ON THE SOAPBOX
2 September 2020
Letters to the Editor
Email: editor@cxpress.co.za - Fax: 044 533 0852 - PO Box 1449, Plett 6600
Does anyone know what all those brightly-lit boats are doing in our bay?
SEIZING THE DAY: These chokka boats photographed 13 years ago, when their numbers pushed nearly 100, operated on the same principle of today’s fleet of 30-odd boats: the bright lights enable crews to better locate shoals and process their catch while duping sea creatures into behaviour brought on by the illusion of eternal daylight - Photos: Derek Frielinghaus
We have been living in Plettenberg Bay for the past 20 years. During recent weeks, we’ve been counting 15 to 20 boats in the bay at any time. Can you explain to us what they are doing here? We remember a time about 15 years ago when Portuguese fishing boats were taking away so
much of our local fish stock that even the dolphins stayed away, because they had nothing left to eat. Is this happening again now? Please give us an answer at your earliest convenience. Dr Annelie and Volker Ney, Plett (While awaiting official
stats in this regard from Plett Beach Control, we bugged local archivist and NSRI stalwart Derek Frielinghaus for his take on the state of boats operating off our coastline at this time of year. He shared the images above and wrote: “I took these photographs in 2007, when there were
nearly a hundred chokka boats operating in the bay. They are catching calamari for export purposes and I believe the whole process is legal.” Watch this space for additional information on the subject, currently being compiled by the crew at Beach Control’s HQ on Central Beach. - Eds.)
Additional parking would go a long way towards restoring Lookout’s allure Plett has lost its best beach, the famous Lookout, to the last great flood of a decade or so ago. Parking facilities at Main Beach, Robberg 5 and Solar Beach are lacking in peak season. Lookout Beach must have been the biggest drawcard for the holiday makers and tourists who made Plett their holiday destination. So why can’t we do something to restore the parking lot? Even a temporary refurbishment of the surface would be welcome. General restoration may not even be necessary if one could only provide a hard-surface off-ramp;
THOSE WERE THE DAZE: Lookout Beach used to teem with holidaymakers before the parking lot was washed away - this picture was taken around 2010 and, according to the author of this letter, the last great flood occurred around 2012
just imagine how popular it would be if we gave access to 4X4 vehicles. What/who is stopping us? Where there is a will, there’s a way, but without a will there is no way. The Drone, Plett (We suspect your suggestion of allowing fourwheel drive automobiles on Lookout Beach will be met with serious resistance, dear Drone. But with regards to making Plett’s award-winning beaches more user-friendly, there should be scant reason to disagree. Readers are welcome to share their views on this subject by emailing editor@cx press.co.za - Eds.)
Sharing a moment of joy The greatest sense of achievement and JOY is that of Just Owning Yourself. It is a tough call in a society that values what everyone else thinks
of you, above what you think of yourself. Living in JOY requires a paradigm shift - it is about living the kind of life you have always imagined or
Marine mammals are jumping…
Suzy Noble of Plett recently captured this spectacular image when her son Connor was snorkelling at Keurbooms, perfectly timing the shot to catch a dolphin frolicking in the sun-lit surf just metres away from this able young angler’s preferred fishing grounds. So perhaps the presence of Plett’s visiting chokka fleet has not deterred the bay’s best-loved marine mammals from making the most of current surf conditions...
longed for, and then following the feelings that will add JOY to each moment, each day of your journey of life. I am in a position where many of my clients have had to close doors. As a single breadwinner this is very scary - BUT, I can deal with this one moment, one choice, one decision at a time. I cannot feel overwhelmed by what society has conditioned me to believe; I would have had to find a way of opting out of life. Still here I am, weaker but stronger, disheartened but motivated, fearful but curious. What else can life bring? Massive change brings massive shock or massive change on the JOY (Just Own Yourself) side.
Embrace the major shift and change. When you go with the flow rather than against it, amazing things happen, almost like magic. Ever seen a unicorn? That is the level of thinking required: just like cryptocurrencies came out of nowhere, so can your fantasy, your belief, your purpose. Believe in something, whether it be God, Buddha or the sun rising yet again tomorrow. Life is not a choice, but how you choose to live it is. Choose JOY! Rose Scott, Plett (Rose writes a weekly contribution in the hope that it may “help us to unite, to heal and to remember that what we have discovered is truly important for each one of us”… - Eds.)
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