Mossel Bay Yacht and Boat Club
Mossel Bay Yacht and Boat Club, (abbreviated: MBYBC) / Mosselbaai Seiljag- en Bootklub (Afrikaans), established in 1956, was a yacht club in South Africa. It is located in the harbour city of Mossel Bay on the Garden Route in the Western Cape Province. The club was multi-aquatic for the disciplines of yachting (keelboat, multihull and dinghies), boating (motor yacht/boat leisure and deep sea angling), diving (snorkelling, scuba diving and underwater hockey), rowing (sea/surf kayak), development of the youth and social. The club was renowned for organizing yacht racing events and deep-sea angling events. On 31 January 2019 the MBYBC was evicted from the premises. Historical background Melville Stephens was a prominent role player in the early years of the club. As owner of the then local Marine Hotel, he was also a keen sailor. To launch his Flying Dutchman sailing dinghy "Condor," he approached the South African Railways to hire the present site. As this was not possible for a private person, the bar of the hotel provided a club membership of eight persons. This consisted of himself, the barman Tommy Meek, Dan van der Merwe, Mo Taggart, Basil Saayman and a stranger by the name of Owen Harris. The member list and the Table Bay Yacht Club constitution was submitted and thus the birth of the Mossel Bay Yacht Club. Stephens initially took it on himself to pay the lease and develop the site. The 'accidentally damaged' storm culvert under the railway line was repaired (deepened) to allow a car and trailer and the site in Munro's Bay was prepared for its launching ramp. A gear shed became the first structure, which was extended with a garage for his Flying Dutchman with the mast down. The date 24 September 1956 saw the first official member meeting where it was decided that the Club will function in close co-operation with the Harbor Administration and embrace all types of sailing craft. Membership shall be open to Mossel Bay, George, Oudtshoorn and Knysna. C.H Shepherd was elected the first commodore, Dr P Johnson the vice-commodore, A. de Villiers the rear-commodore and M. Stephens the secretary-treasurer. A. Meek assisted in drafting the new constitution. The early sailors sailed with a Dabchick sailing dinghy, self-built in the Blue room, the function room of the Marine Hotel. Stephens obtained plans for the extra sailing dinghy, which was subsequently built and sailed by these enthusiasts. There was not much beach and the rocks made it difficult to expand the facilities. The ramp not always proved to be successful and carrying the sailing dinghy over the rocks and under the railway bridge was quite a mission. With the help of a visiting dredger used to deepen the harbour, the sand was used as landfill to cover the rocks. Over the years, the rocks and sea were claimed and filled to the level of today. A municipal loan secured tarring of the surface and expansion of the building. Establishment of the Mossel Bay Yacht and Boat Club The