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

Chatting to Durban Sailor Nqoba Mswazi

Known as ‘The Machine’ in the sailing community, young Nqoba Mswazi from Umgababa smiles while having breakfast after his weigh in.

"We made it!” grinned the charming sailor, gorgeous dimples beaming from his face. “We were a few kilograms under, hence I am allowed to eat!" said the relieved lad.

Nqoba and his team are currently competing in the biggest and most prestigious sailing event in the country; the Ola Lipton Challenge Cup hosted by the Royal Natal Yacht Club. This is the first time in over a decade that the race is being held in Durban.

"We are starting the regatta as the underdogs but this has been a great motivator. The boat is capable; it won the regatta last year, now it is up to the team. All we can do is try our best.” stated the level headed man.

Mswazi recently competed in the Colorpress Vasco da Gama in his first international ocean race from Maputo to Durban, “Early in my sailing career 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.”

They competed in the Round Creole Race which was competed racing around the island. “We had lots of breakages and were the only guys who had never sailed a Hobie 18 before but the fleet were great, friendly and helped us a lot.”

“My favourite memory of that trip would have to be the food! There is nothing like creole cuisine. I discovered all these new types of food, the Octopus Curry which everyone raved about was scary but I tried it. It was slimy and didn’t taste like much. But the sushi and crab – wow! One meal we had a pineapple sushi. It was a pineapple bunny, hollowed out with sushi inside, delicious.” He says glancing at his bacon and eggs in front of him.

“Sailing the Vasco last month was testing but was great. I did however score myself a nickname while on the water! One which I am eternally proud of! To the crew I am now known as Mandela, the reason for this, the first evening I had just finished my shift and was down below about to get a few hours’ sleep when we went through a bad gybe. I was summoned back on deck and rushed to the front of the boat. I can’t remember what happened but about twenty minutes later I woke up with a huge gash on my head. I had fallen through the hatch well trying to cut the kite, managing to get an impressive slice on the top of my head, similar to Nelson Mandela.”

The bowman, his position on the boat first started sailing in 2008, “Craig Millar came to our school, Rossburgh High to chat to us about his experience circumnavigating the world in the Clipper Round the World race. His stories stole my imagination and soon after I was enrolled in Sail Africa learning to sail.”

Proudly stating, ‘The Machine’ says, “The moment in my career that stands out for me, a shining moment in the last five years. It would have to be the first trophy I received; this was a realisation that I actually was extremely good.” The trophy that he talks of was awarded from South African Sailing KZN for being the Most Improved Sailor of the Year.

“I also have a silver medal from racing in this year’s L26 Provincials and a bronze one from the L26 Nationals, both sailing with his Lipton team racing on the yacht Orion B2G2” the first of many in this highly talented man’s fresh career.

Directly after taking on the crème-de-la-crème of South Africa’s sailors in the Ola Lipton Challenge Cup, Mswazi’s next challenge is taking on the Pacific in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race where he has been selected to crew from China to San Francisco.

We watch eagerly as Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Nqoba Mswazi makes waves in the world of sailing.