Our Club Draw evenings have been revamped! We have now combined our New Members Evening with the Club Draw.
The evening sports our usual monthly Club Draw with prizes as well as live jazz music. Open to all RNYC members, the other focus of the evening is on integrating new members into Club life, with tales of lifelong Club traditions, house rules, the in’s & outs of both social and sailing events, and much more. We host our member evenings on the last Friday of every month in The Britannia Room, and encourage all members to join in! Club Draw starts promptly at 6pm and you can contact Sarah on [email protected] to get your tickets for the monthly prizes. For more information, you can contact Shaneé on [email protected]
0 Comments
This upcoming Wednesday we are trying something a little different!
In keeping with the festivities of what has become a tradition of sorts during the season, our Wednesday FUN Nights will continue on next week. This Wednesday, 3rd April, we will be hosting a “booby prize” & braai night. This is aimed to be a fun get together where we hand out fun prizes for the season passed - all in all a fun evening to reminisce over a braai and fun-spirited prizes. Contact Shaneé to nominate some prizes / categories. We also still have the Durban Brewing Company (who brews our 1858 beer) tour to give away. Keep an eye out on our Club Notice Board and social media sites for more info @RNYCDurban. P.S To all those generous Yachties who pledged funds at our RNR Regatta last year, a friendly reminder that we will be collecting payments soon! Dear Members
Well we held a sold out ladies lunch last Saturday for ladies as part of the club’s cancer fundraising initiative for this years beneficiary the Highway Hospice. Load shedding occurred shortly after the start but I'm pleased to report that this did not deter the attendees. All dressed in the colour of their table, it was a sight to be seen. Wonderful talks on handling grief and dealing with cancer were very well received. We also had a Satin Candy presentation followed by bra measurement which was pertinent to the event. The meal was well chosen and enjoyed by all. Especially the desert which was served by three topless young men. Arguably this was the highlight of the day. In addition there were numerous gifts presented. Attendees were all issued with a number on arrival and prizes won were based on a number drawn during the course of the lunch. A raffle was also held with the main prize being a 32 cm TV. In addition an impromptu auction of one of the raffle prizes raised another R 700.00 for our charity. This was definitely an event not to be missed, so if you did, diarise for next year. - M Keith Brodie, Chairman of the Fundraising Committee Have a peek at our Facebook Album for a few pictures of the festivities: This past Wednesday was RNYC’s last Fun’d Race for 2019, and with free shooters, buy 1 get 1 free drinks, a great happy hour special, and a lucky draw - what an end it was! Have a look at the results to see the 6 vessels that braved the wicked Wednesday wind: As the sailing world starts to gear up for the next America's Cup there may be some members who remember the 1995 challenge but we are sure everyone might be interested in the following link from Suttlebutt especially as the designers continue to push the boundaries of technology: On Sunday morning a number of keelboats participated in a most interesting and novel race hosted by our friends at the Point Yacht Club. The “Over the Horizon” race saw a fleet of boats enjoy a down-wind start off Addington Beach before rounding the Fairway Mark and then heading out over the horizon to a virtual mark 12 miles offshore. The novelty of sailing out of sight of land, employing some navigation skill and the weather conditions made for a superb day at sea. The brave Bridge Crew who spent over 6 hours anchored off Addington patiently waiting for the fleet to return may not have had as much fun and we are grateful to them for their tenacity and sacrifice.
