Greetings Durban Dinghy fans,
 

What a positive difference Markus has made with his menu, service, and quality of food delivered in our Clubhouse! I only had time for a toasted sandwich before heading onto the water on Sunday morning, but there was already an enthusiastic crowd congregating for the new Sunday Buffet Breakfast, and it was so pleasing to see an even bigger crowd settled in for the Buffet Lunch later in the day. I can happily state without fear of contradiction that once again we have food and service that we as members can be proud to not only enjoy for ourselves, but to also bring guests along to our little piece of paradise next to the water. Okay, we need someone with really big connections to address the water quality………
 
Being quite early in the year and a number of people still away on leave we didn’t get quite as many takers for the Double Handed Match Racing as hoped for, but I did keep the invites restricted to those tending toward “rock star” status, to ensure a high standard of sailing as well as ensuring a decent level of safety for the expensive racing machinery on loan. The boats used were the 4 “new” Flying Fifteens which had filled the top 4 positions in the recent Nationals, and these were paired against each other in a like-for-like format. We ended up with 6 teams sailing a full round robin against each other, with the top 4 progressing through to an elimination knock out, and best of 3 final.
 
Saturday delivered up a light south-easterly, and as a result each race took around 30 minutes to complete. In contrast, Sunday’s fresh north easterly saw races being completed in around 15 minutes, but with the crews taking quite a physical battering. You could say that on average the conditions were perfect!!!??? Overall, Patrick Harris and Jeremy Kriek delivered a lesson in the value of sailing together for a good number of years, winning every single race that they started in, even if they weren’t leading at the first mark.  Some of the competitors had not sailed on Flying Fifteens were a number of years, while for others in was the first time ever on these deceptively quick boats, but overall the finishing positions were: 1) Patrick Harris & Jeremy Kriek; 2) Thomas Funke & C J Milln; 3) Sam Lombaard & Jethro Brophy-Tintinger; 4) Gregg Hurter & Jeff Rose; 5) Campbell Alexander & Andrew Walford/Chris Kloppenborg; 6) Rick Parker & Joe Boy.
 
Thanks to the teams that sailed, but perhaps a bigger thanks to Kevin, Sean, Chante, Tracy, Gavin, Jimmy, Mike, Trent, Sophie, Keith and Alan for the vital roles that they played in their respective support capacities, as well as John Burn for the sterling job he is doing in preparing the fleet of safety boats. My processes of discovery continue, and I have quickly learned what a huge and important job it is to maintain and prepare these craft.
 
This coming weekend sees the Midmar leg of the SAS KZN Grand Slam – I hope to get my collective act together and get myself there to compete, and I hope that there are also a good number of similarly minded PYC sailors? HMYC have kindly offered for all interested boat owners to leave their boats there, to save trailing up again for the iconic 9 hour , being sailed on 18 February. Just 1 problem with that idea though……
 
Back home – Diarise Now!!!! Saturday 28 January 2017 – is the actual anniversary of the opening of Charlies Bar, and it is fitting that in our 125^th year we are sailing the Bar Anniversary Mug pursuit race on the actual anniversary. The format is the same as with the Jonsson Cup – except that this year we have even more festivities lined up. The theme for the day is Beer & Bunnies – so get down to the Club, enjoy your bunny chow and beer, and then find anything that floats and has sails, and join in the fun. We will be presenting the trophy after sailing, so don’t plan to be going out anywhere else that night. Big race – Big Party!!
 
Just 3 months away and we are reviving another iconic PYC event – the Easter Regatta for dinghies, sailed offshore. Already we have the 505 and Hobie 14 classes using the event to sail their National Championships, and we are hoping to attract other classes as well as sailors from around the country to join us. Of course the event is also open to all classes, so make a diary note and start planning for the event now. As with the match racing just concluded, the success of all sailing events is highly dependent upon the quality of the support people running the regatta. If you are willing to do your bit as beach master; regatta secretary; bridge boat crew; support boat crew; event marketer; or any other capacity that you can think of that will add to the event, please let me know, and we will gladly make the best of what you offer. Our beach site is renowned as a World class venue with World class sailing conditions – I wish to exploit those aspects to the maximum, and deliver an event that will be remembered for all the right reasons.
 
A few months ago I mentioned the character “TipToe Tackie” who used to add some barbed humour to the monthly Club newsletters. TipToe is indeed still around, and an article was submitted to a neutral party for forwarding on to me, but at the last minute it was withdrawn. I look forward to receiving something from Tiptoe to include in future Missives.
 
Finally, Gavin Smith has asked me to remind one and all about the “LBJs” – not the Little Brown Jobs that inexperienced bird watchers keep on spotting, but those small coins that you receive as change at the supermarkets etc, which then serve to do nothing but add bulk and weight to your wallet or purse. Whilst each coin on its own may be insignificant, en masse they actually do amount to something, and in the hands of the NSRI will ultimately lead to saving someone’s life – maybe even yours. Please collect all these LBJs in a container, and bring them along to the next NSRI Barrell event.
 
See you on the water.