Durban sailor triumphant at Laser nationals
Durban sailor Rudy McNeill was triumphant at the SA Laser National championship over the weekend.
LOCAL lad, Rudy McNeill was in a class of his own when he was crowned the SA Laser nationals champion on Sunday.
McNeill won seven out of the eight races that counted offshore of Durban, following up from dominating the KZN Open Provincials in Richards Bay the weekend before. McNeill is hard at work hoping to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics
After the regatta, a chuffed McNeill said, “I had good fun on the water. The conditions suited me perfectly.”
Continuing, he added, “From the moment I launched my boat off the beach on the first day, everything felt good. I got into my groove quickly and fortunately didn’t make too many mistakes over the four days and I am happy that everything fell perfectly into place. My fitness helped quiet a lot, but also with the local knowledge, with a typical south wester blowing most of the time, I could read the weather easier than a lot of the guys who were on the Durban water for the first time.”
“I went into the first race on the final day needing to keep other Rudy, Rudolph Holm from Pretoria behind me. The winds started off really light from the North East, at one stage I was lying in eleventh. I can’t remember the last time I worked so hard, but I did it. I finished fifth but most importantly, ahead of Rudy. Once I had that nailed I knew I had won the title. I really was stoked!”
Durban’s autumn served up a bit of everything for the Laser sailors, with a few races with winds exceeding 15knots, a bit of chop when the North Easter filled in, some light winds for the leaner sailors and perfect sunshine over the four days.
Seasoned sailor and event organiser, Campbell Alexander who finished ninth in the main class said, “I think we can be very happy with the event. We had a variety of winds, the sailing was superb, and the setting was five stars. Everyone, from the highly competitive Olympic hopefuls to the more social sailors had a fantastic time on the water. Durban sailing is alive and well, and with all of the compliments we have been receiving from the Laser guys, our city is one of the best sailing venues in the world.”
In the Radial class, up-and-coming Dylan Long charged to the front. The impressive young sailor worked hard on the water, with each race the effort was evident as he pushed himself and his boat to the maximum. In the eight races sailed, he managed four firsts, two seconds, a third and a fourth.
