Photo by Linley Rall
Ever wondered what the little white horse statues along the Greenpoint Promenade are there for? All has to do with a Shipwreck back in July of 1966. The SA Seafarer, carrying an array of mixed cargo, ran aground in the early hours of the morning of the 1st.
There was apparently no berth available in the harbour and was told to lay off port until the morning (which I believe means as much as hang around until theres a spot for you). For some strange reason (and if you wanted to know details, read this informative piece in Historical Media) the captain gave the hard-a-port and full ahead instruction (at 00H37) which resulted in the stranding. Interesting facts about the Cargo included a dangerous load of poisonous tetra-ethyl lead. The Promenade had to be closed off, but they found everything in tact so the panic was short lived. Sadly - and this caused the old eyebrow to rise up - the ship was carrying insecticides which spilled and the chemicals and special oils caused the death of rock lobster and perlemoen in the area.
Crazy right? Anyway, the little white horses come in to the story because the SA Seafarer was carrying bottles of White Horse Whiskey - you might know that little white plastic horses are tied to the bottle necks - and these washed up all along the coastline (along with the bottles of Whiskey)The White Horse statues serve to remind about that day - odd little piece of info for you, but I thought it was rather interesting!