Smooth Sailing
Sailing
News By A Sailor For Sailors!
In
Association with:
Birth of The MACS 24-Hour Challenge
Grundig Undergoes More Radical Changes
The annual SASSU
Intervarsity Regatta took place last week at the Henley Midmar
Yacht Club in KZN. Seven teams from five yacht clubs around the country took
part in the event which was sailed in Lasers and Sprogs. The regatta is a
team-racing one with three boats per team in each of the classes. At times the
standard of sailing was not high with several mismatches. Some varsity’s
fielded teams with some very new and inexperienced sailors for whom getting
round the course was an achievement. While this is not strictly what the event
should be about it is at least good that the regatta is getting new sailors
into the sport. Lets hope that they had a good time and stay sailing. Those who
didn’t have a good time on the water would certainly have had a good time off
it. The parties were huge as one expects of any student event. There is perhaps
a little too much emphasis on this side of things with some definitely coming
to the regatta for the drinking rather than the sailing. With many of the
varsities subsidizing their team’s attendance at this event fairly heavily this
is something that should be discouraged. The students could do more to make
sure that the standard of sailing is a bit higher even if it means reducing the
number of teams sailing in the regatta. For the most part the best racing was
in the Sprog fleet with the Lasers suffering more mismatches early on. This
changed towards the end of the regatta though with the semi-finals and final
hotly contested. The point’s table at the end of the round robin series was as
follows:
|
Place |
Sprogs |
Points |
Lasers |
Points |
|
1 |
UND A |
6 |
UCT A |
6 |
|
2 |
UND B |
4.5 |
UND A |
5 |
|
3 |
Wits A |
4.5 |
Stellenbosch |
4 |
|
4 |
UCT A |
3 |
Wits A |
3 |
|
5 |
Rhodes |
2 |
UCT B |
2 |
|
6 |
UCT B |
1 |
UND B |
1 |
|
7 |
Wits B |
0 |
Wits B |
0 |
In the Sprog fleet the final was eventually contested
by UND A and Wits A after wits surprisingly beat the UND B team in the
semi-finals. Wits didn’t manage to get it right in the final though losing to
the UND A team who had looked like that had the measure of the competition
throughout the round robin series. In the Lasers UCT A managed a good win over
the UND A team. There hadn’t been much to choose between these two during the
week but with UCT having come out on top of the round robin points table they
were deserving winners. It didn’t go all their way in the finals though and
they had to come back from two nil down to beat UND three two in the end. In
the cumulative results the standings were as follows:
|
Place |
Team |
Points |
|
1 |
UND A |
3 |
|
2 |
UCT A |
5 |
|
3 |
Wits A |
5 |
|
4 |
UND B |
9 |
|
5 |
UCT B |
10 |
|
6 |
Stellenbosch |
11 |
|
7 |
Rhodes |
13 |
|
8 |
Wits B |
14 |
We will post some
pictures of the on the water action on the Smooth Sailing web site in the next
few days.
One regatta that I left out of my overview
of upcoming events last week was the Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Christmas Regatta. This event is taking place offshore
Durban and includes the Flying Fifteen Nationals and the Hobie 14 & 16 KZN
Champs. With the racing taking place offshore the regatta will see boats
launching both off the beach and in the harbour. Those sailing out the harbour
will be escorted out on a daily basis while there will be a beach master in attendance
over the boats on the beach. Those launching off the beach will do so from the
PYC’s Vetch’s Pier Beach Site. It looks like the Flying Fifteens are going to
make class with 8 entries already received and another two in the pipeline.
This is not bad for what is essentially a small local class. As far as I am
aware there are only fleets in Durban and Sladahna Bay. The nature of these
boats is that they are not easy to move around the country either. With a new
shape boat currently under construction in Durban this is a class that could
shortly be experiencing a new lease of life. Hopefully some competitive racing
in the nationals will the start of that. Word is that the Hobie fleet will be
bolstered by the entry of several Gauteng sailors, coming down to test their
mettle on the sea. I also hear of reasonable interest from the Laser and Sprog
fleets and know of at least two Gauteg Sprog sailors who are down to get some
training in before the nationals at Midmar later this month. The regatta
festivities will all take place at the RYNC’s base on the yacht mole. For more
information on this regatta contact Nicola at the RYNC on 031-301 5425.
