Sea Sailing Adventure Regatta

Royal Natal Yacht Club

Sea Sailing Adventure Regatta

The opening regatta of the sailing season, the Sea Sailing Adventure Regatta hosted by the Royal Natal Yacht Club concluded on Heritage Day, dusting off any cobwebs Durban sailors may have acquired over the winter season.

16 yachts took to the water in three days of challenging sailing as sailors braved lumpy waters and blustery winds. The final results on handicaps had Gregg Hurter on Bellatrix crowned champion of the racing class and  John Banfield on Spindrift the overall winner of the cruising class.

The four day regatta not only tested sailors on their wit on the water but also their nautical knowledge with a Cryptic Clue Competition on Monday afternoon sending everyone on a Wild Goose chase around the harbour in search of clues.  The final firey event was the team Potjiekos competition where the shore-based crews cooked up a storm.

Over the weekend the fleet went offshore with the race officer getting in three races. The first, a there-and-back race taking the competitors to Umhlanga and back, in the racing class the battle began between Gregg Hurter helming Bellatrix and Chris Frost sailing his pacer, Southern Storm. Two minutes separated the two on line honours, with Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Rear Commodore Rob Samways crossing in third after a spectacular wrap of their kite as they rounded the buoy off Umhlanga. In the cruising class, So Basic got the line honours in the There-and-back race.

On Sunday, Race Officer Ron Pet got in two ‘Round the Buoy’ races. In the morning the wind started off as a 10 – 14knot North Easterly and swung around to a generous 17 – 20knot Easterly. The duel in the racing class continued between Hurter and Frost with a minute separating the leading boats in the first race and a minute and a half in the second, this time Frost taking the line honours in both races. In the cruising class Vernon Goss dominated both races in line honours. In the first race So Basic was a mere two minutes behind Goss and looked to have a second all wrapped up in the final race of the day when drama ensued meters from the finish line, Stuart Ritchie tacked for the line and stalled battling to get the huge boat moving again. The nearest two rivals beat their way up as So Basic drifted further away from the line. Jedi skippered by the Honorary Commodore, Willy Vandeverre and Spindrift skippered by John Banfield both edged their boats closer to the line. Jedi made her final tack, and following in So Basic’s footsteps, stalled on the line with Banfield and his crew watched the drama unfold in-front of them stole third across the line away from the two bigger cruisers.

On Heritage Day, the fleet started an early morning race as they whisked their boats around a south-easterly course in gusting winds that reached over 30knots. Again drama in the cruising class ensued as defending champion; Liquid Blue helmed by Andy Murray looked to have the regatta all sewn up before the final race. Dicing Bellissima on the line, they snagged the buoy costing them precious minutes as the class got away from them. It took the crew close on ten minutes to rid the buoy wrapped around their rudder and keel before they got underway, the title slipping further and further away from them.

The Rear Commodore for the Royal Natal Yacht Club, Rob Samways said, “All the guys that took part can be applauded in their efforts on and off the water. We all had fun; some of us broke a few things on the boat in the unyielding weather. A hugely successful regatta to open up the season, we can only anticipate a magnificent season from here on out!”

The summer sailing season is off to a splendid start after the hard-fought Sea Sailing Adventure Regatta that took place over the long weekend.

The next race for the Royal Natal Yacht Club is the first Wednesday Night Twilight Race on 2 October, for more info contact Gayle on 031 301 5425 or visit www.rnyc.org.za.