This past Sunday, 17th November 2019, we had a few crews of visiting International sailors attend an informative presentation by Club and Sailing Committee Member, Roy Cook on sailing Southern Africa: East to West.
The presentation is based on Tony Herrick’s Southern African Cruising Notes (East to West). A few notes from Roy: It was a successful presentation in which we were able to inform the visiting yachtsmen of the dangers of the coast as well as explaining how to obtain safe passage on their journey down the coast. Special thanks go out to Gilber Goor for assisting with the presentation. Gilber has just recently sailed the coast-line and his experience and knowledge was greatly informative. Thanks also go out to Deon Myburgh for putting together the presentation. As the visiting international yachtsmen continue to make their way to our Harbour, we will be reporting on a few of their adventures in upcoming Newsletter articles.
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“Mind your P’s & Q’s”
Nowadays a term meaning: "Be on your best behaviour." HISTORY In old days, Sailors Serving aboard government ships could always get credit at the waterfront taverns until pay-day. As they would only pay for those drinks which were marked up on the score-board, the tavern-keeper had to be careful that no “Pints” or “Quarts” had been omitted from the customers list. WE CHALLENGE YOU! Nautical Quiz Evening, hosted by Vice Commodore and Yeoman of Signals, Mr Steve Cawdron, this Friday 15th November 2019. To book a spot for your team, call us on 031 301 5425. Pacer Sailing
Dear RNYC members, As you are aware, our club has been driving a Pacer initiative to introduce people to sailing and our club. This initiative is now being driven by 2 of our Sailing Committee Members, Phranké Nel and Corlia van Tonder, backed up by our club’s Sailing Secretary, Shaneé Davie. The Pacer initiative was originally the “brain child” of our Commodore Graham Rose. This has been a successful project, to a greater extent, in meeting our objectives of a Yacht Club, that being the promotion and enjoyment of sailing. However, we desperately need the assistance of skippers from our club to give of their time in helming Pacers, filled with the ever increasing number of new and excited people, wishing to taste and enjoy this brilliant sport. I have for one, have had much enjoyment in imparting my knowledge of sailing in general, whilst encouraging persons on-board to actually helm, trim, manoeuvre, the boat in order to get a better understanding of how a yacht works. This I believe is meeting with much approval and is being spoken about in circles, both on media groups and in gatherings. Unfortunately, there are just too few of us club skippers/sailors committed to this initiative. I must mention those who have put in more time than others and deserve a notable mention, being, Coert Grobbelaar, Carl Zimmerman, Lorraine Duggan Jones and Michael Boorman. They have by far given the most. Lately, I have tried to commit more time to this, but my schedule is a busy one and I’m failing to this end. PLEASE, we need your help. Please stand up and be counted. It is for our club and sailing. If you could just commit a couple of hours 1-2 times a month, it will go a long way. Please volunteer and contact Shaneé, who will fit you into slots that will suit you the most. An additional read – Phranké Nel’s Article: As one of our stalwarts in promotion of Pacer sailing, Phranké and friends have also supported other clubs who have in turn supported us. A month ago Phranké and friends attended the “Mike Leigh Memorial Fun Regatta” at ZYC in Richards Bay. They had a fantastic time. During the visit Phranké was impressed at their new Commodore, a woman of considerable talent. She has made many interesting value adds to her club in the support of sailing. Her rise to being the Commodore is an interesting one, with many well-known yachting personalities mentioned. Also, her staff training programmes to get their club staff involved in the sport is something we should be considering. This is a well worth account to read. You can read Phranké’s article here: A day in the life of a female Commodore - P Nel.docx See you on the water and around the club Rob Samways Rear Commodore 2019/2020 Sailing season is certainly upon us! We have had a few early international yachts visiting us, with many more on their way. The clubhouse has been abuzz with adventurous tales and a variety of foreign languages. We encourage members to come and meet the visiting sailors who are enjoying our hospitality. The current international visitors are from; Hawaii, Switzerland, Florida, Spain, France, and Australia.
