29 September 2004

The following report on the RNYC's Windhoek Regatta was written by Colin Becker:

The Windhoek Regatta 2004 was characterized by carnage, both on the water as well as the shore. One boat lost it's keel while another was dismasted during Saturday's race offshore Durban, then the regatta was brought to an abrupt ending when a 40-knot southwester blasted the final race, the Potjie-kos competition, and the marquee away on Sunday.

However there was quality racing in between and certainly a lot of the sponsor's beer flowing each evening. This year's Windhoek Regatta was extremely well supported, with 43 boats taking part. This places the regatta amongst the largest keelboat events in the country. A mix of yachts, ranging from Fast 42's to Theta comprised the two fleets, Racing and Cruising. The usual after-sailing festivities at the club made for a fun-filled long weekend.

The sailing side of the regatta got off to a slow start with light winds on the opening day. Nevertheless the two scheduled sprint races were successfully completed. Day two's there-and-back race was more exciting with a 25-knot southwester. Mel Hickman's new sports boat Dynamite lost its keel and had to be towed back to port. The Dickerson's newly refurbished Mistral Machete was dismasted when a spreader broke. Fortunately no one was injured in either of these two incidents. Unfortunately Sunday's bay race had to be abandoned due to the excessive wind.

The Cryptic Clue Challenge on Thursday evening was the first non-sailing event that counted toward the overall results. This involved cruising around the harbour trying to solve riddles relating to the ships and scenery. The other non-sailing event; the traditional Potjie-kos competition on the club's lawns was cancelled on Sunday. That was a real pity as rumours spread a few days prior as to who was cooking what, and the crews were clearly disappointed after carefully planning their food, table and dress theme. The marquee came down, leaving the sailors in the Trafalgar Room for an early prizegiving. Windhoek, Clover and many other generous companies contributed to the success of the event and gave away fantastic prizes each evening. Brian Miller and his organizing committee, and the club staff, all did a sterling job in providing good sailing, quality food and entertainment to hundreds of participants over the long weekend. The number of families present in the club and on boats during the regatta proved that the mix of offshore racing and fun on land was just right."