Royal Natal Yacht Club's Lighthouse to Lighthouse Race

Rocketman, the trimaran Ladybird launches herself off a swell as she heads offshore.

 Royal Natal Yacht Club

Lighthouse to Lighthouse Offshore Race

Offshore Durban: Sunday 14 April

A perfect middle distance race, the Lighthouse to Lighthouse Race organised by the Royal Natal Yacht Club saw Sticky Fingers skippered by Rob Samways, and Ladybird skippered by Andrew Dolloway win the double on Sunday.

The Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Lipton Challenge Cup team Orion B2G2 skippered by Patrick Harris were crowned winners in the cruising class, edging out Choose Life Bellisima skippered by Vernon Goss on handicap. Bellisima was the first yacht across the finish line for the day, three minutes ahead of the smaller L26 yacht.

First across the line, Vernon Goss surfs in to the finish with her new bag flying nicely on the Choose Life Bellisima.

Dolloway and Samways led from the front, winning both on handicap and also taking line honours in their respective divisions.

Seventeen yachts started the race in a gorgeous northeaster with a generous early morning breeze of around 8 knots. The racing fleet had the option to sail north first to a pin set off of Umhlanga Lighthouse or to head south rounding the marker off Cooper’s Lighthouse. The cruisers only had to round the buoy off Umhlanga before surfing back to the finish line flying their spinnakers.

Tugging in the spinnaker, Mark Cawdron muscles in the huge sail just meters off from the finish line. Cawdron was crewing on the Commodore of the Royal Natal Yacht Club’ Richard Crockett’s yacht, Caversham Caprice that came fifth across the line in the cruising division in Sunday’s Lighthouse to Lighthouse Race.

The catamaran Bandit skippered by Sean Jones, opted to peel off from the fleet being the sole racer tackling the southern leg first. The remainder of the fleet worked their way to Umhlanga first. It nearly paid dividends for Bandit as he crossed a mere four minutes behind the first multihull yacht, Ladybird. Ladybird was forced to slow down as she approached the finish, having to wait at the entrance to the harbour for an exiting ship to clear her path before continuing on towards the finish set off Ushaka Beach.

Getting herself tied into a knot, the yacht Jennabee rises over a swell in a bit of trouble twisting her bag good and proper.

Leading the monohulls in the racing class was Sticky Fingers skippered by Rob Samways. This was the first time in over a year that Sticky Fingers had gotten her feet wet after undergoing some cosmetic work. Being one of three yachts sporting new sails, Samways and his team took the lead early in the race in the monohulls division chasing down Dolloway on his zippy trimaran.

In his element, Samways enthused “The conditions were brilliant with the breeze steady around 12 – 16 knots. It went well for us. We had a new crew on board, so I was pleased to see the team handle the conditions so well! Sticky Fingers was put back in the water a week ago, so this was our final shake down to see if everything worked before we compete in the international blue water race, the Colorpress Vasco da Gama. Three of us that sailed on Sunday will head up to Maputo to sail in the Vasco.”

Dashing for the finish, Phezulu skippered by Leo Kroone gets her nose in front of Warren Clark on Palluci with just meters to go to the finish line.

Ten cruisers sailed in the ‘There-and-Back’ race to Umhlanga and two multihulls and five racers competed in the unusual course set by race officer Greg Challis, with the fastest of the fleet tackling two port roundings set off the two nautical landmarks near Durban.

Four of Sunday’s competitors used this race as the final test before competing in the toughest ocean race in Southern Africa, the Colorpress Vasco da Gama that starts in Maputo on Thursday 2 May.

For more info go to Facebook and find the group, Vasco da Gama Race 2012 – 2014 or contact Gayle at the Royal Natal Yacht Club on 031 301 5425 during office hours.

A busy deck as the yacht Zap skippered by Graham Rose finishes.

Full list of entries for the Colorpress Vasco da Gama are:

Spindrift a Lavranos 40 skippered by John Banfield; Alkistis a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40 skippered by adventurer Paul Erskine; Nomad a 54' cat skippered by Craig Deverson; Sticky Fingers a Whitbread 30 skippered by Rob Samways; Southern Storm a Pacer 37 skippered by Chris Frost; Bellatrix a Beneteau First 40 skippered by Gregg Hurter; Choose Life Pacer a Pacer 400 skippered by Luke Wagner; Aquavit an L34 skippered by Ross McGill; Flyer a Beneteau First 10 skippered by Brad Rayson; Wynleigh a Fast 42 skippered by Tony Cunningham; Zap an L34 skippered by Graham Rose; Majimoto a Farr 38 skippered by Jon Marshall; Skitzo  a Fast 42 skippered by Nigel Miln and one entry that is confidential.

Results for the Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Lighthouse to Lighthouse Race

A Division

1 Sticky Fingers (Rob Samways), 2 Aquavit (Ross McGill), 3 Palluci (Warren Clark), 4 Zap(Graham Rose), 5 Phezulu (Leo Kroone)

B Division

1 Orion B2G2 (Patrick Harris), 2 Belissima (Vernon Goss), 3 Ithemba (Siya Vato), 4 Caversham Caprice (Richard Crocket),  5 Inside Out (Phil Downing)

Multi-hull Division

1 Ladybird (Andrew Dollaway), 2 Bandit ( Sean Jones)