Forget the picturesque harbour scenes that you’re used to seeing on postcards, filled with colourful fishing boats, luxury cruisers and power boats bobbing merrily in the calm marina waters.
You’ll find nothing like this at Hout Bay harbour as it succumbs to theft and pilfering by vandals and drug addicts who are systematically taking Hout
Bay harbour apart, piece by piece, and it seems there is little that can be done about it unless there is immediate intervention.
THE STATE OF THE HARBOUR
Hout Bay harbour currently has approximately 15 sunken boats which are a serious navigational hazard for other boats negotiating the harbour.
Many of these sunken or partially sunken boats are caused by the theft of their fittings.
Not only are boats at risk, but even harbour fittings such as taps and electrical cables are targeted. One of the jetties had all its taps stolen by
vandals, which left water gushing out of the pipes for weeks before receiving attention. To add fuel to the fire, the ablution facilities were upgraded by the Department of Public Works, yet within a few days of the repair, the cisterns, urinals, piping and taps were ripped out by vandals and sold for scrap.
NSRI TARGETED
Nobody is exempt from theft and vandalism at Hout Bay harbour. Even the NSRI base has been targeted.
Leisure Boating spoke to Lyall Pringle, the station commander of the Hout Bay NSRI station, to find out more about the dire situation that is currently playing out at Hout Bay harbour.
