Hi everyone, I am going to the Southcoast over
- Thread starter CliveR
- Start date
Hey Clive,
Born and raised in Shepstone, just North of Shelly and launched out of there plenty... its a pretty easy and safe launch, with one of the few beach slips on the KZN south Coast... As there is so much traffioc at the slip, its well maintained, and the approach angles are well marked with beacons...
The reef on the left(portside) as you are launching is SHALLOW, so watch it,.... its straight as an arrow though so if you make sure you stay in the zone, you are fine... Once you get outside the shallow front reef section, you can then turn and run to port for ages if needs be if you get caught....
Best thing to do at ANY launch site you are not familar with is to spend AT LEAST an hour or more watching the surf, watching other guys launching etc... try and spend a morning watching other regulars and locals launching at the same tide that you want to launch in, as well as return in... if the tide is high, and the swell is up, there is VERY LITTLE beach between the water and the concrete slip... I';ve seen more than 1 Yahoo come flying in at full pace like a hero and rip his hull to shreds on the Concrete slip.... Funny as hell when its not your boat....
Also try get hold of captchris on this site, I belive he posted his number in the Offshore section under the "Protea Banks" Thread. He has just joined the forum, but he is a charter skipper who launches out of SHelly and should have plenty current info on the state of the slip and reef.
Born and raised in Shepstone, just North of Shelly and launched out of there plenty... its a pretty easy and safe launch, with one of the few beach slips on the KZN south Coast... As there is so much traffioc at the slip, its well maintained, and the approach angles are well marked with beacons...
The reef on the left(portside) as you are launching is SHALLOW, so watch it,.... its straight as an arrow though so if you make sure you stay in the zone, you are fine... Once you get outside the shallow front reef section, you can then turn and run to port for ages if needs be if you get caught....
Best thing to do at ANY launch site you are not familar with is to spend AT LEAST an hour or more watching the surf, watching other guys launching etc... try and spend a morning watching other regulars and locals launching at the same tide that you want to launch in, as well as return in... if the tide is high, and the swell is up, there is VERY LITTLE beach between the water and the concrete slip... I';ve seen more than 1 Yahoo come flying in at full pace like a hero and rip his hull to shreds on the Concrete slip.... Funny as hell when its not your boat....
Also try get hold of captchris on this site, I belive he posted his number in the Offshore section under the "Protea Banks" Thread. He has just joined the forum, but he is a charter skipper who launches out of SHelly and should have plenty current info on the state of the slip and reef.
Thanks for this... I have only been doing this for a year or so and only go to Sodwana normally, so the nerves are stll a bit shaky 