Smooth Sailing
Sailing
News By A Sailor For Sailors!
In
Association with:
It’s been a while since
the last Smooth Sailing newsletter. A small technical problem meant that we
weren’t able to get a newsletter out last week and also means that this week’s
edition is jam packed with information. Last weekend was the first long weekend
of the year and there was a bucket load of sailing on the go around the
country. There were regattas for dinghies, keelers and cats all round the
country. For the number of regattas that took place to have happened there has
to have been masses of sailors out on the water. Those who think that the sport
is dying need only look at the participation on a weekend like this to realise
that it’s not, just that the way we go sailing seems to have changed. It would
appear that sailors are choosing to spend their time on the water at regattas,
where they get in three or four days of sailing a row, rather than taking part
in only one or two races at their local club on a Saturday afternoon. Whether
this is good or bad for the sport remains to be seen. Certainly it cant be good
for the clubs but at least we are getting numbers a regattas.
Things are certainly
starting to happen with the SA America’s Cup Challenge. Those of you who have
aspirations towards becoming part of the team will be interested to know that
we have posted the sailing team requirements and application forms on the
Smooth Sailing web site at www.smoothsailing.co.za/shosholozaindex.asp.
SA America’s Cup Campaign News
Jules Verne Record Attempts
The South African
America’s Cup Challenge is slowly starting to take shape in Cape
Town. Since her arrival the campaign’s training boat, the former Prada boat
ITA48, has been undergoing a new paint job in the Mediterranean Shipping
Company’s container depot in Woodstock. By the end of the month the hull will
be black with the team’s trademark beaded colourful beaded wave pattern down
the side. After that she will be moved to the V&A Waterfront where she will
have her keel and rig fitted and will be prepared for sailing. Meanwhile the
process of selecting the crew and team members is well underway. Smooth Sailing
has created a dedicated Shosholoza page on our web site where you will find
details of the personnel that the team is looking for, job descriptions and
most importantly the application forms. You will find these, as well as
pictures of the boat being worked on last week, at www.smoothsailing.co.za/shosholozaindex.asp.
At the
closing date for entries for the 2004 MACS Inhaca Island Easter Race 20
entries had been received by the race organisers. It’s a good fleet too with 7
Fast 42’s, a Leisure 42, an L34 and a Dragonfly trimaran looking like the
serious contenders for line and handicap honours. Given the right conditions
though I think that Willy Van Der Verre’s Shearwater 45, Peperuka, could pose a
threat to some of the more serious racers. She is a pretty boat and quick
through the water too. Chris Frost’s Fast 42, Prodigy, took line honours last
year and has to be the favorite to repeat the feat this time around. Last
year’s race saw Prodigy and second placed Adios separated by only seconds at the
finish and things probably wont be much different this year with several other
Fast 42 skippers with their eyes on line honours. Also with their eye on line
honours will be Robbie Dove’s team on Knot Too Shabby, the only Leisure 42 in
the race. The Leisures haven’t performed well against the Fast 42s and the crew
of this boat will certainly have something to prove against their rival brand.
Personally I think that the Fasts are better tuned and sailed with the Leisure
not having been raced enough to be able to match the paces of the Fast. Either
way it will be interesting to see what happens on the water.
Colin Becker, the new sailing secretary at the Royal Natal Yacht
Club, sent us the following report on last weekend’s L26
KZN Champs, which were sailed offshore Durban:
“The 2004 KZN L26
Champs took place offshore Durban over the long weekend of 20 – 22 March,
hosted by the Point Yacht Club. Sailed
in conjunction with the Hobie 16 and Flying Fifteen Provincials, the bay was
full of activity. Two Gauteng crews
made the trip to the coast for the regatta.
It sure was worth it for them as the weather conditions were near
perfect. Rote Hexe, helmed by Ewald
Sternagel and sailed by very experienced crew, was sure to be a strong
contender. Eight Durban teams took
part, some of them still at it after years in the class, and others very new to
the L26 scene.
Race
one got underway in a light to moderate South Westerly on Saturday. Zephyr, helmed by Alec Lanham-Love, and Rote
Hexe mixed it up on the first upwind leg.
But in attempting to take control of the race, each of them ran out of
wind as they sailed out to sea downwind.
