Over the weekend of 24 and 25 February members of the Gordon’s Bay Yacht Club (GBYC) embarked on a cruise to Simon’s Town, marking one of their much-anticipated ‘raid’ weekends. A total of 14 yachts took part in the raid, and were hosted overnight by the False Bay Yacht Club (FBYC).
The tradition of raids between GBYC and FBYC has been going on for many years. In addition to providing moorings and social activities, the host club can expect their visitors to “liberate” an item from their clubhouse. Targets of the raid include framed pictures, burgees, trophies and club mascots. The stolen item is eventually returned during a future raid. This time GBYC returned an artwork that had been raided during 2023.
The fleet boasted a diverse range of vessels, ranging from a 7 m Holiday 23 to an 11 m Tosca 36. A total of 41 sailors participated, with several other GBYC members driving to Simon’s Town to take part in the festivities.
Setting sail just before dawn on Saturday, the fleet encountered a moderate north-westerly wind. Most yachts opted for a direct route to Simon’s Town on a close reach, leaving Seal Island to starboard. Others chose a scenic northern coastal route, taking in the caliche (calcrete) cliffs at Swartklip, as well as Muizenburg, Kalk Bay, and Fish Hoek.
Despite occasional rain showers in Simon’s Town, a braai was held at the FBYC clubhouse, aided by strategically placed umbrellas. Live music was provided by saxophonist Gary ‘The Lips’ Sletcher, and there was an exchange of previously raided items.
Sunday morning brought a shift in the wind to the south-east for the return journey. The fleet motored against the wind for roughly two hours until the wind backed to a moderate southerly, providing excellent sailing conditions despite the presence of a sizeable swell. During both the outbound and return journeys, sailors were treated to the company of a large pod of common dolphins.
The fleet successfully achieved their target arrival time of 16:00 for high tide on Sunday.
In recent years, Gordon’s Bay Harbour has effectively become tide-bound due the presence of a sandbank near the harbour mouth – the result of a lack of maintenance dredging.
It is expected that FBYC will raid Gordon’s Bay at some point over the next few months. For more information about sailing at GBYC, contact the club on 021 856 3263 or gbyc@gbyc.co.za.