The conditions at the start were lumpy although the sea flattened out further offshore and according to some boats the wind varied in intensity from 8 knots to zero and then back up to to 30 knots with everything in between and from every direction as rain squalls passed over head. The back markers however enjoyed perfect sailing conditions missing the squalls and even the rain. The Ocean One class boats surged out ahead of the fleet under spinnaker while the B Class and more cruising orientated yachtsmen enjoyed a more relaxed sail although Mafuta led the way with her bright red asymmetric and She Myra looked splendid under her new asymm with a good turn of speed challenging Flyer. Further back Hobbit, Sundance and Zap enjoyed a close quarter tussle with the boats all stacked up abeam of each other with fishing lines trailing out, until of course one of the trio boldly decided that the other boats up front were getting away and it was now high time to change gears and break out of each other’s dirty air. Finding the virtual turning mark was great fun using a handheld GPS and calculating the tacking angles in one’s head. Rounding the virtual mark within 20 meters for a shorthanded crew was most rewarding and especially satisfying as it only took one tack to find the spot! The run home was especially fun as it provided a long reach under spinnaker for the racing boats and some nice gentle surfing for the remainder of the fleet. Being out of sight of land and taking a bearing off the lead boats before they disappeared into the rain made for an added challenge and seeking out the Fairway mark in the misty conditions and grey sea added another interesting dynamic, especially when the ghostly silent fishing reel suddenly screamed to life punctuating an otherwise disappointingly sublime race with a rush of adrenaline and much excitement. Realising that whatever was on the end of the line was very big it goes against one’s racing instinct to head up into the wind and start reeling in. With the excitement of what might be for dinner growing, arms groaning and veins protruding out of the crew’s forehead it was almost a relief when the line suddenly parted without revealing what was attached and the lucky fish lived to tell the tale before we had to try and figure out how would land the monster. Undeterred by the loss we simply hardened up again before rounding the Fairway mark and heading for the harbour entrance with renewed and excited chatter about what might have been. Unfortunately by this time we had greatly exceeded the 15h00 cut off time for the race and despite graciously waiting patiently for the tail enders the Committee Boat could be hear calling Port Control for permission to re-enter the port, the desperation and tiredness in the voice on the radio was evidence of the Bridge Crew’s long and no doubt uncomfortable day at sea. By the time we reached the breakwater the rain had ceased, wind direction altered and with the kind permission of the Port Control in the absence of any shipping we sailed close hauled down the leading lights into flat water with 22 knots of breeze. A perfect end to a brilliant day’s racing; our grateful thanks to Point Yacht Club for hosting such an interesting and most enjoyable event. Saturday afternoon produced some wonderful sailing conditions on the Bay for the dinghy sailors. With a gently southerly breeze and a busy schedule of shipping movements the Race Officer was challenged to find a suitable area to lay the race course. Among the shipping movements was the arrival of the 320m long container vessel, the MSC Mars, which had to turn around in the deep water channel before berthing alongside at berth 202, in view of her length and draught Port Control requested that we keep clear of the deep water channel and with an outbound RoRo from R shed the race course was laid in the Esplanade Channel just off the Ndongeni Lawns which provided a perfect spectacle for those ashore and the passengers on board the numerous pleasure boats, who had to thread their way through the racing dinghies much to the delight of the passengers who witnessed yacht racing from close range on the way to and from Wilson’s Wharf.
With the weather mark laid just off the centre sandbank and the leeward mark directly downwind on the starboard edge of the Esplanade Channel it provided a rather short and athletic course for the dinghies with the duration of each race being approximately 25 minutes. Fortunately the wind angle allowed for the start/finish line to be laid across the entire width of the channel which meant all the marks and committee boat were kept safely out of the channel, an added feature of this configuration was the short beat from the leeward mark to the finish line making for some tactical choices for the competitors when rounding the mark on the final leg. The racing got off to a good start shortly after the prescribed 14h00 start time with a combined start for the assembled fleet of Flying Fifteens, Lasers, a 505 and Pacer 27. The format of 3 windward leeward races of 3 laps each kept the sailors busy and the Race Officer on his toes timing the races to start and finish in between the busy pleasure boat schedule. With the 505 striding out ahead of the fleet it was easy to use her for keeping track of the number of laps the boats had sailed although a certain Flying Fifteen crew, who shall remain nameless, were adamant the Bridge Crew made a mistake and let the fleet sail an extra lap – we suspect they might not be as fit is they would like to think and tired easily after the second lap during the first race! As usual race two commenced promptly after the last boat crossed the finish line leaving no time for the sailors to rest between races and cutting short the traditional smoke break for one or two sailors. Fortunately the Pacer decided to head off for some independent sail training providing the young novice sailors onboard with the opportunity to take turns helming away from the confines of the racing fleet – our thanks to Rob Samways for patiently coaching the budding young sailors. In the meantime the dinghies battled it out on the race course with the 505 displaying some superb boat handling and spinnaker work with the odd Laser sailor demonstrating their aquatic and swimming skills. The afternoon’s entertainment on the Committee Boat was briefly interrupted with a radio call from Port Control requesting assistance for an upturned canoe in the vicinity of M shed. The Club’s Race Support craft Scorpio, with Moses Cele at the helm, was immediately dispatched to assist, fortunately it proved to be a false alarm and the it was not long before everyone’s attention could be returned to the racing at hand. Race three was started shortly before 16h00 but the overzealous fleet pushed the start line so aggressively that despite the length of the line a number of boats were over the start line seconds before the start signal forcing the Race Committee to call a General Recall and restart the start sequence this time employing the dreaded Black flag. While the prestart was considerably more orderly a number of Lasers managed to peak their bow over the line prematurely resulting in the mandatory disqualification and been sent home much to the unhappiness of the yachtsmen concerned. Our grateful thanks to Moses Cele, the OC Rescue Alec McNamara and Sandy Samways for their assistance on the Bridge. All in all, it was a very pleasant day on the water with final results as follows: Pacer Team Racing, 2nd March 2019: Match #1 Saturday afternoon saw the return of the popular Pacer Team Racing Series. The first match for 2019 started enthusiastically and the ideal sailing conditions made for a wonderful afternoon of competitive sailing. The four crews arrived at the Clubhouse for the briefing and random selection of teams and boat allocation which took place on the Ndongeni Lawns. The teams were made up of the following: With a Southerly breeze blowing of 10 to 12 knots, and with the kind permission of the Port Captain, the windward leeward course was laid in the deep water off Pier One making a nice spectacle for those watching the racing from the shore. The racing started promptly at 14h00 following the usual Team Racing format of 3 races of approximately 40 minutes duration, with 3 laps per race and the 3 minute start sequence which always seems to catch the skippers off guard. The Bridge Crew and Jury on board the Committee Boat were anchored towards the leeward mark end of the race course providing a good long beat off the start line and superb vantage point to monitor the racing especially as the fleet rounded the leeward mark.
