This article serves to confirm two things!

Firstly, that the Henley Midmar Yacht Club, located on Midmar Dam in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands, is the only inland regatta venue in KZN and probably the best inland regatta venue in South Africa at present!

Secondly that the Sprog Class remains the best two person dinghy class in the country with the most competitive cost effective racing catering for the most diverse range of sailors.

If already you have the impression that this was a successful regatta and that you missed out, well, it was and you did. But don't worry, there is still next years event, more than likely, at the same outstanding venue to look forward to!

So to the regatta! The 2002 Sprog Nationals, held from the 27th to the 30th of December at the Henley Midmar Yacht Club. After a few years of declining numbers this years event attracted a rejuvenated fleet of 28 boats. The majority of these came from KZN and Gauteng however there was one entry from the Rhodes University Yacht Club in the Border region, which was good to see.

The regatta attracted an interesting mix of skippers and crews with some youngsters including Optimist African Champion Rudi McNeil and fellow Oppi hotshots Aaron Larkens and Bronwen Klaas having a go against many far more experienced sailors, the likes of Rob DeVlieg, Harry Ellens and John Wright. Defending champion Jof Heathcote led the charge of the varsity brigade, which accounted for the middle age group in the fleet. It would be difficult to find another regatta anywhere in the country with such a diverse range of talent, age and experience competing on equal terms.

The organisation of this regatta was an absolute pleasure and I am pleased to say that HMYC offered the most professional response imaginable when first approached by the class to hold this regatta. Quickly laid to rest were the worries of arranging bridge crew, mark layers, registration, the most efficient regatta secretary imaginable and protest committees. All this was taken care of. Add to that the extras that came with the deal, a sumptuous class dinner included in the entry fee, an opening cocktail party with hot snacks laid on and daily happy hours in the club bar just made it even better. Oh, and did I mention the venue, I am sure that you all know how good it is but for those of you who have forgotten, beautiful dam surrounded by green hills, moderate breezes, a sailing area clearly visible from the club for ease of spectating, great camping and a very competitive rate, and a safe area for younger non-sailors to run, play, ride bicycles and swim in safety! What more could you ask for?

But to the sailing, which is really what we were all there for. The 28 boat fleet included some of the hottest talent available and combined with the vast Sprog experience of some of the wilier and more experienced competitors it was always going to be a hard fought regatta on the water. The tough competition began on the start line where the fleet pushed so hard that the P flag was soon permanently replaced by the I flag for all starting sequences with the Black flag also making two appearances.

For the most part the racing took place in less than ten knots and with some big shifts making the conditions more difficult than some may have liked. Day one saw the defending champion Jof Heathcote out of the starting blocks in in a flash. A small slip in race on when a failure to cover on the last short beat resulted in second instead of a first, was the only hiccup in an otherwise perfect day. The two remaining races saw convincing wins and the writing seemed to be on the wall already. In the three races sailed no one else was consistent enough to make an impression on the scoreboard.

Day two was relatively windless which allowed only two races to be sailed. Paul Wilcox had a good day in the office recording a first and a second to be the only consistent performer of the day. Despite a fourth and an OCS Jof still led at the end of the day.

Day three was again light and fluckey however this time there was enough breeze for three races to be sailed. Jof once again had the best day of the lot with three second places although Mike Matter did well and surprised many by winning the races seven and eight after recording a sixth in race six. What made this performance so remarkable is that it was done on a fairly ordinary looking boat with no fancy strings or systems and with an even more ordinary suite of sails. Proof then that you don't need the latest greatest gear to perform well in this fleet, just stick to the basics, play the shifts and think clearly. It was a very impressive performance.

Day four dawned clear and windless once more. At one stage it looked like the breeze might pipe up and stay but it didn't and only one race was possible in the morning. After a very long lunch break the breeze finally swung to the dam wall and freshened enough to allow the final race of the regatta to be sailed. This is where it got really interesting!

By this stage, with only one race possible, Jof had secured the national title for the fourth consecutive time. There was however a tight battle for second and third place underway between John Wright and Paul Wilcox, age and experience versus youth and enthusiasm! Or so you would think anyway. As it turned out age was a little more enthusiastic than we had thought and at the second attempt to start race ten, after one general recall and with the black flag rule in effect, it was the enthusiastic elders John Wright and Rob DeVlieg who were over early! So it was an early shower for them as the rest of the fleet raced on in very pleasant conditions.

Going into race ten three boats had each won two races. A win for one of these would leave them with the most firsts in the regatta. Mike Matter was the one who pulled it off so in the end the boat with pretty much the oldest sails won the most races in the regatta! Is that a good thing? I think it might be!

Watching the regatta from the relative safety of the committee boat I learned and saw much. While I have acted as OOD for the odd club race in the past I have never before been involved in the running of a regatta on the water. I was very surprised to find out that this is something which is a whole lot more difficult than I had ever imagined and I will from now on carry a far greater respect of the difficult conditions race officers work under. Try it for your self and see. Some of the things that I imagined would be straightforward were really quite difficult, like calling the numbers of boats over the line at a start, or through the finish as a bunch of four or five crosses neck and neck with mere centimetres between them.

It also gave me the opportunity to see some great talents in action. Rob De Vlieg and Mike Matter in particular were masterful in their ability to pick the shifts and work their way up a beat in tricky conditions, often coming out at the top. This is surely something honed through years of experience. Someone who doesn't have the experience yet but surely has the talent and will shine in years to come is young Bronwen Klaas. Sailing one of the less competitive looking boats in the fleet she often made impressive moves through the pack on the upwind legs simply by working the shifts. She did this well enough to record a fourth in race six and thirteenth overall and certainly caught my eye as a talented young sailor to watch out for in the future.

Of the other young sailors in action it was interesting to watch the Oppi brigade on the starts. Their preferred method of starting, hitting the line with speed generally on the committee boat end or reach over the top of the fleet down the line simply didn't work in a fleet where most skippers pick their spot and hang on to it till the moment the gun goes. The result was several general recalls and raft up's at the committee boat end early in the regatta though to their credit they all seemed to improve considerably by the end of the regatta. It will now be interesting to see if this improvement is carried over to their Oppi sailing. Are the coaches listening??

The regatta was sailed in a very good spirit with no protests and some penalties even being done, though maybe not quite enough from what I saw. Off the water it was also a particularly festive event, as befits and regatta in the festive season, with some good parties and braais on the veranda at HMYC. The atmosphere at the club really was conducive to a wonderful event and I for one look forward to returning there in the near future.

1st: Jof Heathcote & Maya Minkova
2nd: Paul Wilcox & Kim Lamont
3rd: John Wright & Rae White
4th & Most Race Wins: Mike Matter & Kathryn Robinson
Middle of the Fleet: Malcolm Osborne & David Santiero
Last to Finish All Races: CJ Milln & Duncan Kier
Family Trohpy: Rob & Kylie DeVlieg