Smooth Sailing
Sailing
News By A Sailor For Sailors!
In
association with Hood Sails, Royal
Natal Yacht Club, Henley Midmar Yacht Club,
South African Hunter Class
Association and Sailing KZN.
RNYC Hi-Tech
Piping Dinghy Series
Sunday
Afternoon On The RNYC Lawns
Geronimo -
Jules Verne Trohy Attempt
Kingfisher
2 – Jules Verne Trophy Attempt
Your Weekend Weather according to the SA Weather Service is going to be as follows:
Durban & Richard’s Bay: Saturday will be partly cloudy, hot and humid with a
maximum temperature of 30 degrees and a 20% chance of evening thundershowers.
The wind will start off as a moderate northeasterly however will become a fresh
southwesterly in the middle of the afternoon. Sunday will be cooler at 26
degrees but cloudy with a 30% chance of morning and evening showers. The wind
will be a moderate southerly.
Midmar: Saturday will have a maximum temperature of 27 degrees.
There will be some early morning mist but it will be cloudy later with a 20%
chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. The wind will be a moderate
southerly. Sunday will be cooler at 25 degrees with early morning mist and it
will again be cloudy. The wind will be a light northeasterly.
Vaal Dam: Saturday will be a hot day at 30 degrees with partly cloudy
skies and a 20% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. The wind will be a light
southwesterly. Sunday will be even warmer at 31 degrees with partly cloudy
skies and a light southeasterly wind blowing.
Cape Town: Saturday will have a maximum temperature of 26 degrees with
partly cloudy skies and a fresh southwesterly blowing. Sunday will be slightly
warmer at 27 degrees with clear blue skies and a fresh southeaster blowing.
Dinghy Sailing tomorrow,
Saturday the 25th of January, is in the form of the RNYC Hi-Tech
Piping Series.
Two races are scheduled for the afternoon on the deepwater course with Mike “I
always start dead on time” Surgeson doing race officer duties. Now for those of
you who haven’t picked up my subtle hint yet, be at the start on time. In fact,
leave the slipway five minutes earlier than you would normally, otherwise you
stand to miss the start of the race. It will happen at 14:00!
Sunday sees the first round
of the PYC’s Congella Series for keelers taking place offshore. Racing starts at
11:00 and will use the short sprint course so there could be as many as three
races for the day. The L26 “Keep the Cup” campaign continues this week so we can look forward
to another strong turnout of L26’s and maybe a few of those that didn’t make it
out last week will make it onto the water this coming weekend.
For those of you who don’t
choose to go keeler racing on Sunday the RNYC Lawns look like the place to spend the afternoon. There
will be braais and live music by ‘Gatling’ and an all round pleasant
atmosphere. The kids can swim and run around on the grass and the bar will of
course be open! For those of you looking for something a bit more formal, maybe
to take gran out to lunch, the Britannia Room lunch time buffet will be open as
usual. Remember though that booking is essential for this popular Sunday lunch
so to reserve your table give Nicky a call on 031-301 5425.
After failed attempts the RC Laser Summer
Series
finally got itself going in 2003 with the weather at last playing its part. 18
boats and skippers turned out at the pond and enjoyed some good racing in a
light westerly breeze. The modellers seem to have been practicing over the Xmas
break as they came out in dominant form taking the top four places. On Sunday
the Durban Radio Boat Club’s AGM takes place at the pond at 10:00 and will be
followed by a non-leader board RC Laser regatta. For more information visit the
RC Laser web site at www.rclaser.co.za. The top five places in
yesterday evening’s regatta, in which 8 races were sailed, were as follows:
1st Peter Simons 14
Points
2nd Des Fairbank 15
3rd Craig Millar 27
4th Norrie Taylor 27
5th Harry Ellens 37
The following report on the 2003 Mirror Worlds, which Smooth Sailing followed earlier this month, was submitted by SA Team
Manager and the new chairman of the International Mirror class, Willie
Zevenster. Posted on the Smooth
Sailing web
site, on the Racing Reports page, is a copy of this report as well as the
skipper’s comments after each race of the regatta.
“South Africa once again supported the
Mirror Class World Championships in full force.
Organising a team to an event like this
is a huge challenge and one operates under pressure from months before the
event until after the return home. Ensuring
the selection process runs smoothly, shipping of boats, finding accommodation,
booking flights, Visas, entries on time, uniforms and insurance, among other
things have to be dealt with.
