This site serves as a repository for images of the now defunct Algoa Bay Yacht Club.
See images from Regattas, Club and Social and Historic Images.
Upload YOUR ABYC images via our Contact Form or contact Alan Straton to organise delivery of printed images.
The Algoa Bay Yacht Club was established mainly through the efforts of one man – Harold Kohler on 14 September 1959.
In 1960 Kohler won the Lipton Cup and nominated Algoa Bay Yacht Club as the host for the 1961 Lipton Cup Sailing Regatta.
It was in 1948 that Kohler first placed a newspaper advert calling for those interested in the sport of sailing to come together and form a club. In the intervening years the port authorities finally gave permission and a piece of land for the establishment of the club.
See: ABYC Historic Images for more
TRAGEDY FOR ABYC:
On Friday morning 2 March 2018 the Transnet Ports Authority (TNPA) evicted the 60 year-old Algoa Bay Yacht Club (ABYC) from premises they occupied within the Port.
Effectively the club administration moved to other temporary premises whilst The Chartroom Restaurant and Pub ceased to exist.
A long standing dispute over unfair rental increases led to the eviction.
During 2009 ABYC laid a formal complaint with the Port Regulator over TNPA’s unfair treatment. The long standing dispute led to TNPA charging a higher rental whilst ABYC paid a lower rental.
In a Facebook post announcing the eviction ABYC said;
Our thanks and love to everyone who has supported us through this long and oftentimes bewildering time.
Of course we are left with more questions than answers and some of us have taken this very hard.
Please bear with us as we chart our way through these rocky waters, regroup and give thanks for the respite from having to ensure that we had enough money in the bank to pay our rent and other obligations.
Freed from the undue pressure to run a ‘commercial venture’ we are happy to report that we are now in a stronger position to foster, promote and administer sailing in line with our obligations to South African Sailing and sailors in general.