Smooth Sailing
Sailing
News By A Sailor For Sailors!
In
Association with:
Small Vessel
Safety Regulations
Mari
Cha IV Smashes Transatlantic Record
Your Weekend Weather according to the SA Weather Service,
should be as follows:
Durban & Richard’s Bay: Saturday will be 20 degrees and cloudy with a 40%
chance of occasional rain. The wind will be a fresh southerly but a moderate
easterly in the afternoon. Sunday will be 25 degrees and cloudy becoming partly
cloudy. The wind will be a light northwesterly but a moderate northeasterly in
the afternoon.
Midmar: Saturday will be 17 degrees and cloudy
with morning mist and a 30% chance of drizzle during the day. The wind will be
a light southeasterly but a light northeasterly in the afternoon. Sunday will
be 23 degrees and fine with a 20% chance of morning mist. The wind will be a
light northerly but a moderate northwesterly in the afternoon.
Vaal Dam: Saturday will be 28 degrees and partly
cloudy with a moderate northwesterly wind blowing. Sunday will be 27 degrees
and fine with a light northwesterly wind blowing.
Cape Town: Saturday will be 25 degrees and fine with
cloud along the mountain. The wind will be a strong southeasterly. Sunday will
be 27 degrees and partly cloudy with a moderate southeasterly wind blowing.
Bennie Van Dam submitted the following report on DAC’s Keel Boat Week 2003, which was sailed recently on the Vaal
Dam:
“Deneysville Aquatic Club held it's 19th Inland
Keelboat Week Regatta at the Vaal Dam from 24 - 28 September with resounding
success. A total of 52 entrants competed in three fleets i.e. Gold (handicap of
.880 & higher - 28 entries), Silver (.879 & lower - 16 entries) and the
Cruising Class (8 entries). The bulk of the entries were from Vaal dam clubs,
with 5 entries from TYC. A special thanks to Richard Rath who travelled all the
way up from Algoa Bay Yacht Club to compete in the event - look forward to
seeing you and some of the other coastal sailors next year.
Pretty good winds over the first
three and a half days allowed us to complete 9 races (8 "around the
cans" and a medium distance race on Saturday) The maximum of 12 races
could very well have been achieved had it not been for the (sometimes major)
switches in the wind, which made life for the bridge officer and crew extremely
difficult. The fact that on occasion the odd marker buoy would go
"walkabout" (despite having two weights on each mark) did not help
either.
Although racing was extremely
competitive and at times very close (3x Stadt23's finishing the 3 ¼ hour
distance race within 5 seconds of each other with the 4th only 25 seconds
behind), racing incidents were kept to a minimum and only 3 protests/requests
for redress, were received. I believe this is a feather in the cap for all the
competitors in the event! It would appear as if NCS & Lipton Cup has
definitely sharpened the L26 sailors as that class took first and third place
in the gold fleet.
On shore things were just as
competitive as on the water and in true Keelboat Week tradition the parties
with two nights of live entertainment and two nights with a disco, lasted until
the early hours of the morning. There must have been a number of
"bloodless" bodies some mornings as some of the die-hards' eyes were
so bloodshot that all all the blood had to have drained from their bodies to
achieve the lovely maps in their eyeballs!
The only sad part of the Regatta (if
you're a DAC member that is) was the fact that LDYC managed to walk off with
the interclub challenge trophy, the Admiral's Cup. I must stress here that it
was a dead heat on points at the end, with the last race sailed (the distance
race) being used as the tiebreaker. Well, we'll just have to try harder next
year!
All in all, I believe that DAC had a
very successful Regatta and this is borne out by comments like "the best
Keelboat Week I have attended in many years".
