Launching

TRACTOR TOW LAUNCH

• The safety tower / launch control tower is based under the promenade next to the Bait/Register Room.

• This is manned by trained volunteers from one hour before first light to 15:00 on weekends & public holidays, subject to prevailing weather conditions.

• If the safety officer on duty deems the weather to be unsafe to launch, he/she will place a “LAUNCH SITE CLOSED” board across the access road.

LAUNCHING IN THE DARK

Only allowed if both the Vessel & Skipper are Night Rated.
Two tractor drivers will be on duty on Saturdays & Sundays.
Three tractor drivers will be on duty over busy Weekends.

Tractor drivers duty hours are as follows:

Summer 4:00 – 18:00  (7 Days a Week)
Winter 5:00 – 18:00 (7 Days a Week)

Our Drivers are a special part of the family, please treat them with the respect they deserve at all time

Their shifts are posted at the Bait Room. If a tractor driver is not awake at the launch control hut you will need to wake him up. Drivers’ cell number as well as the Bait Room contact number are also available at the Bait Room. Only wake up the driver on duty that day. If you want to make a night launch the skipper needs to arrange with the driver on duty.

PUSH POLE LAUNCH

• The DSBC encourages boats to launch via the push pole method. Local boat dealerships will attend to installations – it’s not expensive.

• The tractor driver will launch you and leave your trailer on the beach.

• If you self-launch with a push pole, the tractor driver will push you in once you have your boat on the sand. If the tractor driver is not busy launching other vessels, then ask him to follow you to the beach.

• During peak times when more than one tractor is operating, the drivers will organise themselves so that one driver will attend to the boats that have been un-trailered and are waiting for a push. They know the drill; please allow them to work efficiently.

• Benefit – One major benefit of dropping your own vessel on the beach and making use of the push pole is that you will not have to queue in the sequence of your Tractor Tow Ticket. When the tractor starts pushing boats, he pushes all the boats that are ready at one time. In essence. this allows you to jump the queue.

SELF LAUNCH

• Access to the beach is via the tunnel under the promenade, swipe your card at the boom gate and proceed under the tunnel and onto the beach.
• Please do not stop between the boom & the beach or in the access tunnel for any reason.
• Please keep the entrance / roadway access clear while you are signing the register and preparing your boat. Due to congestion and restricted access at this traffic point you need to either prepare your boat on the road outside the club if it is safe to do so or on the beach. In the interests of safety and consideration for our tractor drivers please don’t do this outside the launch register office.
• It is in your interests to remember to deflate your tyres to avoid getting stuck in the sand which leads to congestion as others come to your recovery. The tractors will only attend to you after they have launched all boats in the queue. Please be considerate and only self – launch if you have the right vehicle and know how to drive on the sand. If not sure, ask for help from experienced ‘self-launchers’ outside of peak times.
• When you return, please keep the roadway outside the office clear while you sign yourself back in.

TRACTOR TOW LAUNCH & SELF RECOVERY

• 4 x 4’s without a trailer are not allowed onto the beach. The guard has been instructed not to allow these vehicles onto the beach
• If you recover your own boat from the beach after a tractor has launched you, then you will need to identify yourself to the guard before you launch and he will give you a special access disk valid for that day only, entitling you to drive your 4 x 4 onto the beach without a trailer to recover your boat & trailer.
• If you are a regular in this category, then please enquire at the office for a permanent beach access disk which will be provided on signed acceptance of conditions applicable to its use.

NON DSBC / DUC BOATS

• If you are not a DSBC boat (S number) or DUC boat or not a member of either club then you must pay to launch whether you self-launch or require a tractor tow.
• The schedule of fees payable is available at Bait Room.
• Launch Fee – You will need to pay via credit card as we are cashless. The person on duty will print you out a launch slip if you are self-launching.

The Wash bay

• The wash bay has been designed to wash 4 boats at a time and the water pressure is strong and consistent, but this only works if skippers and crew follow some general guidelines:
• Park your trailer straight in the demarcated wash-bays with your car in line, not at an angle preventing access to the adjacent bay.
• Be considerate of other boats waiting to be washed. Get on with the job without delay – remember this facility is provided for a wash up after fishing, not a full valet – you can do that at home.
• Save water – please don’t leave the tap running while you chat.
• Remove your vehicle and boat as soon as you have finished – please don’t go and have a beer and leave your boat blocking the wash bay preventing other boats from washing up.
• You can flush your motors up to 21:00 pm at night – NOT after that please in consideration for our neighbours across the road. We do not want our privileges removed due to complaints. Please do not rev your motors excessively when flushing – this is not necessary as motors can be flushed at idle speed. The committee will investigate and sanction, if necessary, any skippers found to be violating this point.

DSBC TRACTOR POLICY AND LEVY

• Any member who has paid a tractor levy will be entitled to a free tow for launch and recovery.
• The tractor levy accrues to the member and not the boat.
• DSBC members with S numbers – the levy will be billed automatically and identified as a line item on the annual subs invoice.
• The Tractor Levy is applicable to S Number members who launch their own boats as well.
• Any DSBC member who does not own a boat and regularly fishes on other boats may purchase a tractor levy to avoid paying tractor costs on the day.
• Non-members cannot purchase a tractor levy. They are required to pay for tractor costs per launch, which are payable by card (No Cash – We are a cashless Club) at the “Bait/Launch Control” Room.

TANDEM PARKING BAYS FOR BOATS ATTACHED TO TOW VEHICLES

• Tandem parking for tow-vehicles with boats on trailers is reserved on weekends and public holidays when the weather forecast is good for fishing.
• A hazard tape will cordon-off the following areas for boats / tow vehicles returning to the club after fishing:
  i. From the boom gate to the last surf-ski storage container.
  ii. From the wash-bay to the harbour channel corner of the parking area.
• The parking attendants on duty will not permit any vehicles without a trailer to park in these areas, even if the driver claims to have a trailer on the beach. Only tandems can park here – meaning a tow vehicle with trailer attached.
• Signage on the fence makes this clear to all drivers looking for parking – “NO TRAILER – NO PARKING”
• These reserved bays will be un-reserved when / if the weather deteriorates and / or when there are no more trailers on the beach.
• Please make sure you park your tandem as close as possible to the others already parked there and that your tow vehicle is aligned with your trailer – not at an angle that blocks off other bays. We know the parking area is congested and reversing a trailer is tricky at the best of times but please make the effort to STRAIGHTEN UP YOUR TANDEM before going off to enjoy refreshments.
• When all the tandems are full, then sorry for you, that’s the best we can do!
• This will be a learning curve for staff and members, many who do not have ski boats – please help us get this right. Please don’t fight with the car guards or security or other non-boating members – raise your concerns with club management on site at the time, who will attend to issues where non-tandems have parked in reserved tandem bays.

BAIT & ICE SALES

• Bait Room – Open 24/7/365 – We are never closed.
• Sardines (1Kg), Squid and Ice (4kg) are sold in the Bait Room. Please pay the attendant on duty using your club card or credit card – No Cash
• Cool Drinks and other snacks also sold from the Bait Room.
• Tails Up – Bait jigs sold as well.

If there is anything you are not clear about, please get in touch with one of the committee members. Safety at sea is our primary concern and we are proud of a clean safety record at this site and want to keep it that way. Thank you for your co-operation. If you have any suggestions how to improve our launch procedure, please get in touch with one of the committee members.

Thank you – DSBC Committee.