Smooth Sailing
Sailing
News By A Sailor For Sailors!
In
Association with:
There is a whole lot of
sailing on the go again this weekend with several classes in action around the
country. Once again it is good to see that there is so much life in our sport
after all. I hope that everyone who is sailing will have a great time on the
water this weekend and if you are travelling to a regatta, wherever it may be
in the country, please make sure that you travel safely.
Today’s newsletter is
packed with useful and interesting information. Most important though is
today’s article on Doping
Regulations. This is essential
reading for all sailors taking part in any competitive sailing. It
is as relevant to those at the back of the fleet as it is those at the front.
Please read it and make sure that you take the necessary action where it
applies to you. These really are a set of regulations that you don’t want to
fall foul of!
McCarthy
Toyota Inhaca Island Easter Race
Western Province Dinghy Champs
Doping
Regulations Essential Reading
Your Weekend Weather according to the SA Weather
Service is going to be as follows:
Durban & Richard’s Bay: Friday and
Saturday will be sunny and clear at 27 and 28 degrees respectively. The wind on
both days will start off as a light northwesterly but will become a moderate
northeasterly later in the day. Sunday and Monday will be sunny and warm at 30
degrees with moderate northeasterly winds blowing on both days.
Midmar: Friday will be 24 degrees and sunny with a 20%
chance of morning mist and a light northeasterly wind. Saturday will be 25
degrees and sunny with a light northwesterly wind blowing. Sunday will be even
warmer at 26 degrees with clear skies and a light northerly wind blowing.
Monday will be 27 degrees and clear but becoming cloudy later in the day with a
20% chance of afternoon thunderstorms. The wind will be a moderate
northwesterly.
Vaal Dam: Friday, Saturday and Sunday will all be 26 degrees
and clear although there may be a little cloud around on Friday morning. The
winds on all three days will be very light and variable. Monday however will be
27 degrees and clear with a light northwesterly wind blowing.
Cape Town: Friday will be 26 degrees and cloudy with
a light southeasterly wind blowing. Saturday will be 25 degrees and partly
cloudy with coastal fog patches and a light westerly wind blowing. Sunday will
be 26 degrees with coastal fog early in the day clearing later. The wind will
be a moderate southerly. Monday will be 24 degrees and partly cloudy with a
moderate northwesterly wind blowing.
The Sharks are up against the Crusaders tomorrow morning, Friday, with the
game kicking off at 09:30 SA time. This is going to be a seriously tough one
for the Sharks to win. The Crusaders are in top form and the Sharks have rarely
looked capable of playing at the level that they are at. Nonetheless having won
their last two games spirits in the Shark camp will be high and the players
should believe that they have what it takes to put one past the high flying
Crusaders. The Sharks are a quality team packed with top class players, they
just haven’t found any kind of form yet. Hopefully tomorrow will be the time
that this happens. As usual the game will be televised live on Supersport
although this may be just a little late for those of us having to get out on
the water for a day of racing.
The big event of the weekend in Durban is the PYC Easter Regatta. With Sprogs, Lasers, Flying Fifteens,
505’s, Hobies and Tornados expected to turnout for this event the regatta
organisers are expecting a total fleet of over 50 boats on the water. For the
505’s, Sprogs and Hobies this regatta is the KZN Champs so the sailing in these
classes should be serious. Sailed offshore the regatta will be based at the PYC
Beach Site at Vetch’s Pier where there will be daily prize giving’s after the
each days racing in addition to drinks promotions and some serious parties for
the less serious sailors during the course of the weekend. Registration for
this regatta starts this evening at the Beach Site between 18:00 and 20:00 and
continues on Friday morning from 08:00 until 10:00. The first race is set to
start at 12:00 tomorrow, Friday, and there are twelve races scheduled for the
weekend. While the weather forecast doesn’t look quite as good as it did
earlier in the week it looks like we will have two relatively light days to
start with followed by two relatively breezy northeasters to finish things off.
Clear blue skies and warm weather will make it a brilliant weekend for offshore
sailing and also pleasant for those who are supporting from the beach. For more
information on this regatta contact Pat at PYC on 031-301 4787.
Further north, at Inhaca Island McCarth Toyota Inhaca Island Easter Race starts tomorrow at 11:00. By now the
fleet will have assembled and those who sailed up without their racing crew
will be picking up their team mates from Maputo this morning. Conditions have
been perfect for the delivery trip with good following winds. For the race
though it looks like the fleet might have to contend with light headwinds for
the first half of this race followed by some moderate northeasterly tailwinds
for the second half. In light upwind conditions I expect that the two Fast
42’s, Prodigy and Adios, will have a significant advantage over the rest of the
fleet although they might find the slower boats getting the northeaster before
them, allowing them to pull back some miles in the second half of the race. We
will bring you all the results and a race report sometime on Tuesday.
