Royal Natal Yacht Club
Brothers, Euan and Sean Hurter are jetting off to compete
on international waters in the next month.
The two Morningside sailors will be competing in Germany,
Weymouth and Portugal racing in the pacey 29er class. This is the first time
that the brothers will be competing internationally. The first two stops will
be used as an introduction to the international circuit but the main event in
Tavira, Portugal is the most important event for the duo. They will be joining
another six South African sailors who will be racing in a variety of classes in
Portugal at the ISAF Youth World Championships.
“For our first international out, I am very nervous but
that is to be expected. The opportunity that has presented itself is phenomenal
and the learning curve is going to be huge! I just want to make sure we make
every part of it worth it.” said 18year old Euan Hurter.
Euan, who represented the Royal Natal Yacht Club at the
Lipton Challenge Cup is a familiar face in Durban’s sailing circles but his
younger brother Sean who up until recently dabbled in yachting, “This whole
29er campaign has sort of taken over the household. Almost everything we do has
sailing in mind. We have to talk about sailing at home, or else we don’t move
forward and improve. Often it might just be to fill in our training sheets,
plan our next sail, and what needs to happen in general.” 16year old Sean
shares.
Euan adds, “Sailing with my brother, for me, means I am
more pedantic, more straight forward and to the point. I am less afraid of
saying ‘we are sailing badly, this isn’t good enough!’”
Smiling, Euan states, “Simply how much fun can a 29er be?
It is fast, thrilling and makes everything else seem a little bit boring. The
hardest thing is keeping the boat going fast; for the smallest mistake you
often pay with a surprise visit into the water as the boat is like standing up
in a canoe.”
The Hurter boys who both attend Clifton College will be
participating in the European Championship at the Kiel Week in Germany from 21
– 29 June, then the smallest event in Weymouth, United Kingdom at the Eurocup
Event from 5 – 6 July. Then they will be joining the best young up-and-coming
international sailors at the ISAF World Champs in Portugal from 12 – 19 July.
Euan concludes, “I don’t admire one single 29er team, but
rather all the teams that achieve really well at worlds and those that further
their sailing rather than stopping once out of youth class.”
The Hurter lad’s Dad, Gregg will be on the water while his
sons are competing overseas. Gregg will be defending his title in the gruelling
Vasco da Gama blue water race hosted by the Royal Natal Yacht Club from Maputo
to Durban.
For more info visit www.rnyc.org.za
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