Vasco da Gama Tune-Up Race

Royal Natal Yacht Club

Vasco da Gama Tune Up Race

Saturday 5 April

In the build up to the upcoming International blue water event, the Vasco da Gama Yacht Race the Royal Natal Yacht Club will be hosting a tune-up race on Saturday 5 April.

The Commodores Cup will be a ‘long’ distance race to Ballito and back. The race is vital for skippers and crews to be able to get some night hours ahead of the race that starts in June in Maputo.

Rear Commodore for the Royal Natal Yacht Club, Rob Samways said, “The idea is to have a later afternoon start, with the race progressing into the night. This format of distance racing into the night will be invaluable training for anyone wishing to master night navigation and port entry ahead of the Vasco. Sailing at night is completely different to sailing during the day; you depend heavily on the lights for navigation.”

The start is scheduled for 04.00pm on Saturday afternoon, with a start line being set off Vetchies. The finish line will be a virtual line between the lights of the north and south breakwater piers at the entrance to Durban Harbour. There will be a cut off time with yachts needing to finish at midnight.

Westville resident, Samways continued’ “The guys will have two virtual GPS marks set that they will need to round off Ballito. We have taken into consideration light conditions, so the first GPS mark will be a good 5nm closer to Durban than the second. So, if the leading yacht has not progressed as far as expected by a ‘given time’, the closer mark will then be deemed the turning mark.”

 Hosted by the Royal Natal Yacht Club, the Vasco da Gama that starts in Maputo on 19 June and finishes in Durban is a gruelling 300 NM race. It originated in 1967 running from Maputo to Durban and then from Durban to East London during the Mozambique Civil War and then again early in the millennium, returned to Mozambique.

The race is open to both racing yachts and cruisers with the record being held by former Commodore of the Royal Natal Yacht Club, Chris Frost. Frost will be lining up to compete in his tenth Vasco this year; the accomplished skipper set the course record in 2006.

Durban sailors will have the opportunity to get in some night hours ahead of the premier blue water race, the Vasco da Gama with the first tune up race, the Commodore’s Cup on Saturday 5 April.

For more info visit the Royal Natal Yacht Club’s website www.rnyc.org.za or like the Facebook page Vasco da Gama 2014

Hanging out on the side of a field hockey pitch

Some of my favourite shots from standing on the side watching 8 regional hockey tournaments.... 

Great, fast action on the pitch.

Chatting to Nqoba Mswazi before he joins the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race

Royal Natal Yacht Club

Nqoba Mswazi

Durban’s yacht club, the Royal Natal Yacht Club bids a fond farewell to young Nqoba Mswazi as he heads off to Qingdao in China to compete in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

The accomplished sailor who grew up in Umgababa flies out to the port of Qingdao on the east coast of China to join the fleet of 12 Clippers that are currently sailing around the world. Mswazi will be racing on one leg in the tenth race of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race that will take about four or five weeks to sail to San Francisco.  He is one of the more experienced crew members on the yacht, Invest Africa.

Mswazi, a regular sailing personality nicknamed ‘The Machine’, competes in all of the local races offshore of Durban and has only sailed in two international races prior to his upcoming Pacific crossing. He competed in the Colorpress Vasco da Gama Race from Maputo to Durban last year and early on his sailing career he raced in the Round Creole Island Race in Reunion.

“My first international race I competed in Reunion, my mentor Sean Jones and I competed in a class that we knew little about but learnt a lot. It was the F18 class, a big hobie cat, we came third last but my passion for sailing ignited there.”

Asked what he is most nervous about his upcoming adventure, he quickly states, “The cold!”

Pic by Trevor Wilkins

Having just turned 21, he celebrated this milestone in Portsmouth when he was there for his Clipper Training. Mswazi certainly has a bright future ahead of him in the sport of sailing.

The Rear Commodore for the Royal Natal Yacht Club, Rob Samways said, “We wish Nqoba well, he will grow in leaps and bounds with this opportunity. I personally am looking forward to his return as he will be crewing on our yacht Sticky Fingers in this year’s Vasco da Gama Race. His fresh experience will work wonders for us.”

The tough 5,800 nautical mile race begins on Sunday 16 March and is a monster of a leg. Once leaving the safety of the port, the clippers will be weaving around local fishing boats offshore of China battling with the renowned fog that hovers off the coastline of China. The cold winter conditions will challenge the fleets in the first week at sea as snow will be a regular feature on the decks.

Mswazi and his team will have to read the weather carefully as they cross the largest ocean in the world. Will they sail close to the rhumb line, the shortest route that you can sail and run the risk of light winds or head north for a colder but stronger ride east.

Invest Africa’s estimated arrival is around 15 April, “I am looking forward to the privilege of sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge. The sailors that I have spoken to have talked highly about the feeling that you get gliding underneath it, the magical sight of San Francisco coming into focus after weeks at sea.” Mswazi concluded.

Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Nqoba Mswazi is going places as he tackles the upcoming Clipper Round the World Yacht Race leg from Qingdao to San Francisco.

For more info on the race, visit http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/ or visit the Royal Natal Yacht Club site www.rnyc.org.za