Eight
boats left Port Elizabeth on 9 November and arrived in Hobart at the Royal
Yacht Club of Tasmania on 30 December. The team left on 1 January 2003 and
arrived in Melbourne late on 2nd January where we stayed in a
Formula 1 hotel. We left early the next morning and arrived in Hobart on 3
January where we unpacked and took our boats through scrutiny. Some Aussie
rules applied that we were not aware of and a bit of work had to be done on
most of our boats to get them registered for the event. We had a ninth entry
from Kevin Shallcross from Cape Town who sailed with Samantha Brown in a Mirror
based in Hobart.
We
stayed at a private school where they looked after us very well. The deputy
headmaster and the matron of the hostel are both ex-South Africans, which might
have helped. The chef, Tim, ensured that all had enough to eat. He provided
breakfast every morning and dinner on the days that we did not have a sponsored
meal at the yacht club. We were never able to finish all the food provided
except for the ice cream the first night. Their games room with table soccer,
full size snooker table, table tennis and cable TV was used to its full
potential whenever there was a spare moment at the hostel. The team have set
their own rules and curfew was silence by 22:00 and lights out by 23:00. This
was very difficult for all to adhere to at all times but towards the end of the
event all realised the value of that. Some of the youngsters went to bed much
earlier than required.
The
sailing conditions were excellent. In the mornings there was a light northerly
breeze that swung around to south by 13:00 to pick up to 10+ knots. All races
for the worlds started after 13:00.
The
pre-worlds championship, consisting of 4 races, was sailed on 7 & 8
January. This was a good tester for the team to get used to the conditions and
on these 2 days they had all conditions, from light to strong winds. Waldo and
Ashton performed very well in this event. One thing I made very clear after the
pre-worlds was that these results were not by any means a representation of
what to expect in the worlds. Sailing in the pre-worlds is an opportunity to
set-up the boats in racing conditions in the sailing conditions.
Between
the pre-worlds and the worlds we had 2 lay days. The first day we hired a bus
and took a trip down to Port Arthur (the penal centre that made Tasmania famous
in the early days) and stopped at various places to experience the hospitality
and the beauty of the island. The highlight of the trip was the visit to the
Tasmanian Devil Park where we not only saw the Tasmanian Devils, but also had
the opportunity to feed the Kangaroos and Wallabies by hand. Most of the team
said that that was the highlight of the visit to Tasmania.
On
the second lay day we took it easy by doing some shopping in town and having a
rest before the opening ceremony that evening. We had a march, speeches by
various people and a meal to die for. The governor of Tasmania’s speech was the
best. What struck me most was when he spoke about the Mirror and the fact that
it is their best training boat as it gives the youngsters the best background
in sailing skill and technique. Most of the Australian top sailors came through
the Mirror ranks. It not only give the full sailing experience wiyh main sail,
jib and spinnaker handling, but also the skill to sail as a team with someone
else and that in a boat that is very safe and stable under all conditions. So
sad that we have not yet realised this in our country where we can build Mirror
at a fraction of the cost of any other sailing dinghy and get the benefits.
On
Saturday 11 January the first race of the worlds was sailed. Those of you who
were watching the ODI cricket match between England and Australia would have
seen the Mirrors on the water as they have shown quite a bit on TV during dull
periods in the game. The sailor’s adrenalin and stress levels were high as they
all came with a mission, to do well. But, it was a world championship and every
one came with the same mission and the competition was very tough.
Notwithstanding that, the team performed very well. Expectations, as became
evident from the messages received from home, has put some of the guys under
added pressure to perform better and that might have added to less than
expected performance of some members. No one wanted to disappoint the
supporters and sponsors at home. More details of each day’s racing are covered
by the daily skippers reports below.
On
Monday 13 January the International Mirror class General meeting as held and
Kuba and myself attended. The South African Mirror Class must have created a
fantastic impression with the rest of the world as not only was I nominated and
elected president of the International Mirror Class, but we also walked away
with the Mirror Worlds for 2007 in South Africa. Negotiations are currently
underway for the venue which will most probably be Theewaters Sports Club. A
fantastic coup for South African Sailing.
