Amanzimtoti sailor keen to ride the wind
Zamani’s next race takes place this Saturday 24 October.
Finishing at the back of the pack in the first race of the L26 League, Amanzimtoti sailor Zamani Mda, 28, is hoping for a better showing this weekend. He is the custodian of the Point Yacht Club’s (PYC) yacht Challenger and in charge of five other Durban University of Technology (DUT) students on board.
“There were a number of reasons we didn’t do so well. We have had a lack of training – DUT wouldn’t allow the students to train when everyone else was allowed to. We also lost some of our sailors, so we have some new guys on board and like any other sport, our team needs to gel. Our boat also needs a lot of work and we have old sails. New sails cost about R70 000, so we would love to get a sponsor, who is welcome to put their logo on our boat and sails.”
The Isipingo resident has been a member of PYC since 2015. “The year before my sister told me about sailing. I did a three-week course on deck handling and day skippers at the Off-Shore Academy. I had never sailed before. It was the first time I had jumped on a yacht.”
He passed his practical, radio and theory exams and has never looked back. A day skipper is allowed to sail 100 miles off-shore from his home harbour. “I have done the theory on my coastal skippers – I just need to do the practical and theory, which I plan to do before the end of the year.
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“My goal for getting into sailing has changed over the years. In the beginning I wanted to work on super yachts overseas, but now I want to do racing.” A highlight was finishing third in inter-varsity match racing in 2016. Zamani was instrumental in establishing a sailing club at DUT in 2016 and was chuffed when it was declared offficial in 2018. “The youngsters are loving it. I am working with the PYC committee to get even more on the water.”
He was born and grew up in KwaMakhutha before moving to Isipingo in 2006. He attended Amanzimtoti Primary School, where he participated in athletics and cross-country, and matriculated at Amanzimtoti High, where his impressive build paid dividends on the rugby field. He is currently studying maritime – nautical at DUT. But saltwater runs through his veins. Last year he was an assistant sailing coach and just needs credits to become an official coach.
The Challenger is a 26-foot yacht, the same as Zamani learnt to race on. It has a two-stroke motor which is used just to get in and out of the harbour. Once out at sea, racing is solely wind-powered and the boats can handle up to 35-knot winds. The crew prefer smooth water, as choppy water makes life more difficult. The crew participated in dam racing a few weeks ago, where the wind is a bit more sedate for racing. “I prefer ocean racing though, as it’s more challenging and fun.”
Zamani’s next race takes place this Saturday 24 October. He is excited about the introduction of RaceQs, digital software to be run on all the L26s that will assist with training and post-race analysis, and allow spectators to view the racing in real time from home. “Sailing in Durban is dying out and we need to do something about that. We want people to know we are here and we are sailing!”
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