Ski-Boat January 2018

CONTENTS

January/February 2018 Volume 34 Number 1 COVER: HOT MAMA! This beautiful marlin was caught off Hot Line during the 2017 OET held at Sodwana Bay. Photo by Stuart Simpson. See page 10.

FEATURES

10

Hot Line Proves her Pedigree 2017 OET Bill- and Gamefish Tournament — by Erwin Bursik

18

Boat Test: Raptor 660 CC A well-made boat ideal for offshore fishing — by Erwin Bursik

25

Dredges — Outwit, Outplay, Outfish Learning to lure billfish closer — by Stuart Simpson

28

Boat Review: Butt Cat 930 XL A superb sportfisher for any application — by Erwin Bursik

35

On the Prowl

10

Fishing the waters off Shelly Beach — by Adrian de la Hunt

42

Fresh Start Durban Ski-Boat Club’s new home — by Erwin Bursik and Hilton Kidger

48

A Week Like No Other The life and times of fishing pals on the Wild Coast — by Julie Lentz

56

Where the Big Blues Roam Fighting Cape verde’s monsters on their turf — by Piet Nel

61

Yellow Fever Two Oceans Tuna Derby 2017 — by Kirsten Veenstra

65

Pure Gold 35

Cape Boat and Ski-Boat Club celebrates 50 not out

67

Ready for Adventure Building and launching a 67ft Supercat — by Neil Schultz

75

Full Steam Ahead 2017 Cape Town Boat Show ends on a high

DEPARTMENTS 8 54 71 73 74

Editorial — by Erwin Bursik SADSAA News Reel Kids Mercury Junior Anglers Subscribe and WIN!

18 79 79 80 81 82

Marketplace Ad Index Business Classifieds Charters & Destinations Directory Rapala Lip — Last Word from the Ladies

The official magazine of the South African Deep Sea Angling Association

Publisher: Erwin Bursik Editor: Sheena Carnie Advertising Executive: Mark Wilson Editorial Assistant: Vahini Pillay Advertising Consultant: Joan Wilson Accountant: Jane Harvey Executive Assistant: Kim Hook Boat Tests: Heinrich Kleyn Contributors: Erwin Bursik, Adrian de la Hunt, Hilton Kidger, Julie Lentz, Piet Nel, Neil Schultz, Stuart Simpson, Kirsten Veenstra and Mark Wilson.

ADVERTISING – NATIONAL SALES: Angler Publications Mark Wilson cell: 073 748 6107 Joan Wilson (031) 572-2280/89/97/98 ADVERTISING – Gauteng & Mpumalanga: Lyn Adams — 083 588 0217 Paul Borcherds — 082 652 5659 Publishers: Angler Publications cc PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016 Telephone: (031) 572-2280/89/97/98 Fax: (031) 572-7891 e-mail: angler@mags.co.za Subscriptions to SKI-BOAT: R180 per annum (six issues).

New subscriptions and renewals: SKI-BOAT Subscriptions Department, PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016.

Telephone: (031) 572-2280/89/97/98 Fax: (031) 572-7891 • e-mail: safety@mags.co.za • Through www.africanangler.com, or • E-zine digital subscriptions — visit www.africanangler.com > SKIBOAT > SUBSCRIBE, then choose your option.

• Click the E-zine short-cut on the magazine’s home page, www.africanangler.com, or visit www.zinio.com/SkiBoat.

Reproduction: Hirt & Carter, Durban Printer: Robprint (Pty) Ltd, Durban Full production is done in-house by Angler Publications & Promotions on Apple Macintosh software and hardware for output directly to plate.

SKI-BOAT Magazine, ISSN 0258-7297, is published six times a year by Angler Publications & Promotions cc, Reg. No. CK 88/05863/23, and is distributed by RNA, as well as directly by the publishers to retail stores throughout South Africa.

• Copyright of all material is expressly reserved and nothing may be reproduced in part or whole without the permission of the publishers.

• While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this magazine, the publishers do not accept responsibility for omissions or errors or their consequences.

Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers, the managing editor, editor, editorial staff or the South African Deep Sea Angling Association.

8 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

EDITORIAL

A COLLECTIVE CONSCIENCE WIELDS GREAT POWER

C

ONSERVATION, conscience and legality are the cornerstones of deep sea angling as we know it today.

Gone are the days when all the skiboaters in South Africa loaded each and every fish they hooked onto their craft for later disposal.

Up until the 1980s, very few anglers knew about bag limits, tag and release, or even about returning a fish to the ocean to survive another day.

Erwin Bursik My first notion as an offshore angler that we Publisher could be having a negative effect on the fishery along the East African coast was after some discussions with Rudy van der Elst. At that stage Rudy was a research marine biologist at the Durban Oceanographic Research Institute. When he initiated the programme to tag and release billfish it really got me thinking that maybe he had a point and was not completely out of sync with reality.

Fast forward 30-odd years to the present day when the concept of releasing fish whether caught offshore or from the beaches has become the “in thing”, especially in the minds of billfish anglers, and the vast majority of our fraternity support the practice. Furthermore this practice has been greatly expanded, not only by area but also by species, and the majority of the trevally species — starting with the GTs — are now all released.

The legislated “bag limits” have hardly affected the trend in respect of the above mentioned species and are really only there to control the offtake of the popular gamefish and bottomfish we offshore anglers target. However the vast majority of recreational offshore anglers don’t treat bag limits as targets. Instead, when certain species come on the feed the anglers know when to stop fishing and return to port.

What really concerns me is the overreaction by the overzealous brigade which reacts viciously whenever an angler harvests a fish — within the restraints of legislation — for his or her personal reasons.

For example I believe that on the stretch of coast from Cape Point right up to Lamu on the north coast of Kenya, 90% of the total billfish caught since the early 1990s have been released. That’s roughly when competition committees and recreational billfish anglers started promoting the tag and release ethic. However, despite that enormous accomplishment, nowadays anglers are crucified if they take out a possible record billfish — sometimes already dead when it comes alongside the craft — or if they decide to take home their first or biggest trophy fish.

Am I proud of the photographs of the big billfish I took out many, many years ago? Yes. But I am equally as proud of the certificate in my office dated January 1981, of the first sailfish ever tagged and released off Durban. Would I kill another billfish? No, and I have not done so since 2003. But I am the last to criticise an angler who legally takes a specimen for a specific reason.

All the same, I believe very strongly that the coercive influence by individuals in the media, clubs, provincial and national bodies has, in a relatively short space of time, brought about this situation where we see a phenomenally high percentage of billfish released these days.

Further proof of the incredible turnaround in this respect was seen at South Africa’s two biggest billfish competitions — OET and Billfish 15 000 — both held in November, where in excess of 100 billfish were released. They are now both 100% total release competitions. Had this been 1980, there would have been a 100% kill ratio with these fish all hanging from the gantry at Sodwana to the immense excitement and acclaim of every angler present.

“Slowly, slowly catchee monkey” is the saying, and I believe it has worked in this instance. By adopting this coercive attitude, all the offshore recreational anglers have achieved what we all thought 30 years ago was a pipe dream.

From all of us at SKI-BOAT magazine have a very merry Christmas and may 2018 bring you wonderful memories of fish you are going to target and catch.

Till the next tide.

Erwin Bursik

COMPETITIONS

Francois Human, Sean Van Veijeren, Richard Scott, Stuart Simpson and Gerhard von Bonde of Team Hot Line were thrilled to take first place.

WITH THANKS

• Albatros • Bakkies Baai • Bakkies Bohmer • Black Diamond Vehicle Components • BOLS • Camp Ross Ramos, Inhaca • Fishing’s Finest • Garmin SA • Grimbeek Taxidermy • Grip Hooks • Heineken • Hoedspruit Diepsee Hengelklub • Leatherbacks (Sodwana Bay Lodge) • Loo4You Toilet Hire • Mallards Marine • McGee Lydenburg

By Erwin Bursik

F

ORTY years! Yes, indeed, the OET has been holding its November competition for the gamefish anglers of the Mpumalanga Deep Sea Angling Association (formerly the Oos/Eastern Transvaal Ski-Boat Association) since way back in 1977. Under the then chairmanship of Jimmy de Pradines and Secretary Cliff Reid, this competition was founded for two reasons. The first was to galvanise the member clubs of this provincial region, and the second was to prove to all that Sodwana Bay had — in addition to the prolific gamefish of the area — a hitherto untapped billfish fishery.

For this reason the competition has historically focussed on both the gamefish as well as billfish — a determination that stands to this day. Where light tackle and heavy tackle used to differentiate between the two structures of the competition, the two are now melded by having an open line class up to 80 lb class tackle, but the rules stipulate the weight of the gamefish is added to the basic points allocated to the released billfish.

FOR SPONSORSHIP

• CC Sport • Chrysler SA (Jeep) • Creydt Timber • Cross Country • Dolos (Oom Attie) • Eventually Lodge • Eventus Sitrus • iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority • Jesser Point Boat Lodge • Jormid Electrical • Koning Makriel • LABA • • MCon Construction • Mercury • Mojo and Squidnation Teazers • N2 Eco Fuels • N4 Plant • National Luna •

The 2017 point scoring rules proved essential in determining the final outcome of this year’s OET because it was the gamefish points scored that made it such a thrilling chase to the final finish line. Have a look at the scores of the top ten teams and you’ll appreciate the tension as Hot Line skipped by Sean Van Veijeren and Zean-Mari with Captain Japie Kleinhans at the helm fought their way to the finish line. With final scores of 424.2 and 421.9 points respectively, it couldn’t get much closer!

During the opening function of the 2017 OET Jimmy De Pradines, Cliff Reid and Pieter Hendrick were guests of honour. Their presence and the lovely 40th anniversary booklet emphasised the distinction of the event that was to begin a week of serious angling in the pristine waters off Sodwana Bay. The OET Committee under the Chairmanship of Nico Zaaiyman and Competition Convenor Stephen Kleynhans did a sterling job. The massive marquee in the grounds of Sodwana Bay Lodge buzzed with the extra special atmosphere all week long, and the sophisticated layout and decoration was, in my opinion, the best it has ever been.

The two massive 150hp Mercur y 4stroke motors which were the top prize, took pride of place next to the podium and invited all the teams present to strive to be “The Team” which would uplift them at the final prize giving.

Garth McGee of McGee Ford Motors, Lydenburg, sponsored a cash prize of R50 000 which would be awarded to the team in second position overall. This generous prize, together with a Garmin Marine EchoMap 725 and other worthwhile prizes made coming second very desirable.

Zean-Mari took second place overall.

Third place went to the men aboard Catch 22.

TOP TEN TEAMS 1. Hotline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424.2 pts 2. Zean-Mari . . . . . . . . . . . . 421.9 pts 3. Catch 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374.3 pts 4. Kierie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332.0 pts 5. Oom C-Breeze . . . . . . . . . 326.7 pts 6. Mad Marly . . . . . . . . . . . . 322.2 pts 7. Stefi-Joe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320.4 pts 8. Sea Ducer . . . . . . . . . . . . 315.0 pts 9. Skybird . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306.2 pts 10. Go Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300.0 pts BILLFISH RELEASES Blue marlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Striped marlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Black marlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Sailfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Spearfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Disqualified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 Kierie took fourth place overall.

WITH THANKS FOR SPONSORSHIP

• Nauti-Tech • Nelspruit & Distrikte Hengelklub • Nemo Dive Charter and Accommodation • Nico Zaaymain • Penn Fishing Tackle • Pulsator Lures • Rothmans Motors/Isuzu Trucks • Ski-Boat magazine • Sodwana Hengelklub • Specialised Security Services • Sunset Boats • Taratibo • Tropical Dream Tackle • Turbo Paneelkloppers • Two Summers Electrical • US Trucks • West2East Marlin Charters • Wild Coolers • Willem Pretorius • Wokini Guest House and Game Farm • Zaen-Mari

The OET committee’s support of its large band of loyal sponsors and the way they were honoured throughout the event underscored both the sponsors’ and organisers’ intention to make sure the 40th Anniversary tournament was the most prestigious event in its history at Sodwana Bay. And what a competition it turned out to be! Shortly after launching on day one Mrs Seevarkie reported a hook-up on a marlin by Henry Martin. It was released at 6.20am and set the pace for the action, with 23 billfish released on day one.

That first day proved to be one of the most exciting — and frustrating — days I have ever experienced off Sodwana Bay. Most of the fleet — including my team on B’s Nest — were attacked by striped marlin that appeared to have lock jaw. They slashed at the lures with their bills, but very few were hooked. We got one stripey out of six strikes which is a terrible ratio. However, during weigh-in that afternoon many of the skippers reluctantly admitted raising up to seven stripies with either one or zero catches to their credit.

To a large extent the stripey attack continued throughout the four fishable days, but thankfully the hook-up ratio improved and striped marlin accounted for 27 of the 71 total billfish releases.

They say “It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”; perhaps the same is true of fishing. Even though the striped marlin gave us all a severe ego bashing and made us question our knowledge and skill at hunting marlin, it was wonderful to see these “jousters” of the marlin species back in our waters and in apparently big numbers.

Blue marlin, the stock in trade of Sodwana’s lure pullers were also present and accounted for 25 successful releases during the 2017 OET. Fast, hard strikes and vigorous fights provided some entertaining experiences for those able to stay attached to these magnificent billfish.

There were a few teams that were eventually beaten by some very big marlin with Sky Bird possibly going the longest distance — four hours — on the last day only to have the hook pull fairly close to the boat. This long fight effectively cost them a higher place on the leader board and they ended in ninth position overall whereas they were second going into the last day. All the same, the memor y of that mighty encounter will remain clearly etched in the minds of Captain Dave Knudsen, his son, son-in-law and two grandsons.

These days the gamefish aspect of the OET has largely become a bycatch issue compared to the years gone by when it was a separately fished section of the competition. However, what has come to the fore is the improved quality rather than quantity of the gamefish presented to the weighmasters. This year a number of good size dorado — the biggest one of 17kg — and some good wahoo came to the table, but it was Rhuan Barnard, fishing on Mad Marly, who brought the most meritorious gamefish of the week to the scales. His 35.4kg yellowfin tuna won him the very substantial Calcutta cash prize.