Jerome McLoughlin’s Foreshore sailed a more direct course and got past
them by the bottom mark. Rote Hexe got
the better of Zephyr but couldn’t regain the lead from Foreshore, who went on
to win.
Rote
Hexe sailed well from the start in race two, and kept ahead of Zephyr for the
first lap. In seeking fortune by going
left up the second beat, Zephyr once again opened the door to Foreshore, who
nailed the right corner and came out ahead at the top mark. They were still behind Rote Hexe, who
managed to stay in front for the rest of the race.
The
back-to-back flag signaled a third race for the day. Rote Hexe, clearly reveling in the conditions, held off Zephyr
for another victory. Nigel Milln’s
Dockleveller found some form to put pressure on Foreshore on the downwind
legs. They claimed third spot at the end
in one of the closest finishes of the day.
A
moderate North-Easter built up early on Sunday, which made for a substantial
swell. Foreshore led early on in race
four, and opened a gap by working the boat well downwind. But Rote Hexe found some speed later,
managing to close the gap right down on the last run. A clean rounding put the Gautengers ahead and they hung on for
the last hundred metres to clinch another first. Zephyr claimed third spot.
The
fifth race was closely fought between several boats that were more competitive
in the lighter wind. SLFC Cheetah,
skippered by Bobby Lanham-Love, led at the top mark for the first time. They were unable to hold off the fleet that
sailed over them downwind. Foreshore’s
crew found themselves leading after the leg, closely followed by Zephyr. The sea was becoming ever more sloppy as the
wind dropped further. Zephyr had enough
downwind speed to get in front and finished the shortened course in that
position. Subsequent finishers were
Dockleveller, Rote Hexe and Parental Guidance, skippered by Tom Thornton. Foreshore struggled, crossing the finish
line down the fleet, only to discover that they were OCS at the start.
With
one day left in the regatta, Rote Hexe displayed a near perfect score sheet,
clearly leading the regatta with just 5 points after a discard. It was inevitable that a titanic duel for
second would follow, with the top two local boats tied on 9 points each. Dockleveller held fourth place, followed by
Parental Guidance and Galactica, skippered by Deon Gove.
Monday
morning was unbearably humid without a breath of wind. But as the yachts left the harbour a
Westerly breeze filled in, partially relieving us of the heat. By the time the course was set the wind had
built up substantially, setting the scene for some exciting racing on a
relatively flat sea. Rote Hexe kept
Foreshore and Zephyr out of the front row at the start of race six. But Foreshore sailed efficiently, coming out
in front at the top mark, and managed to keep just ahead of Rote Hexe for the
entire race. Zephyr made big gains
during the latter stages but ran out of time and finished third.
Foreshore
was now 2 points clear of Zephyr.
Assuming that there was just one race remaining, Zephyr proceeded to
hold Foreshore completely away from the start line in race seven. Then they did their best to keep Foreshore
out of the picture while clawing their way through the fleet in the freshening
breeze. The plan so nearly worked out,
but Foreshore fought back to finish just one place behind Zephyr. Following very closely were Parental
Guidance, Dockleveller and Galactica.
Just
when one thought it was all over, the class flag for race eight went up. It was only to be contested by five yachts,
after Rote Hexe sailed home having won the regatta and a long drive awaiting
them. Several others had struggled in
the conditions and dropped out during the course of the day. Zephyr maintained their form, keeping
Foreshore at bay and comfortably winning the race. Parental Guidance took third place.
All
of the local crews had been shuffled around since the last serious sailing in
Durban. That was certainly a factor
contributing to considerable clumsiness during some of the tighter
maneuvers. Ewald and crew’s superior
boat handling, combined with great starts and smart sailing, produced a winning
formula. What was also good to see was
two youth teams battling it out with the senior crews. In the end, Rote Hexe won comfortably with 8
points. Foreshore tied with Zephyr on
15 points, but claimed second overall by having more second places. Dockleveller came fourth with 27 points.
Race
Officer Dave Rushton was always prompt in getting things going each day, with
the help of his assistants on various boats.
He surprised many tired Durban sailors by running a third race on two
days. While some of us may have been
more eager to sit on a bar stool than the wet rail yet again, we were there to
race and had a very willing bridge crew.
