Royal Natal Yacht Club
RNYC Sailor of the Year returns to
Durban
Round the World
Epic adventurer Ralf Dominick arrived back in Durban on
Wednesday afternoon in breathless overcast conditions concluding his 33 month odyssey
circumnavigating the globe on his yacht Imvubu.
Dominick’s final leg was sailed from Reunion, which he
departed towards the end of October, sailing in mostly stormy conditions over
the 12 days it took to reach Imvubu’s hometown, the last three days the ocean
was calm and windless. Stepping onto the moorings, a small group of family,
friends and crew welcomed the intrepid adventurer home including his mother who
saw him only once during his trip, briefly last year in May when he made a
fleeting visit to South Africa.
In the celebrations, he opened a bottle of champagne that
he had received on his 50th birthday. The bottle had sailed around
the world with him, waiting for a special occasion, smiling he stated, “It was
well chilled through the Northwest Passage!”
The duo stopped off at 53 countries on their
circumnavigation, including the gorgeous mythical Northwest Passage in August
of last year. “Sailing my own vessel, I managed to stop off at a smorgasbord of
places, be it cities, villages or islands. There were multiple visits to the
USA and Canada; some territories have thousands of separate enchanting islands
which I was able to explore!”
Imvubu’s forestay was proudly decorated with flags from various countries he had visited as he motored into Durban.
Imvubu’s forestay was proudly decorated with flags from various countries he had visited as he motored into Durban.
The valiant sailor departed from Durban in January 2010,
heading down to Cape Town on her first voyage where the skipper tested the sea legs
of his 53 foot Barens Seatraders. Asked why he named her Imvubu, which is Zulu
for Hippopotamus, he laughs, “Well she is fat, large, ugly and extremely strong!”
Dominick enjoyed the company of a variety of crew
throughout the journey, but bravely sailed a number of legs on his own.
Chatting about what he would like to do in the future, he
comments, “Next year Imvubu and I are heading down to Antarctica, so I have a
year to prepare for that journey. But I would love to do an Ocean Race, perhaps
a Volvo in the years to come?”
Dominick was awarded the Royal Natal Yacht Club’s ‘Sailor
of the Year’ for 2012 and also received the Gordon Burnwood Trophy by South
African Sailing and the Barton Cup by
the Ocean Cruising Club for ‘the most meritorious ocean race or passage’ in
2011.
Ralf Dominick concluded his phenomenal trip, entering the
distinguished book of sailors how have successfully circumnavigated the globe.
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