Down at Saldahna Bay the Manex Marine Western Province Dinghy Champs are taking place this weekend. For most
classes this regatta is, as the name implies, their Western Province Champs,
while for the GP14’s it is also their Nationals. A great deal of organisation
has gone into this event with an unprecedented volume of pre-event news and
information being distributed by the regatta organisers. This can only be a
good thing and certainly sets the standard for ensuring that competitors know
exactly what is going on and planned for the event.
The
finals skippers and owners briefing for the 2003 Winter Flotilla Cruise will take place at the Royal Natal Yacht Club on Thursday
the 24th of April at 18:00. This is an essential meeting for
everyone going on the cruise. Owners and skippers are reminded they need to
bring along their flight plans and all the relevant documentation associated
with these as the RNYC will be processing these for you. You will also need
some cash on hand as there will be a one off payment made for the entire fleet
to customs at Maputo and the contributions for each boat will be pooled at this
meeting. Should you require any further information at this stage please
contact Rob Upton on 083 771 4187.
There is going to be a whole lot happening this Sunday, Easter Sunday, at the Royal Natal Yacht Club. It is going to be a full on family fun day with easter
eggs, easter bunnies and a jumping castle for the kids. There will also be
easter eggs for those big people who are inclined towards them. Rob
Maine-Baillie will be providing the entertainment for the day, managing the
kids games and keeping the background music going. For lunch there will be
braai fires with braai packs and salads available from the club while the
kitchen will also be open for those of you who want to order something off the
menu. For the more formally inclined the famous Britannia Room Carvery will be
happening from around 12:30 or so. Remember that booking for this is absolutely
essential, especially on a big day like Sunday so call Nicky now on 031-301
5425 to book your table. While out to lunch at the club on Sunday don’t forget
that Monday is a public holiday and that means there is no need to head home
early, stay as late as you want, have as much fun as you want, on Monday, you
can just sleep in late!
I mentioned Doping
Regulations and how they do actually matter
for yachtsmen in a recent edition of Smooth Sailing. Subsequently I received
the following from South African Sailing. The insert below is what really
matters to you, the sailor, while a more detailed document has been posted on
both the Smooth Sailing and Sailing KZN web sites. That document covers in more
detail the ISAF regulations and should be read by all sailors at some stage.
The following is of vital importance though; please make sure that you read it:
“DO’S AND DONT’S OF BANNED SUBSTANCES
– a brief summary for Laymen
In
terms of the regulations it is not sufficient that a competitor advises at
time of entry, of any medication which they are taking and which could contain
banned substances. Certain substances are banned - period - and it is up
to the competitor to ensure that such substances are not taken.
In
the event that medical treatment requires that banned substances are taken
during the course of such treatment (asthmatics and diabetics are one such
case) the regulations state that prior written permission shall be obtained (by
the competitor) from the South African Sailing’s Medical Officer (Prof “Wog”
Hawksworth), failing which approval shall be sought from ISAF's Medical
Commission. Subject to the Medical Authority agreeing to the use of such
medication, a certificate granting permission for the use of the
medication must be issued, prior to competition, and a record of such
certificates shall be maintained by the National Authority.
The
IOC list of prohibited substances is divided up into a number of categories and
those that are important are:
Stimulants
Narcotic
Analgesics (Painkillers & Anti-Inflammatories)
Anabolic
Steroids
Diuretics
Peptide
Hormones
Many
people do suffer from the common cold, ‘flu, sinusitis or hayfever. They then
visit their local pharmacist and buy a bottle of cough mixture or tablets to
relieve sinus problems or nasal congestion. Most of the remedies sold contain
ephedrine, ephedrine derivatives or phenylpropanolamine which are all
prohibited stimulants. Read the label on the bottle before taking the
medication or, better still, ask the pharmacist. As an example, Vicks Medinight
contains a prohibited substance (phenylephedrine) whereas Vicks Actaplus
contains no prohibited substances and is safe to take.
Most
of the non-prescription painkillers or anti-inflammatories are safe to take.
Should anyone be using prescription painkillers, they should check with their
doctor and find out if the medication contains prohibited substances.
Caffeine
is also subject to restrictions and if one takes 4 or more Red Bull’s, 10 cups
of coffee or eats 3 large slabs of chocolate, there is a distinct possibility
that the allowed caffeine levels will be exceeded and a positive test for
caffeine will result.
