Page 77 - KBHA BULLETIN 5

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The same paper reported on proceedings in Kalk Bay Police Court. “The manager of False Bay

Fishing and Cold Storage Co. Ltd. was fined £2 or in default 14 days imprisonment for having

assaulted the Master of the Rex at Kings Hotel on Sat 17 Oct….”

One of the worst fishing tragedies happened in February 1922 when 14 people lost their lives
with the sinking of the Hamilton. The skipper, George Clarence, had borrowed the Hamilton

from her owner Stokkie Williams, and had taken her with a number of day-trippers to fish

between Muizenberg and Seal Island. After a few hours the south-easter started to pick up, and
while the other boats in the area decided to return to Kalk Bay, the day-trippers were enjoying

themselves so much catching kob that the skipper decided to stay on a while longer. Soon the
wind was at gale force and the Hamilton was in trouble beyond the surf at Muizenberg. It was

not long before she capsized in the surf. All the day-trippers and the skipper perished. One man

did manage to swim to the shore at Muizenberg, but he died shortly afterwards. The tragedy
affected many of the local folk and a disaster fund, set up by the Mayor of Cape Town, Mr.

Steytler, was generously supported. (Fig. 4.8.)

Not three months later, in May 1922, tragedy again struck the Kalk Bay fishing community when
one of Pedro Fernandez’s boats the Columbia capsized near Robben Island while fishing for

snoek. Pedro lost three of his sons as well as three other crew members including Nicholas

Menigo. The tragedy deeply affected the fisherfolk of Kalk Bay, and in 1997 the Menigo Family

commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Columbia disaster with a special service which was
conducted by Father Robin Burnett at the Holy Trinity Church, Kalk Bay.

Modern day tragedies included the wrecking of a naval cutter near Kalk Bay pier (opposite

today’s Harbour House Restaurant). (Fig. 4.9.) The following details are from a report in the
Lantern magazine of September 1967.

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