RNYC Dinghy Series and Umhloti Mayor's Race

Royal Natal Yacht Club

Dinghy Series and Umhloti Mayor’s Race

Harbour: Saturday 24 January

Offshore: Sunday 25 January

Two days of blue sky sailing hosted by the Royal Natal Yacht Club for a variety of Durban sailors took place offshore and in the harbour over the weekend.

The conclusion of the Dinghy Series hosted by the Royal Natal Yacht Club on Saturday saw Campbell Alexander and Chris Clark take the honours in the Flying Fifteens, Rob Samways and Jared Quinn on their Dart and Henri Frencken in the Laser class.

Race officer Jennifer Weyer only managed to get in two races for the 11 boats on Saturday. The conditions were near perfect with blue skies and 13 – 15 knots of wind powering the dinghies. Setting a long windward leeward course on the far side of the bay, the fleet took off punctually. Just as the boats neared the finish line, the first race was abandoned due to a large vessel being moved near the course. Racing eventually got under way.

There were two starts with the Flying Fifteens and Lasers sharing a start sequence and the two Darts and one Halcat going off in the second. Graham Weyer and Neil Wadsworth got off to a cracker of a start in both races, camping near the line and timing the start magnificently.

After the race, Neil Wadsworth stated, “My body is broken! But what a thrill being on the Dart, it carves through the water.”

Newcomers to the Flying Fifteen fleet, Struan Campbell and Richard Weddle worked hard and pushed the more experienced Flying Fifteens. The duo managed to take the second race after a fantastic race.

Offshore on Sunday 13 yachts started in the Umhloti Mayor’s Race in light winds and lumpy seas. The long distance race took the fleet north a nautical mile beyond the uMhlanga lighthouse. The Bill Piddington Trophy was won by Rick Parker, the trophy is awarded to the first over 60 year old helmsman. Rick Parker was at the wheel of second placed Bellatrix.

Ray of Light helmed by Heidi Kavanagh streaked ahead straight out of the starting blocks. The team seemed to have a comfortable lead as they neared the weather mark offshore of uMhlanga. Warren Clark skippering Pallucci had a cracker of a beat having opted to go offshore and out of sight while the rest of the fleet stayed inshore, Clark rounded the buoy moments after Ray of Light.

On the finish, Ray of Light showed her prowess crossing the line first with Bellatrix having a marvellous run, finishing six minutes behind of Kavanagh’s crew. There was a long wait until the third boat with the committee boating waiting just over an hour. Pallucci had a disappointing run claiming third in line honours with Jon Marshall at the wheel of Majimoto finishing five seconds behind Clark.

Another tussle took place in the multihulls between Bill Ellens on his trimaran Magic Dragon and Sean Jones on his catamaran Bandit. Ellens had a little more puff thad Jones, crossing the line two minutes ahead.

The Commodore of the Royal Natal Yacht Club, Graham Rose armed with his secret weapon, top hot shot sailor who is competing internationally, Jared Quinn; were unable to complete the race in the allocated 5hours and 15minutes for the race.

Of the 13 yachts that started only seven managed to finish, five retired from the race and Zap unfortunately not making the cut off time.

“I only have one word for that race,” Gavin Wadsworth, skipper of Therapy said back at the club house, “Frustration! There were loads of holes where we stalled. We had a decent beat, lying second at one stage but often lost boat speed in patches were there was no wind.”

This weekend sees the Point Yacht Club Class Champs on Saturday and the Royal Natal Yacht Club Waterfront Catamaran Series resumes.

For more info visit www.rnyc.org.za or like their Facebook page.

Royal Natal Yacht Club Christmas Regatta

Royal Natal Yacht Club

Christmas Regatta incorporating Flying Fifteen Nationals and 505 Championships

Offshore: Saturday 13 – Tuesday 16 December

A small competitive fleet participated in the Christmas Regatta hosted by Royal Natal Yacht Club over the long weekend in Durban leading up to the festive season.

