A scene of desolation greeted visitors in the Featherbed car park at
Cruise Café. The jetty, that is the departure point of many tours, was
destroyed by the wind and waves on Sunday, September 15.
KNYSNA NEWS - What may be the busiest jetty in Knysna was wrecked by high winds and furious waves on Sunday, September 15.
The Featherbed Co’s jetty from which the Featherbed Tour Ferries, the John Benn and the Paddle Cruiser operate, was ripped asunder by the violent wave action.
The section sheltered by the bulk of the Paddle Cruiser, which acted as a wave damper, remained in one piece but the Southern end, which berths the John Benn and the Spirit of Knysna, was ripped apart. A Knysna Yacht Club member remarked, “The lagoon looked like the open sea, with waves cresting and breaking, driven by the average 35km/h wind, which frequently gusted to over 70km/h (45knots)”.
It is a tribute to the designers and builders of the wave barrier at the Knysna Quays Marina that boats in the marina were not damaged. Its entrance, facing West-South-West, did not permit waves which were coming from the West-North-West to enter. According to NSRI station commander, Graeme Harding, no one had been foolish enough to venture on the water and were safely and snugly ashore.
General manager of the Featherbed Company, Ron Webster, said on Monday, September 16 that his maintenance crew, clad in wetsuits, were busy at work retrieving the components of the jetty and bringing them ashore beside the car park. Arrangements have been made with the Knysna Quays Marina for additional berthing, and the normal tours will depart from there, while the Paddle Cruiser will remain at the Cruise Café. Webster said he was confident that the maintenance crew will have the greater part of the jetty back by the weekend and the remaining portion repaired before the end of the month.
- Knysna-Plett Herald
