Clear skies for weekend sailing
Local sailors were in for a great sailing weekend with clear skies.
TWO days of blue sky sailing, hosted by the Royal Natal Yacht Club for a variety of Durban sailors, took place offshore and in the harbour over the weekend.
The conclusion of the Dinghy Series, hosted by the Royal Natal Yacht Club on Saturday, saw Campbell Alexander and Chris Clark take the honours in the Flying Fifteens – Rob Samways and Jared Quinn on their Dart and Henri Frencken in the Laser class.
Race officer Jennifer Weyer, only managed to get in two races for the 11 boats on Saturday. The conditions were near perfect with blue skies and 13 to 15 knot wind powering the dinghies. Setting a long windward leeward course on the far side of the bay, the fleet took off punctually. Just as the boats neared the finish line the first race was abandoned due to a large vessel being moved near the course. Racing eventually got underway.
There were two starts, with the Flying Fifteens and Lasers sharing a start sequence, and the two Darts and one Halcat going off in the second. Graham Weyer and Neil Wadsworth got off to a cracker of a start in both races, camping near the line and timing the start magnificently.
After the race, Neil Wadsworth said, “My body is broken! But what a thrill being on the Dart, it carves through the water.”
Newcomers to the Flying Fifteen fleet, Struan Campbell and Richard Weddle, worked hard and pushed the more experienced Flying Fifteens. The duo managed to take the second race after a fantastic race.
Offshore on Sunday 13 yachts started in the Umhloti Mayor’s Race in light winds and lumpy seas. The long-distance race took the fleet north a nautical mile beyond the uMhlanga lighthouse. The Bill Piddington Trophy was won by Rick Parker: the trophy is awarded to the first over-60-year-old helmsman. Rick Parker was at the wheel of second-placed Bellatrix.
Ray of Light, helmed by Heidi Kavanagh, streaked ahead straight out of the starting blocks. The team seemed to have a comfortable lead as they neared the weather mark offshore of uMhlanga. Warren Clark, skippering Pallucci, had a cracker of a beat, having opted to go offshore and out of sight while the rest of the fleet stayed inshore. Clark rounded the buoy moments after Ray of Light.
On the finish Ray of Light showed her prowess, crossing the line first, with Bellatrix having a marvellous run, finishing six minutes behind Kavanagh’s crew. There was a long wait until the third boat with the committee boating waiting just over an hour. Pallucci had a disappointing run, claiming third in line honours, with Jon Marshall at the wheel of Majimoto finishing five seconds behind Clark.
Another tussle took place in the multihulls between Bill Ellens on his trimaran, Magic Dragon, and Sean Jones on his catamaran, Bandit. Ellens had a little more puff than Jones, crossing the line two minutes ahead.
The Commodore of the Royal Natal Yacht Club, Graham Rose, armed with his secret weapon, namely top hotshot sailor Jared Quinn (who has competed internationally), were unable to complete the race in the allocated five hours and 15 minutes for the race.
Of the 13 yachts that started only seven managed to finish – five retired from the race, and Zap unfortunately did not make the cut-off time.
“I only have one word for that race: frustration!” Gavin Wadsworth, skipper of Therapy, said back at the clubhouse, “There were loads of holes where we stalled. We had a decent beat, lying second at one stage, but often lost boat speed in patches where there was no wind.”
This weekend sees the Point Yacht Club Class Champs on Saturday, and the Royal Natal Yacht Club Waterfront Catamaran Series resumes.
Visit www.rnyc.org.za or like their Facebook page for more sailing information.