Abbreviated Results:
Gold Fleet
|
1st |
Ewald Sternagel |
TYC |
Rote Hexe |
L26 |
|
2nd |
Phillip Baum |
Aeolians |
Rampant III |
J22 |
|
3rd |
Herbie Karolius |
DAC |
Alpha Romeo |
L26 |
Silver
Fleet
|
1st |
Keith Vennel |
LDYC |
Duty Free II Tanga |
Astove 30 |
|
2nd |
Randolph Verhey |
TYC |
Liza |
Mistral |
|
3rd |
Mike Robinson |
Boskop |
Lorrigray |
Holiday 23 |
Cruising
Fleet
|
1st |
Jan Laubser |
VCA |
La Bianca |
Buccaneer |
|
2nd |
Daniel Coetzee |
SPYC |
Jelibabi |
J27 |
|
3rd |
Gavin Pawson |
VCA |
Finfoot |
Theta |
For the full results go
to www.smoothsailing.co.za/kbw03rpt.html.
Tomorrow, Saturday sees the start of
regular season dinghy racing in Durban with the Royal Natal Yacht
Club’s Rupert Ellis Brown Series due to be sailed. Taking place in
conjunction with this series is the Flying Fifteen KZN Champs. Sailing was scheduled
to start at the usual time of 14:00 but since that’s pretty much the exact time
that the Springboks will be kicking off their World Cup campaign, with their
first game against Uruguay, something had to be done. Now the rugby couldn’t be
changed but the sailing could and that’s exactly what has happened. So, dinghy
racing will now start at 11:00 this coming Saturday, and the following one for
that matter. Racing will take place on the deepwater course and two races are
scheduled. The fleet will definitely be back in off the water in time to watch
the Springboks win their first of many games in the world cup. Now to make sure
that your rugby watching experience is as pleasurable as your sailing
experience RNYC have hired a big screen, which will be up and running in the
Foredeck Bar. So right after sailing this will definitely be the place to be.
The bar will be open and there will be plenty of cold beer on hand so there
cant be any reason for not being there!
Midday today signal the start of a very bad six weeks for work,
sailing and any other pastime that doesn’t take place in front of a television
set as the Rugby World Cup starts. Now its fair to say that not all
the games will be big ones but somehow it seems that all those that will be
worth watching, certainly all those that South Africa play, are scheduled for
Saturday’s so sailing, sadly, will suffer a little. The tournament kicks off
today with Australia, the hosts, playing the opening game against Argentina.
That one starts at 12:36 so could conceivably be snuck into a slightly extended
lunch hour. South Africa’s first game is tomorrow against Uraguay. Kick off is
at 14:00. All the games will be televised live on Supersport and if you don’t
have a TV, DSTV or a wife that likes rugby as much as you do then don’t
despair, I am sure that pretty much every yacht club in SA will be screening
the games, and all will be well stocked with plenty of cold beer!
The Sharks beat take on the Blue Bulls tomorrow in
another tough Currie Cup encounter. The game is to be played at the Bulls home
ground in Pretoria so there is every reason to expect that the Bulls will be on
top form in front of their home crowd tomorrow. A loss for the Sharks would see
the Bulls drawing level with them on top of the Currie Cup log and would
severely damage their chance of a home final.
This is not something that we want so I trust that the Sharks are going
to play out of their skins tomorrow evening. AJ Venter is back in the side so
hopefully he will be on good form and will add some strength to the Sharks
forwards. While doing that we also hope that he wont get sent off! Kick off is
at 19:00 and the game will be televised live on Supersport.
On Sunday there
is a Keeler Fun Race scheduled to take place in Durban Bay. The race
is set to start at 12:00 for the racing fleet and 12:05 for the cruisers. There
will be a briefing at 11:00 at the Royal Natal Yacht Club so if you are going
to be taking part make sure that you are there. The courses will be the
traditional Wednesday evening bay racecourse although there will be a slight
change to the racing class course. This makes the briefing even more vital to
attend! The lawns at RNYC will be the place to be afterwards, or for those of you
who inexplicably are not going to be sailing and should just then prop up the
bar and watch the fleet racing around the bay. The braais will be in action as
usual and there should be a good festive atmosphere so make sure that you get
there!