Salbutamol
and terbutaline (the substances used in most bronchial inhalers) are strictly
prohibited. Asthmatics who require these medications must get a doctor’s
certificate certifying their asthmatic condition and they must apply to SAS
for exemption prior to competing. Likewise, diabetics who are on prescribed
insulin, must get a doctor’s certificate and must apply to ISAF for an exemption prior to competing.
Many
of the medications prescribed to control high blood pressure contain Diuretics
which are prohibited. Sailors who fall into this category must get a doctor’s
certificate certifying their medical condition and they must apply to SAS
for exemption prior to competing.
Many young people are known to be using
Creatine as a food supplement to increase muscle mass. There is now scientific
evidence that most of the creatine ingested does not go beyond the walls of the
intestine and is excreted in stools, in other words it can’t help! There is
also evidence that products sold under the name of creatine are sometimes a
mixture of doping substances (anabolic steroid in particular) in which creatine
itself only plays an excepient role. The advice is not to take creatine which
is in any way supect, because a positive test for a steroid is a two-year ban.
Also be very wary of taking any unregistered vitamin or food supplement.
Should
you wish to apply for dispensation or exemption to take a banned substance for
medical reasons you are required to
apply, in the first instance, to South African Sailing’s Medical Officer, Prof
“Wog” Hawksworth (wintonh@mweb.co.za or
cell: 082 990 3588), together with all supporting medical documentation”
Following on from Monday’s article on the Muira Revival I have got some more detailed information
on the class from Class President Dennis Stevenson:
“Over 200 Miuras
have been built, of which around 50 are still in the Western Cape.
The Miura has a very wide appeal. Miuras are being actively club-raced in,
inter alia, False Bay, Table Bay and the Vaal Dam. Miuras continue
to compete in ocean racing. There are many Miuras cruising around the world. At
the other end of the spectrum The Traditional Boat Association now has a Miura
class for its events.
There
has been a steady trickle of new boats over the years coming from back yards
where they have been built over many years. The exciting thing is that in 2002
production once again started on the Miura both in the Cape and in Gauteng.
The
two new Miuras in the Cape were built at home by Marius Saunders (boat
Charlotte) and Gert vd Merwe (boat unnamed). These two enterprising gentlemen
managed to locate the old Nebe mould, and rescue it from where it was
disintegrating behind a boat builders shed. They repaired the mould and then
laid up their hulls themselves. Using modern multidirectional cloth they were
able to achieve a significant weight saving by using much less resin than the
chop-strand method requires. At the same time they have built probably the
strongest Miura hulls in existance. Charlotte is on the water and will
probably be ready to sail within the next 8 weeks.
I
understand Dick Manten Boat Builders on the Vaal Dam has the Halstead mould and
is building Miuras commercially. I hear via the grapevine that a sail-away
package would be in the region of R400 000 to R500 000 depending on finishes
and equipment.
Second-hand
Miuras are now very much in demand.
The boat is still a very viable cruiser-racer:
In
the recent Governor's Cup race to St Helena, the Miura Pintado lead the fleet
on handicap for much of the way and was beaten into second place by a mere 7
minutes after 12 days. Two other Miuras competed. The Miura
Apricot won the Governor's Cup in a previous race.
In the Cape to
Rio 03 the Miura Julie III came 6th on handicap.
The
Miura Revival involves racing (incl National Championships), rallying,
technical talks and info sharing, and social events.
About
the boat
The Miura is possibly the most successful design ever originate from South
Africa. Since making it's debut in the early seventies some two hundred have
been built. The design was produced by Oswald Berckemeyer
(www.berckemeyer-yacht.de) and the first boats built by the Nebe family in Cape
Town.
The
boat is a sloop rigged 30.5ft and identifiable by its broad beam and narrow
transom with a transom-hung tiller. The broad beam and tumblehome gives it its
sexy and distingtive "pot-bellied-bull" looks.
The
boat was specifically designed for two purposes: to be sailed in the
challenging conditions of the Cape of Storms; and to be the smallest and
cheapest boat to be able to compete in the Cape to Rio race. In the
latter respect a key requirement was that the boat be affordable to the average
man as a home-completion project.
Berckemeyer
is an ardent fan of the sport of bullfighting and borrowed the name from a
class of young pot-bellied bulls bred for fighting in central Spain.
Today
we have contact with Miuras as far a field as New Zealand and the United
States.
A
previous General Secretary of the Cruising Association of South Africa [CASA]
thinks it probable that Miuras have completed more world circumnavigations than
any other single class of yacht.