Did you know that a 200ft international getty was built in 1950? This had deteriorated throughout the decade and eventually demolished in 1992 and replaced with floating pontoons similar to the rest of the walk-ons. Below is an article we found written by first-time UK sailor, Brett Ellis from Epping Forest Guardian. It is quite an interesting and enjoyable take on braving a sail boat for the first time - have a read: Sailing is like biking without the snobbery (I still can't understand golf, though) Generally, it is ill advised to go out of one’s comfort zone regarding transportation. Most of us are au fait with cars, planes, trains, buses and bicycles. Occasionally a new fad is the next must-do, and we find ourselves thronging with the flock to become early adopters. For the princely sum of £20, via Groupon, we can enjoy the privilege of getting down and dirty in a forest on, say, a Segway, before twisting our ankle and realising that the fad is just that.
The saying is true: if it seems a bad idea, then it is a bad idea. I for one was an early adopter with the Sinclair C5 for example, spending many miserable hours trundling up and down Hastings seafront in my youth before spotting the design flaws of a battery that lasts 12 minutes, the lack of roof and the inability to gracefully disembark without serious injury. Curiously, having grown up by the seaside, I was always a landlubber, rarely setting foot on anything that sailed, besides the old school, one-day, Dover-Calais booze cruises, before someone cleverer than I worked out that it is cheaper to just buy it from the local Sainsburys and that an Englishman in Calais was as welcome as a cannibal at a vegan convention. It was with this in mind, I agreed to an invitation from a friend of mine, Rob, to go out and do some cruising. After confirming that he meant on a boat and that this was not some illicit liaison behind both our wives' backs, we set sail on a glorious summer’s day out of Falmouth harbour. I have always seen boating as being in the same ballpark as golf: An ultimately pointless exercise for the middle classes, with each participant looking more miserable than the next as they wear inexcusable fashion. The revelation for me was that I was now a sailor: I found it utterly exhilarating, as I admired the scenery, others' vessels, and felt the wind through my bald patch prior to wimping out due to the ‘north easterly front’ and placing on my North Face cap. As we made our way in the wakes of Ellen MacArthur and Ben Ainslie, Rob decided to test my mettle and, despite my protestations, he was left sorely disappointed. A two-second warning of an impending ‘doughnut’ was met with derision until I went flying from port to starboard (I think). I then, having composed myself and wiped the Marmite off my face, decided to pop my head up for a gander. At that point the North Face cap disappeared for an impromptu dip. Rob, relishing a challenge, put his emergency plan into action and, having scouted the area, managed to locate said cap and retrieve it via the means of a long pole contraption with a spike on the end. This is when reality hit as this was not my comfort zone. Yes, I have seen Titanic and Cape Fear, but there was all manner of appendage in every nook and cranny and I had to ask for confirmation at every turn. A laid-back-and-then-some soul, he entrusted the jumping off with the rope job to me although, I could see sadness in his eyes when my knot, the name of which has not been invented yet, failed to hold and £50 grands worth of boat started to bid him farewell. Being Cornish, it was not a problem. Like Hasselhoff he merely dived in and swam to the boat to rescue it, as you do, before bringing it back home, via dolphin country where the post-cruise deep cleaning operation took place. To be honest there was a lot more to it than meets the eye. Mechanical checks before embarking, filling up with fuel from a floating petrol station (minus overpriced snack shop), and the cleaning of every surface leaving it ‘ship shape and Bristol fashion’. But, surprisingly, I was bitten by the bug and am now somewhat smitten. I even dusted off the two-man dinghy when I arrived home from Cornwall and plan to take an impromptu hack down the river Colne this weekend. The camaraderie was similar to biking without the snobbery, the old gentlemen piloting little ‘Dignity’ is treated with the same reverence as the superyacht owner and I for one believe this new passion will sail, although I am still to be convinced as to the merits of golf. The Lipton Trustees published the article below through via multiple media platforms on Monday 14th October:
Breaking News: Dates & Venue for Lipton 2020 Announced: Witbank Yacht & Aquatic Club and their “Nitro” sailing team led by Mike Hayton and David Rae, winners of the 2019 Lipton Challenge, have announced that they will defend the Cup against all-comers on the waters of Saldanha Bay and its coastal surrounds between the 9th and 15th of August 2020. As the thousands of sailors who’ve raced in the Mykonos Regatta over the past 30 years will know, Saldanha offers a whole range of really challenging racing areas. From the seven-kilometer-wide mouth of the Bay, open to the South Atlantic swells and the prevailing winter South Westerlies, to the more protected race tracks inshore of Jutten Island, there are options for all weather conditions. One thing is for certain - tidal currents here will play a much greater role in race strategy than in any of southern Africa’s other coastal sailing waters. The 