The IRC KZN Champs, which took place at the Zululand Yacht Club in Richard's Bay this weekend, attracted a diverse fleet of 11 yachts.

This regatta marked the first time that the IRC Class has sailed a provincial or national championship in South Africa and it surely won't be the last.

It took a while for the wind to fill in properly on Saturday morning. When it did the fleet got away cleanly for one windward leeward race in an easterly breeze that didn't get much above ten knots. Betelgeuse, the Gauteng based Mount Gay 30, cleaned up both on the water and on corrected time with the light winds and flat seas clearly to her linking. An early finish allowed the fleet to get back to the pub in time to watch the second half of the rugby and that is where many stayed until the early hours of the following morning.

Sunday dawned cold, wet and windy and with the first race scheduled to start at 09:00 it was an early start for everyone. Those who had kept the bar open until all hours certainly paid the price with lumpy seas not helping the situation. Several crewmembers were seen with their heads over the rail feeding the fish throughout the day. With rain squalls coming through at regular intervals there were some serious variations in wind strength and direction. Keeping on top of the variations required both skill and luck. Two races were sailed before the race officer thankfully decided to send the fleet back to the harbour. What's not certain though is whether he sent them back because he felt sorry for them or because he was feeling the effects of bouncing around on the ocean himself. Either way, it was a very welcome decision. The Durban based L34 Close Again won the first race of the day with Betelgeuse second. The positions were reversed for the second race of the day. Harry Ellen's Simonis 35, Ciao Bella, finished third in both races and after recording a second in the first race of the regatta was also in a very strong overall position at this stage. On Sunday evening the pub was strangely quiet. I have no idea why?

Monday provided the best sailing of the regatta. After another early start a north easterly breeze filled in quickly peaking at around 16 knots. Close Again won the first race of the day, race four of the regatta, with Betelgeuse again in second and Ciao Bella third. The fifth and final race was won by Ciao Bella from Close Again and Chris Frost's Fast 42 Prodigy with Betelgeuse being disqualified after a protest. This left Close Again as the overall winner on a tiebreak with Betelgeuse second and Ciao Bella third.

All in all it was a great regatta with some good racing and a great atmosphere on and off the water. The Zululand Yacht Club really went out of their way to make sure that the event went off smoothly, which it did, and with a windsurfing regatta and an Optimist training camp on the go at the same time the club really was a hive of activity.

The IRC Rating system provided some good close results and once again proved to be a fair and equitable system. It can surely be the only rating system with any credibility in being used in the country at the moment, which is probably why SAS have sanctioned provincial and national championships under it.

The regatta results, and in particular the individual race results, make for interesting reading. For the most part the winning margins are very slim and as we all knwo there is nothing like close racing to keep everyone interested and excited. Click on the link below to see the results.