We recently added the Notice of Race for the 2004 MACS 24-Hour Challenge to the Smooth Sailing web site. Having done that I asked the organisers if
they had any additional information on the event that we could publish. What
came back was the following account of The Birth of The MACS 24-Hour Challenge. It was written by Pat Downing and makes
for interesting reading:
“Like all
stories, during 1983, there was a young man named James Tutton, who was so
enthusiastic about sailing that together with the help of Don Gay and his
fellow club members of the Zwartkops Yacht Club, sailed his Laser non stop for
24 hours in rain and winds of 15 – 20 knots. This was the first time that
anyone in SA had attempted this type of endurance race. Unfortunately for
James, his sailing feat went unnoticed and was therefore not recognised as any
type of achievement in dinghy sailing.
Then
in 1984, a 16 year old Milnerton High School pupil and 1st Milnerton
Sea Scout, Ian Downing, who had read the only newspaper article about James’
endurance sail, made the statement; “simple, anyone who can sail can do it!”
Ian’s Scoutmaster, Dutchie von Nieuwburg, who had actually taught him to sail,
then challenged him to do better and with a back up team of 40 odd people and
using James Tutton’s guide lines together with the requirements of the Guinness
Book of Records, combined with the Milnerton High School Aquatic Day/Boat Show
on the 16 - 17 March 1984, Ian sailed his Laser non stop around Rietvlei at the
Milnerton Aquatic Club. After 24 hours of sailing the South African
Broadcasting station reported on the 1pm news that Ian had broken the previous
record set by James Tutton. Ian continued to sail and after 29 hours 38 minutes
and 10 seconds, tired, sunburnt and having done 156 laps and a total of
180.8116 miles, he came ashore feeling confident that the next person wanting
to better his record would have a tough time in doing so. South Africa Yacht
Racing Association SAYRA recognised it as a SA record. After years of
corresponding with the Guinness Book of Records, they gave seven varied reasons
and still refused to accept it as a world record.
Once
again in 1998 another enthusiastic sailor, Mark Algra, decided to organise an
endurance race based on James and Ian’s achievements. However, once again the
Guinness Book of Records said that they would not recognise it, so Mark decided
to organise a race with a difference - to attempt to better the current world
record of a race that is sailed annually at West Lancashire Yacht Club,
Southport, UK. THIS WAS THE BIRTH OF THE MAC 24-HOUR CHALLENGE on 14-15 March
1998.
It
is the enthusiasm from such individuals that dinghy sailing is promoted as
being fun as well as being a competitive sport. What news of these guys now? I
believe that James is still an active sailor and my wish is that we can entice
him to sail in the 2004 challenge. Ian Downing, who, when he is not working in
Ireland, sails there and has sailed in every 24-Hour Challenge and remains
enthused to win it. Mark Algra is also an active sailor and has also
participated in every challenge. Mark remains enthusiastic about sailing and
just laughs when asked why he does it. The challenge has 19 floating trophies
that have been presented by sponsors that obviously believe that the challenge
is here to stay. With six challenges behind us the organisers look forward,
with renewed enthusiasm to many more challenges.
The
24 Hour Challenge is an endurance, distance race to establish how many kms a
crew, sailing a dinghy can cover within 24 hours. A team consists of 6 crew
members and a team manager /reserve crew. Not only is it a race to better the
world record, but it is also to expand the awareness and interest in the sport
of sailing. The classes of dinghies that compete are; Enterprise, GP14, Bosun and Mirror. The course sailed is
triangular on an expanse of water some 70 hectares and a depth of 9 meters
within a stone’s throw of the sea. The affordability of dinghy sailing makes
this type of challenge attractive to the average sailor, both young and old as
well as some of the top sailors in South Africa.