Race officer Rob Samways managed to get in nine races over the three days of competition with eight races counting and one race being a discard. Newcomers to the fleet Paul Changuion and crew member Tim Duguid were crowned champions in the Flying Fifteen fleet.

Changuion and Duguid have recently made a move from racing in the Hunter class to the Flying Fifteens. The sailors who have had the honour of competing in events such as the Lipton Challenge Cup and other big National and International events worked hard in preparation for the National Regatta. Their determined hard work paid off toppling defending champions Patrick Harris and Jeremy Kriek. They earned three first places, three second places, a third and fourth to end the regatta with 16points. Their discard was a race that they didn’t compete in, the final race on day two.

In the 505 class there was a tie on points at the conclusion for the overall leaderboard. Brothers Thomas and Peter Funke were in a demanding position claiming the top spot in the first four races. On the second day the brothers opted not to compete but rather to get in some training ahead of the 505 World Championships, the conditions offshore were testing with winds in the low 20knots and the 4m swell rising in quick concession. The talented duo spent five hours offshore flying across the water and as racing concluded disappointedly damaged a fixture on their rudder and were unable to race on the final day. Sharing the points with the Funke brothers were Ulrich and Marius Fourie who, like the Funke brothers only got on the water for two days. They both ended on a respectable 16 points.

Samways stated, “It is a treat for the Flying Fifteens to race offshore and the conditions were somewhat trying. The first day was perfect racing with a small running swell and winds just over 10knots. Nine boats joined us that day. The numbers dropped drastically for day two but the conditions were extremely challenging for everyone out on the water. Myles was telling me that he clocked a boat speed of 14knots with only his mainsail powering them. Massive swells with winds consistently in the high teens and early twenties. Day three was overcast and drizzly but seven boats joined us which was fantastic.”

Continuing he said, “Only two 505s participated which was disappointing as the World Championship is around the corner but well done to the guys that did come out. They got some really good training with the variety of conditions.”

Flying Fifteen Nationals

1 Paul Changuion / Tim Duguid 16pts, 2 Campbell Alexander / Chris Clark 18pts, 3 Mike Wright / Jon Marshall 32pts, 4 = Patrick Harris / Jeremy Kriek 40pts, 4 = Gregg Hurter / Jeff Rose 40pts, 6 Myles White / David Curtis 50pts, 7 Craig Campbell / Ian Hogg 55pts, 8 Edrich de Lange / Charlotte Marshall 68pts, 9 Nqoba Mswazi / Thokozani Latha 78pts, 10 Neil Yelland / Michael Surgeson 88pts

505 Provincials

1 = Peter Funke / Thomas Funke 16pts, 1 = Ulrich Fourie / Marius Fourie 16pts

South African Sailing Youth Nationals Championships

Point Yacht Club / Royal Natal Yacht Club

SAS Youth Nationals

Aeolians Yacht Club Vaal Dam – 13 – 19 December

The start to school holidays will be exciting as 13 of Durban’s promising youth sailors head to Gauteng to compete in the South African Sailing Youth Nationals from 13 – 19 December.

 The event hosted at Aeolians Yacht Club on the Vaal Dam promises to be highly competitive with a number of classes being sailed over the six days. The 031 representatives will be participating in five classes, Point Yacht Club has 11 sailors flying their burgee, and two will be representing Royal Natal Yacht Club.

Brothers in ‘class’, Jethro and Eli Brophy Tintinger (Glenwood High School) will be taking to the water in the 420 class while Euan and Sean Hurter (Clifton College) will be competing on their hardy Dabchicks.

The Fennessy siblings Liam and Jessica (Chelsea Prep) will be racing in the Optimist class. Another young lady to be taking on the boys is highly decorated upcountry sailor Michaela Robinson representing Royal Natal Yacht Club. Coming from a highly successful sailing family, Robinson has taken part in two Cape to Rios and a number of international events. She will be sailing with Benji Daniel (Thomas More College) in the 420 class.