2019 Lipton Challenge attracted by far the most experienced fleet of SA yachtsmen in this country’s sailing history. Next year’s contest, to be raced again in Cape 31 One-Designs, promises to raise the bar even higher. The 2020 Challenge will be hosted by Witbank Yacht & Aquatic Club in partnership with Langebaan’s iconic Club Mykonos. For those who don’t know Club Mykonos, it’s one of the jewels of the West Coast. A relaxed Agean style resort built around a beautiful marina - it’s a superb regatta venue! Having hosted successfully many international and local sailing events over the years, including two World Championships, an African Continental Championship, numerous SA National Championships and two previous Lipton Challenges, Club Mykonos undoubtedly knows the ropes. The 2020 Lipton Challenge promises to be something special. Original Document: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WlZFhbXLNpSbxlDY8nswrvHwJb-rWMwC Lifestyle piece by Corlia van Tonder Sailing Committee Member 2019/20 When you think of a RS Tera, with her fun little orange panel in the sail, you get the feeling of a calm slow vessel, who surely doesn’t capsize as often as people say she does...Boy, was I wrong! On Saturday, 12 October 2019, our little aggregation of RN sailors (Coert Grobbelaar, Phrankè Nel, Corlia van Tonder, Ursula Schei and Taigen Lindeque ) set off to visit Zululand Yacht Club, to participate in their Mike Leigh Memorial Relay, set to take place on Sunday, 13 October 2019 from 9 am onwards. The relay event was founded by the late Mike Leigh and Renier Greyvenstein to promote interest in fun sailing. What is the relay about you ask…? Well – in teams of four, sailors line up for the race at the top of the lawns, down a beer and leg it down to the tera, which is being held in the water by the balance of their team. They set sail around the short course in the bay, whilst trying not to 1) capsize or 2) lose your little pink pool noodle, both of which we mastered failing at. The RN delegation arrived the day before, as none of our team (other than a rather seasoned Coert) had ever seen an actual Tera, let alone sailed one. Couldn’t be that hard, right? I was the first to capsize on the day! Much to our amusement, the Richardsbay NSRI Station 19 where out practicing in nearby waters - and promptly zoomed to my rescue being delighted at the opportunity of action!! I, however, (and much to NSRI’s disappointment) uncapsized my vessel and they were visibly deflated at a lost opportunity, turning around and tuck-tucking away with me soldiering a second attempt at mastering this little demon of a boat. Gerrit Smith from ZYC, who has been running an exceptionally successful junior sailing division invited us to stay on his old, elegant cruiser, Sugarbush. We were nothing short of spoiled rotten, with our evening beginning with the most beautiful pink, blue and orange Zululand sunset skies, a handful of amazing humans from ZYC and a cruise, with some beers and music, setting the stage for an incredible weekend! Sunday morning greeted us with winds gusting at 25knots and overcast skies – nevertheless… race on! Geared in our Raymarine RN Regatta sponsored shirts, boasting the RNYC Burgee, we dived into the race. Coert was elected to handle the first sprint, considering he has the most sailing experience. Although the downing of the beer was slightly longer than our Zululand counterparts, Coert completed the course like a ninja zooming past all the competition in that leg. Second up was our beloved RNYC ladies racing team Jib trimmer, Ursula. The howling gusts, in conjunction with the wild-child Tera, decided that she preferred the company of the other yachts and Ursula graced us with a few (notable) examples of reverse mooring a Tera. Needless to say, tears streamed down our faces as we laughed out loud at this debacle. Next up – Me! After a successful push off from my team, I succeeded in educating the crowd on how to accomplish multiple donuts in and around the first mark. As well as how a vessel can move when facing the wind head on – BACKWARDS! Last to the grindstone was Phrankè for the final lap, running down the slipway after being cheered for her beer downing abilities. Sailing through the course with sheer determination, and refusing to give up, she capsized while rounding the windward mark, then uncapsized the Tera in 3 seconds flat and continued on to complete the course, much to the amusement and roar of the ZYC crowd. Taigen volunteered to assist with one of the ZYC teams who needed another sailor. They proceeded through several rounds of the race, making it to grand finale, with Taigen flying the RN flag high finishing second –very closely on the tails of Kirsten Schroeder, Ian Eaton and Haden and lastly, James Leigh, son of the late Mike Leigh - who claimed the victory lap. Upon mooring the Tera, Taigen realized he had lost the pool noodle during the most recent capsize. Bearing in mind that the pool noodle is an essential ingredient to completing the race, Taigen frantically hunted around the bay in search of the lost item. The crowd roared and pointed when we spotted the pink noodle floating between two yachts, which drove determined young Taigen back into the water, fighting against the wind to retrieve his loss. Imagine the feeling of sheer pride when James Leigh, on his final lap to claiming victory, tacked his little vessel, sped back to the start line collecting the noodle along the way and graciously passing it back to Taigen, before returning to his final lap.
