The owner of Schaafsma Marine Boat Builders (“the business”), Mr Rob Schaafsma is a person with vast experience in boat building, sailing, fishing and business. Mr Schaafsma has 30 years experience in designing and building high-tech sailing boats, specializing in modern sailing fishing practices.

His extensive sailing experience in deep ocean sailing includes a 3 year adventure with his family on his boat ‘Sailtrader’ (built by Mr Schaafsma) circumnavigating the African continent, which included sailing 3 seas and 4 oceans namely: North and South Atlantic, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Arabian Sea and the North and South Indian Ocean. Having sailed some of the worst seas in the world qualifies him as a very accomplished sailor and particularly on sailing-fishing boats. Read the story of the Schaafsma’s 3 year sailing adventure and Narrow escape with the Red – Sea Pirates.

In 1980 he was commissioned by the fisheries development corporation of SA (VISCOR) to prove the concept of fishing from a sailing boat, which proved a great success after only one trip to “Seamount Vema” in the mid Atlantic. Unfortunately VISCOR was discontinued soon after. He therefore continued on his own taking sports fisherman to “Seamount Vema”.He also, with very limited resources, built a second boat “Sailfisher” using his extensive knowledge of sailing and fishing, thereby creating the ideal sailing fishing boat incorporating

modern techniques of line fishing using hydraulics line haulers and winches for bottom and long line fishing.

Mr. Schaafsma recognized the strategic potential of Saldanha Bay for the future and wishes to develop the sail fishing industry to be able to use all opportunities for growth.