AMANZIMTOTI skipper Kevin Rainer and his team aboard the Tequila Sunrise defended their title to claim the Congella Cup for the second year in a row on February 23.

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The annual event is hosted by the Point Yacht Club and invites sailors to tackle two days of medium distance racing around the cans set with a backdrop of Durban’s magnificent Golden Mile.

Competing on his beloved 8m yacht, Rainer and his crew raced against yachts a fair size bigger than his L26, with his main competition, the CFM, captained by Nigel Milln, chasing his tail.

Chuffed with his win, Rainer said, “We had a great sail. The wind was a bit stronger than anticipated for the first race and conditions were perfect. At the start of the second race, the wind was a bit light, and CFM went really well in the lighter breeze.”

Anthony Howes, race officer for the series, set a rarely seen racetrack on the second day, resembling a giant T-junction. Gliding through the start line, the fleet made their way to a mark set roughly a nautical mile in front of the bridge boat. The yachts then turned 90° to the right, rounding the bottom mark to port while in the process making a U-turn to race up to the third mark placed further offshore. Once again, competitors had to make a U-turn, heading back to the middle mark where they turned right for an exciting sprint to the finish line.

“The course was very different to the usual Windward Leeward or There-and-Back courses that we normally do, but it was great to do something different. The bridge did a great job running all four races of the series,” said Rainer.

The next event for the keelers at Point Yacht Club is the Tugela Overnight Race on March 8.

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