Another family with a keen interest in sailing is the Gaughrans. The eldest brother Matthew (Kearsney College) is taking on the fleet on his full rig Laser while his younger brother Ross (Kearsney College) will be sailing on a Laser 4.7. Youngest Gaughran, Calum (Highbury) will be competing in the Oppie Class. 

The only sailor to be racing in an RSTera Sport is Cameron Parle (Durban Preparatory High School). Sven Paton (Durban Preparatory High School) and Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Chad Stevenson (Umhlanga College) will both be racing in the sturdy RSTera Pros.

Thalia Naidoo (Eden College) will be back on the water having been concentrating on horse riding, she will be participating on her Tera Pro after having done extremely well in the Tera Worlds. She finished fourth overall and was the second lady in the recent World Championships. 

Dylan Albert (Umhlanga College) who has been getting loads of water time on his preferred Hobie 14 will be racing in the Dabchick class along with the Hurter brothers.

One disappointment is that Sam Lombard (Michael House) who was due to race in the Dabchick class will be unable to make the trip due to breaking his shoulder blade. Lombard has had the honour of being a part of the Lipton Challenge Cup for Point Yacht Club.

The Rear Commodore for Youth at the Point Yacht Club, Nik Albert stated, “We have a strong contingent of youth coming through our ranks and it is great to see that they are heading to major competitions. Every Saturday the guys have been getting training in, taking on the more experienced sailors and their hard work is showing.”

Soon-to-be-top-notch sailors, Durban’s up-and-coming water rats will be taking on the crème de la crème at the South African Sailing Youth Nationals up at the Vaal Dam this holiday.

For more info visit www.pyc.co.za or www.rnyc.org.za or like their Facebook pages.

The Captain's Challenge

Point Yacht Club

The Captain’s Challenge

Sunday 30 November

Point Yacht Club’s Aldino Gorlei celebrated a personal milestone, enjoying his 80^th birthday doing what he enjoys most – sailing.

Close on 50 boats came out for the momentous occasion relishing not only the festivities but also the conditions offshore of Durban on Sunday.

The first boat out of the starting blocks was the birthday boy himself, he set off with a handful of junior sailors on a windward leeward course in a gentle 12knots South Easterly wind. Gorlei sailing on his Hobie 14 was second to finish, being overtaken by the extremely quick 49er helmed by former Olympic athlete Alec Lanham-Love.

Once concluding the fun race, Gorlei turned around and carried on sailing. He was joined by a number of Hobies all setting off for a second ‘unofficial’ run.

Over half the fleet was made up of Gorlei’s Hobie buddies, making for a wonderful, colourful display in front of Durban. Four starts set by Race Officer Ron Pet saw the youngest and oldest of the crowd set off first, followed by the monohull dinghies with the biggest class setting off third. Finally the bigger keelboats made their way on the short course, with the buoy set off Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Commodore for the Point Yacht Club, Trevor Donald sailing on an L26, Counter Point said afterwards, “What a way to celebrate such a significant day. I know that Al loved his time on the water and was overwhelmed by all who came to support him. I was really impressed with the turn out on a busy weekend. Thank you one and all who made the effort to celebrate Al’s day with him.”

This coming weekend, the Point Yacht Club will have the conclusion of the Club Class Championships in the bay on Saturday along with the Caney Offshore Series on Sunday. Off the water, the club also has its Christmas Lunch where the Durban City Orchestra will be performing.

For more info visit www.pyc.co.za or like the Facebook page Point Yacht Club.

Royal Natal Yacht Club's Battle of Trafalgar

Royal Natal Yacht Club

Battle of Trafalgar Pursuit Race

Offshore Durban: Sunday 16 November

Ray of Light helmed by Heidi Kavanagh was in a league of their own as they convincingly took the honours in the Battle of Trafalgar Pursuit Race hosted by the Royal Natal Yacht Club offshore on Sunday.