Hot Line’s skipper, Sean Van Veijeren, together with an extremely accomplished team of Gerhard von Bonde, Stuart Simpson and Richard Scott, worked the waters off Jesser Point hard, patiently and with determination. They released five billfish in total — at least one each day and a second on the Tuesday. This perseverance and success in marlin fishing shows their depth of experience.

That’s also what enabled Team Hot Line to win the 2017 40th Anniversary Mercury OET Bill- and Gamefish Competition and the twin Mercury 150hp outboard 4stroke motors together with their insurance for one year (by Cross Country Insurance) and two Penn rod and reel combo sets, all of which was handed over to Team Hot Line by Rutherford Marine/Mercury South Africa’s Francois Human and Aaron Ledsham.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 15

These anglers were justifiably proud of the 71 billfish they released.

Some beautiful dorado came out at the 2017 OET. The entire 2017 Mercur y OET 40th Anniversar y Tournament was executed with the precision we have all come to expect from this prestigious competition.

Thanks to Master of Ceremonies Brad Van Zyl, the organisers, marquee management, weighmasters as well as both beach- and radio control and the all-important bar staff, the final gala prize giving of the 2017 40th Anniversary Mercury OET Bill- and Gamefish Tournament was a worthy culmination of four decades of promoting bill/gamefishing off Sodwana Bay. However, what really crowned this event was when all the anglers who had released a billfish during this event, lined up in front of the dias after being awarded gold OET medals by the chairman Nico Zaaiman.

So much work, so much play, so much dedication, so much skill, so much luck went into hooking and bringing alongside each of these released billfish. Finally these efforts were lauded by everyone in the marquee that evening not just because they’d collectively caught this incredibly high number of billfish, but also because each and every fish was returned alive to the ocean.

On behalf of SADSAA, OET and every deep sea angler in South Africa, we congratulate and applaud your achievement.

The OET is always a spectacular event, so take note that the 2018 Mercury OET Bill- and Gamefish Tournament will take place during the first week of November 2018, and book early for another enjoyable competition you don’t want to miss. I sincerely hope to see you all there.

BOAT TEST

Tested by Erwin Bursik

T

HE Raptor 660 Centre Console made its debut at the 2017 Johannesburg Boat Show during September 2017. There she was in all her glory, standing proud amongst the largest collective display of offshore skiboats ever seen in South Africa.

Nick Landzanakis of Natal Power Boats introduced her to me and explained in detail not only what was visually apparent, but also his thoughts on expanding his range of offshore craft for the South African market and the ballooning export demand for South African-manufactured craft in this category.

Three years ago Natal Power Boats acquired the mould for the proven Raptor 660 forward console craft (see the review in November/December 2013 issue of SKI-BOAT) and they have been having them built for their sole distribution ever since. Nick subsequently redeveloped the entire top-deck and centrally-sited the helm station console to meet the high expectations of sport anglers.

This spinning-, jigging- and stand-up band of high energy offshore anglers have specific needs when it comes to plying their style of sportfishing and Nick has made sure that the Raptor 660 CC ticks all the boxes that their style of gamefishing demands.

When Heinrich Klein and I undertook the sea trial of the Raptor 660 FC in 2013 we were both immensely impressed

18 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

not only with the craft’s on-water performance, but also her fishability.

Since Natal Power Boats purchased the mould for the Raptor as well as the smaller Youji from Ricky Jacobs, they are having the craft built by a top KwaZulu-Natal professional boat builder using the most modern materials, techniques and floatation to produce a lighter, stronger and well finished craft.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS I was very impressed with the Raptor 660 CC when I saw her at the boat show, but when I first saw her on the slipway of Duban’s Natal Rod and Reel Club on the afternoon of the review she seemed even more striking. Gone were all the bigger and smaller craft she was surrounded by at the Boat Show; here she was able to stand proud in her own space to show off her lines in profile to maximum advantage.

WEATHER CONDITIONS Spring weather in KwaZulu-Natal is terrible; wind, rain and overcast skies make it nigh impossible to get good photographs of any craft. Fortunately we found a gap between fronts for a few hours and at short notice Nick had the Raptor 660 CC on the water together with a photo boat. The northeaster had been shunting, but the wind had turned to the south and we were awaiting a buster south-westerly that was

pushing up huge cloud banks on the southern horizon.

The ocean was mushy with the remnants of the northeasterly swell and chop, overlaid with a frisky southerly chop.

Certainly not the greatest sea conditions to provide an enjoyable day on the ocean.

An advantage of the harbour launch is that Durban Harbour is virtually fully protected from the abovementioned prevailing winds, thus enabling us to run the speed trials that most people — apart from me — seem to put much store in.

At 6 300 rpm the Raptor flew across the water at 70km/h.

Yes, incredible. Yes, exciting. She rode extremely well at high speeds, but for me this scenario never gets replayed during the many hours I spend at sea fishing from ski-boats — I prefer travelling at more sedate speeds.

MOTORS, CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE Natal Power Boats is South Africa’s premier Suzuki dealer, so it was not surprising that the Raptor 660 CC was fitted with twin 90hp Suzuki 4-stroke motors swinging standard 17 pitch props. As they say, it’s a marriage made in heaven. A pair of 90hp motors on this 21’6” craft seems to be the right combination.

Whether you’re assessing them on the forward console version that experiences more wind resistance or on the centre console craft which is more streamlined, the two 90hp motors seem to be the correct weight and power ratio for

this craft. Certainly during the time I spent at sea performing the trials on the Raptor 660 CC, carrying a crew of three, I never felt the need for extra power.

The helm station positioning of the steering and controls was comfortable, and with the substantial bum box seating to lean against during tight and fast manoeuvres, I had full control of the rig. Even though the throttle/gear control levers were straight out of the box, they were smooth and not at all stiff throughout a full range of movement.

The hydraulic steering system was a little bit tight, especially when executing very tight and fast manoeuvres. Nick told me he was trying out a new combination steering pump and hydraulic ram and agreed this aspect needed to be looked at again.

Before we lost good sunlight I had Nick perform many repeated manoeuvres in front of my camera. “Many” is an understatement but while photographing I had an excellent SPECIFICATIONS Length – 21’ 6” (6.6m) Beam – 2.55m Min hp — 2 x 75hp Max hp — 2 x 115hp Buoyancy — Foam and bottles Power as tested — 2 x 90hp Suzuki 4-stroke motors

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 19

opportunity to watch up close — sometimes too close — and take note of how this craft’s hull worked the turbulent sea conditions.

The Raptor 660 has a very flat trajectory ride, using her hull design and planing wetted area to address her stance rather than having to use motor trim to achieve the right combination of hull over water to maximise comfort.

I toyed with this aspect a lot when I was behind the helm of the craft. Watching rpm at a set throttle position, I played with the trim settings on the motors while on the plane and when we were doing just over 20 knots SOG. Ranging from having both motors fully trimmed in to excessively trimmed up, time and again I replayed the exercise. I took on the existing sea conditions from a number of different angles, noting both the comfort experienced and the variation in rpm and SOG. Correlating these I returned time and time again to using minimal bow up trim — one notch on the trim gauge — to achieve what I believed was its perfect ride.

During simulated surf work over Limestone Reef where there was a build up of a running swell, I trimmed both

motors fully down which gave me the bite I needed to get her out of the hole and back onto the plane to take on a following wave. Only under extreme conditions with the motors trimmed too much did I experience a slight degree of cavitation.

The torque of the 90hp Suzukis during out-the-hole exercises was impressive, as was the response when applying throttle at reasonable planing speeds.

Speed-over-water on a ski-boat is not an exact science due to the vast number of imponderables the ocean throws at us boaters. The Raptor 660 CC very comfortably rode the sea on the plane at 20 knots at 4 000 rpm on both motors, with plenty of surplus power if needed.

I also tested her performance on one motor with the other trimmed right up. In exact terms, at full throttle, I got onto the plane in about 12 seconds reaching 21 knots at 5 000 rpm (maximum throttle), then throttled back to 4 000 rpm and stayed on the plane at 15 knots. A marginally better performance was obtained when using only the port motor than when using the starboard motor; this is due to prop SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 21

torque, but both would provide an easy home run on one motor if the need arose.

I put big store in the protection from windblown spray one gets from a front console craft and was pleasantly surprised that no matter how hard I tried, from slow trolling on one motor to lure speed on two motors up to 9 knots, I could not get her to throw water onto the helm station area. I won’t say this will not happen in bigger seas and much stronger winds, but under reasonable conditions I was happy with this aspect of the Raptor 660 CC. DECK LAYOUT AND FINISHES I am a forward console devotee but, as I said at the outset, a large number of current offshore anglers prefer the versatility of a centre console craft’s layout which allows them 360degree fishability for most styles of offshore fishing. Although the “marlin manne” and other lure “draggers” generally prefer a forward helm station, there are many centre console craft that sport outriggers and are used for marlin fishing and lure pulling equally as effectively as forward console craft.

With a length of 6.6 metres the Raptor 660 CC offers a vast amount of deck space to enable a full complement of four or five anglers to cast their plugs, work their jigs, drift side-on with bait or slow troll in comfort.

Nick has ensured that a full array of above-deck stowage hatches, a livebait well and adequate seating is provided and is well positioned to enable easy access to all aboard.

22 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

Each sponson hosts a good-sized below-deck fish hatch, and the fuel hatches situated aft of the fish hatches each hold three fuel containers. The battery boxes are housed in the false transom, as is the live baitwell which is centrally placed in the wide walkway through to the back of the craft.

Carpeting (Flotex) is used as a deck covering and was perfectly laid on the craft under review.

Nick is as fastidious as I am when it comes to the construction and finishing of the craft he sells, and the new Raptor 660 CC is a good example of a well-constructed craft made from perfect moulds and topped off with sturdy hardware. The stainless steel rails and aft supports are not only strongly made, but are also well-fitted for practical use.

CONCLUSION The Raptor 660 CC is an extremely well made boat of a size that takes her into the big league of offshore sportfishing craft. Her size and weight allows her to be loaded onto a single axle trailer and be legally towed by most of the three-litre towing vehicles used by ski-boaters in South Africa these days.

All of these attributes make the Raptor 660 CC an ideal craft for any sportfisherman who uses his craft extensively from any of the launch sites in South Africa. In addition, if one’s preferred playground is Moçambique the Raptor 660 CC has the fishability as well as the size, weight and towability to make such excursions the proverbial “walk in the park”.

TECHNIQUES

Learning to lure billfish closer SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 25

number one and wake number two, typically with a softie trailing behind, skipping and splashing seductively in the boat’s wake. Sometimes they draw fish close to the boat, giving the angler a better chance at hooking the fish.

When it comes to running these kind of teasers on a ski-boat, the white water from the boat and engines often disguises what you are trying to achieve especially when the sea is slightly choppy or unfavourable on the day.

There is a big secret behind all of this and it was not invented yesterday, but actually way before most of us even started fishing.

THE DREDGE Everyone knows about the dredge but hardly anyone uses it in southern- and east African waters.

Dredges are basically clusters of plastic squids or natural baits designed to mimic a bait ball. They are generally slow trolled below the water’s surface, and are typically held down by a downrigger.

Dredges have become very popular again in recent times, especially in some of the mid-Atlantic billfisheries for blue marlin. The dredge was first designed to attract sailfish off the bait balls in Miami, Florida, and there are many ways of rigging them, from using natural baits to bulb squids and mud-flaps.

The good news for South African fishermen is that we don’t need to stock up on natural baits and go through the tedious efforts that Florida fishermen have to to rig their dredges with natural baits. Although I respect the crews that do that, all we are trying to do is get the marlin to come to the closest lure/teaser in our spread.

Since I started running a dredge in my spread (bulb-squids and mud-flaps) I have noticed a turn around in the way the fish behave behind my boat. This has changed our strategy in fishing for billfish.

The author with the dredge they used on Hot Line during the 2017 OET. It raised a lot of marlin and went a long way towards helping them win the tournament.

by Stuart Simpson

I

RECENTLY arrived back in my home town of Durban after a great season’s fishing in Kenya, Cape Verde and Morocco during 2017.

On my arrival I met up with Erwin Bursik and we got talking about fishing.

The subject of teasers came up and we began discussing which was the most successful lure or teaser and what method had worked best for us last year.

You cannot hook a fish unless you have its attention first, and understanding how to tease fish in the offshore world is a necessary precursor to success. But mastering teasing tactics is only a small part of the science.

26 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

It’s very important to understand the actual teasers themselves. Over the years lure manufacturers and fishermen have developed several different types of lures and teasers and each teaser/lure plays an important role in an angler’s arsenal.

While single, hookless, natural baits and lures are often used effectively as offshore teasers, the most common type of teaser used in the boating world is the daisy chain. This is created by having a line of soft plastic squids grouped together with an equal spacing between each squid, rigged onto 300or 400 lb monofilament which often stretches to nine- or 12 feet long.

This teaser runs between wake

POSITION You may well be surprised at how close we run the dredge behind the boat. It needs to be trolled completely submerged with no skipping or tumbling, and I also like to fish it where I can see it. Unfortunately this is a little more difficult on a ski-boat if there’s only a low platform and no fly-bridge. In that case run it as it disappears, with an added one metre of line once it’s out of sight.

If I had to pick a general spot where I like the dredge to run, it would be somewhere between the first and second waves. The skipper needs to have sight of the downrigged line at all times, so it depends on where your helm is; if you’re steering from the port side run your dredge on the port, and the same goes for the starboard side.

You can run it flat out the back of your boat, but the preferred method is to run your roller off your riggers to give you more clearance and better sight of where your dredge is.

Statically I would say 70% of the blue marlin that we have raised came behind the dredge. I don’t believe that it raises you more fish, but I do believe it entices an inquisitive billfish to come in and have a look at the “bait ball” you have created.

You have now achieved the first goal — bringing that fish right behind your boat where your short teaser/lure is instead of having it swimming through your spread while it chooses whichever lure is performing the most.

In that scenario quite often they will go for your long lures because they’re at a better surface angle or else the fish fades away without you knowing that it was there in the first place.

The fish is generally enticed to attack the lure closest to the dredge, giving the angler a much higher strike rate. Instead of the fish having a shot at the longs, you have convinced it to come in short to have a look at your artificial bait ball.

