Royal Natal Yacht Club
RNYC Sailor of the Year returns to Durban
Round the World
To have your name
etched in the distinguished book of sailors who have successfully
circumnavigated the globe, the Royal Natal Yacht Club, is eagerly awaiting
their ‘Sailor of the Year”, Ralf Dominick to arrive being the latest entry into
the Round The World Club.
Dominick, who launched his boat in Durban, tested her sea
legs on a passage down to Cape Town before heading off in February 2010 on his
epic voyage. His first adventure took him up the West coast of Africa before
attacking the Atlantic Crossing, taking him to St Helena in the South Atlantic.
After he spent time sailing around the islands of Central America, his
adventures took him further north “I sailed into New York, past the statue of
Liberty at dawn. The sight was truly remarkable.”
NASA Photo: The Godspeed Sailing Ship and Statue of Liberty
Dominick is not only entering into an elite club of
sailors when he arrives this week in Durban but is one of about a 150 people to
have sailed through the fabled Northwest Passage. “When asked what my highlight
is so far, indeed it is a difficult question to answer as it depends on which
facet is considered but overall it would have to be arriving in Nome in Alaska
and realising that I had got through the Northwest Passage unscathed.”
Pictured here is Belzebub, the first monohaul to sail through the Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage is the sea route through the
Arctic Ocean along the Northern Coast of North America. The intrepid
adventurer lists three memories from this leg of his voyage, “Drifting in front
of the Blackstone Glacier in Prince William Sound on a perfectly clear and
still autumn day, the incredible fjords, mountains, scenery and hospitable
people of Newfoundland and the Alaskan Inside Passage from Cape Spencer to
Ketchikan is just spectacular. To have been able to witness these scenes for me
is just completely humbling.”
Dominick comments, “Sailing under the San Francisco
Golden Gate Bridge at sunrise was equally a special moment in my trip.”
His route then took him down the west coast of the
Americas, down to Mexico where he then did his longest single stretch at sea,
the 16 day leg from Cabo San Lucas in Mexico to Nuku Hiva in the Marguesas in
the Pacific where he completed 2,700 Nautical Miles.
The odyssey vehicle, a monohaul yacht, named Imvubu which
is Zulu for Hippopotamus. Imvubu is a 53 foot Barens Seatraders, built for
adventure and going to out-of-the-way places which her skipper certainly has
tried and tested.
The Commodore for the Royal Natal Yacht Club, Richard
Crocket enthused, “I am not sure who the last RNYC member was to complete a
circumnavigation, but whoever it was it was a long time ago.”
Departing last
weekend (Saturday 27 October) from Reunion, Dominick is expected in early November in his hometown.
Dominick shares, “The one lesson I did learn on this trip was the amount of
maintenance required to keep a boat going on an extended voyage. Imagine the
result of packing all your belongings into a shipping container including your
household appliances, motor vehicles and lawnmower, adding a liberal dose of
salt water and shaking for two years. Saying that, I am extremely lucky that I
didn’t suffer any mayor mishaps along the way.”
Asked what lies ahead, he says “Catch up with family, friends and business; renew all the things that have expired such as drivers licence, TV licence and pilots licence; refit the boat and set sail for Antarctica in November 2013.”
Durban welcomes the intrepid pair, Imvubu and her skipper
Ralf Dominick when they complete their circumnavigation of the globe.
