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:
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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: |
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
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