Love of the sea brought out 24 dinghies in class champs

A LARGE fleet of 24 dinghies participated in the fifth day of the Point Yacht Club’s Dinghy Class Champs at the harbour on Saturday, 7 February.

After a long absence, Patrick Harris and Jeremy Kriek returned to the water in their brand new, glistening, carbon hull Flying Fifteen, Figjam. The highly decorated sailors showed their class as they powered to the front in their division with a comfortable lead in all three races.

In the Laser class Gregg Dobson, returning home from work in Madagascar, enjoyed being back on the water. He took the line honours in the first race but got jammed up at the start in the second race, finishing in seventh place, and then fifth in the final race. Trent Bingham also returned from a long absence from sailing, claiming the honours in the second race, but was forced to retire from the third race due to his kicker breaking.

The only lady in the fleet, Frances Van Breda, showed up a number of the men with a fine tally of a fourth, a sixth and a third place in her three races.

A colourful fleet of Hobies also came out to compete to get in some water time ahead of their nationals – the upcoming Hobie Epic to Richards Bay and the 9 Hour at Midmar. The entire fleet opted to retire from the first race, all camping out on the sand bank in the middle of the bay due to the winds dropping off.

The multi-coloured and multi-class fleet of 24 dinghies consisted of a Mirror, a Dabchick, Hobies, Lasers, Flying Fifteens, RS Teras, a 29er and an RS Feva.

This weekend sees two events hosted by Point Yacht Club, the conclusion to the Dinghy Class Champs and the first in the Jockey Series offshore of Durban. Race Officer, Ron Pet, has organised a tactical sausage course for the keelboats, ensuring lots of action as the bigger boats are required to carve through a set of ‘gates’ in the centre of the course and will have two options to round at the bottom mark.

For more info visit www.pyc.co.za or like the Point Yacht Club’s Facebook page.