A dredge swims very simply under the water, almost in a hypnotic way, creating no aggression at all, but it’s a very visual indicator to a billfish. Marlin often lose interest quite quickly after they’ve had a look at the “bait ball”, but as it fades off the dredge it will notice your lure behind the dredge. That lure will be behaving in a completely different manner to the dredge which first lured the fish in, and with your lure positioned in the right place — smoking and acting like a smaller baitfish feeding on the surface — you will get a much more aggressive bite. You will soon notice that you raise more fish to your shorts when you use a dredge as opposed to running without one.

I understand that we fish on smaller boats in South Africa, but this does not mean that you cannot run a dredge. My advice is to rather leave two rods at home and run a spread of three — maximum four — lures and have that dredge in the water. With a bit of team work and practise I promise you will see better results regarding where the fish will appear in your spread and you’ll have a better chance of successfully hooking up.

METHOD There are a few ways of running your dredge off your boat: • Electric reel • Traditional downrigger • Off a 130 lb bent butt spooled with 400 lb monofilament Electric reels are the ideal way to pull your dredge in if you’re teaser fishing — using the bait and switch method.

Top: The electric teaser reel which is used to depploy a dredge. Note the separate roller guide attched to the sturdy outrigger base.

Above: Ready to be deployed. Note the lead weight used to submerge the dredge.

If you’re lure fishing there is no hurry to get your dredge in until you have come to a complete stop as you’re running hooked rigged lures. I would advise you to also have a pitch bait or a pitch lure ready as there is a high chance of another fish following as you start to pull your dredge in, so always be ready. This method can be done with a traditional downrigger or else use a heavy marlin rod and reel spooled with 400 lb monofilament.

This method of teasing is only for fishermen who are willing to try new techniques and gain more experience in offshore fishing.

One must remember that when you have driven over a hungry fish or a

group of hungry fish they are going to come up regardless of whether you have seven lures in the water or two.

Simply put, it’s not the number of lures in the water nor rods on your boat that is important.

You have to concentrate on attracting that fish to the back of your boat.

Once you have achieved that it will make your billfish fishing ten times more exciting. Your shorter turn around time of clearing lines and having more space on the deck will be an added bonus.

• For further information on targeting marlin contact Stuart Simpson <capeverde.bluemarlin@gmail.com>.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 27

BOAT REVIEW

Reviewed by Erwin Bursik MAJOR attraction at the Suzuki stand at the 2017 Johannesburg Boat Show was Hooker a Butt Cat 930 XL

by Nauti-Tech which stood proud on her double axle trailer and sported twin Suzuki DF200A 4-stroke motors.

She drew a lot of attention, including mine, especially as NautiTech’s Warren Rachman had asked me to review her when she returned to Port Elizabeth.

Suffice it to say that two weeks later I was in Port Elizabeth watching this magnificent rig being backed down the slipway at PEDSAC Club into P.E Harbour. Out at sea calm conditions prevailed for the entire day which is pretty unusual for Port Elizabeth, but time and speed allowed me to obtain a good idea of this craft’s capabilities.

Nauti-Tech have had great success with their Butt Cat 865 boat in the South African market as well as in the Indian Ocean islands. Having spent a fair amount of time on one of those models during two marlin fishing trips off Struisbaai, I have had a good deal of experience with this craft in severe conditions.

I asked Warren why they decided to extend the 865 to create the Butt Cat 930 XL. In essence he replied that there was a demand for a bigger craft than the Butt Cat 865 and both NautiTech and Butt Cat felt that by incorporating outmount extensions to the existing mould they could achieve the improvements they required without designing a totally new 9 metre craft.

The outmounts enabled the craft’s planing surface to be extended in such a way that the water reaching the craft’s propellers was much cleaner. Outmounting as a concept has been well received over the last 20 years and we all know it works.

However, this extension to the Butt Cat 865 is not just an addon; it is incorporated into the mould to provide the benefits I will discuss in detail below. This incorporation ensures that the over-

A

28 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

all visual lines of the craft are enhanced. Primarily the wetted area at planing speed is moved aft. This allowed the twin Suzuki 200hp outboards that were swinging 16 x 20 stainless steel three-bladed props to utilise the thrust more efficiently. Ultimately this provides improved fuel consumption for long range excursions to the Cape fishing grounds.

In addition — and the primary reason for the modifications — you get a substantially increased deck space. I noticed this aspect straight away when I boarded her and compared the deck layout to that which I was accustomed to on the Butt Cat 865.

Hooker, as this Butt Cat 930 XL has been named, has been designed — deck wise — as a multi-functional offshore sportfishing craft. Her owner wanted a layout that would be efficient for marlin hunting off Sodwana Bay and for targeting tuna off Cape Point — two vastly different applications. The boat has been finetuned to suit both styles of fishing.

Technically, and approved by SAMSA, the overall hull length of this craft measures a fraction under nine metres, meaning she can be skippered by anyone holding a SAMSA Certificate of Competency for craft up to 9 metres.

I need to make special mention of the immensely strong double axle trailer that tows the Butt Cat 930 XL over long distances around South Africa behind a powerful Dodge RAM and IVECO 4X4 Eurostar truck. Not only does the trailer have very effective air brakes, it also has a separate hydraulic device to raise and lower the breakneck facility when loading and offloading this rig on the beach. A Warn winch is mounted on top of the trailer stempost, thus giving a direct pull when re-trailering the rig. Talk about making life easy for Hooker’s crew!

Before boarding the craft I had Warren put her through her paces in front of the camera. That exercise results in the images I require to accompany the review, but also gives me the opportunity to watch the craft’s hull-over-water action and to refer to these SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 29

30 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

pictures at a later stage to verify or nullify my impressions made when I personally skipper her during the trials.

In undertaking this review I seek to convey to readers my view of the craft’s performance on the water — aspects they can never fully grasp by only looking at pictures or videos taken of any craft at sea. An interested buyer can crawl all over a boat and listen to the salesman’s long stories about how she rides, but without physical sea trials no skipper can assess the merits of a craft. The help readers get from my assumptions often bridges the gap between merely being interested and the desire to pursue the interest and physically view the craft.

With this in mind, when I eventually got behind the controls of Hooker I immediately began appreciating her “feel” as I commenced a long run out deep off Cape Recife.

With the aid of the fly-by-wire controls, the vagaries of throttle control creeping are obviated and I could set an SOG of, say, 20 knots, and then concentrate on hull-over-water reactions at a fixed throttle setting, noting rpm against SOG while judging the ride of the craft.

Starting with the motors fully trimmed down, I got up to speed and set a course. Gradually I increased the trim-up in small increments until I reached a stage where the props started to aerate the water. I established that the 930 XL Butt Cat loves to ride in a very prone position with revs and speed optimised at 3 400 rpm at 20 knots at her “sweetspot” using just over one bar up on the trim gauge. Other settings of the trim gauges had a reducing effect on both rpm and SOG. Another feature that came through very strongly is that this craft doesn’t need much or any lateral torque adjustment. Even after skippering her I found that difficult to believe and understand. Warren believes the planing areas of this hull design override motor torque and hold the craft stable laterally.

With this stability established I needed to see if this had any bearing on her behaviour when it was necessary to perform tight turns and get the craft out the hole like when you’re point break surf launching at Sodwana Bay for example. Working up from moderate out the hole take offs and turns to violent, fast turns I was pleasantly surprised at how well she was able to execute these manoeuvres. My scribbled down note at that time was “tight turns unbelievable”.

Using the Bell Buoy deep off Port Elizabeth’s beachfront as a fixed point of reference and using the small swell, I could hold this large craft’s position using the very efficient forward/reverse and, after gauging a break, floor the SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 31

throttles and assess how fast she got out of the hole and onto a stabilised plane to crest the oncoming swell surge on her starboard beam.

Even during incredibly tight turns and out the hole exercises both to port and starboard — unlikely to be used in normal operations — I experienced no cavitation and limited heeling in the extreme turn itself.

During my time behind the 930’s wheel undertaking all the speed trials, I felt through my feet the area where the hull physically cut the water as it does virtually under the craft’s helm station. The words “soft ride” epitomise the boat’s ride and it’s something I’ve heard often over the years about Butt Cats in general.

Take a careful look at the accompanying photograph of this craft travelling at speed and note how low and aft she disperses water. Indeed, a picture speaks a thousand words and I need not wax lyrical about how dry the craft is.

I took turns trying each motor pushing the Butt Cat 930 XL with the other tilted up completely. Both planed the craft at approximately 23 knots with the motor’s rpm at 4 850 at full throttle; I could back that down to under 4 000 rpm and plane at a comfortable 17 knots. For the speed freaks, at 6 300 rpm running both motors she gets close to 40 knots.

With Hooker’s styling and deck layout geared towards marlin fishing, I spent a good deal of time judging her ride and wake build up at SOW speeds of between 5- and 9 knots, noting she did 6 knots at 1 400 rpm, 7 knots at 1 800 rpm and 8/9 knots at 2 000 rpm running both motors. At the latter the digitised fuel consumption gauge showed a reading of 1.7 litres per hour per motor. Hooker’s wake relating to pulling lures for billfish was tight and only started to spread at over 8 knots.

When it comes to the deck layout of the Butt Cat 930 XL I could easily compare it to the layout of the 865 model on which I have spent a lot of time while marlin fishing off Struisbaai.

On Hooker the extra 700mm deck space aft makes a huge difference. Add to this the aft boarding platform and it feels like you’re on a totally different craft. A step up onto this plat32 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

form has been built into the false transom; it holds a bait/livewell and when that’s not in use it is designed and insulated to take 5kg cases of pilchards. Instead of this option Hooker has two luna tubes that suit her owner’s style of billfishing.

In the aft stowage area the above-deck hatch is positioned in the base mounting for the fighting chair; the chair itself is stored up forward until needed while hunting for marlin. The hatch provides a comfortable seating option aft.

The outrigger mounts are gunnel fitted and rigged, thus making access via the forward walkways very manageable even in rough seas.

I really liked the layout and centralisation of the helm station and found it extremely comfortable while skippering in that weather. I stood behind the wheel or sat on the large swivel seat with padded backrest during trolling exercises.

Even though its overall design and layout is simplistic, the entire forward instrument and electronic set-up is extremely practical and user friendly.

Hooker’s wheelhouse/cabin/helm station is extremely well designed and beautifully finished to provide a sufficiently protected area for those long runs home in terrible weather which the Cape so often throws at us. A crew of five could find shelter on the boat under such conditions, but this cabin doesn’t impinge on the fishability of the aft deck area nor on access to the forward area if one is tuna fishing or anchoring.

Within Hooker’s forward cabin area there’s a large stowage area with an on-board toilet and access to all the electrical wiring and batteries required to operate the vessel.

In the time they have been undertaking the building of these craft, Nauti-Tech have made astonishing improvements in the crafts’ designs and the quality of both the basic manufacture as well as the finishes and hardware supplied and fitted is incredible. All the finishes — both seen and unseen — are fashioned for functionality.

In short the Butt Cat 930 XL is a superb craft that has been designed for sportfishing but can be customised to suit the prospective owner’s primary style of fishing and the area where the craft is intended to be used.

34 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

BACK TO BASICS

FISHING THE WATERS OFF SHELLY BEACH

By Adrian De La Hunt

N

OW that summer is here it means good fishing on Protea Banks and surrounding areas. Summer at Shelly Beach is characterised by the lovely hot weather, warm, purple water and awesome summer gamefish. Species such as dorado, wahoo, king mackerel, green jobfish, billfish and of course those big yellowfin tuna are all in abundance and good fun to catch.

THE LAUNCH When you arrive at Shelly Beach for the first time have a look at the launch and talk to some of the local guys and old dogs.

Take a walk to the tower and have a chat to the launch site officers — Bryan and Khan — who are always keen to give some advice about the weather expected for the day or the conditions of the surf. Shelly Beach is considered a moderate launch, but with surrounding rocks and the unpredictability of the ocean, you never know what could go wrong.

OUT AT SEA After you have launched you’ll need to get some good bait in the tank for those hungry dorado and tuna. Running north towards the Umzimkulu River mouth to get bait such as mackerel, mozzies and the odd shad is definitely first prize.

At Shelly there are no marked bait marks, so turn on your sounder and just sound around the area from about 14m-22m from north of the bridge to the Umtentweni shark nets. You have a good chance of coming across a decent showing and, as the saying goes,“There is no better bait than a live bait.”

ON THE BANK Once you arrive on Protea Bank put out some trawling lures such as Halcos and Konas and work them between the pinna-

The author with a decent yellowfin tuna caught on a Rooster popper.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 35

Cut the sardines up into chum blocks and start fishing.

Pin the back part of the sardine on your hook as block bait and throw a handful of chum into the water. Now put your block bait into the water, stripping off about 35-45m of line and allow your bait to drift with the chum.

Once your line has pulled tight leave it for about a minute then wind it in and repeat the process again. Keep your drag setting on free spool with the ratchet on so that, when you get a bite, the loose drag allows the fish to swallow the bait.

There are three typical ways of presenting a block bait and this presentation will vary depending on how the fish are biting. When they are not fussy and are eating in a frenzy, little effort is required in the presentation of the bait (see picture one below). Picture two shows the hook is well-presented and stands out proud; picture three shows when you place the hook back inside the bait and hide it completely. This is done when the fish are being fussy or eating shy.

A perfect selection of trolling lures for Protea Banks. cles. Remember to keep that sounder on as you need to know which areas the fish are working and holding to. Once you have found the showings, mark MOB on your GPS and keep on working that area.

When the bite slows down on the plastics, get those sardines defrosted! Now comes the fun side of fishing on Protea.

Stop at the top of the pinnacles and position your boat so it will drift over the pinnacles.

A sardine cut up for chum, with the tail section kept intact to use as a block bait.

THE BITE Once your rod goes, pick it up and slowly push up on the drag and apply pressure to set the hook. While you have a fish on, put more chum in the water and get another line in the water. A bite means you have fish in your chum line, so keep working those lines!

Keep in mind that you are fishing on Protea and the tax man is always around, so there is no time for resting on that fish! Keep constant pressure on the fish and short pump him.

Not sure what short pump means? That’s when you quickly lift the rod’s tip to around your chest height and drop it again and quickly wind down. This will keep the fish’s head up and he will come straight to the boat. Don’t stop winding; think of the reward at the end of the line and dig deep.