The
one race I would like to talk about is race 7, a race that very few competitors
will ever forget. The race started in about 8 knots on wind from the south. The
water was flat at the time and the conditions very hot. I was on my rubber duck
with 2 Aussie coaches. As the fleet completed the first triangle, we noticed a
change in cloud and weather patterns from the south. We grabbed our weather
jackets as we realised it was going to blow and the duck is very wet in the
chop. By now the fleet had rounded the top mark for the second time and were on
the run to the bottom mark. The wind was at 12 knots. As they rounded the
bottom mark, the squall hit us at about 32 knots, gusting 37 with a switch to
SSE. The boats were now on a reach to the finish mark as the bridge shortened
course at the top mark. Sailors who were still under spinnaker was flattened,
those who tried to sail with their mains under power, were over powered. Most
dumped their mains and sailed under jib only; plaining at such a speed that we
saw them jumping waves. What was absolutely remarkable was that 78 of the 92
boats still finished the race with a result notwithstanding the conditions.
Only a few boats had to be towed to shore with breakages. Sailors were send
ashore for an hour and a half for the wind to settle. Each sailor had something
to say about that race in his reports below.
Every
Sailor in our team was proud to be South African. They represented our country
with great distinction and their behaviour was always of the highest quality.
Many of the organisers and other countries complemented us on that. It was
absolutely fantastic to see how the wore their South African uniform and
carried the flag with pride. So sad that we are still battling to get an answer
to our request for SA colours based on the rules currently in place instead of
answers based on the personal opinions of some individuals.
A
great thank you to all who send us their best wishes, it was always fantastic
to see how every one assembled at our notice board to read.
Now,
for preparation for the Mirror Worlds in Swede on 2005, and in South Africa in
2007, we need to do some major development and training of our youngsters as
the Mirror Worlds is dominated by the young people of the countries that take
part. There were many fathers and mothers sailing with their children which was
fantastic to see. Many of them came in the top 10 results. Just imagine sailing
with your son/daughter in a world championship!!!
As
a country we need to invest in coaches that knows how to coach sailors during
major events. I saw the value of that when I had the Aussie coaches with me for
2 days. Their ability to analyse the weather patterns and water conditions and
giving that feedback to their sailors before races is invaluable. It is one
thing to teach someone to sail, but a total different thing providing sailors
with expertise at the championship to assist them to win races. That is a huge
void in our country, please help us find and train these coaches, not only for
the Mirror Class but for all sailors who want to excel.
The
Final Results for South Africa was:
The
team Trophy went to Ireland, with Aussie 2nd, GBR 3rd and
RSA 4th
Our
individuals were
Waldo
Zevenster and Wayne Watkins 24
Brennan
and Ricky Robinson 36
Ashton
Sampson and Nicolas Baigrie 38
Thomas
Thornton and Chris Dracos 44
Kuba
Miszewski and Taariq Jacobs 51
Kevin
Shallcross and Samantha Brown 56
Gareth
Cairncross and Saskia Kemp 60
Diether
Zevenster and Andrew Collier 67
Trevor
Gibb and Megan Thornton 72
WILLIE ZEVENSTER
Team Manager.”
Towards the end of last year Smooth Sailing ran a piece on
the Inhaca Flotilla Cruise being organised by the RNYC’s Rob Upton.
Set to take place at the beginning of May the cruise offers inexperienced
cruisers the opportunity of making a coastal passage in the close company of
other yachts and sailors. Not only in making the trip itself but also in the
planning and preparation stages it gives new owners and sailors the chance to
utilise the experience of those on the cruise who have done many such trips
before. The plan is that during the passage the fleet will stop and regroup at
pre-determined spots along the way in order that no one gets left too far
behind. To date 9 boats have committed to the trip with serious interest from a
further four. Organisation of the cruise will gain further momentum in the
middle of February when the first of the skippers meetings will take place at
the RNYC. In the meantime those who are interested can pick up a detailed brief
for the event from Nicky at reception at RNYC or for more information you can
contact Rob Upton on 083 771 4187.