For some reason
the weather gods punished us in Durban on Wednesday Evening with some miserable
weather for the second Wednesday Evening Fun Race of the season.
Despite the appalling conditions 13 boats took to the water and showed good
commitment in completing the race. Visibility out on the bay was so bad that at
times it was difficult to even see all the marks of the course. When it was
over there was no hanging around and everyone scuttled off the water in double
quick time and headed for the warmth and safety of the pub. The results of the
evening’s race were as follows:
Racing Class
|
1st
|
Skitzo
|
Leo
Croone |
Fast
42 |
|
2nd
|
Madiba |
Robbie
Dove |
Leisure
42 |
Cruising Class
|
1st
|
Xosha
Moya |
|
¼
Tonner |
|
2nd
|
Raine |
Brian
Millar |
Holiday
23 |
|
3rd
|
Good
News |
S26 |
Roy
Cook |
The full results are
available on the Smooth Sailing Racing Reports web page.
The Nautical Nomads
Regatta is getting closer and closer. This year’s event is dues to be
sailed at Sterkfontein Dam on the 25th and 26th of
October 2003. Discounted entries for this all class regatta close on 10
October 2003. Chalets are still available while there are ample camping
facilities for those who prefer the more rustic approach. Full catering has
been arranged for the weekend and the NSRI have indicated that they will be
providing a rescue service for the weekend. Hopefully it isn’t needed though!
The regatta will be filmed and planned for Supersport so you will be
able to watch yourself in action on DSTV afterwards! There are some amazing
prizes on offer including an ASA 101 Basic keelboat course over 4 days,
five day holiday at SA's Top resorts for up to six persons, floating trophy's
and more. There will be a function, make that a party, on Saturday night with
bar service and entertainment. For those yachties who do not know about
Sterkies: It is situated 10 km outside Harrismith at the top of the
Oliviershoek Pass. The dam is 100% full and an incredible place to sail
with generally good winds. Make sure your boats are sea worthy and bring warm
sailing gear! If you still haven’t entered get your
copy of the NOR and Entry Form off the Smooth Sailing Notices of Race web page. For more information on this
unique event contact Steve Hegestrom on 082 555 4533 or Gavin Davies on 082 447
6479.
With the change in the Small Vessel Safety Regulations all yacht skippers need to be aware of just how they will be
affected on a practical level. The following pertains directly to those sailing
out of Durban but if you sail out of any other South African port I am sure
that the changes will be similar. Don’t take my word for it though, contact
your yacht club or regional SAS office now and make sure that you don’t get
caught short when things change next year.
“Following the
new SAMSA Regulations, SAS Bulletin No 8/2003 has set out the mandatory
requirements governing the Certificates of Competency for Skippers. The minimum
requirement is that the yacht must be skippered by a person in possession of a
SAS Day Skippers certificate.
These regulations will come
into effect on the 1st April 2004,and SAMSA have given an Amnesty
period until this date for existing Club/Port issued certificates to be converted
to the SAS Day Skippers Certificate. After 1st April 2004 NO
CONVERSIONS WILL BE GRANTED.
In the case of Durban, the
Durban Operators Certificate (DOC) will be convertible to a Day Skippers
Certificate, and members who have these are requested to approach Sandy at the
SAS office in the PYC for the application forms. You will need two passport
size photographs. The fee for conversion to a SAS Day Skippers ticket will be
R60.00 during the Amnesty Period.
If you have not got any
certificates you will need to approach SAS to arrange for them to assess the
best route for you to follow.
In the case of other
qualifications:
-Certificates obtained
through CASA will need to be converted to SAS certificates.
-Any other Certificates,
(other than SAS) will need to be assessed by SAS to establish which SAS
Certificate will apply.
-If a ticket is approved for
upgrading to a SAS Coastal level the fee during the Amnesty period is R250.
-It should be noted that in
future all persons aspiring to a commercial license for sailing vessels will be
required to pass the SAS Yacht Master Offshore Examination.