SOSATI STICK BAITS It’s always a good idea to have one of these out. Basically it’s a sosati stick pushed through the sardine which keeps your bait straight in the water. In the photo below you can see the stick is pushed from the tail end all the way to the head.

1.

The placing of the sosati stick is very important. Starting from the tail, push it through carefully until it reaches the head. This will ensure the bait remains dead straight in the water.

2.

PINNING THE HOOK Sardines have black dots all along the side of their body; for this bait place your hook through the third dot from the sardine’s head, then let the bait out and leave it. This bait works differently to a chum bait — it’s left out for the duration of the drift while you work your other baits.

This bait often produces lovely fish such as dorado, big tuna and king mackerel, so watch out for a bite off as this means there are ’cuda around.

3.

It’s essential that you place the hook through the third black dot on the bait if you wish to get the perfect swimming action.

36 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

The preferred colours and size poppers for Protea.

POPPERS I keep a popping rod on standby in case we see some fish working bait or see birds working the surface. It also doesn’t hurt to pop while your baits are in the water, as this attracts the fish and brings them into your chum line.

ALIVE! Livebait is a real bonus and is key to attracting many different kinds of fish on Protea. There are many different ways to pin a livebait; my personal favourite on Protea is to rig the livebait to a balloon, which is situated roughly 2-3 metres above the boat. I place the hook just behind the livebait’s head and not too deep, as this can prevent a decent hook up.

The best distance to set the bait is roughly 30-40m out.

Remember to keep the drag loose so it gives the fish time to swallow the bait. The beauty of livebait fishing is you never know what’s in the area and what you will catch.

LOCATING THE FISH Once you have found the area where the fish are hanging around, shorten your drifts and work that general area. You want to be on those fish for as long as possible before they change their swim patterns and move on.

IN THE HOLE The Hole (also known as Diepgat) is an area about 3km out to sea from Protea Banks. It’s a good spot for billfish, big yel-

lowfin and tons of skipjack. To target the yellowfin there, the best approach is to pull some plastic around and look for surfacing fish or showings on your sounder.

Once you have hooked up on the lures keep an eye on that sounder. I’ve often hooked smaller skipjack on lures and then seen good showings on the sounder and gone down with the jig or whip spoon and caught some lovely yellowfin.

As with Protea Bank, once you have found the general area where the fish are hanging out stop your boat and get ready to do a drift. Get your chum line going and work those showings. If you find the showings are sitting a bit deep, downrig your livebaits with a 5 oz teardrop sinker and the hook pinned through the top lip. Lower the bait slowly and try to count how many metres you have let out. You need to make sure you get your bait into the right zone for a strike.

I also like to have a sosati bait downrigged, as this has also proven to be very successful.

This is also a good area for the anglers who enjoy targeting billfish, so don’t be afraid to pull those big Konas here.

Having said that, often marlin will pick up the livebaits and even the block baits.

TACKLE Off Shelly Beach we mostly use stand up tackle (short tuna rods) because the short rod allows you to perform those short pumps on the fish. Generally 20-50 lb rods are ideal for this type of fishing. Reels such as the Shimano Tyrnos 20-30 are perfect; anything bigger tends to be uncomfortable when short pumping a fish.

Always have your drags preset on your lever drag before a trip. We generally like to set our drag to one third of the line’s breaking strain. By doing this you ensure you are not going to part off or pop your line. My preference is to fish 18-27kg Maxima Ultragreen as my main line, but that will change according to the different anglers and styles.

TRACES For our chum trace we fish 50 lb Sunline Siglon as our bite traces and make them around 1m long with a 5/0 Mustad Hoodlum hook and a #4 Power swivel. When it comes to the livebait trace I use 50 lb Sunline Siglon also around 1 metre long, with a 7/0 Mustad Hoodlum hook and #4 Power swivel.

Fishing is definitely a game of what you put in is what you get out. The harder you work the more strikes you will get; the more you try the quicker you will figure out different patterns and techniques.

Shane Dennis caught this beautiful prodigal son on a live maasbanker fished on a balloon rig just off the southern pinnacle.

Up and coming junior angler, Greg Botha with a beautiful yellowfin caught off Diepgat.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 37

ADVERTORIAL

PARKING ON AIR

Y

OU would undoubtedly prefer to keep your car parked in a garage rather than on the street, so why don’t you show your boat — your pride and joy — the same respect?

Keeping your boat out of the water when not in use is essential to maintaining the condition and extending the lifespan of your vessel. This is where investing in an AirBerth is a decision worth making, says the African agent for the brand, Boating World.

The AirBerth boat lift storage system attaches to your mooring jetty and lifts your boat clear out of the water to avoid prolonged immersion in the ocean. Working to minimise the effects of electrolysis and osmosis that cause gel coat blistering, the AirBerth helps to maintain the condition and lifespan of your vessel. This innovative system also comes in a wide variety of sizes, making it suitable for a range of vessels, from fishing vessels to catamarans, monohull cruisers and ski-boats.

Collin Stroberg, a proud Boating

38 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

World customer and owner of a Butt Cat 930 XL recently decided to invest in an AirBerth.

“After a few attempts at trying to launch my boat at Richards Bay Ski-Boat Club, I decided there had to be an easier way to get the maximum benefit of fishing from my new boat! Getting the boat out of the storage facility based in Richards Bay, towing it to the club and launching it was very time consuming and stressful.

“I didn’t always have someone to help me launch the boat and that also became a stumbling block so I began to do some research into the possibility of using a boat lift to moor my boat in the Richards Bay Harbour.

“Having given a great deal of thought to my options, I made the final decision to purchase the AirBerth boat lift. From my first contact with Wayne Barthus of Boating World, to the final commissioning and demonstration of the AirBerth the whole processwas an absolute pleasure. Not only was the entire transaction professionally man-

aged, but Wayne and his family also all came out on a Sunday to commission the AirBerth and ensure that I was totally satisfied and comfortable with its operation.”

Louise Dibrell, another Boating World customer who bought an M730 AirBerth for his 38 Fountain Express agrees. “The AirBerth is superb; I have not one complaint nor suggestion for improvement. I have achieved the goal of effortlessly removing our Fountain Express daily from the South African waters despite the incredibly strong winds here in Cape Town.”

In essence AirBerth makes storing your vessel at your favourite marina a hassle-free experience where you can forget about the costs of towing, launching and recovery.

Extremely easy to use, the AirBerth can be operated by anyone with minimal effort. Simply drive your boat onto the submerged AirBerth, secure your vessel with ropes, attach the hoses from the portable blower box which commences the displacement of water from

Why you need an AirBerth... the primary f loats, and in less than three minutes the AirBerth will take shape, rising to lift the hull of your vessel out of the water. Your boat is now stored safely and you can climb on and off with improved stability.

“It now takes me approximately 15 minutes to lower the boat into the water, load it and set out to make the most of a day out at sea,” says a very happy Stroberg. “It’s such a quick and easy system to use that I often leave the harbour feeling as though I may have forgotten to do something!

“Mooring the boat on our return is just as simple and stress-free. I now get to enjoy my boat more frequently and can manage it all with a lot less help than before. My AirBerth has been a great investment in my arsenal of fishing gear and has certainly been worth the money spent.”

By avoiding extended contact between the metal parts of your boat and the saltwater, you also help to greatly increase the life of your props and drives. Keeping your boat clear of the

water more often means you can also save the time, energy and money that goes into anti-fouling a vessel and maintaining this, keeping your boat looking as good as new with minimal effort.

Trevor Harvey of Nel’s Marine in Richards Bay says,“These AirBerths will save you big bucks on maintenance — no more antifouling every two years and a lot less corrosion on your motors.

You can wash your boat and flush your motors with freshwater and with no more trailers in the water, you save time in the mornings. You simply get on the boat and go.”

After four years of owning an AirBerth, Dibrell agrees. “I now realise this product is actually free and may have a negative cost to the owner.

Maintenance on our boat has been reduced to almost zero whilst other boats of the same age are suffering. In four boating seasons in Cape Town we have not missed one single day on the sea due to mechanical issues and our boat continues to look as good as new.

It’s a great product.”

Unlike other similar products on the market, the AirBerth system is made from long-lasting, highly durable high density polyethylene plastic which is built to withstand the harsh conditions along Africa’s coastline.

“I have installed a lot of docking systems and boat lifts and the AirBerth is still the best by far. It’s the best quality, requires almost zero maintenance and it’s easy to use; really foolproof. You get what you pay for, so pay a bit more and get the best,” urged Harvey.

AirBerths models are available to hold boats that weigh from 2 300kg up to 15 000kg and are available for both monohulls and catamarans. Boating World is the African agent for the AirBerth system and can distribute these products throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Give them a call to discuss owning your very own AirBerth.

For further information email <info@boatingworld.co.za>, phone 021 418 0840 or visit <www.boating world.co.za/accessories_airberth>.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 39

CLUBS

An aerial shot of the Durban Ski-Boat Club’s facilities during the 2017 Durban Ski-Boat Club Festival.

Photo courtesy of Kulumatv.com.

By Erwin Bursik

D

URBAN Ski-Boat Club, the biggest and arguably the oldest ski-boat club in South Africa moved from its long-term premises at Vetch’s on Sunday 12 November 2017. It was a bittersweet day as myriads of members old and new came to the club to say their final good-bye to the clubhouse which has existed on the same premises for the last 60-odd years.

I felt waves of nostalgia and recalled more than a memory or two from the years gone by since I purchased my first skiboat in 1962 and began a life-long association with Durban Ski-Boat Club.

Whilst the mood was sombre on that Sunday it was lightened significantly by the knowledge that the club would immediately move to the temporary facilities that have been erected to house the DBSC and DUC until new PWC facilities have been completed within the Point Waterfront development. Even the “Beastly Easterly” showed its full might to “blow” out the old and hopefully welcome the new.

Many anglers are fully aware of the trials and tribulations that have taken place both within these two clubs as well as

A copy of Fishing News dated 11 September 1953 carried this sketch (right) adapted from a plan drawn up by the Durban City and Water Engineers’ Department. The heading announced, “This is how Durban’s new ski-boat base will be laid out”. The story went on to tell that the Railways and Harbours authority had given permission for the ski-boat club to use a 1.5 acre site to develop their base and amenities which would accommodate 135 licensed craft.

42 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

An impression drawn by Bill Ellen of part of the finished development with all the watersports clubs’ facilities situated below the promenade.

PWC (DSBC and DUC) premises will extend to the left for 180m.

Durban Ski-Boat Club a step closer to its new home

This photo of the Durban Ski-Boat Club clubhouse — taken prior to a major rebuild in 1984/5 — appeared in the September 1986 issue of Ski-Scene magazine. the interactions with those set against them. A number of hurdles had to be overcome by the management committees of both clubs. Suffice it to say that eventually sense prevailed and judging by the mood of those that packed the DSBC that Sunday, the correct choice had been made and the course forward was being supported by the vast majority of members.

In the September/October 2015 issue of SKI-BOAT magazine we carried an article entitled “Durban Ski-Boat Club: From the Cradle to the Grave”, wherein various aspects of the club’s history were detailed. Fortunately on 12 November it didn’t feel like we were standing next to a grave, for the mood was not so much a commemoration of the past as it was a party celebrating the club’s way forward into the future.

I do however feel that the club’s history should never be forgotten, and nor should those before us who took a vacant bit of what was called “Back Beach” and humbly started the

sport of offshore angling by skippering the first ski-boats that put to sea. Furthermore, DSBC has played a major role in the development of the sport of deep sea angling in South Africa at club, provincial and national level.

The concept of ski-boat fishing has been attributed to Hayon Grey who, in 1944, launched his 11ft craft into the sea off Vetch’s with one motor and paddles. Hayon and the brave anglers who followed his example soon had their sport curtailed because of war time restrictions.

Once boating from Vetch’s was again allowed after the war, the Vetches Sea Angling Club was formed along with a few other clubs such as the Albatross Angling Club. In 1951 they all amalgamated to form the Durban Ski-Boat Club we know today. Eventually on 24 February 1954 the Durban City Council agreed to sub-lease an area near the Point to the Durban Ski-Boat Club to use as a permanent ski-boat base.

The first facilities for both a clubhouse and open air parking for boats were developed on this rough cinder-coated land.

The original clubhouse — a small, box-like building — progressively grew with additions to the existing structure, but with the fast-growing membership and the demand for an upgrade, in 1984 a large part of the old clubhouse was demolished and the rest upgraded to become the flagship of all the ski-boat clubs in South Africa.

Indeed, ski-boaters of Durban —past, present and future — have much to be proud of and although the legacy of the past enjoyed by today’s members may have been taken away, all of us today and those that follow us will be assured of a magnificent facility on the very beach where DSBC was started over 60 years ago.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 43

ALL THE ANSWERS YOU’RE LOOKING FOR ...

To clarify what’s happening at Durban Ski-Boat Club now and what members and visitors can expect going forward, Mark Wilson of SKI-BOAT magazine had a Q&A session with Hilton Kidger, DSBC Commodore.

SB: Well, Hilton, I would guess this year has been quite a challenge for you and your committee. Give us a bit of insight as to what went on behind the scenes.

HK: Firstly, it was not only the DSBC involved in all “the action”. DSBC, the Durban Undersea Club (DUC) and Point Yacht Club (PYC) together formed the the Point Watersports Club (PWC).

There was also the Durban Paddle Ski Club (PSC) whose members believed they had an equal right to the site and to being involved in the process.

Rather than deal with all the legal nonsense which was disappointing, and costly, let me fast track to the positive outcome.

In a nutshell we recommended to the developers that they give the PYC and PSC their own lease, and let the DUC and DSBC — where harmony prevailed — have our own lease. And here I am referring to the main lease on the area that will be under the promenade, when we move there in two years’ time.

SB: What is the interim plan? I see a new clubhouse has recently been built looking onto the north breakwater.

HK: By the time this magazine gets on shelf we will have been insitu for at least ten weeks. We are positioned 44 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

This is the home of the Point Watersports Club (DUC and DSBC combined) for the next two years; you’ll find it on the site of the old Thirsty’s restaurant. more or less where the old Thirsty’s used to be. Our temporary clubhouse looks like a shed, so the name of the watering hole will be The Thirsty Shed — makes sense to me!

