Flying Fifteen and Hunter 19 Provincials hosted by Royal Natal Yacht Club

Royal Natal Yacht Club

Flying Fifteen and Hunter 19 Provincials

Offshore Durban: 15 - 17 December

Royal Natal Yacht Club sailors were crowned provincial champions in both the Flying Fifteen and Hunter 19 classes held offshore of Durban over the long weekend. 

Leading the Flying Fifteens were well respected sailors Patrick Harris at the helm with Jeremy Kriek crewing. Out of the six races raced, they placed first in the first four races and second in the final two. The duo were three points ahead of fellow club members Campbell Alexander and Chris Clark. Alexander and Clark placed second behind Harris and Kriek in the first four races, winning the fifth race and then battled in the light wind, finishing fifth. Third placed Thomas Funke sailing with Kyle Klaas from Pretoria had a consistent scorecard with third positions right through the regatta.

In the Hunter 19s victorious Rob Samways and Jared Quinn were only one point clear of their next opponent, Witbank sailors John Bruckman and Dave Martinson. Samways and Quinn began the final day having a single point advantage on second position and dropped two positions in the deciding race when they had to dramatically avoid a keelboat that cruised through the top of the race course. The log shuffled around a lot in the final race with the light wind experts making the most of the conditions enabling Samways and Quinn to miraculously stay ahead of their nearest rivals.

Six races were set by Race officer, Dave Rushton from PYC over the three days with a mixture of conditions testing sailors from around South Africa. Durban dished up big swells and lots of wind on both Saturday and Sunday and Monday frustratingly had zero wind and glassy seas. The breeze picked up enough to get one race in.

The first day had a number of thrills and spills with the heavy conditions claiming its toll on a number of yachts including a near sinking of a Flying Fifteen that was towed back to shore, repaired and made an appearance on the final day. In the Hunter 19 class two yachts were damaged, one with a broken tilla and the other being demasted.

The sailors tackled two sausage courses in the first and final race of the regatta and four windward leeward courses that had an offset windward mark.

Three days of competitive keelboat sailing saw a fleet of 21 yachts compete in the Hunter 19 and Flying Fifteen Provincials hosted by the Royal Natal Yacht Club offshore of Durban.

Flying Fifteens

1 Ffoxxoff (P Harris & J Kriek) RNYC 6pts, 2 Ffullerene (C Alexander & C Clark) RNYC 9pts, 3 Freyta (T Funke & K Klaas) 15pts, 4 Bad Influence (Mike Wright & Mike Surgeson) RNYC 17pts, 5Fire Fly (C Campbell & S Vato) RNYC 42pts, 6 FF3777 (R Bate & C Marshall) PYC 43pts, 7 Fe-Fi-Fo-Fum (J Marshall & E Buys) RNYC 46pts, 8 Ffrigate (C Zimmerman & N Yelland) RNYC 51pts, 9 Fflight (J Beckett) RNYC 52pts, 10 (C Kloppenborg & J Rose) RNYC 53pts

Hunters

1 Hybrid Theory (R Samways & J Quinn) RNYC 11pts, 2 Copadaph (J Bruckman & Martinson) WYAC 12pts, 3 Baby Blue (N Miln & CJ Miln) PYC 13pts, 4 Essex Girl (P Changuion & T Duguid) HMYC 13pts, 5 Smoke & Oakum (A McMillan & M Theron) HMYC 17pts, 6 Rags (G Gennloud & A Gennloud) WYAC 47pts, 7 Country Morning (T Phillips & M Phillips) HMYC 49pts, 8 Out of Control (K Harvey & A Martin) DAC 55pts, 9 Salty Goose (P Downing & C Jackson) RNYC 56pts, 10 Quantum Invictus (C Millar & D Roos) HMYC 60pts, 10 Valvark (H Karoleus & G Boshoff) DAC 60pts