Although
no longer the state of art racer in its size, the class continues to enjoy
popularity and is still built. Much of the support comes from the superb track
record of being both a forgiving boat and extremely seaworthy. Because of this
characteristic the class is recognized as an ideal training and cruising yacht
allowing novice sailors to compete without unduly endangering themselves, when
poor decisions are made.
The
Miura Association is the only effective body with a national membership
representing a class of keel boats in South Africa.
The
Association was formed to assist owners, builders, and encourage those aspiring
to the sport. Consistent with these objectives the Association has for many
years funded an annual regatta for senior schoolchildren. Members have lent
their yachts for this unique event at no cost.
The
Nationals are raced every year at a club around the Cape Peninsula.”
For more information on the Muira Class, their activites in the
Western Cape or anywhere else in the country, contact the class president,
Dennis Stevenson, at skipper@capewindjammers.com.
The following report on last weekend’s Halcat KZN Champs was submitted by Villette Pretorius. It sounds like they certainly had
a lot of fun on the water:
“Where else on the Durban Yacht Club scene does a
bunch of happy sailors get together on a Thursday evening before a Saturday
Regatta for a workparty to ensure all the boats are ready to rock 'n
roll! The spirit of sailing is taken literally at Island, everyone pulls
together for the furtherance of their sport working on each others boats giving
of their time and sharing their skills to make sure the 2003 HALCAT PROVINCIALS
were a huge success.
From the volunteers in the galley Elize, Tracey and
Cathi providing the 13 boats and their crews with hot sustinance to Mike Dixon
as Race Officer and his team of equally competant assistants Carol, Steve, Dirk
and Rob on rescue the groundstaff gave the teams tremendous support for which
we are most grateful.
The start on Saturday was slightly delayed due to
lack of wind but as conditions improved the 13 boat fleet with their brightly
coloured sails bobbed up to the startline. The competition on the first race
was close sailing with Jim and Villette the defending champs only just pipping
a surprising Gareth and Jo! The racing was definately on for the weekend.
In the second and third races of the day Martinus and
JP screamed ahead to win both but the close sailing for the places was exciting
making really good spectating around our Dry Dock Basin course making this a
truly sporting regatta for all.
After the usual Island party on the Saturday night
into the early hours of Sunday the wind was ripe and ready for a prompt 10.30
Start. After a channel mishap with Lisa and Lucia smacking Graham and Jill and
Paul nearly ripping his finger off and being carted off to hospital the start
was down to 9 boats and the wind sorted out the men from the boys.
With Sidney over twice not surprisingly with Niagra Falls emptying out of one
hull! and Owen retiring this left just 7 boats for race 5 .
Mike Dixon announced he was looking forward to seeing
any boats on or even near the line at the start. WE SHOWED HIM A 3 boat
collision within seconds of the hooter right on the line!!!
In 20 knots of wind race 5 saw Jerry and Janine
ploughing into Graham and Jennifer Owen and Leanne in a nightmare start more
akin to Hobie or dinghy racing not the so called less adventurous Halcat
Fleet!!! This left just 5 contenders really enjoying the challenging conditions
pushing their boats to the limit. Quick and energetic racing on day 2
showed the fun and yet serious racing side of the Halcat fleet of KZN.
CONGRATULATIONS TO
Matinus and JP Myburg GOLD
Jim Ferguson and Villette Pretorius SILVER
Terrance Cook and Nick Koekemore BRONZE
a valiant Graham and Jennifer Weyers in 4th
a surprising Gareth Kyle and Jo Stead in 5th
!!!”
In the fifth and final
leg of the Around Alone Race Bobst Group Armor lux and Tiscali are locked in a
tight battle for first place in Class 1 as Bernard Stamm and Simone Bianchetti
duke it out for the top spot. The two
boats were diverging as Bianchetti sailed a course directly for Newport while
Stamm took one more to the west, but Bernard has since gybed back and is now
directly between his closest competitor and the finish. He is using tactics
familiar to those racers that sail inshore courses. Boat boats have cleared the
coast of Brazil and are a day away from crossing the equator. While they
continue to streak towards the finish consistently averaging over 10 knots, the
rest of the Class 1 boats are struggling to make it out of single digits. At
the front of Class 2 Brad Van Liew is turning in another stellar performance
and is nipping at the heels of his friends in Class 1. Life on board the dark
hulled Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America is becoming unbearably hot, especially
down below, and Brad is doing his best to keep cool. Another week of scorching
temperature are in store for Van Liew as he crosses first the equator and then
the doldrums, after which he will be able to enjoy the northeast trade winds.