This temporary venue will accommodate the DUC and DSBC, under the combined banner of the PWC. Each club will still retain its own constitution, committees, bank account, etc, and all running of the club will be done by the PWC central body. For example, all staff will now be employed by the PWC. SB: How have you handled the blending of the assets? For example the DSBC has tractors and the DUC has a dive boat.

HK: Once again it was a logical exercise.

We have created a loan account for each entity that has contributed. Those

assets, unless paid for by the PWC, will remain the property of the club that contributed them. The DSBC and DUC have equal representation on the PWC board so it’s a very simple formula.

SB: This must have required quite a bit of sorting out?

HK: Not really. Both the DUC and DSBC have been communicating for years over the many issues that would face us, and this solid relationship has made the transition a very easy and pleasurable exercise. Also, our management have been integrating systems, communal purchasing, and essentially getting to know one another over a number of years and as such they already have a solid working relationship.

Thankfully there are no egos to worry about and that’s generally what

gets in the way of progress. In fact, it has been amazing to see the number of DUC and DSBC members who have got together, rolled up their sleeves, and made this transition happen. They are the true heroes of these two great clubs that have been around for about 65 years.

We’ve also had incredible support and understanding from the developers in the form of UEM Sunrise. They are tough negotiators, but reasonable, and good trust has developed between the PWC and the developers.

the promenade is finished and ready for your next move, how will that work?

HK: Imagine having over 180 metres of prime beach frontage at the point where the beach is widest. It does not get better than that!

We will have 4 712m2 to fill up what we need. The developer has agreed to finance the construction of the shell and we will kit it out afterwards at our cost. Where in the world do you find a club in the middle of a prime development that has such a large footprint, and right on the beach?

SB: With the PYC and PSC forming an alliance and subsequently resigning from the PWC what is on the cards for them? Without any club on the beach — I understand these were vacated on 14 November 2017 — where will they go and how they will operate?

HK: The PYC has its club in the harbour, but in the out-of-court settlement agreement we said we would “accommodate” them at our temporary premises, but not with the same privileges as a fully paid-up member of the DUC/DSBC/PWC. They will be treated as visitors and will pay a daily entry fee of R100 or whatever is agreed upon from time to time.

They will also pay full price for food and beverage, and will not be allowed to park inside as this privilege is reserved for full members.

SB: With regard to beach safety, the DSBC, by appointment of the harbour authorities, has been responsible for safety in the area for many, many years.

Will this continue under the new arrangement? How do the other clubs fit into this?

HK: That’s true, and in future it will be further improved upon. We have 12 fully trained boat inspectors, three very senior Safety Officials, and all sorts of safety equipment — radios etc — not to mention our close working relationship with the NSRI. We have drawn up a beach protocol that was submitted to the city official via the Point Watersports Management Association. It is a work in progress document, but it essentially deals with improved safety protocol, taking into account the changes in public use of the beach between Ushaka and the North Pier that have already happened and the fact that in future it will become even busier.

Not many people are aware that on a normal weekend we launch 150 boats per day. This is a lot, but we are kitted out to handle this efficiently and safely.

Regarding the other clubs, on a very busy day they may launch 20 yachts and 20 fishing skis. Generally speaking they organise their own safety boat, but recently we called on our ski-boats that were still out to assist when a westerly buster flattened the Hobie fleet. We are always there to help. It is also a rule of the sea to help others in distress.

For us it is just another day at the office.

SB: Please tell our readers what the developers offered you. As I recall you were to remain in the DSBC premises and be joined by PYC and DUC until the promenade was built and they were ready to build the new permanent clubhouse beneath this.

HK: That was the plan, but for various reasons they wanted this changed and offered us the land adjacent to the Pump House. We accepted that on the proviso that they would put up the building and would also connect us to the various services.

This cost them a fair buck or two and both the DSBC and DUC have had to open their respective purses for the finishing touches. They charge us R100 per month excluding VAT. The end result is a winner, and I can assure you that when it comes time to move again there will be reluctance from our side.

Such is life!

SB: Besides the strong angling and diving presence of both clubs, it is quite a way for the umbrella brigade to carry small children, umbrellas and coolers.

What are your views on this?

HK: Once again we have taken this into account and we will have a transport system running to ensure our “younger” members with families are looked after.

SB: After the two-year period is up and

SB: Finally let’s talk about the DSBC Festival. We all know that it is going ahead, but you must have had many anxious moments deciding whether or not it should be held in 2018?

HK: It never entered our minds to postpone it or call it off. This is a very important event for all the anglers who have supported this festival over the last twenty years. This really is an event that belongs to the anglers and we are privileged to host it.

Given that this will be hosted at our new home we are going to make it a cracker of an event, so make sure you diarise 27-29 April 2018.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 45

FISHING STORIES

by Julie Lentz Julie Lentz is a well known Border angler. This is a flashback to a typical family fishing trip off Cintsa in December 1991.

The Jay-D team — Wayne, Bradley, Julie, Clint and Shane.

A

FTER 20 years of casual ski-boating, the competitive spirit firmly took hold in December 1990 when the Jay-D junior and senior teams took many prizes and trophies in the Cintsa Ski-Boat Club annual competition. As a result the team was raring to go when it was time for the December 1991 competition. Llewellyn Flanegan, skipper of Sea Bird, also came under pressure from his youngsters to enter the comp in 1991.

The juniors’ competition took place on Monday 16th December and weigh-in was at 4pm. Sea Bird and JayD shared Llewellyn’s old Massey Harris tractor (1940s model) so we both beached at 3:30pm, but Llewellyn beached on a sandbank delaying the operation somewhat. We suddenly found ourselves alone on the beach with a stubborn tractor that simply would not go. The rules of the competition were that anyone not at weigh-in at 4pm would be disqualified. My youngest son, Michael (eight years old at the time) had caught a 6.4kg geelbek, which was almost as long as him, so we could not risk being late. His life’s dream was to “catch a fish as big as me”.

With two boats to tow to the gallows, we had to work quickly. We stripped the tractor carburetor in record time, found the problem and reassembled it, while we sent my nephew Shane (the Brahman) back to the house for the Lada 4x4 just in case.

Above: The Jay-D team — four bachelors, a skipper and a dog happy to be home.

Left: Michael’s first black steenbras and Jordon’s Kob.

Julie Lentz

We reached the gallows with a couple of minutes to spare and my wife, Ros, could finally relax.

She had been up since 3.30am making our lunch for the boat and was on the beach with us at 4.30am to launch, and now her “baby” had the fish of his dreams and certainly couldn’t risk being disqualified. She almost took Michael’s fish from the hatch to run to the gallows which was about 700m away in the township.

The rest of the week was not good weather for fishing. On Saturday 21st December we enjoyed a day of casual fishing as the senior competition was only due to start on the Monday and we planned to spend the Sunday preparing for the competition.

On Saturday afternoon we beached, off loaded some crew, fish and bait, refuelled and were going to troll in Cintsa Bay as there were plenty of birds working the area and warm water had found its way in. My daughter Liesl (then 19 years old) and her cousin, Debbie, wanted to join us as we were not 48 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

Left: Michael hooks into a fish that even pulled him up from his seat, middle banks in the Agulhas current at Kei, 25km from Cintsa.

Above: “Help, Daddy! Help!” You can see Michael battling but with a little bit of a hand on his rod he manages. It was heavy going with a Scarbourough reel for this 8-year-old.

going out for too long. It was spring high tide so there was some surf, and during the launch Liesl slipped and cut her foot on a reel which was not well stowed. We immediately returned to the beach as it was obvious she needed stitches, and then we launched again to continue as planned. Three launches in one day!

On the way to East London to take Liesl to a doctor, a surfboard came off the vehicle in front of Ros and came shooting towards her windscreen.

Fortunately it bounced on the tarmac and she was able to avoid smacking it, but they were a little shaken.A busy day all round!

On Sunday one of our crew members, Wayne James, decided to go to Rooival — about 12km up the beach — in my 4x4 Lada with my young kids to get a few mussels. Spring low was 10am so they left at 8am. At 11am Ros was at the local shop at Cintsa when Wayne and Debbie appeared, and by the look on their faces she knew there was a big problem. The Lada had gone down in the notorious Kwenxura River!

Wayne asked Ros where I was, hoping I’d gone to church, but Ros replied that under the circumstances Wayne should rather have gone to church as I was pottering around the house and he should indeed fear facing me. The Lada only had 7 000 miles on the clock! Fortunately a Mr Kunnard had kindly given Wayne assistance and they had managed to pull the Lada out of the river and tow it to Cefani, but the water had covered the bonnet. When it happened, the kids were on the roof rack! To Wayne’s disgust, there was someone at the scene who recorded the events with a video camera.

During the mid-1970s we’d lost a Land Rover in the same Kwenxura River and even a bulldozer could not tow it out. Eventually only 6” of the cab was visible in the sand; it seems to have a quicksand effect when a vehicle stops or stalls in a hole. Wayne explained that Debbie had waded through ahead of him and the river was flowing only halfway to her knees an hour and a half before low tide. The infamous Kwenxura!

Above: A proud moment for Michael. He landed it himself, with a little help from Dad’s gaff.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 49

50 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

This 6.1kg stumpnose was a new club record at the time and won Shaun the trophy for the heaviest red.

Bradley took the “Copper Cup” that year. He also won the trophy for the biggest shark.

So, instead of preparing for the competition we spent the rest of our Sunday stripping the Lada down to bone, draining the oil and checking transmission oil, flushing the engine with diesel and eventually starting the engine successfully, but the wiring, dashboard, two-way radio and radio were ruined. You cannot believe the saltwater which came out of the engine above and below the pistons. Even the sealed Russian battery had sand inside it. We decided that our bad luck had come to an end and things could only get better.

Monday 23rd December, the first day of the seniors competition, started out as usual at 4am and we were the first out as drive-past had been arranged for 6am. My crew, however, wanted to leave earlier in order to organise themselves before 6am so that they would be ready to fish as soon as we had our first down-down 28km away.

After the drive past of the participating boats we decided to head for the Kei despite the chop in an easterly head wind, because the bay water was dirty and full of dorries, but we trolled for an hour first on the way there. In the Agulhas current (which was screaming) our new echo sounder showed a 26m pinnacle in 76m of water, and then a second one. Funny thing was the old paper sounder never showed it as good. In this particular place the sea was extremely rough, but we decided to anchor on the pinnacle and use heavy sinkers (slave trade) to bottomfish.

While we were preparing the anchor we drifted more than a nautical mile away, according to our Decca navigator, as the wind and current were in unison. We moved back and my eldest son Clint (then 21 years old) was on the bow at the ready with the anchor; behind him was able seaman Shane “Brahman Bull” to assist. When we got near the spot I slowed down while watching the sounder to find the pinnacle. It appeared that the current had to go around this pinnacle and that affected the surface of the sea. There was a certain amount of water coming over the bow which is normal in these circumstances, and Clint was still sitting on the sponson. Suddenly three or four big ones with white tops came over the bow in succession. The following events took only a few seconds but seemed to happen in slow motion: When I looked up I saw that the front deck was completely flooded. I opened the throttles and water on water makes more water and more weight, and we simply started diving into this big sea! I then realised that the two tunnels which drain the bows under the cabin hatch on my Supercat Sport were blocked and that we were in serious trouble.

Michael and Jordon showing off Brad’s catch.

Happy anglers all round.

Our only option was to turn and, with sheer force, try to “waterfall” the water off the sides of the bows in a following sea — this involved a 180° turn. By now the life jackets, tagging pole, caps and other items from the guys up front were floating in the sea and drifting away in the current. We seemed stuck in the mud as it were.

Panic struck the crew for a moment as Shane shouted, “I don’t want to drown, Uncle Julie!” It was hard to take him seriously because his face was white from sun block with bright pink lips from zinc sun block. However, it was a frightening situation and Bradley Phillips called out from behind me,“There go the lifejackets, Uncle Julie, we’re stuffed.”

I decided to call my colleague Errol Preston before attempting the next move which might end with us sinking.

Errol’s boat Priority was also in the vicinity at the time.

“Errol, this is Jay-D, we’re in trouble,” I said, but when I released the microphone button I realised there was another boat transmitting and someone had spoken over me so Errol wouldn’t have heard my call.

There was no time left to debate the course of action as my boat was listing heavily forward. I had a full port fuel tank and an empty starboard one, but there was a tendency for more water to collect on the starboard side and we started listing to starboard as well as forward as the waves came over the side in succession. Instinct and experience made the crew move quickly to the port side and I turned full on to port and opened the starboard throttle.

The powerful 12-year-old straight six cylinder 115hp Mercury bulldozed the transom into the oncoming sea and now, with the boat side-on to the sea, water pounded over the side onto the rear deck listing the boat heavily starboard as well. Looking back I saw the starboard motor was completely submerged with only the roll bar exposed. I thought the motor would cut, so I opened both throttles full taps.

Everything was silent. I couldn’t hear the motors as they were underwater, but the sheer force of their power slowly turned the boat’s stern into the oncoming sea. I straightened out and she responded weakly. The weight of the water on the rear deck had countered the weight on the front deck as well as the diving effect of the bows, although by that stage almost the whole boat was submerged. I kept the motors going full taps and her bows slowly rose and she waterfalled the water over the starboard side to which she was listing. I shouted to the crew not to jump and to check the blockage up front.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 51

The rear deck drained quickly, first over the starboard side to which she was listing, then between the motors and then out the scuppers.

To begin with the front deck did not drain, and then suddenly it drained partly on the port side. Shane’s T-shirt came through the drain tunnel with force and the bows drained about three-quarters of the way although the front hatch was still full to the brim. By now we had some speed on a following sea so I slowed down.

Clint and Bradley pulled Shane’s jacket from the starboard drain tunnel and it drained the bows, then a whole squid was removed from the front fish hatch drain holes and we finally had a water-free deck and a balanced boat again. We breathed a sigh of relief.

Somewhat shaken, we went back a few hundred metres to recover our lifejackets and other flotsam. When we had done that we took plenty of water out of the sealed cabin hatch.

Fortunately we hadn’t removed the door or else the cabin hatch would also have filled with water. At least there was an air pocket in the middle of the boat of about three cubic metres inside the cabin.

