HONOURED IN THE WORLD, BUT NOT AT HOME

LAST Saturday was a historical waypoint: on a terrible night 160 years ago, 18 ships were driven ashore in Table Bay during the infamous "Great Gale".

- BRIAN INGPEN

(The "Great Gale" that hit Algoa Bay in August 1902 caused a similar number of ships to ground.)

Ironically, only five years prior to the Table Bay calamity, construction work had begun on Cape Town's first harbour (completed in 1870, Alfred Basin, and now part of the Waterfront) to prevent such incidents and enable ships to work cargo and land or embark passengers in safety.

Last week also saw the release of the interim report into the loss of the luxury yacht Bayesian that capsized last August off Sicily, drowning her owner, his daughter and five other folks aboard.

The report noted that sudden, hurricane-force winds, similar to the Algoa Bay big blow, had caused that terrible accident.

I enjoyed a BBC interview with Captain Nick Sloane in his capacity as the president of a prestigious international yachting body. Unrivalled in his experience in shipping, salvage and yachting, Sloane fielded the interviewer's questions about the Bayesian incident, offering detailed explanations regarding meteorological and other factors relating to the yacht's loss. It was another masterful performance by this maritime professional.

Having embarked on the usual career path for young navigating officers, Nick Sloane wanted something different, especially as his appetite for action associated with big salvage tugs had been whetted by his exposure in August 1983 to the fire-ravaged tanker Castillo de Belver off the west coast.