Considering that there was wind, bright sunshine and boats on the water,
there shouldn’t have been a thought of going home.
The regatta was sailed in conjunction with the Hobie 16 KZN Champs and an Open Regatta for the Flying Fifteen class.
The top three positions in each class were as follows:
L26
|
1st |
Rote Hexe |
Ewald Sternagel |
TYC |
|
2nd |
Foreshore |
Jerome McLoughlin |
PYC |
|
3rd |
Zephyr |
Alec Lanham-Love |
PYC |
Hobie 16
|
1st |
Sean Fennesey & Gerry
Pretorius |
|
2nd |
Ed Page & Lorraine
Duggan Jones |
|
3rd |
Sean Keogh & Charie
Bernard |
Flying Fifteen
|
1st |
Ian West-Lewis |
|
2nd |
Derick Wilkes |
|
3rd |
Patrick Harris |
Support the National Sea Rescue Institute and you could be the winner of two new Outdoor
Vehicles! For those times when sailing is not going ‘smoothly’ you can always
rely on the help of Sea Rescue if you find yourself in trouble out at sea. All
sailors should support the NSRI and their wonderful work and it’s as easy as
giving a donation of R330. This contribution not only means a great deal to Sea
Rescue, but also offers you the opportunity to win the grand prize in their
2004 Car Competition – a Mitsubishi Pajero and an Outlander worth over R580 000! Tickets are
limited, so we urge you to call Sea Rescue today on Tel: 021-430 4744 to secure
your entry to win – a Mitsubishi Pajero
PLUS an Outlander! Alternatively, you can also send your particulars via e-mail
to nsri-carcomp@iafrica.com and you will be contacted.
The competition closes on the 29th November 2004, or once all 12 000
entries have been accepted for the prize draw. To find out more about the NSRI,
visit our website at www.nsri.org.za.
From: David Booth
Re: KZN Schools Regatta
I agree that it is a very sad day for KZN youth
sailing when there are no Dabchicks at the Inter Schools regatta. But what is
further disturbing me is the 14 entries in the Optimist class.
This regatta used to be bigger than the provincial
regatta for both these classes and I think that this lack of entries must be a
very big concern to the yachting administrators in KZN. If there is no youth
coming through then the nursery of future yachtsmen is in serious danger
of collapsing.
To see the turnout of Lasers is very encouraging, that class must be doing something right.
From: Bruce Edward
Re: Dabchicks at
the KZN Schools Regatta
You asked for thoughts on the view you put up on your (great)
newsletter:
One of the most obvious thoughts about the Dabbie vs Laser dilemma is
the fact that with a Dabbie, you have much more to learn about sail tuning. I
sometimes sail a Laser and (with all due respect to a cheeky little boat), I’ve
seen lots of copying of opponents' control settings (Vang, Out/Downhaul) then
guys just see who can hike out the furthest/longest. Doing that doesn't teach
one enough about sail slots, stalling at the leech, fullness and optimum twist.
The Dabbie on the other hand can allow young sailors to learn those essentials.
From: Alan Yeomans
Re: Dabchicks vs Laser
Below is the reason we sold my sons dabchick three years ago.
The problem with the dabchick from my sons point, and I think from a lot
of kids is one of height and weight. He sailed a Dabchick until he was fifteen
but always found it awkward to sail and was always towards the back of the
fleet and therefore lost interest in sailing.
He then took over my Laser, and I have not got it back since he is now
eighteen. The speed in which a Laser
can get up on to the plane is exciting for kids plus the fact that they can race against the local top sailors including
Olympic hopefuls (their heroes) is a big draw. From my point I my spending less
time repairing boats (I wondered sometimes was my hobby sailing or woodwork)
and more time sailing my Enterprise and sailing on my friends keelboat. On the point of price I think the cost of a
competitive second-hand Laser is far cheaper than a Dabchick and is basically
maintenance free.
The following
report on the recent Northvaal Sailing Association Inter-Club
Trophy was sent to us by Lindsay Scott:
“Benoni Wins InterClub Trophy - for
the 5th time!
Benoni
S.C. succeeded in defending their possession of the prestigeous NSA Inter-Club
Trophy. This is the 5th consecutive year that they have won this competition.
