News Update

Anonymous Donation

Early in 2012 we were generously given an anonymous donation of R100 000. This has enabled us to move forward and book a date to move the vessel, hopefully early in May.

 

Thomas Graham

In November 2011 we were contacted by Thomas Graham, who played a large part in Alwyn Vintcent's history. In the late 1980s he was the manager of the SA Maritime Museum. He was instrumental in acquiring the Alwyn Vintcent for the museum and coordinated the restoration effort which saw the vessel operating as a pleasure craft for a number of seasons in the V&A Waterfront. He now lives in Australia and did much to collect stories from people from the vessel's past as well as recording his own involvement. He was responsible for adding these stories to the Australian 'Wetpaint' website and he has given us permission to add them to our now 'official' website.

 

 His own recollections can be found under 'Alwyn Vintcent Revisited, parts 1 and 2', and those of Cedric Hunter, Bob D, Martin from Sedgefield and Nigel B from Vancouver, can be found under their names. There is also a fascinating technical description of the conversion to Diesel/Hydraulic power by Anton in Cape Town.

 

Thomas has done his best to contact those people to ask their permission to repeat their stories on our website. If there are any objections, please contact us! He has also promised to supply us with historical photographs which he took during this period. This will take a while, so please keep visiting the website!

 

We take this opportunity to thank Thomas for allowing us to add this information to our website and in advance for the trouble he is prepared to go to, to copy prints and slides!

 

Please open our News page for the latest updates.

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Good News!

The venerable Steam Tug Alwyn Vintcent has been saved for Heritage !

Until recently, the Alwyn Vintcent belonged to an Australian businessman, but she has been bought by the Villiersdorp Branch of the West Cape Tractor & Engine club. Their plan is to transport her by road to a dry-land resting place in Villiersdorp, very much in the public view. Initial plans are to dismantle the superstructure and remove the boiler. If this can be done and the load is less than 4.5 meters high, then it should clear the telephone and electricity lines.

Two firms are to be involved in the project:

ALE of Firgrove www.ale-heavylift.com who has the trailer and prime mover, and

MME (Machine Moving and Engineering) www.mme.co.za whose Johannes Uys is a member of our club, who do the lifting. 
 

The task at the beginning of 2011 is to dismantle with care the internal and external pipework, wiring and controls, along the proposed cut line. This is hard work, requiring careful marking and reference to the original drawings which we very luckily have.

 
So far, we have had the Cormorants removed by SANCCOB, we have washed the Alwyn Vintcent and covered her with shade netting, which so far seems to be discouraging the cormorants from coming back to nest. The Management of the V&A Waterfront are being extremely helpful. 
 

The move by road is scheduled for later in 2011. The route will have to be via Hermon, Wolseley and Rawsonville on account of sharp turns on other approach roads.

 

The Alwyn Vintcent will initially stand in the yard of Dennis Viljoen Engineering in Villiersdorp while the reassembly and restoration takes place, after which a decision will be made where she will stand. 
 

The plan is to bring her back to steaming condition on dry land. At this stage, the costs involved in restoring her back to seaworthiness are prohibitive, but nothing will be done to the vessel which would prevent that from happening in the future. The planned unveiling is August 2013, at which stage our Club will be 21 years old.
 

Please open our News page for the latest updates.