The husband and wife team Michael and Heidi owned the pursuit race crossing the line two minutes ahead of nearest competitor, Wayne Smith racing on his catamaran Crazy Diamond. Smith was the last out of the blocks in the pursuit race and reeled in 8 boats, sailing a magnificent race to finish behind Ray of Light.

The Kavanagh’s large 43.8 foot boat crossed the start line over a minute after their start time under the power of the spinnaker.  After a good run down to the leeward mark, the crew dropped the bag and prepared to round the buoy. As the team settled in on the rail, one of their men a bit too enthusiastically in getting to his position went overboard.

“Once we saw him go over, we overshot the mark so that we could turn around and pick him up.” Heidi Kavanagh stated when she was back in the club.

Skipper of the rescue craft, Scorpio on standby at the buoy where the Refeloa Zililo went into the water, Alec McNamara boasted, “Their execution of the Man Over Board was the most phenomenal thing I have seen on the water. Ray of Light magically turned on their keel and just like that, plucked him out. He wasn’t in the water for more than two minutes. Amazing!”

Michael Kavanagh quietly said, “It was the first time in Durban I insisted all the guys wear their inflatable lifejackets and I am truly glad I did. It couldn’t have happened at a better place, as we were rounding the leeward mark, so we were already turning, so didn’t impact too much on the race. As soon as Refeloa hit the water his lifejacket responded.”

Smiling, he continued, “The guy that went for a swim couldn’t have a more appropriate nickname amongst the sailors, and I think after today he can keep it. Known as Waterboy, he will certainly remember this race.”

20 boats were entered to compete in the pursuit race but only 11 boats braved the elements and raced. The start line was set just off Addington with the turning mark just off La Lucia Mall, 7 nautical miles away. On the run towards the leeward mark, Majimoto skippered by Jon Marshall was forced to retire after their spinnaker pole bent and they had problems with their backstay holding up the mast.

Ray of Light registered a top wind speed of 42.9 at the top of their mast. All the boats started with the wind nearing the 20knots and long rolling swells but as the day progressed the wind picked up with gusts knocking the fleet right over and the sea conditions worsening to resemble a washing machine.

This weekend sailors will be sailing offshore for the first of the Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Spring Series.

Results

1 Ray of Light (Michael Kavanagh), 2 Crazy Diamond (Wayne Smith), 3 Bellatrix (Gregg Hurter), 4 PheZulu (Leo Kroone), 5 Therapy (Gavin Wadsworth), 6 Zap (Graham Rose), 7 Magic Dragon (Bill Ellens), 8 Zing (Gavin Smith), 9 Candi (Theuns Nel), 10 She-Myra (Frans Van Oers), RET Majimoto (Jon Marshall)

Royal Natal Yacht Club Dinghy Spring Series Day Two

Royal Natal Yacht Club

Dinghy Spring Series Day Two

It was chalk and cheese with the conditions for the second day of the Dinghy Spring Series hosted by the Royal Natal Yacht Club with nine yachts arriving in the blustery conditions.

Race Officer, Jennifer Weyer set a windward leeward course for the small boats in the harbour. Conditions were ideal for loads of thrills and spills. The gusts edged up towards the 30knot mark but the wind was blowing mostly around the high teens or low twenties. With a lot of chop in the bay, all the sailors were drenched by the spray from the water.

The three Flying Fifteens relished the conditions and flew on the run powered by their larger spinnakers. The most competitive fleet on the water did three laps of the sausage course, finishing consistently around the 35minute mark for all three races. It was fantastic racing between the three in the last two races. On the run down to the leeward mark, the spinnakers kept catching up to each other. On the beat up to the weather mark the tactics came into play as they split up in the field, all tacking and heading off in different directions.

Crossing the line for the final race of the day, Myles White helming his Flying Fifteen brushed past the bridge boat shouting, “Please can we have another race, we are loving these conditions!”

The first boat to call it quits having been unable to start was the smallest boat in the fleet, the small RS Tera capsized on the way to the start and took a while to right himself. Denmar Nel from Pinetown also spent a lot of time in the water as his Laser toppled over on numerous occasions. Not managing to finish the first race, an exhausted Nel opted to turn his efforts in and head for shore mid-way through the second race.