The host this year was Florida Yacht Club. Six clubs competed - Victoria
Lake, Pretoria S.C., Benoni S.C., Florida Y.C., Wits University and Murray
Park. Conditions on Saturday were not very pleasant - cold and wet, which were
not the most pleasant of conditions. Three races were sailed before the race
officer (Gill Waiting) took pity on the shivering sailors. It was not much
better on Sunday morning, but conditions did improve around midday - the sun
even came out the afternoon. Four races
were sailed to total 7.
Each club had to provide a team comprising a Laser II, a Laser and a
Sprog. From the outset, Ivan & Timothy Gibbons (BSC) showed good boat speed
in the conditions. Generally, they were ahead most of the time. Their main
competition came from PSC's team of Thomas Funke and Dylan le Roux, but they
also had some bad races. Also sailing creditably in this fleet for VLC was our
SAS president, Brian Sutherland.
In the Lasers, there was tough competition. First places were shared by
Matthew Langman (MPYC), Robert Peers (Wits) and Leon de Raay (BSC). However
Leon was sufficiently consistent (other than 3 firsts) to win overall in this
class.
In the Sprog fleet, PSC's stalwart, John Wright with crew Gary Norton
were dominant, with stiff competition coming from BSC's team of Evelyn Osborne
& Nicolo Marcia,who won three of the races against John's four. Also trying
to get a nose in was VLC's Matthew M'Crystal, who got two 2nd places.”
The following report on the 2004 Quadrangular Regatta,
sailed from the Royal Cape Yacht Club on the 6th of March, was sent
to us by Shirley Mullins:
“We had
the Skipper’s Briefing at Royal Cape Yacht Club at 09h10. Here we were given a
bit of background information on how the race started. It appears that way back
in the 1960’s, two gentleman became full of bravado in the bar and the SA Navy
Officer challenged one of RCYC ‘s members that they were the best sailors, and
so the challenge was born…Not for the faint of heart, this event was
traditionally sailed in whalers, but more modern boats are used today.
The Teams for 2004 were as follows:
S A S
UNITIE - represented by Steven Bentley
on board Cape Recife (L26) , S A S YSELSTEIN – represented by Myles Bissett on
board Escape (L26) , General Botha Old Boys – represented by Ian Lindsay on
board Phantom (Muira) and Royal Cape Yacht Club – represented by Bat Tromp on
board Apricot (Muira).
The
Quadrangular Yacht Race was held in Table Bay Harbour. There was a very light
westerly wind blowing, clear blue skies, flat seas and the back drop of Table
Mountain.
The first
race consisted of a triangular course. The conditions were so light, the yachts
barely moved. Several times we contemplated shortening the course but in the
end the wind came through and everyone finished. The race was won by Apricot.
We dashed off to Granger Bay to have lunch at the General Botha Old Boys’
headquarters, which is an absolutely stunning venue with yachts moored out on
the marinas. The moorings and lunch were organised by Tony Nicholas, Cape Town
Chairman. The clubhouse is beautifully decorated with framed knots boards, an
array of flags proudly hung along the walls and pictures of ships from days
gone by.
After a
fine lunch of filled rolls and some “refreshments” from the Bar, the teams
prepared for Race 2 of the day.
At 13h45
we left Granger Bay to start the second race. An “Olympic” style course
consisting of a triangle followed by a sausage, the race started at 14h30. The
wind picked up and the sea became a bit choppy. Apricot was in the lead again, followed by Phantom. Cape Recife
and Escape, the two L26’s, were not doing too well.
The race
finished at 16h19 and we made our way to the Royal Cape Yacht Club. I compiled
the results while Commander Morom, Capt. Doc. O’Shea and the rest of the crew
all went to set up for the Prize Giving which was being held at S A S UNITIE at
17h30.
The winners were as follows:
Race 1 : S
A S Unitie vs S A S Yselstein – The Bell Trophy: Winner – SAS YSN.
S A S
Unitie vs RCYC – Micky’s Mug: Winner – RCYC
RCYC vs
General Botha Old Boy’s : Winner RCYC
Race 2 : S
A S Unitie vs GBOB – Barrel Trophy: Winner – GBOB
S A S Yselstein vs GBOB
– The Old Salts Trohpy : Winner GBOB
RCYC vs SAS Yselstein –
The Yselstein Trophy: Winner RCYC
Overall
honours for the day, in the shape of the Van Winsen Trophy, went to ‘Apricot’
of RCYC.