The
world record of 253.94km set at West Lancashire Yacht Club in the UK in 1997 in
a GP14 was equaled in 2001 in an Enterprise. In 2000 we almost saw the World
Record under threat in South Africa when a GP14 sailed by a Royal Cape Yacht
Club team were only 10kms short of the world record. The 24 Hour Challenge has
become an annual event on the South African sailing calendar and each year the
number of entries increase, which indicates the growing interest shown in this
challenge, where dedication, tenacity, perseverance, skill and team spirit is
what wins the challenge.
The
weather, naturally also plays a major role and unfortunately heavy winds play
havoc with the equipment whereas light winds cause frustration on calm waters.
But there is fun to be had for all, sailors as well as spectators, as the
rounding buoy is within meters of the shore, where the crew changes take place
and where those with the loudest voices, shouting instructions can be heard.
The competition between the South African Navy and South African Airforce teams
is hotly competed while the South African Airforce crew never fail to provide
entertainment with their, now famous, “barrel roll” crew change which holds the
spectators enthralled.
This
event was advertised in the UK and we now have teams from Ireland and the UK
competing. As for the Irish team, their
followers provide lilting, vocal backup support and entertainment throughout
the challenge - must have something to do with their ‘Leprechaun”! The Royal Navy teams from the UK, with
perfection, set their sails and sail off with the major trophies (must remember
to check their keel next year) and each year we promise them stiffer
competition the following year.
Once
again next year we hope that the
Thechallenge2go4 remains Thechallengenot24get”
From:
Dave Booth
Re:
Comments on the Junior Nationals
and the Mirror Class
I think
that it must be understood that the Junior Nationals is just that, a National
Championships for the junior sailors of this country and not to include senior
sailors from Mirrors or any other class.
For years
the organisers, myself included, have tried to encourage the youth in the
Mirror class to participate at the Junior National regatta only for the Mirror
Class to turn down the invitation, one reason being that they want the their
senior sailors to also be included.
Regards
DAVID BOOTH
The following is of interest not just because Grundig is one of the most
radical boats in the world, but also because a South African, Joe De Kock, is
amongst her crew.
“Sean Langman, who surprised the
world by almost catching Neville Crichton's
state of the art Alfa Romeo in last year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht
Race, is again slicing, lightening and rearranging his eight year-old boat
Grundig for maximum speed downwind this year. He has made a host of recent
changes to his 66-footer and following this Friday's Canon Big Boat Challenge,
Langman is planning "more surgery" by replacing his twin rudders with
new retractable rudders that have been designed to reduce drag.
"We have looked at the
competition and decided the only way we stand a chance is to put maximum effort
in to our strongest area - downwind sailing," he said. "A 66-footer
against a 98-footer upwind doesn't stand a chance but in running conditions and
with the changes we've made, I'd rate us a 20 percent chance of line honors in
this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart."
Sean Langman is lucky in that he can
continually 'tweak' the skiff-like Grundig at his boatyards in Berry's Bay,
Sydney, and Wickam, Newcastle, but it has still cost him upwards of $250,000
for this latest overhaul. The most significant change Langman has made is to
lighten his mast and with 160 kilos removed at a cost of $1,000 per kilo, some
might call it an expensive gamble but removing this weight has also allowed him
to chainsaw 10% off the bulb, which has in turn reduced the 'drag' on the boat.
Stripping the boat completely of
antifoul and "long boarding" it with sandpaper to create a completely
smooth hull surface has also assisted to reduce drag but it means every time
the 7.5 ton boat is used, it must be craned out of the water and cleaned off. A
new paint job on the hull, including a mermaid now adorning the bow where the
famous shark's mouth was, has been undertaken and there have been other
"ergonomic" changes made inside the boat to allow it to compete in
the 627 nautical mile passage with a crew of just eight.