If you’re wondering why the life jackets were lying around, we never stowed them because they are no good locked inside a hatch in an emergency, but of course they were also no good drifting away in the current and this aspect certainly needed more thought. I knew for sure that in the future I would make sure there were fewer loose items lying around which could block the scuppers. It used to be a constant battle and made me unpopular at times when I asked the crew to resist throwing down clothing, but they had finally seen for themselves why that was necessary and agreed that had it not been for the loose items blocking the drain holes nothing like this would have happened.

By this stage it was 9am and we had not yet done any bottomfishing. We decided to go back and put pick as other boats in the vicinity were catching the odd fish on anchor even though conditions were terrible. We were determined to work this reef, although we had drifted 2.8 NM from the spot.

The next two attempts to anchor were unsuccessful due to the strong drift, so I turned the boat slowly side on. The drift was much stronger than I had judged, and again plenty of water came over the bows, but this time it was no problem.

Suddenly I couldn’t get the starboard motor into neutral to start it and the penny dropped — the anchor rope! Bradley pulled up the motor and the rope was wrapped around the propeller. I knew there was plenty of rope out and that although the water was 70-80m deep, there were pinnacles up to 26m. Should the anchor catch, the boat would go down in a split second. Clint grabbed a knife and jumped on to the motor to cut the rope. It took forever to cut as the rope was not taut, but he had a job in that rough sea to hold on. I was not prepared to gaff the rope and fix it to the bows as I felt there was no time. Meanwhile I was battling to get the other motor going to stay on idle as it kept cutting out, and if I moved forward too fast it would have thrown Clint off the stern in that rough sea and that would be a further problem.

Once it was cut through Wayne donned a lifejacket and jumped over the stern to unwrap the cut rope. Having lost the rope, we counted ourselves lucky to still have our boat and our lives, and we decided that the week’s run of bad luck was over.

As an aside, we finally anchored on the pinnacle but it was not fishable! It was now already after the first call up and we didn’t have a single fish on board, the sea was mad, we were shaken and wet and I could see that the adrenalin had been drained from everyone. I decided to troll out to the horizon on our way home as Wayne and I calculated that we would run out of fuel if we continued returning on drift anyway. We had in any event drifted another 1.8 NM down by the time we retrieved the anchor.

Eventually we settled ourselves and trolled for about an 52 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

hour, but due to the wind the trolling lines became entangled at one stage. During the sorting out I was given the main rod to hold which had a big Daiwa reel on it. Somehow I let it go during a distraction and over it went to the bottom of the ocean! I felt disgusted and cheated! We continued trolling (in silence) for another 15 minutes and then decided to have a pot shot on the bottom in the middle of nowhere.

Suddenly a “sterretjie” came chirping overhead, circled the boat and sat on Clint’s head. The boys couldn’t believe it and laughter rang out over the ocean but the bird just sat there, unmoved. I scratched for my camera and it let me take a photograph, then Bradley offered it a pilchard and it took one peck, chirped and flew off. Clint laughed, saying that was a good luck sign!

A good luck sign — a sterretjie sitting on Clint’s head.

I’d seen that happen once before some twenty years ago, but when I told the story no-one believed it — at least now I had the proof. We even caught our own rod in 80m of water on a previous occasion, and no-one believed that either.

At 4.30pm that day we beached amongst the other boats as weigh-in was at 5pm. Clint only had a 7kg hound shark to weigh; had it not been for our circumstances we would have tagged it. We transferred the shark and Clint to Llewellyn’s boat and lethargically loaded our boat with a manual winch and a drained crew. We had a few beers on the beach and a few more at the weigh-in, deciding that we were lucky to be able to fish again and imagining what could have happened if we had gone in the drink or if someone had jumped off in panic.

The following day was a break so Bradley and I took a leisurely drive to the shop to refill our petrol containers. On the way back the Club Commodore stopped us to find out what happened the previous day. After a 10-minute explanation we drove off and 10 metres later we ran out of fuel!

What a week! For all the drama some good did come out of it — we came second in the competition, and Peter Smith and I each caught and re-released a tagged fish. One of them had been caught by my son Michael the previous December and I had tagged it!

To cap it all, at the prize giving at the end of the competition the trophy for the heaviest red was inadvertently given to another angler instead of Shane who had caught one of 6.1kg.

We quickly retrieved the trophy!

I’ve decided to lash my lifejackets to a lanyard in the future. One is never too old to learn, and I was fortunate to have had my regular crew with me in those circumstances.

We lived to fish another day as fishing pals!

PRESIDENT’S REPORT Phillip Marx, SADSAA President

SAFETY

T

HE Safety portfolio undoubtedly had the biggest change in the past year with the passing of long serving member Stan Walters.

We once again thank Stan and his wife Tilly for their many years of unwavering service to SADSAA and the small craft family. Carl Krause and his two deputies have had their hands full dealing with all safety related matters, and we congratulate them on the smooth handling of all that has transpired recently.

Safety at sea can never be emphasised enough and Carl and his team are in close contact with SAMSA to ensure that the interests of our boating community are well looked after.

The issue of Certificates of Competence (COCs) is ongoing, and any queries in this regard are to be sent to <office@ sadsaa.co.za>. Gail and Zee will do their best to assist.

O

N behalf of the SADSAA Council, I must apologise for the lack of news over the past few months. We have had some interesting changes here in our organisation which I will briefly outline below, along with some news from our recent council meeting.

In July we had our Annual General Meeting where the following members were elected to hold office for a 12 month period.

President — Phillip Marx Vice-President — Jaco Lingenfelder Treasurer — Erwin Bursik Secretary — Chris Schorn National Selections Convenor — Barry Turk Public Relations Officer — Hymie Steyn Local & International Tournaments — Dick Pratt Records Officer — Dave Oostingh Developement Officer — Niel Coetzer Environmental Officer — Mark Beyl National Safety Officer — Carl Krause Deputy Safety Officer Coastal — Anton Gets Deputy Safety Officer Inland — Jannie de Jonge We sincerely thank all these gentlemen for making themselves available to take on these portfolios and we wish them well for the year ahead.

Please note that should any you need to contact anyone in SADSAA, you can send a mail to <info@sadsaa.co.za>, and we will do our best to assist and get this through to the correct people concerned.

We wish all our anglers out there the very best for the upcoming season.

Travel safely and tight lines.

2017 Eastern Province Gamefish Association annual prizegiving.

Eastern Province anglers who have represented South Africa, SADSAA and Eastern Province received their provincial award certificates from SADSAA President Phillip Marx.

SADSAA CONTACTS: Office phone: (012) 996-9007 • Website: www.sadsaa.com 54 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

2018 NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS

B

Y the time you read this the Heavy Tackle and Light Tackle Billfish Nationals held at Sodwana in November will be all over and our tournament anglers will be relaxing with their families over the Christmas holidays.

We hope the fishing in November and December was good and continues for the holidays.

Please anglers, get your clubs to let your provinces know the dates for tournaments — club, interclub, bonanza — to enable us to prepare a comprehensive National Tournaments

Calendar.

Dates and venues for the2018 National Championships are as follows: • Bottomfish Nationals, East London, 27th April to 1st May 2018; • Tuna Nationals, Gordons Bay 13th to 19th May 2018; • Gamefish Nationals, Shelly Beach 21st to 25th May 2018; • Junior Nationals, Shelly Beach 16th to 20th July 2018; • Heavy and Light Tackle Billfish Nationals, Sodwana November 2018.

READERS’ QUERIES SADSAA’s President, Phillip Marx, has undertaken to answer a limited number of readers’ queries regarding SADSAA in each issue.

If you have a question you would like answered, email him on <president@sadsaa.co.za>.

RECORDS

T

HERE has not been much movement on the record front, with only three fish records being applied for — one each for the Juniors, Ladies and Men. The first was a fine sailfish taken by young Jordan Kahn, while fishing with father Alain, off Durban on 23rd July. Weighing in at 37.8kg Jordan’s sailie was a new 10kg All Africa Junior line class record.

Our ladies’ contribution came from Annelise Smit, who accounted for a very fine Prodigal Son of 18.65kg on 10kg line class test — a new South African and All African record. The fish was landed on 12th July off Sodwana Bay. In the men’s category Louis Vosloo landed a 12.2kg amberjack while using 6kg. The fish was taken at St Lucia on 8th June and is a new South African and All African record.

DEVELOPMENT

D

EVELOPMENT within SADSAA has achieved some high points over the last period with a victory for George Ntuli, one of our development anglers, who took gold and top angler in the recent Sailfish Interprovincial held at Sodwana Bay. We hope his tenacity and winning attitude sees him go all the way to the green and gold.

A Junior Interprovincial was held at Shelly Beach as a run up to the upcoming Nationals to be held there next year.

Twelve teams and four provinces were represented. Some quality fish were brought to the scales and new friendships were cemented between anglers. Lots of knowledge was passed down from the skippers and fellow anglers to all who par- Above: Henk du Plessis, George Ntuli, Chris Barnard ticipated and a special and Anton Gets. The Northern Gauteng Deep Sea thank you goes to Angling Association team took first place in the 2017 Natal Deep Sea and Sailfish Interprovincial held at Sodwana Bay and specifically Anton George was the top angler of the tournament.

Gets and Shelly Beach Ski-Boat Club for their efforts with all the arrangements. Well done to the Natal juniors for their victory there.

A special thank you to all the provinces who are putting their knowledge and time back into the sport and keeping the sport of competitive deep sea angling alive and well. The feedback I am receiving is all positive and seeing our sport grow is both an honour and a pleasure.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 55

PLACES

Fighting Cape Verde’s monsters on their turf

By Piet Nel; photos by Stuart Simpson

B

EING a marlin addict, the desire to fish around the Cape Verde islands had been in the back of my mind for a while before I decided to book our trip. My interest was fuelled by consistent reports of incredible catches of blue marlin, both in numbers and size, on social media and previous publications of SKI-BOAT magazine.

Eventually my obsession got the upper hand and I made contact with Stuart Simpson of West2East Marlin Charters the beginning of 2017 and 56 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

booked a six day package from 24 to 29 July. Stuart was almost fully booked and that was the only available week left due to a cancellation.

Once the date was set a close friend, Gavin Heale, came on board.

Together we shared the excitement and anticipation at getting the opportunity to land a big one. Stuart would skip and Ryan Williamson would run the deck on Nha Cretcheu, a 33-foot Bertram sportfisher whose name means “my darling” in Creole. We were excited to fish with Stuart and Ryan, two of SA’s own top marlin anglers. If nothing else they would certainly understand

the desire to kick start a day with a “Free State cappuccino” (Captain Morgan and Coke in a coffee mug).

Cape Verde is an archipelago made up of ten volcanic islands situated in the central Atlantic Ocean, rougly to the west of Senegal, North West Africa. To get there one can either fly to Lisbon in Portugal or Dakar, and get a connecting flight to Cape Verde. I opted for the Lisbon option and eventually arrived on São Vicente, one of the Cape Verde islands, after two days of travel.

I arrived on the Friday and our turn on Nha Cretcheu only commenced on the Monday. It was probably the

A 900 lb blue marlin greyhounds across the surface of the ocean off the Cape Verde islands. longest weekend of my life; I could not wait to get on board. On the previous Thursday Stuart and Ryan landed an estimated 971 lb big blue, lost another equally big fish and released a 750 lb blue marlin — all in one day. Reports of such catches fuelled my impatience.

Due to his work schedule, Gavin had to fly in on a series of connecting f lights all the way from the USA. Frustratingly his Sunday flight from one of the Cape Verde islands, Praia, to São Vicente was cancelled and he only landed at 9am on the Monday morning. No time was wasted, though, and at 9.30am we boarded Nha Cretcheu. Plans had

changed somewhat and Stuart had to return to SA due to visa requirements for his following Morocco season which left us with the trusted hands of Ryan at the helm.

Nha Cretcheu is renowned for raising big blue marlin and for good reason — the tackle was top class and the simplicity of the spread and method would soon prove its effectiveness. The spread consisted of two teasers (hookless konas) on the short pulled from teaser reels, two rigged konas on the longs and a dredge to assist in raising the fish.

An additional two rods on the deck — 130 lb and a stand-up 50 lb rod spooled

with 80 lb top shot — were both rigged and ready with pitch baits (the “big pitch” and the “small pitch”).

Depending on the size of the marlin coming in on the teasers, the captain would instruct us to pitch with either the small or the big pitch.

Having received a crash course in pitching technique, our journey started.

It was agreed that Gavin would take the first strike and I would follow, a sequence which we stuck to throughout the week.

Conditions and water colour were not great near São Vicente, with other boats reporting very few fish marked, SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 57

A beautifully lit up marlin fights for all it’s worth.

58 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

raised and landed, so Ryan suggested that we travel north to the island of Santo Antao, roughly a five hour trip by boat. The fish move constantly between the islands and one must be prepared to look for them.

On Tuesday we travelled north. The Norweste Banks, 16 nautical miles from a remote bay, Montrigo, on Santo Antao consists of structure from 2 000 metres to approximately 70 metres below the surface. The local fishermen from Monte Trigo travel there in small boats to catch tuna on hand lines. It was clear that this area offers excellent tuna grounds as well. Ryan reported that tuna of 70- to 100kg, as well as an amberjack of 90kg had been caught in the area.

We worked an area close to the Norweste Banks on Wednesday. The sea was alive with plenty of bait, tuna and bird action. Soon Gavin hooked up on a solid 700 lb blue marlin which grabbed a Pulsator tube on the left long. Not long after releasing Gavin’s fish, I hooked up on a feisty 200 lb blue which gave us an impressive acrobatic display before it was released. Cape Verde has an unofficial rule not to kill and boat a fish unless it is estimated to be a grander, a policy I firmly support.

The next morning the conditions changed for the worse up north and we returned to the São Vicente area on Thursday where Gavin caught and released a sailfish.

While the conditions were somewhat unfavourable and fishing was slow, I used the opportunity to learn how to rig skip baits and make knots from our capable deck hand, Sammy.

Friday started out slow with Ryan marking just a couple of fish in the São Vicente area. Around 2.30pm he marked a big fish 90 metres below the surface. I knew this was the one. Ryan worked the area and approximately half an hour later we heard a big smack on the Big John Pulsator teaser. Nobody saw the fish coming into the spread, but as it was my turn, I grabbed the small pitch rod and pitched. A solid 900 lb blue marlin engulfed the pitch bait in a flash. Following Ryan’s instructions I tightened up approximately eight seconds later.