Commander
Morom and Capt. ‘Doc’ O’Shea handed out the prizes. Commander John Bennett, now
in his 80’s, who together with the late Capt. Phillip Nankin, was one of the
first Naval officers to initiate the event, was a guest of honour and told
those present some more stories surrounding the Quadrangular Challenge.
The event
is really a family event, the husbands go out sailing and when they get back to
shore, the wives, children and friends are waiting for them to join in on the
fun. S A S UNITIE had all their Senior Officers present and they also joined us
out on the water.
Disaster
nearly struck when S A S UNITIE’s fridge played up and the beers were ice cold
(much to everyone’s delight). The cooldrinks were like blocks of ice and one of
the ladies announced that they only had slush puppies on sale (similar to
drinks sold at the movies) – the children, not knowing the difference, loved
it!
I was so
struck by the amount of effort that went into this “small “ event. It is a
non-profitable event, which is organised by people for the love of sailing and
to keep the tradition alive. Sadly, with the demise of SAS YSELSTEIN and the
proposed closure of SAS UNITIE in April 2005, next year may well be the final
chapter in this fun-filled, traditional sailing event, in its present form.”
After 50 days on their official Round The World
Sailing record attempt, American Skipper Steve Fossett and his crew of 12 on
board the maxi-catamaran Cheyenne crossed the Equator at 08:13 am Sunday March 28 and
re-entered the northern hemisphere. Seven weeks of hard sailing, plus a
powerful 543 mile run over the past 24 hours leaves them with an imposing lead
of more than 3 days over the current global record (set at 64 days 8 hours 37
minutes in 2002 by French Skipper Bruno Peyron on the catamaran Orange).
Fossett and Cheyenne hope to reach the official start-finish line between
France and the UK in 10 days.
Geronimo is taking a
beating. The trimaran's anemometer readout rarely fell below 45 knots on Day 31
of this attempt. With no sail flown at all, the boat was sailing under her mast
alone. It became difficult to move, everything was soaking wet and icy cold,
the sea was monstrous, with a westerly swell and 7-metre waves coming from the
south. The Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran has traveled 412 nautical
miles in the past 24 hours, at an average speed of 17.20 knots.
Cheyenne’s Web Site: www.fossettchallenge.com
Geronimo’s Web Site: www.trimaran-geronimo.com
World Sailing Speed Record Council: www.sailspeedrecords.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 |
|
Point, Royal Natal & Zululand
Yacht Clubs and Club Naval, Maputo |
December 2003 to July 2004 |
|
|
Club Mykonos, Langebaan |
3 to 7 April |
|
|
Zululand Yacht Club |
9 April |
|
|
Point Yacht Club Easter Regatta Including Sprog, 505
& Dart kZN Champs |
Point Yacht Club |
9 to 12 April |
|
Hoedjiesbaai Beach, Saldahna Bay |
9 to 12 April |
|
|
Dabchick Downham Trophy &
Optimist Interclub Challenge |
Pretoria Sailing Club |
24 & 25 April 2004 |
|
Algoa Bay Yacht Club |
24 to 30 April |
|
|
Transvaal Yacht Club |
24 to 27 April |
|
|
Durban Radio Boat Club |
1 & 2 May |
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.
Kevlar
Mainsail For J27
10 years old
Well used,
but still serviceable.
Going for
free to anyone willing to collect it in Cape Town.
Contact:
Trygve Roberts
Phone: 021
930-3696
Cell: 083 658
8888
FOR SALE
&
E-Mail: itensa@yebo.co.za
WANTED
In relatively good condition
Contact: Andrew Butler
Cell: 084 656 3678
In reasonable
condition.
Will pay fair
price and postage
Cape Town
area.
Contact:
Lance McIntosh
Home: 021-785
5332
Cell: 084 426
3475
Placed: 04/03/04
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 andrew@smoothsailing.co.za
for publication.
Smooth Sailing is kindly distributed courtesy of FFS Refiners (Pty) Ltd