - but, according to the CSIR, this statement is absurd. The mere size of the estuary channels excludes this possibility altogether.

This concern was addressed in detail in the letter from the CSIR to Prof. Marker, dd 9.4.99, from which I quote :

" The excavation of the canals of the development will be undertaken by mechanical means (such as excavators) and the area that is being excavated will, at that time, not be connected to the lagoon. This is different from the methods applied at the Knysna Quays project and fewer, if any, problems with sedimentation are therefore expected because dredging to the same extent as at the Knysna Quays project is not foreseen."

Prof. Marker implies that the standards for water circulation are too low. In selecting a few portions from a comprehensive 34 page report on the water circulation tests undertaken by the CSIR and dd Dec 98, Prof Marker distorted the basis for the tests reported.

Numerous tests have been undertaken to investigate the circulation. The logic behind these tests is that deterioration of water quality is unlikely if adequate circulation exists. This investigation must be seen as assessing whether or not this is the case. It does not imply that deterioration of water quality is expected.

THESEN ISLAND DEVELOPMENT (2) continued

Prof. Marker writes that water flows in the first phase "would not be acceptable". Had she studied the report, she would have read that this possibility was recognized at an early stage in the tests. She would also have found that provision has been made for the installation of a pump which, if needed, can pump water out of the Phase I waterways. Again, this has been tested in the model. It is a preventative measure, it does not imply that deterioration of water quality is expected, but that the pump can be switched on temporarily, if needed, to prevent deterioration of water quality.

Applying Prof Marker’s logic, if an aircraft manufacturer conducts any safety tests, the implication is that the manufacturer expects their aircraft to crash!

A few further comments :-

- The decision to divide the present island into smaller ones is based on creating waterfront living in the inner area of the island, while, at the same time preserving the valuable surrounding salt marshes.

- Thesen & Co. are fully committed to remedy the pollution caused by their wood treatment processes. This is a huge plus for the lagoon environment.

- With regard to the soils "being difficult to control" and "firm foundations being a problem" - How have the many, substantial buildings on Thesen Island remained standing for so long if this is true? The soils that make up Thesen Island are no different from the soils found on Leisure Island.

- Prof. Marker questions why this re-development should take place "while so much space stands vacant in town". Good environmental planning is the re-use of previously developed land close to the town centre, rather than extending development onto virgin land. The factory is leaving, Thesen Island will be vacant and it is close to town.

- Prof. Marker questions whether there is a market for the project. Since our Sales Centre opened on Thesen Island, 55 stands have been sold. Thesen Island is a well-planned, environmentally sensitive project that appeals to discerning buyers.

- It is interesting to note that those opposed to the re-development never make reference to the positive aspects either from an environmental point of view (restoring the historical tidal flow in the Ashmead Channel, preserving the surrounding salt marshes, creating a protected habitat for certain threatened bird species, providing sheltered areas for fish to breed, eliminating the air and soil pollution caused by the present saw mill), or from an economic one (job creation, the involvement across a wide spectrum of local suppliers in the re-development, etc.).

THESEN ISLAND DEVELOPMENT (3) continued

- Despite repeated requests to the opponents of the project to be constructive and provide solid, scientific evidence to support their claim that the re-development will have an adverse effect on the lagoon and its ecology, no such evidence has been produced.

So, in the end, the question needs to be asked " "What are the opponents really concerned about - the number of houses or the length of the waterways?" or are they opposing the re-development simply because they don’t want anything to change, whatever the benefits?

The project we are planning will have, in eco-parlance, a low impact on the lagoon and will, in several respects, have a highly beneficial influence on the environment we all prize so much.

One wonders that would have been the case if we today applied to erect a wood processing plant on the island which would pollute the air and which would, because of the chemicals used in the processing of the timber, constitute a real threat to the flora and fauna of the lagoon. That is what we have had for 70 years. Yet, not one of those so opposed to our project has ever, to my knowledge, campaigned against this.

I invite members interested in learning first-hand about the re-development to visit our Sales Centre on Thesen Island (telephone 382 6812).

Yours sincerely, GRAY RUTHERFORD

WORLD TEAM RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS ‘99

DUN LOAGHAIRE, IRELAND

The World Team Racing Championships were held in Dun Loaghaire (just south of Dublin), Ireland. South Africa was represented by 2 teams, "RSA1" and "RSA2", the latter having been selected at the South African Students Sailing Regatta. More than 20 teams entered the competition, each team consisted of 6 sailors - 2 per boat. The boats used were "firefly" dinghies, I nicknamed them ‘toilet ducks’ for their similar appearance and handling characteristics! These boats were fairly slow, extremely manoeuvrable and quite ‘bullet-proof’, just perfect for team racing.

The S A teams thought it best to prepare in the boats that were to be used in the regatta and set off to West Kirby Sailing Club (near Liverpool) to train. They spent 5 days sailing against other teams preparing for the event, and some local British teams, before setting of on the high-speed ferry to Dublin, Ireland. The Royal St. Georges Yacht Club hosted the event in style.

After a windy practice day, the competition began in earnest in a round robin format, ie all teams sailed against each other. The sailing took place in Dun Loaghaire harbour, which formed a natural amphitheatre for spectators, the harbour wall providing the best seats in the house. The event was covered by national and satellite television, and by full-time commentary.

As is the case with most international sailing events that I have attended, I soon realized that the standard was higher than I had expected. The USA and British teams were particularly impressive in the opening stages of the regatta. Many of the competitors had competed at the Olympic Games and some were even America’s Cup veterans.

The racing was exciting and appreciated by sailors and non-sailors alike. The race committee managed to fit 275 races into five days of sailing - unbelievable! The "RSA2" team, of which I was the captain, was quite shell-shocked after meeting the powerful Great Britain and USA teams early on, and was eliminated into the Silver fleet. Soon enough though, the team started to find its feet and went on to beat the "RSA1" team to reach the semi-finals of the Silver fleet, but was beaten there in a close encounter against the Czech Republic team. New Zealand went on to upset the highly fancied British and American teams to win the competition 3-2 in a ‘best of 5’ final that went right down to the last beat of the last race.

Although the team was disappointed with the results obtained, I cannot remember an international sailing regatta in which I have learnt as much in such a short space of time. My team mate and I are planning to travel to Australia in November to compete on the skiff circuit - the fastest single-hulled sailing craft in the world.

Without the assistance of the Knysna Yacht Club and the generous contributions of its members, this trip would have been impossible. I am greatly indebted to you and thank you for the support you have given me.

Yours truly, Greg Barker - proud KYC member