The race was one for the books showing commendable sportsmanship and camaraderie! With Tera’s capsizing left, right and center, sailors lapping back to ensure everyone was safe before continuing. Tacking and gybing is a feat in 25knots gusting – lest we forget, this all on a Tera with most sailors being adult enough to make for a very tight fit under the boom when doing so. James and his team took the trophy and the RN team was awarded the ‘Club Carrot’ by Commodore Jackie Smit, for our sportsmanship, team work and in appreciation of the participation and support of the RNYC at their memorial race event. Exhausted from fighting the wind, late night chats, so much laughter and happy hearts - our team of sailors hugged and bid farewell to our new friends at the ZYC, late on Sunday afternoon, to begin our journey back home. A heartfelt THANK YOU to Gerrit Smit, Kirsten Schroeder, Jackie Smit and all the members of the ZYC family for the incredibly warm hospitality and welcome. This weekend will not soon be forgotten and I’d strongly recommend that the RNYC members make the trip up to visit the ZYC in Richards Bay. Stay tuned for the upcoming lifestyle piece, on women in leadership in sailing, by Phranke Nel in our next newsletter. For the full album on facebook Each year the Club, together with most other worldwide Royal Clubs and Commonwealth navies, we celebrate the Battle of Trafalgar and for the Royal Natal Yacht Club the commemoration forms the highlight of the club’s social calendar. With a men only black tie event taking the format of a formal Naval Mess Dinner the evening is filled with tradition and a certain amount of pomp and ceremony which to the uninitiated might appear a little daunting and perhaps even a little over the top but it is probably Durban’s last remaining formal dinner hosted on an annual basis. This year our celebrity Chef, Charlie Lakin, is set to produce, yet again, an outstanding meal fitting for the grandeur of the occasion.
Here is a link to an article by Britain Magazine entailing who Lord Nelson was, what happened during the Battle of Trafalgar, and various celebratory events. We are now celebrating the 214th Anniversary of the Victory of Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar and hope to see our Royal Natal Gentlemen in fine form for the celebratory evening. Members may book here or by contacting the office on 031 301 5425 or Shaneé on [email protected] This year’s Royal Natal Regatta would not have been possible without the amazing contributions from our main sponsor, Raymarine!
As well as the following additional sponsors:
We would like to extend our gratitude and appreciation to all the sponsors and everyone who assisted us with this event, as their contributions helped make our annual Regatta a great success! This past Heritage weekend was a festive one for sure! Our annual Regatta activities definitely kept all sailors and land-lubbers on their toes. The leaderboard for sailing was as follows: DIVISION A: (RACING FLEET) DIVISION B: (CRUISING FLEET) The leaderboard for land-based activities was as follows: A special thanks to Rob Samways for standing as Race Officer, Sandy Samways for processing results, and the Rescue crew who were on duty throughout the event: Alec McNamara, Chris Parry, Patricia Kilburn, Alan Tintinger, and Lindo.
All in all, it was a great event with amazing sportsmanship and participation from everyone involved! See you all again next year! |
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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