Langman pushed the minimum crew
requirement to the extreme in this year's Sydney Gold Coast Race when he
convincingly took line honors with only five others on board. While he
considered racing to Hobart with a crew of six, it was a decision by everyone
on the boat to sail with eight and so he will be joined by his regulars David
Sudarno and Joseph De Kock, as well as the former world champion 49er and 18-foot
skiff champion Chris Nicholson.
Given the speeds this lightweight
flier regularly reaches under spinnaker, Sean has decided to address the issue
of the boat nose-diving by installing a hydrofoil on the bow. "No one else
has explored the concept of limiting speed to avoid a nose-dive and while we
trialed it successfully in the heavy conditions of the Flinders Island Race, we
aren't sure yet whether it will stay on for the Rolex Sydney Hobart," said
Langman.
Grundig is one of 18 entries
received for this Friday's Canon Big Boat Challenge in Australia.”
Roy Disney's new Reichel-Pugh Z-86,
“Pyewacket” has been undergoing sea
trials in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf recently. She is the first of at least
three of these boats that are on order to be launched and certainly looks very
impressive on the water. Some outstanding images of the boat on the water have
been posted on the net at www.outsideimages.co.nz.
The Sailing
On TV Schedule for the
next week is as follows:
|
Monday 15 December |
Watersports World |
Supersport 1 |
21:00 |
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 |
|
Point, Royal Natal & Zululand
Yacht Clubs and Club Naval, Maputo |
December 2003 to July 2004 |
|
|
Royal Natal Yacht Club Christmas Regatta - Flying
Fifteen Nationals & Hobie KZN Champs |
Royal Natal Yacht Club |
13 to 16 December |
|
Stillbaai Yacht Club |
13 to 16 December |
|
|
Royal Cape Yacht Club |
13 to 17 December |
|
|
Stutterheim Aquatic Club |
13 to 20 December |
|
|
Henley Midmar Yacht Club |
13 to 16 December |
|
|
Henley Midmar Yacht Club |
27 to 30 December |
|
|
Theewaters Sports Club |
27 to 30 December |
|
|
Theewaters Sports Club |
27 to 31 December |
|
|
Pretoria Sailing Club |
24 & 25 January |
|
|
Port Owen Yacht Club |
25 January |
|
|
Lake Denys Yacht Club |
30 January to 1 February 2004 |
|
|
Glendee Yacht Club |
1 & 2 February |
|
|
HMYC 9-Hour Endurance Race |
Henley Midmar Yacht Club |
21 February |
|
Milnerton Aquatic Club |
28 & 29 February |
|
|
Point Yacht Club |
20 to 22 March |
|
|
Hoedjiesbaai Beach, Saldahna Bay |
9 to 12 April |
|
|
Algoa Bay Yacht Club |
24 to 30 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 andrew@smoothsailing.co.za.
FOR SALE
R150-00
Woman's
Olympic Class
Contact:
Avril Sellars
E-Mail: Sellars-avril.sellars@tiscali.co.za
On high-speed
galvanized trailer.
Excellent Condition
R8 000-00
Contact: Mark Reardon
Phone: 031 705 7212 or
031 702 3185
Cell: 073 306 1489
E-Mail: reardomw@hotmail.com
Sail # 186
Fully Equiped & in
excellent condition
One of the newest
Holidays
Sail Wardrobe: No.1,
Working Jib, Spinnaker, Roller Furler
Mailsail with slab
reefing
Mariner 5hp Long Shaft
Outboard
Cabin fittings
include: 2 burner gas cooker with grill
Fridge, radio-tape,
porta potti
Moored at Midmar
R80 000-00
Contact: Mike Denholm
Cell: 083 556 4182
Phone: 031-767 4182
E-Mail: tessmike@mweb.co.za
WANTED
Contact: Mark
Summerton
Phone: 033 3411265
Cell: 083 309 1073
Andrew Heathcote
Mobile: +27 (0) 83 783 8805
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