All yacht skippers are urged
to take immediate action to secure the relevant certificate before the close of
the Amnesty Period.”
Mari Cha IV,
Robert Miller’s 140-foot maxi yacht has smashed the Transatlantic West
to East Record. She arrived in the UK yesterday, Thursday, having completed their
2 925 mile crossing in 6 days, 17 hours, 52 minutes and 39 seconds. This means
that she has taken over two days off the previous record, which was held by
Bernard Stamm’s Open 60, Bobst Group Amor-Lux. During the crossing Mari Cha IV
also set a new 24-hour monohull record covering a whopping 525.5 miles in a
24-hour period. This makes her the first monohull to sail over 500 miles in a
24-hour period. With this record now safely in the bag and unlikely to be
challenged in the near future Mari Cha’s owner is now looking to bag some more
records with his giant yacht. While he might go for some smaller ones first
Millar has his sights firmly set on the round the world record and is hoping
that he will be able to get his giant yacht around the globe in under 80 days!
For more information on this amazing yacht visit her web site at www.mari-cha4.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 Clubs |
10 to 12 October |
|
|
Simon’sberg Naval Base,
Simonstown |
10 to 12 October |
|
|
Nautical Nomads Society |
25 & 26 October |
|
|
Albert Falls Yacht Club |
Changed to 15 & 16 November |
|
|
Pennant Nine Yacht Club |
18 & 19 October |
|
|
Seal Point Yacht Club/Manten Marina |
25 & 26 October |
|
|
Durban Radio Boat Club |
8 & 9 November |
|
|
Hout Bay Yacht Club |
15 & 16 November |
|
|
FBYC & HBYC |
22 November |
|
|
Hout Bay to St Helena Island |
29 November 2003 |
|
|
Spionkop Boating Club |
6 & 7 December |
|
|
Royal Cape Yacht Club |
13 to 17 December |
|
|
Henley Midmar Yacht Club |
13 to 16 December |
|
|
Henley Midmar Yacht Club |
27 to 30 December |
|
|
Glendee Yacht Club |
1 & 2 February 2004 |
|
|
Point Yacht Club |
20 to 22 March |
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 andrew@smoothsailing.co.za.
FOR SALE
Cruising
yacht lying Vaal Dam
New set of
sails
18 hp inboard
Yanmar diesel motor
Full deck of
instruments
Excellent
condition
Ready for
cruising
R70 000-00
Contact:
Collin Smith
Phone:
016-422 5460/1
Cell: 083 271
9208
E-Mail:
gemins@mweb.co.za
Yacht R35
000-00
Trailer R10
000-00
Contact:
William Heydenrych
Home Phone:
011-678 5534
Work Phone:
011-793 1031
New AMPAIR
100 Wind Generator
Unit never
been used and is out of the box
See specs on www.ampair.com
R6 500-00
&
(From 32 ft
Jenneau)
D =360 mm
(14"), Pitch = 200, Shaft 1260 X 22mm
With cutlass
bearing, key and nut.
R1 000-00
&
18"
MAXPROP
Two blade,
variable pitch, auto feathering
Type MP2B,
Nickle Alluminium Bronze
D = 457mm
(18"), 1:10 taper, 30 mm shaft with 8 x 4 keyway
R6 500-00
Contact: Neil
Cell: 072 299
8670
E-Mail: saltygoose110@hotmail.com
WANTED
Phone 031-463 1572
E-Mail:
thewoods@absamail.co.za
Formula One Keelboat
E-Mail: richann@mweb.co.za
To loan or Rent for the month of December 2003
For the purposes of taking part in the South Star Race.
Contact: Dale Kushner
Cell: 082 552 4533
E-Mail:
info@daewoogoodwood.co.za
For a
HYDROVANE self steering unit.
Contact: Neil
Cell: 072 299
8670
E-Mail: saltygoose110@hotmail.com
Andrew Heathcote
Mobile: +27 (0) 83 783 8805
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