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Editor: Gavin Cosgrove - Phone 465 0850, Fax 465 0851, cell: 072 930 7558
At the Helm
I do apologise for any confusion caused by my closing note in last month's newsletter with regard to the AGM. The AGM will be held on the last Thursday in August and not July. The actual date is the 30th of August. We hope to see as many members as possible there. Mention was made at our meeting last month of the current demise and subsequent sad state of our maritime museum. Upon further investigation, I have confirmed our worst fears. The museum, as you probably know, is currently housed on the first floor of the old Union Castle building in the V&A Waterfront. The venue is way too small to accommodate anything other than a token. Currently the biggest asset of the museum, which includes historical material, most of the models and props, including the St George, is all in storage at Wingfield, soon to be forgotten, lost or inadvertently destroyed. There seems to be a few good ideas submitted within the department as to a possible future for the museum, but this appears to be falling on deaf ears. All research activity seems to have come to a dead stop. Once again there are some loose ideas, without any approved funding for these vital activities. There is certainly no master plan in existence at the moment or what appears to be any driving force at senior level to develop such a plan. With so much happening within the Government these days and given all the activities on which they have to focus (the influx of Zimbabwe "refugees" , the 2010 world cup, the irritation of Helen Zille, Mbeki's successor, to mention but a few, ) it is no wonder that the maritime museum cannot rank too high on their list of priorities. If we sincerely believe that Cape Town can justify and should have its own fully operational museum with all the accompanying activities, then it will be up to the people of Cape Town to make this happen. To go further, I would even suggest that it is the direct responsibility of members of organizations like the TBA to play a leading role in such a project. It is a mammoth task, but I am sure that if a well-orchestrated plan is submitted, the government and its appropriate department will welcome any meaningful assistance offered. It is our intention at the TBA to take this initiative to the next stage. To this end we have decided to form a working sub-committee who will have the sole responsibility of developing and implementing a project plan for a Maritime museum within the environs of the Western Cape. We would like to invite any members who have time on hand and really feel passionate about this project, and would like to make themselves available to serve on such a committee, to please contact Kris Steyn on 082 6195511 or e-mail to krissteyn@hotmail.com See you all on Thursday
Scuttlebutt
A new set of Regalia has been produced, so please bring your chequebook to the next meeting THE CLARKE QUIZ When last did you walk around Hout Bay and look at the fishing vessels?
"Bright work"
Do you remember Dixie Roller? She won a TBA award a few years back for the best-presented boat at the Annual Rally. She is up on the hard in Hout Bay having some major work done to her Hull. There is a serious "Electrolysis" problem in Hout Bay and Dixie Roller almost sank. The work will be completed by summer and she is then off to Brazil.
is a traditionally inspired 'modern classic' and is the largest of the three by gross tonnage 1,177 tons. She is the pride of the Dutch yard Royal Huisman and was the last yacht to be launched before Wolter Huisman passed away. Although classically inspired, and the largest, Athena is also an exponent of modern technology with her very impressive 18.9 knots cruise speed. She is also the most expensive to charter. This huge square-rigger is the newest and perhaps the most popular yacht to join the big three. Maltese Falcon represents a departure from traditional yacht design, from a naval architecture and engineering standpoint, as well as an interior design one.
"Shore Leave" Our Annual General Meeting will be held at the Atlantic Underwater Club on Thursday 30 August 2007. We plan on making this a fun evening so please attend. The RCYC will be having a Fun Event and we are invited. This is an email passed on to us by Barry Wolf...
Ron sent out an email today with a note about a new cruising event that [RCYC] have arranged for Saturday afternoon. This will be a monthly event where the only qualification is that the vessel floats, and it crosses the start line with the rest of the cruisers. After that it's a rally to a mark, or whatever we want to do.
Perhaps some of your friends from the TBA would like to join us? This is totally separate from the RCYC race program and is being promoted to get the "other guys" on the water.
"From the Crow's Nest" A question that I have been wrestling with is, why is it necessary or important to have a Maritime Museum. For that matter, why have any Museums? Do these Museums have any benefit to mankind other than another form of entertainment? Why would Government Ministers entertain spending time and money on a Museum when there are so many other pressing problems? I believe that we must have these answers as a pre-requisite to any "Business Plan" that we may propose for the re-establishment of a Maritime Museum. I don't have the answers, but I find it interesting, that the most modern sailing yacht in the world is a square-rigger. The article that accompanies the pictures of the Maltese Falcon (pictured above) claims that the design is a "departure from tradition". Well, I am told that the square sail originated with the Vikings. "The square-rigged ship has been in existence for over 1200 years; from the first Viking long ship, to the more recent three-masted warships of the Napoleonic wars and the great clippers of the Americas." How then does the Maltese Falcon "depart from tradition and if no one had recorded the design of the Viking Long Ship, would this modern day Clipper take the form that it has. I watched a documentary recently about the origins of man. The narrator suggested that the one thing that separates us from the rest is our ability to communicate and record our experiences and knowledge. These recordings take many shapes, books, journals, computer documents, audio recordings and perhaps……….Museums.
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