Royal Natal Yacht Club Battle of Trafalgar Pursuit Race

Royal Natal Yacht Club

Battle of Trafalgar Pursuit Race

Sunday 20 October

Fifteen brave yachts took to mountainous seas yesterday in the Royal Natal Yacht Club’s first pursuit race, the Battle of Trafalgar Pursuit Race, with Gregg Hurter taking honours on his yacht Bellatrix.

Five yachts opted for the drier and less bumpy option and after seeing the lumpy conditions outside the safety of the harbour, turned around and didn’t race. My Way skippered by Clynton De Fin was the first out of the starting blocks flying the French Flag that the fleet were hunting down, De Fin on his 24ft yacht battled the conditions and an hour into the race retired leaving only nine boats in the fleet.

Hurter sailed an impeccable race as he climbed swells and surfed down the back of them on Bellatrix. Starting at the back of the fleet in the staggered start sequence, Hurter was first round the weather mark with a comfortable seven minute lead ahead of Sticky Fingers sailed by the Rear Commodore Rob Samways.

Samways and his crew on the smaller yacht worked hard on the run back to the second mark, finishing only a handful of minutes behind Hurter.

The small group of diehard sailors took to a 25knot North Easter with the winds dropping down to around 20knots. The fleet headed north from the start line, turning off Virginia Beach and then enjoyed the smoother run down to the turning mark off Vetchies Beach with a short beat up to the finish line.

Race Officer Stuart Ritchie had only one thing to say when he got off the water, looking completely exhausted and soaked from head to toe, he stated, “It was hectic out there!”

A pursuit race is aimed to have the entire fleet finish en mass, with the boats being handicapped before the start and sent off in a staggered start sequence with the slowest boat going off first and the pacier yachts going off last.

The next race for the Durban sailors is the Sigma series that Royal Natal Yacht Club will be hosting on Sunday 27 October.

Results

1 Bellatrix (Gregg Hurter), 2 Sticky Fingers (Rob Samways), 3 Bandit (Sean Jones), 4 Therapy (Gavin Wadsworth), 5 Palluchi (Warren Clark), 6 Container World (Eli Brophy-Tintenger), 7 Zap (Graham Rose), 8 Flyer (Brad Rayson), 9 Keren (Nic Koekemoer), Retired My Way (Clynton De Fin)