Soon a “submarine” broke the surface and took off; three quarters of the spool was quickly emptied. I was on with the biggest blue marlin of my life on 50 lb gear in a stand-up harness.

A furious battle ensued and, with great skill and teamwork from Ryan and the crew, the swivel tipped the rod with Sammy hanging on to the leader for dear life. I could rightfully claim my first 900 lb blue marlin on 80 lb IGFA rated line.

Little did I know that the fight had only started.

Attempts were made to get her clos-

er to the boat to effect a safe release, but she had other plans and the battle shifted to the next level. After two or three more attempts on the leader, she decided to sound and Ryan instructed me to push the drag to sunset to prevent the fish from dying down below.

Line was still rolling off the spool at an incredible speed. The pre-set of the reel was cranked up to its maximum, and the drag lever returned to sunset. I also held on to the spool as tight as possible. She eventually stopped. By that stage the rod, line, leader and stand-up harness were all pushed beyond their limits — not to mention yours truly.

Something had to break, but thankfully the rod, line, leader and knots held.

I managed to lift her with half and quarter turns on the reel, all the while anticipating a serious rod smack in the face. Ryan constantly shouted to hold the rod in case of a break off. A gruelling 40 minutes later she was approximately two metres below the boat when the circle hook literally straightened. The marlin still had plenty of stamina and fighting spirit and graciously disappeared into the blue. This was a fight and experience of a lifetime and

the highlight of our trip.

Despite the unfavourable conditions and slow bite, we both caught two big ones, a small blue and a sailfish, not to mention two tuna of 17- and 25kg. We are grateful to the Na Cretcheu and her crew — Ryan, Sammy and Jah. Cape Verde is a must for any adventurous angler with a burning desire to land a big blue marlin. Renowned skip-

pers and anglers travel from all over the world to catch these blue marlin and I suspect that keen tuna anglers and jigging enthusiasts will soon discover Cape Verde’s gamefishing potential and flock there too.

• For further information on fishing Cape Verde contact Stuart Simpson <capeverde.bluemarlin@gmail.com>.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 59

COMPETITION

Beluga in action. Photograph taken by Grant Scholtz.

by Kirsten Veenstra

T

Below: Winner Ari Kraak on boat Bluwater.

HE 12th annual Two Oceans Tuna Derby, sponsored by Two Oceans Marine Manufacturing and Atlantic Boat Club, was held in Hout Bay from 7-11 November and was once again a roaring success.

This derby has become one of the biggest and most eagerly-awaited sportfishing events on the Cape fishing calendar, and this year saw 36 entrants and 34 boats out on the water. Each year the competitors raise funds for NRSI and this year over R20 000 was raised for the Hout Bay NRSI base.

Indeed, the prizes up for grabs make the competition worth entering for any tuna fisherman. The winning team walks away with a Yamaha Explorer, and runners up win fantastic prizes of Furuno electronics and navigaWinner Ari Kraak on Bluwater with his prize. Photographs by Faye Zoetmulder.

tional equipment, flat screen TVs and other worthwhile prizes. The sponsorship list is also impressive — Two Oceans and Atlantic Boat Club are the title sponsors, with Furuno, The Lookout Deck, Yamaha, I&DRS Insurance Specialists/Phoenix Risk Solutions/Allianz being other big sponsors.

While November in Cape Town is the best time to have the competition for many reasons, the south-easter also presents a risk to fishing. This year it was already clear at the skippers’ briefing and opening function on the Monday that there would be no fishing until the Friday. Disappointing as this was, it did not stop a few days of festivities at Atlantic Boat Club while the competitors psyched themselves up for two days of fantastic sportfishing.

Winning team Bluwater with Alistair Dixon from Two Oceans Marine Manufacturing.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 61

The fleet at rest after the last day’s fishing.

Photographs taken by Kirsten Veenstra.

Friday 10th and Saturday 11th November were two beautiful sunny days in Cape Town, and produced fantastic fishing.

Friday morning was still windy with big seas, but by Saturday the wind was light and the weather warm and sunny.

The level of fishing this year was very high, with the top ten positions closely contested. After weigh-in on Friday the leading catch was a 98.05kg yellowfin tuna caught by Kyle Nold on Tuna Catcha.

Saturday saw another great day’s fishing and the fleet came in around 6pm with a new leader — Ari Kraak on Bluwater who had landed a fat 100.95kg beauty. Tarryn Hemmes on Seasons came off the water with a 69.65kg yellowfin, earning her the top spot in the ladies’ competition. A festive prizegiving followed where the impressive array of prizes was distributed.

Chris Shield and his organising team from Atlantic Boat Club and Two Oceans Marine can be commended on yet another well organised and very successful event.

TOP TEN FISH ANGLER 1. Ari Kraak 2. Kyle Nold 3. Tielman Niewoudt 4. Rod Delany 5. Adrian Estcourt 6. Matt Preen 7. Andrew Fraser 8. Rian Raubenheimer 9. Mark Kilner 10. Tony Godfrey

1.

2.

3.

For further details about next year’s competition email 4. <tunaderby@atlanticboatclub.co.za>.

The crew of Bella Donna with Rod Delany’s 90.65kg yellowfin which took fourth place.

62 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

(ALL YELLOWFIN TUNA) BOAT TOTAL WEIGHT Bluwater 100.95kg Tuna Catcha 98.05kg Real Time 91.78kg Bella Donna 90.65kg Country Lady 89.95kg Gallus 88.50kg Tuna Catcha 88.50kg Bluwater 88.45kg Cloe Rose 80.55kg Odyssey 77.20kg

TOP LADIES’ CATCHES (ALL YELLOWFIN TUNA): ANGLER BOAT TOTAL WEIGHT Tarryn Hemmes Seasons 69.65kg Nicole Alexander Delta 1 63.20kg Nicole Alexander Delta 1 58.25kg Heidi Mi Thyme 50.32kg

Winning lady Tarryn Hemmes with her 69.65kg yellowfin.

CLUBS

PURE GOLD CBSC celebrates 50 not out

“Every member a shareholder with initiative and dignity – a club to be proud of – a club to belong to!” is the unwavering philosophy and culture of the CBSC, maintained to this day.

T

HE formation of the Cape Boat and Ski-Boat Club (CBSC) by a handful of passionate anglers during 1967 was not incidental in any respect, but rather a result of the intrinsic need for such an organised environment.

By 1967 there was a large diverse fleet of fishing boats operating in False Bay, mostly dinghies, bakkies and bayboats, but still very few genuine wetdeck ski-boats. Boating accidents were rampant and following the demise of yet another boat, the 21ft Bob-up,

action was called for. Arthur Goulden — then chairman of Western Province Union — and one of his crew members, Piet Brink, took the decision to muster support to form a responsible organisation to control sportfishing in False Bay. The objective was to have a proper ski-boat club in Cape Town under the aegis of the Western Province Anglers Union and to affiliate to the SA Anglers Union in order to compete with the other ski-boat sections in the national angling contests.

Under the chairmanship of Arthur Goulden, the inaugural meeting was held in the Tulbagh Hotel in Cape Town on 25th October 1967. Being the very first ski-boat club in the Cape Province it was going to change ski-boat angling in the Cape, and the rest of South Africa

for that matter, forever. The committee was chosen from those in attendance and Tom Mansfield, being the only one present with ski-boat experience, was elected as the first chairman.

Although the ski-boat owners were the vast minority at the meeting, it was attended by a number of bakkie and bay-boat owners who had already accepted the idea that the newly pioneered “Durban ski-boat” was the answer to the needs of the inshore boat angler. They wholeheartedly supported the idea of a club and accepted the responsibility of bringing all boats up to a standard safety specification.

In order to accommodate all the owners of the large motley f leet of boats, it was cunningly decided to name the club the Cape Boat and Ski-boat Club (CBSC). Only five days later Tom Mansfield addressed a firmly worded letter to the members: “Remember we’re one team now, we must promote the club and grow our membership.

Please don’t forget your subscriptions — only R6. We need a clubhouse and launching facilities and improved facilities for small boat operations throughout the Southern Cape. We are planning to challenge the Port Elizabeth Deep Sea Club and want to have a club competition to get to know each other.”

About a year after the formation of the club a variety of different facilities were still being used. Allen Thomson, who served as chairman from 1969 to 1971 stood up at one of the meetings and said “The CBSC will not be a club unless we have a clubhouse of our own, at the sea, with our own slipway.”

There was unanimous agreement from the members. With renewed energy the search went into high gear and various alternatives were pursued until the old dumping grounds at Miller’s Point was identified in 1969 as the most viable option.

There were a number of issues to be overcome and a lot of red tape to deal with, but eventually some four long years later, Tom Mansfield’s appeal to the members was realised. The members’ dreams were fulfilled — they had a launching ramp, a car park and a club house uplifting the enjoyment of their leisure time and beloved sport to a new level.

Because of the sound of the boulders being drawn back and forth by the incoming waves in front of the clubhouse, Earl Fenwick called the site “Rumbly Bay”, a name still in use today and well known to anglers all around the globe.

The club facilities have been changed a number of times over the years and 2017 saw the clubhouse being upgraded and returned to its former glory.

Here’s to the next 50 years!

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 65

BOATS

READY FOR ADVENTURE BUILDING AND LAUNCHING A 67FT SUPERCAT

By Neil Schultz

weight structures and cored panels. All these techniques were used in the targeting of low weight structures, combined with thin plywood sandwich construction based on the “West System”.

One of the biggest challenges of the build, was developing processes to meet the very low predicted weight targets planned which translates into performance.

During the early build stages of the 67RDX, a scaled down version of the hull shape and design was used to produce the Supercat Sliver 29. It proved to work very well, with exceptional fuel efficiency, performance and comfort.

(See the review on the Sliver 29 in the

November/December 2007 issue of SKI-BOAT and Part 6: Sportfishers — How the Wet was Won in the March/ AVING spent time travelling April 2015 issue of SKI-BOAT.) The around Moçambique on Sliver 29’s success gave Dennis reassurBitec, the original Supercat 38 ance that he was on the right track.

Sport Custom, Dennis Schultz One of the novelties of the 67RDX of Supercat Marine in Port Alfred decidbuild is that, as opposed to normal ed that he wanted to build a large livemould-produced boats, this build started aboard boat for adventure excursions. with the internal structures such as the After many hours of design using 3D furnishings and bulkheads. They prodesign software, the 67 foot concept vide part of the structural strength of came into being. The resultant craft is a the boat and the hull was built around 67 foot (20.4m) catamaran with a beam them. This is different to the process of 8.5m, a draft of 1.2m and a weight of used in general production model 11 tons. There are four double and two yachts, where the hull is manufactured single rooms aboard, all of them enand then the furnishings are fitted. suite. The boat is powered by 100hp Where possible, renewable Yanmar diesel inboards and has materials were used. One thing full live-aboard specification. we discovered was that in the proThe build started in 2006 and duction of wind turbines in initially each part to be constructEurope, when lengths of glass/ cared was extracted from the drawing bon combo fibres were shorter and printed on a large printer, then than the blades to be made, the traced onto the material and cut glass/ carbon combo fibres were by jigsaw. It was a very labour discarded and used in landfills. We intensive process. managed to purchase these materiIn 2007 Supercat purchased a als and much of the hull was built CNC machine for its production from them. The plywood used was lines. This increased productivity also sourced from renewable dramatically and allowed for sources. designed items to be cut directly There were many challenges in from the computer. the planning of the manufacture, The entire build of the 67RDX as the boat could not easily be was treated as an R&D project, raised or rotated, so things like allowing the Supercat team to rudders and shafts had to be learn various build techniques The 67ft Supercat — Sea Chant — in production. installed in the early stages or using epoxy vacuum bagging, light

H

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 67

On the road and on the water ... Getting Sea Chant to the water was an adventure in itself, but once there she settled in well. Now all she needs are her mast and sails.

there would have been no means of doing it at the end Planning where every item would be fitted was also challenging, because in most cases there were no 3D drawings available, so most of the items aboard also had to be drawn to ensure the correct planned fit and positioning.

There was also the lingering concern of how we would actually launch 68 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

the boat. Fortunately the dirt road leading from Supercat to Port Alfred is wide enough to accommodate her, but overhead power lines and phone lines were always a concern, and over the years Supercat was obliged to have lines moved.

In the late stages of the build we also designed a slightly smaller version of this hull in the form of the Sliver 50

which was designed for charter applications. This model is ready and waiting for someone to take up the challenge and order one, at which time production will begin. Like the 67RDX and the Sliver 29, the Sliver 50 has a high bridge deck clearance which works extremely well in big seas.

New challenges arrived late in 2016 when we realised that the major R72 road upgrade would affect the launch of the boat. The 67RDX would need to be launched earlier than anticipated as dual carriageways were becoming single lane stop-go type roads. Dennis decided to launch Sea Chant without the mast and sails, otherwise she would have been landlocked until the roadworks were completed.

The access road to Supercat is narrow with large trees, so to start with a path was cleared across the neighboring farm to allow Sea Chant to reach the road. After meetings with the Traffic Department and the authorities at the Royal Port Alfred Marina and Small Boat Harbour, it was finally decided to launch her on 5 August 2017.

Family and friends from far and wide arrived to assist wherever they could.

On the morning of the launch cold, rainy weather made things quite difficult. Everyone was soaked through by the time the boat — towed by Dennis in a large Landini tractor — reached the road. Due to the rainy conditions we arranged to have a large tip truck follow behind the boat, with a rope attached to the boat’s trailer, to act as brakes down the R72 hill.

The traffic department, roads department and many others assisted with closing the roads so that the procession could slowly wind its way down to the harbour. All went smoothly with photographs being taken all along the trip to the slipway.

After some manouevring Sea Chant was finally in place and ready to be launched, but as the slipway is short, we needed to wait for the tide to rise.

A few hours later Sea Chant finally met the water. All eyes were focused to see what her attitude would be as she began to f loat and, to ever yone’s delight, she lay perfectly.

While Sea Chant does not currently have a mast, she is intended to be a motor sailer. She performs very well under power; current performance on the sailing propellers is 18 knots maximum, and at an economy cruise of 10 knots, she uses approximately one litre per nautical mile (both motors).

Once her mast and sails are fitted she will be able to achieve extended distances under sail with the high performance sailing rig.

For further information on Supercat craft visit <www.supercat.co.za> or phone Neil on 046 624 1867.

