The Worcester Yacht Club

Memories of the Worcester Yacht Club

A Haven on the 'Burning Vlei'

It seems strange to think of it now, but the idea of a yacht club in the "dry Boland town" of Worcester was a pretty optimistic one back in the 1950s. The site our fathers chose was Brandvlei Lake, which we all knew for the remarkable hot water springs on the far side—we called it the "boiling water bubbling out of the ground." It was a place of elemental contrasts, this cool water set against subterranean fire, and it became the backdrop to our childhoods.

The club was officially opened in 1952, but it was a purely "do-it-yourself" project. Our fathers, the founders, built the original clubhouse and slipway with their own hands. I'll never forget the story that the timber panels they used came from the bungalows that had housed Italian prisoners of war during WWII. There was a huge camp in Worcester at the showgrounds, and it's amazing to think that my father's generation, which included men like Sidney Hill. He was one of the South African Navy personnel seconded to the Royal Navy during WWar II and served as a navigator on a destroyer involved in the dangerous Arctic convoys to Russia - the so called notorious "Russian Run, recycled the walls of a war camp into a sanctuary for our families.

My father, Solly Kramer, was one of those founders, along with a community of memorable figures. There was Ben van Doesberg the engineer, Mokie Brown, Douglas Campbell, Mr. Laubscher from the traffic department, and the French brothers, Hector and Lester. I also remember names from those very first photos: Johnny Andrews, who was Commodore for a time; George and Mrs. Colebank; Mr. Humpfries; Trudy French; Hans Rabie; Victor and his wife Lillian (or Lidia) Sampson and George Hirsh.

The Homebuilt Fleet

That DIY spirit extended straight to the water. This was a "maker culture," and my father, Solly, was right in the middle of it. I vividly remember him in his garage in Langerug, building two boats. One was a Gremlin dinghy, made from a Popular Mechanics plan. The other was a Dabchick, which he painted pale green with pink sails. My mother, Frances, christened it "Sweetpea."

The Dabchick was the boat to have, and while the "Bongers Built" ones were what everyone wanted, we had our own local innovators. The Dolpire family made the very first fiberglass one at the club, and Etienne van Cuyck had the second—a red one that, as I recall, "leaked like mad." It was a contrast to Graham Hill's immaculate light blue Dabchick, which was said to have up to 14 coats of paint. Other boats became fixtures: Fred Muller's Dabchick was Reigertjie, and his father, 'Boet' Muller, sailed the Reiger. Sidney Hill famously built a Sprog on his front stoep.

Of course, we all knew Victor Sampson's beautiful varnished boat, the Inyala, which he sailed with Sydney Hill. But the most famous story was about Victor's earlier boat, a Flying Dutchman. It infamously burned on a road trip to Mossel Bay when someone threw a cigarette from another car. In a move that perfectly captured the club's spirit, Ben van Doesberg took the burnt-out wreck and turned it into a speedboat.

Even the boats from my 1965 sketch had stories. I noted Mark Levinsohn's yacht as "the only boat at WYC with black sails." I also remember Sprog 746 Suluki, sailed by Dion Gaigher and Merle Stirling, and Peter Colebank's father's boat, Vagabond.

It all started with the learners. Dr. Buck Jones and George Teses built a whole fleet of small Optimist boats, and Doc Cawood taught many of us, like Jenny Ashley-Smith, how to sail in them.

It's amazing to think of the legacy of skilled sailors that came from those early days on the vlei. John Jaques "JJ" Proveyeur is a perfect example. He is such an outstanding figure in the South African sailing community, and he started with us on those dinghies at Brandvlei. He went on to become a long-standing member of the Royal Cape Yacht Club and a participant in major events like the Cape 2 Rio Race. He was from the same cohort as Ettienne van Cuyck, which just shows the level of skill that was brewing at our little club.

Life at the Club

More than the sailing, I remember the life. This was where we "virtually grew up." We were the "Yacht Club Kids"—me, my brother David, Peter Colebank, Donny Andrews.

We spent "many a wonderful weekend" there, with some families even setting up permanent caravan sites. The clubhouse itself was alive. I remember Mrs. Sterling and Mrs. Hall as "fixtures on the bridge," and Jean Jourdan's father was always "doing the books." The parents "knew how to party," and I can still picture them dancing "The Twist."

The traditions were the best part. The highlight of the year was the Christmas Party. Father Christmas didn't use a sleigh at Brandvlei; he arrived by motor boat—first the Golden Hind (owned by Piet Malan) and later the Egret. We all knew it was George Hirsh, the local newspaper manager, in the suit, coming to "dole out presents." I also have a great memory of Pirates Day around 1963, all of us kids, including David and Donny Andrews, dressed as pirates.

On Sundays, before he was famous, my brother David would often show up with his guitar. We would "all sit in a circle around him while he played." It was just that kind of place.

And at the end of the day, we’d hear the call from Douglas Hall, who manned the Egret with Ron Smith, working the bar. His famous cry for last rounds was, "Abandon ship!"

It was a rare day when the "Worcester Gale" wasn't blowing. Kevin De Villiers recalled the wind "pumping" so hard from the Rawsonville end that guys would go surfing on the waves at the dam wall. It was a place of wind, water, and a community that left us all with such "great memories."