Ballito’s first family of sailing, the Funkes, earned an impressive fourth-placed finish at the Henley Midmar Yacht Club’s gruelling nine-hour endurance regatta on Saturday.

Nearly 50 vessels, with crews of up to four sailors each, took to the water for the annual event, first held at Midmar Dam in 1987. Among them were Thomas and Nadia Funke and their sons, Gust (13) and Kai (11), competing together in the marathon for the first time.

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Racing in a Hunter 18, the Funkes just missed the podium in the classic fleet category, renowned as an especially demanding division. The boat has to keep moving for the entirety of the nine hours, making effective crew swaps and the management of weather and fatigue crucial aspects of the race.

“The race was an amazing experience and very tiring,” said young Kai.

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His older brother Gust added, “It was so much fun to do this endurance event as a family.”

Nadia described the event as both challenging and deeply rewarding.

“It was great bonding time and a wonderful experience,” she said.

“It was also great to see the kids’ resilience out on the water.”

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