WAHOO!

by LC Meintjes (10)

I

WAS so excited when school closed for the July holidays because my father had entered me for the Three Phase Fishing Competition at Sodwana! My grandfather has a very nice flat at Sodwana and my father, grandfather and I decided to go up the weekend before the competition to get a head start.

On the Saturday morning we headed out to sea on our boat Speeltyd. We often fish at Sodwana and my father is a good skipper. We put out four lines with Rapalas and then the big wait started. It wasn’t long before two reels started singing. My grandfather handed me one fishing rod and he took the other one.

“Hold on tight, LC, this looks like a big one!” he shouted. I just smiled when his fish got away and I held on as tight as I could to mine. Then the big fight started.

My grandfather pulled in the other lines as quickly as he could. The line on my reel was running out fast, and I panicked thinking I might run out of line.

Then the fish turned and headed straight towards the

boat. “Thank goodness,” I thought, but as soon as the fish got close to the boat it turned and headed right back into the deep!

For half an hour I fought like this — backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards... At last I was able get the fish so close to the boat that the leader showed.

“Wahoo! Wahoo!” my father and grandfather shouted in harmony. Their commotion sent the wahoo back to the deep! My heart sank as I saw the fish disappearing out of sight — I thought I’d lost it. It was such a great catch! Then I felt that the wahoo was still on my line and the big fight continued.

Finally I was able to reel fish close enough to the boat that my father was able to gaff it and load it. I was so grateful that I got such a great catch!

The wahoo weighed 25.5kg — I felt so proud and thankful. Fishing with my father and grandfather will always be a privilege and I am thankful for what they have taught me over the years.

SKI-BOAT magazine, in conjunction with Mercury, is proud to offer all junior deep sea anglers the opportunity to win awards for excellence in angling.

If you are 16 years old or younger and you submit a photo of yourself and the fish you caught, you will receive a handsome certificate suitably inscribed confirming the catch.

And there’s more ...

Once a year the names of all junior anglers whos photographs appeared on the Mercury Junior Angler page will be included in a lucky draw and the winner will receive, courtesy of Mercury, a fantastic prize of a 2.5hp outboard motor.

All you need to do is send us a photograph of yourself and your catch, together with the following details: • Your name address, telephone number and date of birth • Species and weight of the fish you caught • Line class used • Date and place fish was caught • Boat and skipper’s name All entries should be sent to : Mercury Junior Angler SKI-BOAT magazine PO Box 20545, Durban North 4016 or email your entry to <angler@mags.co.za>.

There is no restriction on the number of awards that can be applied for, and SKI-BOAT magazine reserves the right to use the photographs as it sees fit.

A selection of five award winners will appear in each issue of SKI-BOAT magazine.

Junior anglers, Mercury and SKI-BOAT magazine acknowledge that you hold the future of our sport in your hands. Here’s your chance to show us what you can do!

72 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

INDUSTRY

HE last of the joint founders of the Cape Town International Boat Show bowed out on a high after 17 years of staging the country’s most prestigious boating and watersports event.

“It has been an incredible journey, taking something from a concept to a show that could be replicated uninterrupted every year. The fact that an international group like Messe Frankfurt have now taken over the show is a clear signal they see an even bigger future for this event,” said co-founder Dana Whiting.

T

“Once again the Cape weather gods smiled on us this year and we were blessed with excellent conditions, making the watersports — sailing and stand-up paddling — a huge hit with the more energetic visitors.

“Initial feedback from exhibitors has also been very positive. Boats and their related activities are not cheap anymore and can be a tough sell in our prevailing economic conditions. It’s a credit to the quality of our local manufacturers that business was considered to be brisk. As with most events of this kind, the final deals are only completed over the folSKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 75

Constantin von Vieregge

lowing days and weeks.”

Messe Frankfurt South Africa, a subsidiary of the third largest trade fair company in the world, is a global leader in the exhibition sector with operations across 28 different countries. The company is well established in South Africa and is the proud organiser of the South African Festival of Motoring, the Johannesburg Boat & Water Show, Automechanika Johannesburg and the Futuroad Expo.

“We are really excited about taking over the Cape Town International Boat Show,” said Constantin von Vieregge, CEO of Messe Frankfurt South Africa.“We are focussed on creating a platform where exhibitors will sell more boats and the associated products. We want to increase aspiration and showcase the lifestyle of the industry by including more interactive elements. We also look to incorporate government involvement in the form of round table discussions.”

Messe Frankfurt’s global connections across a number of exhibitions will be a ready platform to add new elements to the Cape Town version. There are considerations to increase the business-to-business aspect of the show, and perhaps look at a conference component that will help bring in visitors from across the continent and globe.

76 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

“The founders have done a great job in getting the Cape Town Boat Show to this point. We are confident that we can take it to the next level by attracting even more people to come and enjoy the experiential aspects of life on the water.

Coupled with the natural beauty Cape Town has to offer and the iconic V&A Waterfront as a venue, I’m sure we can soon position this event among the world’s best boat shows,” concluded von Vieregge.

Next year the Cape Town Boat Show will take place from 19 to 21 October. For more information visit <www. boatshow.co.za> or contact the Show Manager, Kathryn Frew, via email on <Kathr yn.Frew@southafrica. messefrankfurt.com> or phone 010 599 6171.

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 â&#x20AC;¢ 77

MARKETPLACE

LOWRANCE SA WINS NAVICO AWARD

AD INDEX Angler’s Apparel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Bazaruto Encounters. . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Boat for sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Boating World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Boating World — Airberth. . . . . . . . 38 Club Marine Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Durban SB Club Comp . . . . . . . . . . 46

OWRANCE South Africa recently won one of only three prizes awarded at the Annual Navico Conference, held in Palma, Spain. Mikala Plotz (National Sales Manager) and John Minnie (Technical Manager) were delighted to receive the award for the “Best Growth”. They are pictured above with Matt Hooper (Global Training Director), Lucas Steward (Lowrance Product Line Director), John Minnie, Sennur Yagmur (Independent Distributor Sales EMEA), Mikala Plotz, Jacob Scott (Lowrance product expert), John Scott (head of Product Management & Marketing) and Gildas Le Masson (Director of Independent Distributors EMEA).

Lowrance forms 80% of Navico’s recreational market, making it the most popular marine electronic brand in the world.

The conference is held for all the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Navico distributors and keeps them informed and up-to-date with all Navico products and processes. They are introducing many new and exciting features to Lowrance products and most of these will be accessible via free software updates. Keep a look out on the Lowrance SA Facebook page and in their online magazine.

For more information contact your nearest dealer or phone Lowrance South Africa on (031) 368 6649.

Durban Yamaha. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

A NEW DAY DAWNS FOR DAIWA REELS

Natal Power Boats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

H

Nauti-Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

L

ERALDING a new dawn in reel design, the new Saltiga uses the pedigree of its past with the innovation and technology of the future to deliver anglers a new age in performance, and a new age in excellence.

The Saltiga is the ultimate multiplying reel, built to take the rigours of extreme saltwater use.

Saltiga continues Daiwa’s innovation trend by featuring Mag Seal technology. Delivering unrivalled protection in spin reels since it was first introduced in 2010, Mag Seal is a revolutionary system that involves magnetised oil which forms an impenetrable seal to prevent dust, water and salt intrusion. The latter being a major limiting factor and the Achilles’ heel of saltwater reels.

Slamming the door shut on unwanted intruders, Saltiga with new Mag Seal technology is overhead protection and design advancement like you’ve never seen before.

Saltiga also has a precision machined one-piece aluminium frame for more cranking power, strength and durability. Ultimate cranking control is available in the new Saltiga with a large Swept Handle, bringing the balance point of the handle closer to the centre of the reel. This combines with the large, super grip EVA knobs to produce unmatched cranking power, balance and control. The handle can be adjusted from 75mm to 85mm to increase or decrease speed and power.

New to the Saltiga range are specific models like the 40HA and the 50HA which are perfect for high speed long distance casting from the shore. Over-run is controlled by Centriflex, the system which only applies spool braking at top spool speed where it is needed most. There’s no friction from the brake blocks at the beginning or end of a cast to hamper casting performance.

The new Daiwa Saltiga star drag reels are now available at most leading fishing tackle stores countrywide, and at The Kingfisher in Durban.

For further information phone (031) 368-3903 or visit <www.kingfisher.co.za>.

Garmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Inside Angling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Jesser Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Lowrance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Matoya Lodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 McCrystal Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 MDM — Raymarine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MDM Raymarine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Mr Winch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Natal Caravans & Marine . . . . . . . . . 2

Natal Power Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

OET Sponsors thanks . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Property for Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Rapala — Sunglasses. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Richards Bay SB Club Comp . . . . . . 66 Rutherford Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Shelly Beach SB Festival . . . . . . . . . 34 Ski-Port Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Solly’s Angler’s Corner . . . . . . . . . . 50 Supercat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Suzuki Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The Kingfisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 TOPS @ Spar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Turboformance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Two Oceans Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Two Oceans Marlin Tournament. . . 64 Vanguard Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Verstay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 West2East Marlin Charters . . . . . . . 78 Yamaha — Seacat 565 CC . . . . . . . . 5 Yamaha — Seacat 565 FC . . . . . . . . 63 SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 • 79

BUSINESS CLASSIFIEDS

80 â&#x20AC;¢ SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

DIRECTORY

SKI-BOAT January/February 2018 â&#x20AC;¢ 81

RAPALA LIP

Last word from the ladies

The challenges of giving and receiving gifts

S

O this is Christmas .... and what have we learnt? Not to let your fisherman other half buy you gifts, that’s what!

I’ve been reading Rapala Lip for a couple of years now, ever since I started dating my darling love and ended up sitting bored while he was cleaning the boat or prepping the boat or checking the boat — or the bait or the lures or the lines or whatever! Invariably I found a copy of SKI-BOAT magazine lying around while I waited (impatiently) for him to be done. And as I have this pecular habit of flipping through magazines from the back instead of the front, I was pleasantly surprised to find an article specially for the ladies! After a while I was happy to let him get on with his stuff (for a short while) just so I could read the latest Rapala Lip. And here I am on the other side of the page, so to speak!

The first year we were dating he invited me over to his home for dinner on Christmas Eve. We’d only met a couple of months before and I was hugely impressed with this man who could cook, because kitchen appliances and I are not close friends. Okay, so dinner was fish, not roast turkey or gammon, but it was really tasty.

I wandered around the lounge while he finished prepping dinner and his Christmas tree in the corner caught my eye. I love Christmas, and top of my bucket list is going to the Christmas markets in Germany, but at the moment all those holiday dreams are disappearing into the hole he calls his boat.

Anyway, back to that first Christmas ...

True, the tree was plastic, not real, but I was surprised to find a bachelor who’d made an effort to bring some Christmas cheer into his home. From a distance I noticed how sparkly all the decorations were, and as I stepped closer was astounded to discover that, between the twinkling fairy lights, were a whole lot of metal shapes with sharp hooks on the end! Of course the hooks were ideal to “hang” these objects from the tree, but I was slightly perplexed.

82 • SKI-BOAT January/February 2018

“Honey, where did you get these tree decorations?” I asked.

“Kingfisher has a brilliant selection,” he informed me.“And they’re multi-purpose spoons — after Christmas they’ll catch me plenty of fish!”

Bear in mind I had no brothers, my father and uncles did not fish, and I get seasick going on a cruise, nevermind a ski-boat, so I had never been fishing and couldn’t understand how these shaped objects with hooks were “spoons”. I didn’t want to appear completely ignorant, though, so I let it pass and settled down to enjoy the dinner.

I was spending Christmas Day with my family and he with his, so after dinner we sat down to exchange the gifts we’d bought for one another.

My handsome boyfriend handed me two smallish boxes, each with a big red bow on it and I started to get excited.

It was a bit early in our relationship to expect expensive jewellery, but perhaps he’d decided I was a keeper and he wanted to make sure I knew it.

When I took off the bow and looked closer the paper was black and white with writing on it — a photocopied page out of SKI-BOAT magazine! That should have been the first clue that perhaps the gift was not going to be what I was expecting, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and tore it open to look inside. The first gift was a box of antiseasickness pills. “Okay, that’s sweet,” I thought, “he wants me to spend time with him on the boat and doesn’t want me feeling ill, so I guess that’s cute even if it’s not going to happen.”

I was still excited about the other gift. Again the box was wrapped in a photocopied page of SKI-BOAT — I guess he couldn’t bear to actually tear out the pages and use those.

As I started opening the box I saw something sparkly. “Yay! He knows how I love bling,” I thought to myself.

And yes, indeed, it was a sparkly gift, but it looked like he had just taken two of his smaller decorations off the tree. I must have looked confused, because he excitedly explained that he’d had a

friend turn two spoons into earrings!

“See, he removed the barbs and the hooks are nice and sharp so they’ll easily go through your pierced ears,” he clarified.

“Thanks, they’re lovely,” I smiled, hastily closing the box and hiding the shiver that ran down my spine at the thought of walking around with those garish things attached to my ears!

Perhaps my Rapala Lip was beginning to show because he looked worried. “Oh, here’s another one for you,” he gushed handing over a bigger gift.

This one actually was wrapped in Christmas paper.

I cautiously unwrapped it ... a seafood cookbook!

“Oh, super, I’ll show my mum,” I told him. Perhaps I hadn’t made it clear enough I had no interest in cooking.

Despite the underwhelming gifts I really did like him a lot and was prepared to overlook a few faults, so I eagerly handed over the items I’d lovingly picked out for him.

The first was a lovely woollen scarf the same colour as his beautiful blue eyes. True, he’s a slops and shorts kind of guy, but I just loved the feel of the soft wool and the colour was gorgeous.

He too seemed underwhelmed, but I thought for sure my next gift would be well received — his first drill and electric screwdriver set! I’d got a brilliant deal on the Black Friday sales.

Once again he didn’t seem over excited. I couldn’t figue out why because I knew he didn’t already have one of those. I guess I’d never really seen him show much interest in DIY projects but still ...

He and I stayed together, but all through the next year neither of us ever saw the other one use the gifts they’d been given.

When December came around again I suggested we each draw up a list of what gifts we’d like, and make sure we only bought items that were on the list. That worked really well, and I even forgave him when he bought me a sparkly diamond ring that wasn’t on my prepared list!