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An Open Letter to TNPA CEO Pepi Silinga

By

Dear Mr Silinga

The reason for my letter is multi-fold but mainly addresses how TNPA continues to deny Gqeberha, South Africa a continued proven opportunity to international recognition through a sport that needs access to the sea via your ports.

Mr Silinga, I ask for you to please put some time aside in your busy schedule and meet with some of us sailors to see just how we can once again become the SAILING CAPITAL of South Africa! Read below for the long reason why and/or contact me via e-mail – alan(at)abyc.org.za.

It is a well known fact that three clubs along our coast have been denied access to facilities that they built with their own money on your land:

  1. Algoa Bay Yacht Club (ABYC)
  2. Mossel Bay Yacht Club (MBYC) and
  3. East London Yacht Club (ELYC)

Admittedly ELYC were denied access for 6 months and were then able to move back in on a month to month basis with the promise to ensure that the derelict buildings that they were in were kept in decent nick and that they would pay an affordable rental determined by interrogating the club’s financials.

It is a tragedy that these clubs were all kicked out under the watch and ‘guidance’ of TNPA’s former CEO’s – Siyabonga Gama and Brian Molefe – who form part of the companies and individuals that Transnet is pursuing civil claims worth R1.3-billion against. The trial has been postponed to 29 June 2023.

It is my personal contention that should they be found guilty then ALL decisions made under their watch need to be closely examined and REVERSED should their decisions have the sniff of being tainted or incorrect in any way.

Let us look at Kirsten Neuschäfer – a sailor who plied her ‘trade’ in East London and Gqeberha before going on to become the first woman to win the prestigious Gloden Globe around-the-world race and who entered the race as “a sailor first and a woman second”.

Kirsten epitomises the can-do atitude of all sailors from our region and her victory highlights the fact that sailing exists in a non sexist environment as men and women have always sailed on the same course, in the same conditions, using the same equipment. In sailing first is first and we love to hold our woman sailors in high esteem as an example of just how LEVEL the playing fields in sailing are.

This level playing field mentatility extends to sailors universal non-discriminatory attitudes – put a man, a woman, a white, a coloured, a black, a purple, a handicapped sailor all together on the same boat and they will show the rest of the world that the only thing separating them is their choice of libation – Castle Free for me if you must know! Sailing on a small yacht teaches one tolerance, acceptance and empathy – JUST what we require in our South Africa.

Let’s look at ABYC – in it’s heyday and whilst in the Port of Port Elizabeth, ABYC was recognised WORLDWIDE as an excellent host for regattas and hosted many provincial, national and international regattas. From Hobie 16 Worlds to Mirror Worlds, to J22 Worlds, to 5O5 World Championships. Algoa Bay itself offers the best sailing conditions for yachts and dinghies.

An added bonus for regattas is that over the yaers ABYC built up a core of members well vested in project managing and running world class events.

AND, best of all, those club members slaved away at bringing these events to South Africa and Gqeberha for NO PAY AT ALL. One of my favourite throw away lines is; “Sailing is the only sport where you will get Captains of Industry and interested persons working a 12 hour day for days and even weeks for NO PAY at all, just a bottle of wine as a thank you at the final prizegiving.”

Very few people are aware of the great nation building that ABYC embarked upon in partnership with LoveLife in the period from 2002 to 2005 – myself and Ronnie Baer set up a sailing school dedicated to school children from the townships and put 600 of them through a sailing course that exposed them to the Port of Port Elizabeth and the possibilities of employment therein whilst also making them water friendly and teaching safety, knots, how to rig a dinghy, sail a determined course, retrieve the dinghy and de-rig.

The club employed a head coach and made dinghies and facilities available to the children for free. LoveLife found junior coaches who were trained intensively on water safety and sailing for six months and at the end of the LoveLife partnership all of our Lovelife coaches found employment with club members.

The above are just a few examples of ABYC’s positive contribution to our City and Country. Sir – let’s join hands and do it again. Let’s make our City an excellent example.

Regards

Alan W. Straton
Ex-Commodore ABYC/National Race Officer/South African

Related: https://mygqeberha.com/congratulations-kirsten/

SA Sailing – South Africa’s Sailing Association accredited to SASCOC also hailed Kirsten’s trailblazing victory as follows:

SA Sailing have hailed the efforts of solo South African sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer, who made history on Thursday night by becoming the first woman to win the prestigious Golden Globe round-the-world race.

Neuschäfer was the only female sailor to contest the race which required competitors to circumnavigate the globe without the use of modern technology or the benefit of satellite-based navigation aids.

The Gqeberha sailor set off on the epic 48,000km solo round-the-world challenge from Les Sables-d’Olonne, France on 4 September last year.

Her journey has included a dramatic mid-ocean rescue when one of her fellow competitors got into trouble and needed urgent assistance.

According to the Golden Globe Race website, in reaching the finish in front on Thursday, Neuschäfer became the first woman to win a round-the-world race by the three great capes, including solo and fully crewed races, non-stop or with stops, and the first South African sailor to win a round-the-world event.

Before setting off on the challenge, Neuschäfer explained: “I truly love adventure – it really is what drives me. And I love to undertake these adventures alone and know that I only have myself to rely on once I am out there, to know that I will have to dig deep within myself to find the strength that I need to overcome the inevitable obstacles. I love the unknown! It really is a way to get to know myself, and to know my own potential – very much an inner journey too.”

This is not the first massive solo adventure Neuschäfer has embarked on. A few years ago she cycled around 15,000km down the African continent from Europe to South Africa on her own.

President of SA Sailing Michael Robinson heaped praise on Neuschäfer for her phenomenal achievement, saying: “South Africa has had other sailing heroes like Bertie Reed and John Martin who have done the circumnavigation, but Kirsten is the first South African to do it non-stop and unassisted. How’s that for a gender statement?

“We are so proud of Kirsten. She has made not only the country’s sailing community but the whole of South Africa proud and provided an exceptional example to both women and men of what’s possible with incredibly hard work and determination.”

The Algoa Bay Yacht Club during the final World Championships sailed out of the Port of Port Elizabeth. Photo: Alan Straton

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.