Late arrivals, Chad Stevenson racing on his Extra and Jethro Brophy-Tintinger helming a Laser got tangled together nearing the start line. Brophy-Tintinger capsized dramatically tangled up with Stevenson’s Extra and the duo drifted through the start line as the fleet made their way for the second race. Stevenson never recovered after his unfortunate arrival, tearing his main sail and experiencing rudder problems, eventually having to be towed home after the final race.

The oldest competitor in the fleet, Trevor Gibb sailing with the youngest sailor, Ian Bowman managed two races in their Mirror and after they crossed the finish line for the second time, headed for shore.

David Curtiss from Botha’s Hill helming his Rebel sailed two up with up-and-coming Dylan Alberts from Durban North. The team battled with the gusts that swept through the race track, finding their boat going over on more than one occasion. They also retired, not managing to finish the second race.

Next weekend will be busy for the oldest yacht club in the country as the Royal Natal Yacht Club have the third day for the smaller boats with the Spring Dinghy Series then on Sunday they host the Battle of Trafalgar offshore for the keelers.

For more info, visit www.rnyc.org.za or contact Kearin on 031 301 5425.

RNYC Dinghy Bay Series and PYC Sigma Series

Royal Natal Yacht Club and Point Yacht Club

Durban Harbour: Dinghy Bay Series

Offshore: Sigma Series

November got off to an uneventful start for Durban’s sailors with two events taking place this weekend.

The first on Saturday afternoon was day one of the Royal Natal Yacht Club Dinghy Spring Series held in the bay. Overcast and drizzly conditions greeted the braver sailors that ventured out into the unpleasant conditions. A tiny fleet of five dinghies participated in a windward leeward short sprint in the bay.

Race officer, Derek Wilkes managed to get in three races before having to call it a day due to shipping movements right where the short course was laid. The intermittent rain together with winds of around 3-5knots made conditions slow going for the small boats.

The second event had 11 boats participate in the first race of the Sigma Series hosted by the Point Yacht Club.

The intended course was going to be the more challenging bunny ear course where the boats had to head along the coastline from Vetches Pier towards the Blue Waters Hotel and back to the start where they had to turn around and head offshore towards the fairway mark and then head back to the finish line.

The predicted light easterly breeze greeted sailors but the tranquil conditions deteriorated for sailing leaving the hefty boats with hardly any power in their sails.

Race Officer, Ron Pet announced to the fleet after as the time neared an hour that racing would be abandoned as most of the sails just fluffed around, not driving the boat anywhere.

Pet made a general announcement to all yachts racing that the race was abandoned, the leader of the race, Glenwood’s Sean Jones sailing on his fast flying multihull Bandit responded, “Correction Race Officer, the announcement should have stated ‘All yachts bobbing, racing is abandoned.’”

Round two of both events take place this coming weekend. For more info on both events visit www.rnyc.org.za for the Dinghy Spring Series, or visit www.pyc.co.za for the Sigma Series.

Results

Royal Natal Yacht Club

Dinghy Spring Series

Saturday 1 November

Day One

1 Trevor Gibb / Ian Bowman (Mirror) 4pts, 2 David Curtiss (Rebel) 7pts, 3 Cameron Parle (RS Tera) 10pts, 4 Chad Stevenson (Extra) 13pts, 5 Dylan Alberts (Hobie 14) 13pts

Point Yacht Club

Sigma Series

Sunday 2 November

Day One

Racing Abandoned

Bandit (Sean Jones), Bellatrix (Gregg Hurter), Bellissima (Vernon Goss), Caversham Caprice (Richard Crockett), Crazy Diamond (Wayne Smith), Container World (Eli Brophy-Tintinger), Flyer (Brad Rayson), Majimoto (Jon Marshall), Ray of Light (Heidi Kavanagh), Zap (Graham Rose), Zing (Gavin Smith)