Boaters warned to be cautious navigating the Kromme River.
During September members of the Kromme Joint River Committee together with Coastal Care and two chainsaw men from Kouga Municipality started clearing up the forest of trees that were deposited in the Sand River Delta during the July floods.
Because all the work had to be done manually progress was slow yet they managed to remove most of the debris from below the high water mark and stack it in two heaps for either burning or removal at a later stage.
The boating channel is clear except for three submerged trunks. These have been marked with buoys and pose no danger. However the River committee requests that all boaters exercise extreme caution when navigating the area around the Sand River Delta.
They can also report any underwater obstacles to the Conservation Officer, Hein Cornelissen on: 042 2940 979.
The Riparian Homeowners Association has placed buoys to mark the channel from the cove up to the bridge. This is to improve safety and navigability on the river.
In addition, maps showing how to navigate the river will be printed and left at various important areas around town including the Municipal offices.
And according to Frank Silberbauer, and EIA consultant in St Francis Bay, at the delta the channel is clearly marked with white and red buoys but about 5 in 10 boats coming up the river (50%) are hitting the sandbanks in this area. Being a resident at this point in the river my concern is as follows:1. It is obvious that not many of the boaters know that when you come up the river the white bouys are to be kept to the right and red to the left. The reverse happens when one comes down the river.
“At low and intermediate tides the sandbanks are shallow and if one is not careful one will be grounded.
“Skiing in the area is not advisable at low or intermediate tides in this area as there are
lots of submerged objects in this area.
“It’s hoped the relevant authorities are aware of this issue in this area and all boaters are being made aware of the problem; the last thing we want is someone to be hurt.”
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