When the 25m-long expedition yacht returned to the Otago Harbour on July 10 after a lengthy trip to the South Atlantic, Mr Kafka was shocked to be advised there was only limited scope for his vessel at the Fryatt St wharf.
He could, however, tie up beside two other vessels, the harbour cruise vessel MV Tiakina and Hikurangi, at the eastern end of the wharf, he was told.
"I was shocked.
"It came out of the blue.
"It was a very uncertain time."
Mr Kafka was initially concerned there might be no space for his yacht at the port, and he might have to consider selling his vessel and retiring.
He had planned to raise his concerns with Port Otago over the berth he has used for 24 years.
However, the previous uncertainties vanished when he received a phone call on Tuesday afternoon from a port company manager offering a long-term berth on the wharf and the provision of electricity.
Mr Kafka was delighted to have the situation clarified.
"Port Otago have been wonderful,"and he had also been grateful for the use of the company’s slipway.
Evohe had earlier spent more than seven months away from Dunedin, helping on a British environmental mission to protect bird life and cut mouse predator numbers on Goff Island, a remote British island in the South Atlantic, Mr Kafka said.
He had earlier understood Evohe, and two other Dunedin-based vessels could continue to use the Fryatt St wharf, after Port Otago gave much of it and some nearby land on the north side of the Steamer Basin to the University of Otago in June last year.
Asked about changed fishing and berthing arrangements, Port Otago chief executive Kevin Winders said opening up for people fishing from the concrete-topped part of the wharf, earlier given to the university, had occurred late last year.
Boats previously moored in the western part of the Fryatt St wharf had been moved away from the new public fishing area to the eastern end of the wharf, which was still owned by Port Otago, he said.
The port company’s decision to open part of the wharf for public fishing was linked to an earlier Port Otago move to spend $1million creating the Boiler Point public fishing jetty, Mr Winders said.