Nicator, the
leading boat in the SAP Cape To Rio Race looks set to finish the race sometime
today. After a very light passage the breeze finally came through this week
propelling the fleet along at a pleasant rate of knots. Second placed
Adrenalina Pura has also passed the last mark of the course, Ila Da Trinidade,
and is also on the home stretch to Rio. She should finish sometime during the
course of the weekend. Meanwhile the race for handicap honours continues to be
a neck and neck battle between the RCOD Suidoos 2 and two forty footers,
Investec and Baleka. The lead has been exchanged between these three for most
of the race and it is turning out to be an interesting battle. With all three
having over a thousand miles still to run the end is not yet in sight and there
is still a lot that can change before Rio.
For more information visit the race web site at www.capetorio.org. The top five
places in the IRC Handicap fleet are as follows:
1st Baleka Fast
42 Alec Schon
2nd Investec Fast 42 Sean
Cummings
3rd Suidoos 2 RCOD Gawie
Fagan
4th Diel One
Off Benard Diebhold
5th Baraccuda Sun Magic Nicola Amundsen
Olivier de Kersausan’s trimaran Geronimo
is presently making an attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest boat around the planet. Geronimo is at present in
day 12 of her passage and has made good progress south through the Atlantic. It
has been an eventful trip so far with the most noteworthy event being an attack
by a giant squid. Actually it wasn’t so much and attack but rather just an
unfortunate squid that got hit by the boat and clung onto the rudder for dear
life. It took some effort by the crew to remove the unfortunate creature before
they could head off on their way. Geronimo has had some fantastic daily runs so
far on the trip including a massive 495 miles in 24 hours on Wednesday.
Conditions look set to improve for the crew in the next few days as the boat
heads in a southeasterly direction towards the island of St Helena. With a good
weather system approaching, bringing with it what look to be ideal conditions,
it will be interesting to see what mileage the big boat achieves in the next
few days. For more information on Geronimo’s record attempt visit the team web
site at www.grandsrecords.com.
Meanwhile Ellen MacArthur has her team on
standby for an attempt on the same record in her latest toy, Kingfisher 2. This boat is the former Orange, sister
ship of Club Med, and was recently refurbished by Ellen’s Offshore challenges
company for an attempt on the record. Kingfisher 2 is at present in Lorient in
France with the team anticipating a suitable weather window on Monday or
Tuesday. There are many sailing spectators around the world who are waiting in
eager anticipation of Kingfisher’s departure since, although they are sometime
behind, it will be an interesting race for the record between the giant cat and
the giant trimaran, Geronimo. For more information on Kingfisher’s attempt
visit the team’s web site at www.kingfisherchallenges.com.
Our Notices of Race page on the Smooth Sailing has all the NOR’s available to us. If you
have a regatta coming up and would like to make the NOR available online then
e-mail it to hethcot@iafrica.com and it will be posted and
listed in this newsletter. To get your copy simply click on the name of the regatta
you are interested in below:
Regatta Venue Dates
Western Cape Points Series Various WC Dinghy Clubs September 2002 to
March 2003
KZN Optimist Grand Prix Series Various KZN Venues November to
January
Sailing KZN Blue
Water Challenge Various KZN
Clubs December
2002 to July 2003
Port Owen River
Race Port
Owen 25
January
Round The Island Race Lake Denys Yacht Club 1
& 2 February
NNYU Interclub Challenger –
Leg 4 Glendee Yacht Club 15 & 16
March
Hunter Nationals Henley Midmar
Yacht Club 20 to 23 March
MACS 24 Hour Challenge Milnerton Aquatic Club 21 & 22
March
IRC KZN Champs
(Announcement) Zululand Yacht
Club 21
to 23 March
Western Province Dinghy
Champs Saldahana Bay 18 to 21
April
Inhaca Island Easter
Race Inhaca Island
to Richard’s Bay 18 April
The Classifieds has been updated on the Smooth Sailing web site. Take a surf past to see what is for sale or sought after in the wanted column. To place an ad, e-mail the details to hethcot@iafrica.com.
‘Getafix’
22 Foot Sport boat
Lively performer under
asymmetrical kite
In good sailing order
On road trailer with
new axel
Comes with moulds for
fiberglass sections
Price Negotiable
Contact: Graham Rose
Cell: 083 251 0485
E-Mail: grose@pixie.co.za
Overhauled in 2001
Rigged for racing
New Hood Sails
New Ronstan Deck Gear
R21 000-00
(Negotiable)
Contact: Kathy Manten
Cell: 083 632 1963
E-Mail: manten@lantic.net
Andrew Heathcote
Mobile: +27 (0) 83 783 8805
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