Point Yacht Club
Offshore Durban
Sailing in Durban received the generous news from the
Royal Cape Yacht Club, the victorious 2017 Lipton Cup winners, with the offer
to host the prestigious event in warmer waters.
In a letter presented to the Commodore of Point Yacht
Club, Greg de Beyer, Commodore of the Royal Cape Yacht Club, Vitor Medina
graciously offered the opportunity to host the respected event offshore of
Durban mid-year in 2018.
In Medina’s letter, he referred to the 2013 event sailed
offshore of Durban, where Point Yacht Club finished second to a boat that was
subsequently found to have been illegally modified.
Medina stated, “While Point Yacht Club was earlier this year, formally declared the winner of the Lipton Cup in 2013, your club had of course been denied the opportunity of defending the Cup in 2014 on your home waters. This unfortunate situation can’t be fully rectified at this stage.
“Royal Cape Yacht Club, in recognition of this unfairness
of your loss to a non-conforming boat in 2013, is prepared to forfeit our right
to defend the Cup in Table Bay next year and offer the 2018 event to your Club
to host during the week following the MSC Week.”
In response, a delighted Greg de Beyer, Commodore of
Point Yacht Club enthusiastically accepted the offer. “This offer has been
discussed by our General Committee as well as our Sailing Committees and I can
confirm that the offer has been eagerly and unanimously accepted.
“Point Yacht Club is firmly committed to promoting our
sport in conjunction with other sailing clubs and organisations throughout
South Africa. Whilst we never doubted the goodwill and common goal of the Royal
Cape Yacht Club, we welcome this gesture and will do our utmost to ensure that
2018 event is a success and is undertaken in the spirit in which the gift was
given to our sport.”
The helmsman for the Point Yacht Club’s Lipton entry,
Richard Weddell, has had a somewhat dramatic Lipton campaign. Finishing a
respectable fourth in his first attempt down in Simons Town in 2012, Weddell
and his team then sailed magnificently offshore of Durban in 2013, finishing
tie on points with False Bay Yacht Club, but due to a count back, they ended
their regatta with the position of runner up.
“It is a bit of a bitter-sweet feeling, hearing this
news. The guys and I worked so incredibly hard, leading up to the 2013
challenge, and the week of the challenge. We were honestly devastated at the
result. It marred our enthusiasm in getting back on the water. The generosity
shown by the Royal Cape guys is tremendously kind. This gentlemanly act
certainly will inject a great deal of interest back into sailing, and
specifically this historic event, and hopefully motivate many for the future.”
With this announcement, the Rear Commodore of Keelers is
hard at work scheduling in trials to select the best suited team to challenge
for the Royal Cape Yacht Club’s title.
Durban’s sailing community is abuzz with the gracious
declaration from Royal Cape Yacht Club, offering the Point Yacht Club to host
the 65th Lipton Cup.
For more info visit www.pyc.co.za
or like the Facebook page.
No comments:
Post a Comment