“We love Durban’s conditions. They suit our style of
sailing perfectly!”
These are the complimentary words of Boland’s skipper, Sieraj Jacobs as he carefully checks his L26 packing everything away after having just competed in the prestigious Ola Lipton Challenge Cup in Durban.
The team competed in the six daylong event against top
international, Olympic and South African sailors concluding in an impressive
seventh position. “We had wanted to do better than our sixth last year but
marginally missed it.” the charming skipper states.
A cool Marcello Burricks, Jacobs’s right hand man stated,
“We are a good team! We have been sailing together for years so know each
other’s strengths and weaknesses. We sailed out hearts out on the water over
the last five days.” he says smiling.
On paper, Jacobs and his team representing the Defence
Yacht Club Boland were the team to beat but the duel offshore between the
18 yachts was extremely fierce, “Competing in an event like this, you cannot
make a wrong decision, you have to be consistent and be at the top of the log
if you want to win! It is do or die out there.”
The team were in the top half of the fleet for the entire
regatta. “Our worst position was ninth on the first day. That cost us but we
walk away with loads of experience.” Trader 24 had a scorecard revealing a
ninth, a fifth, a fourth and two eighth positions.
The team were up against the likes of ‘Mr Lipton’, Greg
Davies sailing for Royal Cape Yacht Club who has won the event nine times in
the illustrious century old event. “No doubt he is a phenomenal sailor, a great
but Greg also sailed one bad race, coming ninth in the second last race and
that cost his team terribly!”
The compact determined frame says eyeing out his yacht,
Trader 24. “We enjoyed the shorts and t-shirt sailing but it is good to be
going back home. It has been a long two weeks; our bodies are broken after two
hard regattas.”
Jacobs, from Shosholoza fame has had a few years off from
racing in the Lipton, “You could say I am making a comeback, but I love the
Lipton. My younger brother Taariq has been holding the reins for a bit, and
doing really well. He helmed again and did a superb job. Last year I competed
in False Bay and we came sixth in the strong fleet of 25. I wanted to do better
than that but will be back to break into the top five next year!”
The team began the recent MSC Week in Durban leading the
fleet for half of the regatta in the L26 class, but when the blowy weather
moved up the coast, the guys lost their first place. “It is a bit unusual for
sailors from Cape Town to say that they prefer the lighter breeze, but we do.”
It showed with Trader 24’s best placings being in the
lighter breeze during the Ola Lipton Challenge Cup.
Dave Hudson of international sailing fame praised Jacobs,
“Sieraj used to be our pacer for the Race Ahead team but it became a problem
when he used to out sail our guys in training. He is a magnificent young leader
with a bright future!”
The team return to Cape Town, holding their heads high after
a successful two weeks in Durban as they go back to the drawing board plotting
their next Lipton Challenge campaign.
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