KNYSNA NEWS - With Naval punctuality, SAS Umkomaas entered the Knysna Heads at 17:00 on Monday afternoon, July 4, as the clouds gathered menacingly overhead.

In weighing up a balance between depth of tide and light, the Knysna NSRI, and SAS Umkomaas Captain ’Shoes’ Msikinya decided that light won, and while a slightly later entry might have been attractive, she came through on schedule.

The ship’s captain, Commander Msikinya, said it was the pinnacle of his career thus far to make the entrance through the famously dangerous Knysna Heads. "I have a lot of experience driving a ship," he said, "but the Heads are something else. I had been hoping for a flat sea for my first entry, but I didn't get it. The sea was fairly wild and the entry was exhilarating, scary, but fun," he said.

With the webcam at the Heads, modern technology allowed the officers commanding the ship to see themselves entering the Heads on their laptops.

Asked about the reception they received on entry, the commander replied, "As we crossed the outer bar and dropped into the trough there was an enormous number of camera flashes, it was like lightning," he said. The bad weather had kept the normal welcoming fleet to only a few boats, but the captain said it simply made it easier for him to make his way up the channel. He and his crew are looking forward to enjoying the festival during their stay.