At 9:15 p.m. on Monday 26 October the gale force winds battering Port Elizabeth became too much for the Algoa Bay Yacht Club (ABYC) Moorings and they snapped around 30 metres from the shore ensnaring the Flamenca, Fandango, belonging to Chad Jackson, between High Spirt (Greg Ochabski) and Talisker (Ian Bancroft).

The image above is a BEFORE and AFTER aerial view of the ABYC Marina. More Images here.

Further movement of the moorings towards the fishing jetty rendered the walkway impassable, denying boat owners access to their yachts.

At the end of the first mooring leg Rob Butler, on his trimaran Scrimshaw, frantically tried to save his boat from sure destruction as the moorings shifted inexorably closed on his boat in a pincer movement. The high winds and rising waves surging down the channel ground the moorings closed around Scrimshaw and NSRI Rescue 6 Alpha plucked Rob and his son, Andrew, off of Scrimshaw to safety as the boat tilted at a 50 degree angle.

Boat owners scurried frantically back and forth retrieving valuables and inserting fenders in an attempt to stop further damage.

At 11:30 p.m. Patrick, from Port Control, reported wind speeds of 78 knots. Port Control is designed to yield to the wind and rock back and forth. Now, I have been there in 30 knots of wind and don't want to experience 78 knots!

Worried owners paced back and forth watching the howling wind and waves, forced to listen to their boats crying in agony as they scraped against one another and the mooring fingers.

With predictions from Port Control of the wind only abating at 6:00 a.m. weary owners set up a watch system and retired.

The destruction of the Marina has put a huge dent in the ABYC Sailing season and visiting yachts are having difficulty in finding mooring berths as they travel up and down the coast.

As at 12 November 2009 most of the yachts that occupied destroyed moorings have been taken out of the water, some are on trots and others occupy positions on the 'floating islands' that are left.

The Algoa Bay Yacht Club Pleasure Craft Marina directors estimate that they will be fully 'open for business' by June 2010 again.

ABYC Marina Destruction Images.