"I don't want to attract the interest of King Neptune so I will tread
lightly when complaining about the current sailing conditions," he wrote
in his daily log. "Currently the boat is moving along at 6 knots in a good
direction and it is blistering hot on board. The reason for caution is that we
have had beautiful weather since leaving Salvador and I don't want to induce
either heavy winds and squall activity or a no wind park-up. The biggest
problem is that it is sweltering and progress is nothing special at the moment.
The latest available positions are as follows:
CLASS
1:
1st Bobst Group-Armor Lux, Bernard Stamm, 3246 miles from
finish
2nd Tiscali, Simone Bianchetti, 23 miles from leader
3rd Ocean Planet, Bruce Schwab, 119 mfl
4th Solidaires, Thierry Dubois, 169 mfl
5th Pindar, Emma Richards, 187 mfl
CLASS
2:
1st Tommy Hilfiger, Brad
Van Liew, 3395 miles from finish
2nd Everest Horizontal,
Tim Kent, 41 mfl
3rd Spirit of yukoh, Kojiro Shiraishi, 133 mfl
4th BTC Velocity, Alan Paris, 183 mfl
5th Spirit of Canada, Derek Hatfield, still sailing leg 4
For more information
visit the race web site at www.aroundalone.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 |
|
Various
KZN Clubs |
December
2002 to July 2003 |
|
|
Royal
Natal & Point Yacht Clubs |
March to
May 2003 |
|
|
Saldahana
Bay |
18 to 21
April |
|
|
Inhaca
Island to Richard’s Bay |
18 April |
|
|
PYC
Beach Site |
18 to 21
April 2003 |
|
|
Henley
Midmar Yacht Club |
26 to 28
April |
|
|
Witbank
Yacht & Aquatic Club |
26 to 28
April |
|
|
East London Yacht Club |
26 to 30 April |
|
|
Henley
Midmar Yacht Club |
3 May |
|
|
Theewaters
Sports Club |
1 to 4
May |
|
|
Durban
Radio Boat Club |
11 May |
|
|
Royal Cape Yacht Club |
16 to 18 May |
|
|
Zululand
Yacht Club |
14 to 16
June |
|
|
Point
Yacht Club |
14 to 16
June |
|
|
Point Yacht Club |
28 June to 4 July |
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.
FireBall
(Wooden)
Good condition.
(Pretoria)
R5 500-00
"L CID"
A good clean and fast boat.
Plenty of sails, 5 hp mercury motor.
Currently lying Richards Bay
Ready for Lipton in Durban
Phone before I change my mind!
R65 000-00 neg.
Cell: 083 303 9351
Office : 035-751 1416
E-Mail: wadeciv@iafrica.com
Sail No. 1997
DuToit Hull
Multiple Nationals Winner & Current
National Champion
Excellent condition
Seriously fast boat!
Contact: Jof Heathcote
Cell: 083 714 3238
E-Mail: hethcot@iafrica.com
“JACK THE
LADD”
A high
performance racing boat with a large cockpit
Boat is on
trailer in Cape Town
Lightweight
racing construction
Optimised
keel for heavy winds
Complete with
outboard 6 Hp Mariner and remote tank
No. 1, No. 2
No. 3 and storm Jib
Mainsail
Large light
wind spinnaker
Heavy weather
spinnaker
Depth and
speed instruments
Duall
compasses
Contact:
Peter Hill
Cell: 083 384
5924
E-mail: hillbilly@global.co.za
Including spinaker
On new road trailer
All in reasonable
condition
Offers on R2 500.00
Contact: Mark Spooner
Cell: 082 558 6032
E-mail: spooner@intekom.co.za
WANTED
In good condition.
Contact Max Ozinsky
Cell: 082 414-7147
E-Mail: maxo@anc.org.za
Tender
Approximately
1,85m loa required
Suitable for
L36
Contact: Jeff
Montjoie
Phone:
011-823 2402
E-mail: jmo@clearspan.co.za
Contact:
Richard Barron
E-Mail: Richard@creatinginsight.co.za
Andrew Heathcote
Mobile: +27 (0) 83 783 8805
This newsletter is
distributed free of charge to anyone who chooses to subscribe to it. The
subject matter contained herein is entirely of a yachting orientated nature or
that which may be of interest to yachtsmen.
Please note that the views
contained in this newsletter are those of the authors concerned and in no way
reflect the view or policies of any of Smooth Sailings associate clubs,
sponsors or advertisers.
To be added to the mailing
list send a blank e-mail to sailing.join@ffs.co.za.
To be removed from the list please send a blank e-mail to sailing.remove@ffs.co.za.
All submissions are welcome. News of any club or yachting related
event should be sent to hethcot@iafrica.com
for publication.
Smooth Sailing is kindly distributed courtesy of FFS Refiners (Pty) Ltd.