Smooth Sailing
Sailing
News By A Sailor For Sailors!
In
Association with:
Jules Verne Record Attempts
Your
Weekend Weather, according to the SA Weather Service, should be as follows:
Durban
& Richard’s Bay: Saturday will
be 31 degrees, partly cloudy and humid with a light to moderate northeasterly
wind blowing. Sunday will be 31 degrees, partly cloudy and humid but with a 20%
chance of evening showers. The wind will be a light to moderate northeasterly
but a light southwesterly in the afternoon.
Midmar: Saturday will be 29 degrees and partly cloudy with a
light northwesterly wind blowing. Sunday will be 28 degrees and fine becoming
partly cloudy with a 20% chance of afternoon showers and storms. The wind will
be a light northwesterly.
Vaal
Dam: Saturday will be 27 degrees and
partly cloudy with a light northwesterly wind blowing. Sunday will be 28
degrees and partly cloudy with a 20% chance of thunderstorms during the day.
The wind will be a moderate northwesterly.
Cape
Town: Saturday will be 24 degrees
and partly cloudy with a light westerly wind blowing. Sunday will be 23 degrees
and partly cloudy with a moderate northwesterly wind blowing.
This 2004 Vasco Da Gama Race will take on a
slightly different profile, with two separate starts for three Classes of
entry. Class One, is the IRC
Racing Class, and will start on Friday the 16th of July 2004, whilst
Class Two (PHRF Cruising Class) and Class Three (Cats) will start 24-hours
prior, on Thursday the 15th of July. Effectively the organisers are recognising
the differences in the fleets, not only from a performance perspective but also
a mindset approach. Of the 15 000 people who run the Comrades Marathon
every year, at least half do it simply because "it's there" and they
get a huge kick out of saying "I've run 15 times....". The same
applies to the Vasco da Gama Race. We have a very competitive Race Fleet
where each one of the entries has a good chance of winning on IRC Handicap, and
at least 25% of the entries have a good chance of winning "Line
Honours". The Cruising fraternity have a different slant on the
race, where the aim is to finish within the cut-off period, and have a great
time doing so. By in the introduction of PHRF Handicapping for the Cruising
Class, we have lowered the cost threshold for those who may have refused point
blank to have their yachts IRC Rated. Affordability translates into more
entries. There are strict rules (which will be spelt out in the NOR) however,
regarding who can sail in the Cruising Class. So, it's time to start thinking
VASCO again, getting your boats and crews sorted out and some practice under
the belt. Some will be using the 2004 Macs Shipping Inhaca Race, organised by
Zululand Yacht Club, which takes place on the 9th of April, for just
this! Meanwhile the host club in Maputo, Clube Naval, have very kindly stepped
up to plate this year and sponsored the traditional Welcome Party for the fleet
- always a popular event with the sailors, whilst the Royal Natal Yacht Club
has undertaken to support the event unequivocally. The 2004 event is going full
steam ahead, at this stage without a main sponsor, although every effort is
being made to secure one. The reason why our 2003 sponsor has
had to decline at the last moment has nothing to with the Race, or the way in
which sponsorship was handled, of that we have a clear-cut understanding. Here
then, the main points that concern you, the sailor:
·
The web site will be up and running by the 8th April 2004,
along with the NOR and all other admin forms needed to enter.
·
The Race office shall be as per 2003, run by Sandy Ostendorf,
at Sailing KZN, located in the Point Yacht Club sailsa@hit.co.za.
·
News will soon be put out concerning Mozambique Visa's and the Sailing
KZN service offered in this regard.
Value, yes the entry Fees
have increased slightly over 2003, but only by a small margin, and the Vasco
will as usual offer excellent participation value, by way of a Clube Naval
sponsored welcome party in Maputo, quality Vasco Da Gama shirts handouts, the
usual framed photos of each entry at the start, medals for all, and a Prize
Giving to finish. For more information on the 2004 Vasco Da Gama Race contact
the Race Chairman, Dave Claxton, at vascodagama@iafrica.com.
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.
Steady tradewinds from the
East have carried Steve Fossett and Cheyenne 244 nm over the past 12 hours (avg 20.3
kts), leaving the 125' maxi-cat a lead over the 2002 RTW position of Orange I
of over 4 days and only 2269 miles remaining to the
official WSSRC finish line on Ouessant island in France. "The weather
outlook is excellent. We hope to hook up with the leading edge of a Low
pressure system midday on Thursday and ride it to the finish at Ouessant. If
the forecast holds, we hope to score 4 consecutive 400 mile days and arrive on
Monday afternoon 5 April.," Fossett said. "Our stated goal has been
to break the 64 day 8 hour record of Orange, but our secret ambition has been
to crack 60 days - which we believe is the potential of these maxi-multihulls.
Now we find there is even the prospect of a 58-day time.
Skipper Oliver de
Kersauson looked back on what Geronimo has experienced in the last few days and the
difficulties of life on board the Cap Gemini and Schneider Electric trimaran.
"Thankfully, what we have now is less violent than before, otherwise we
wouldn't have headed south again. It was impracticable - multihulls are designed
to surf, not to force their way through the sea. Back there, we were in
conditions where the sea was very aggressive. We're now trying to see if we can
get through by going a long way south in conditions that are at least sailable.
de Kersauson is poring over the meteorological data and examining every option
that might permit Geronimo to continue to the famous rocky tip of South
America. The choice will have to be made in the next 48 hours: whether to head
a long way south and risk the ice or to try a more northerly route which would
considerably increase the distance and offer no guarantee of escaping the deep
depressions over the Pacific.
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 |
|
|
Royal Cape Yacht Club |
9 to 11 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 |
|
|
Pretoria Sailing Club |
17 & 18 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
New mesh tramp
On road trailer
R13 500-00
Contact: Chris Sutton
Cell: 083 390 9908
E-Mail: cpsmarine@yahoo.com
Complete Boat with new
trampoline
Reconditioned trailer
Located in Durban
R5 000-00
Contact: Hugh Douglas
Cell: 082 456 1530
Placed: 02/04/04
Kitted out
for cruising with double gas cooker, running water and braai
Sails : Main,
Genoa, No.2 and storm jib. Pole
Full
electrics, with solar panel
Engine : 6hp
outboard
Safety
Equipment : Full flares, 6 life jackets, VHF radio, extinguisher
Other : Asst
tools, harnesses, radar reflector, flags, etc
Sleeps : 3
Recently
finished hull and keel. In great condition and sails regulary.
On chain
mooring (included in price) in Durban
Price: R35
000-00
Contact: Rob
Bentley
Cell: 083 255
6032
Placed: 02/04/04
&
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
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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,
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