Race one started with a hotly contested start and both the teams displayed their eagerness and determination to defend their teammates and dominate the opposition. Right from the start Pacer Two and Three were engaged in a duel with both boats taking their turn with their penalties for rule infringements while Pacer One and Four sped off down the beat trying to make some ground and cover tacking each other along the way. Unfortunately Pacer Four suffered a crew injury on the downwind leg during a gybe when someone, who shall remain nameless, forgot to duck. A mistake we all make only once! Fortunately Moses was standing by on Galaxy and swiftly transferred the bloodied nosed crewman ashore where Sithembile very kindly rendered some first aid and hopefully a stiff drink! In the meantime the crew of Pacer Three managed to break the mainsheet block leaving them hamstrung without the addition mainsheet purchase for the remainder of the afternoon. The Race was eventually won by the yellow team. The start sequence for Race Two started immediately after the last boat crossed the finish line catching the yellow team completely off guard and with a separate start sequence commencing for the fleet of assembled Flying Fifteens there was much confusion on board Pacer Two who started late and had to work hard to catch the rest of the fleet. With Pacer One and Three substantially in the lead it looked as if Race Two was going to be a whitewash with the yellow team unable to catch up. At the end of the second beat the Race Officer took the bold decision to shorten the race and immediately the game changed. With Pacer Three out in front their teammate was now fighting off Pacer Two and Four who had both managed to catch up. At the leeward mark Pacer Three had to return to the fleet and “dig” Pacer One out of trouble and all of a sudden we had a titanic battle and only about 75 meters of race course to the finish line. While the Pacers were battling it out the Flying Fifteens had to tack their way through the battle ground to the finish line which kept the Bridge Crew on their toes recording all the finishing positions. Race Two was taken by the yellow team by only a few metres making it one of the most exciting finishes witnessed on the Bay in a long time. Without delay the Bridge Crew commenced the start of the scheduled Race Three much to the howls of protest from Pacer Three who took their 2-0 defeat very seriously. Race Three saw a much improved contest on the start line and positions changed constantly throughout the 3 lap race. By this stage the wind strength had increased to 20 knots making Coert’s all girl crew, all dressed in bright pink shirts, work really hard to keep the boat moving forwards. Pacer Three’s disheartened young crew bravely battled on without the extra purchase in the mainsheet system but could not hold Pacer Two and Four back leaving the afternoon 3-0 to the yellow team. With the boats all safely back on their moorings the crews retired to the bar to exchange war stories and enthuse about the amount of fun they all enjoyed while the novices expounded about just how much they learnt about yacht racing in a single afternoon. Our grateful thanks to Moses and his team on Galaxy and the Bridge Crew and Jury consisting of the Price family, the OC Rescue Alec McNamara and our visitor from Cowes, Kerriann together with our photographer for the afternoon Shaneé who escaped from the front office for the afternoon to enjoy the view from the Bridge Deck on the Townsend. We look forward the next Pacer Team Racing afternoon and hope to see some more new faces getting involved and enjoying the fun. Contact Shaneé to get your name on the Pacer Team Racing leader board. With a total of 17 boats competing, the penultimate RNYC Wedneday Night Fun’d Race was exciting, interesting, and as always, fun! |
AuthorThe Royal Natal Yacht Club is the oldest yacht and sports Club in Africa and the oldest yacht club in the southern hemisphere. Read our Newsletter to find out more! Archives
February 2020
Categories
All
|