Greetings Sailors, Ski Boaters, Paddle Skiers and Paddlers,
 
I guess that the regular manic morning traffic is a firm indication that the holidays are over and Durban is back to business as usual. From a sailing perspective this past weekend was busy from both dinghy and keeler perspectives, whilst one intrepid Ballito ski-boater did what the Top Gear  Hooligans could not do, and killed off a Toyota Hilux in under 5 minutes!! Isn’t social media just such a curse when you do something really stupid?
 
I was amongst the numerous dinghy sailors who converged on HMYC for the first leg of the season’s SAS KZN Grand Slam series.  Zululand Yacht Club was deservingly awarded the trophy for best attendance. We even had Clive Whitburn from Victoria Lake Club in Germiston joining us to also compete in what was a really excellent Laser Regional Championships. The event had classes of Hobie 14s, Halcats; Lasers; Optimists and Teras; as well as a Sprog and a Dabchick. Our Peter Hall won the Hobie 14s, while Vincent Vermaak took top honours in the Oppies – both fleets sporting 7 boats each. The biggest entry was the Laser fleet with 27 boats altogether – 18 being full rig; there were two 4.7s, and 7 radials. Hannah Fokkens sailed really well to finish second in the radials, with no shame to be beaten by the wily old fox, Rob Tarboton on his home waters.
 
I was fortunate to have a Laser arranged for me by Jerome McLoughlin and Campbell Alexander, and for the first time in around 3 or 4 years I again did my best to contort myself into that little cockpit on the legendary Tupperware Torture Rack. I was not the only visitor to the fleet – Roy Dunster was another hired gun, while Daniel Larkens made a welcome return after an absence of a few years. There were a few big names who were expected but didn’t arrive – a pity for them, as the event was first class, and thoroughly enjoyable.
 
In true Laser fashion the first race earned a general recall, which was followed up with the U flag flying ominously. I was quite grateful for the recall as with 90 seconds to go to the start, my tiller extension parted company from the tiller, requiring immediate attention… Daniel stamped his authority all over the first race and took a clean win, while Clive Whitburn took the win in the second race. This was all in very light winds which saw some large men having to find very precarious positions to achieve just the right level of heel, and getting the transom out of the water. Paul Changuion took race 3, while Roy Dunster took the honours in the 4^th race. As the afternoon wore on there were some hilarious capsizes, with people either slipping off their decks, or suffering gentle but irrecoverable death-rolls.
 
The evening saw us braaing and enjoying the new and thoroughly pleasant fire pit area that HMYC have built outside the bar. There was live music to soothe our very weary and sore bodies, and vitally, the beers were correctly cold. Steve has taken the hospitality at HMYC to an all-new-high – you need to go there to experience the friendly welcome!
 
Sunday saw racing delayed until the North Easter filled in – thankfully a little stronger than the previous day, which saw us achieving planing speeds at times (Garth Loudon even managed to pitchpole his Hobie at the gybe mark!) With 4 separate winners on the board, the regatta was wide open. Roy Dunster took the first win of the day, while the very consistent Paul Changuion took races 6 and 7. Other faces featuring regularly at the front of the pack were Nick Matter, Jan Larkens, Jerome McLoughlin and Campbell Alexander. My moment of glory came in race 6 when I was second at the weather mark, but unsurprisingly lost 3 places before the finish. Henri Frencken revelled in the fresher breeze and clocked up victory in the 8^th and final race. Overall, Paul was the convincing winner, and now wears the crown as Laser Regional Champion, while Roy Dunster took silver. Campbell Alexander was the bronze medallist. There was a lot of really good sailing talent on the water, and I was extremely grateful to be part of it. What really tickled my sense of humour was the mandatory warning decal on the UK built Laser that I was sailing – which included – ‘Capsize Risk!’ – like, duh!!!!
 
The next big event at Midmar is the 9 hour endurance race, which takes place on Saturday 17 February. Steve has told me that he has hired 2 bands to provide entertainment on the day, so just make sure that you get there. Midmar has risen by around 30cm since New Year, and is in fantastic condition. Book your campsites, chalets or cabins early – just get there!!!
 
This coming Saturday is the Bar Anniversary Mug Pursuit Race – the bridge boat team is all sorted and raring to go, while we have an enthusiastic bunch to man the support boats – all we need is the sailors to get down to the Club and enter as early as possible Justin Butler is the handicapper and he needs time to crunch the numbers. The first start gets away at 2pm, while the pre-race briefing will take place under the thatch at 12.45. No entries will be accepted after 12 Noon.
 
All members who are not sailing are invited to compete in the “Mullett Masters” fishing competition which will be taking place off the PYC banks and into the Marina. Don’t be fooled into believing that catching mullet is easy – as numerous as they are, they are shy feeders, and do not go after the smelly fish baits that are normally associated with angling. It is very much a catch-and-release event, with the winner scooping all the entry fees collected.
 
The fishing competition will finish around the same time as the race, after which we will all have an opportunity to celebrate the anniversary of the opening of Charlies’ Bar together.
 
Some news to tantalise the taste buds is that Nick Papadopolous’ “Eat Greek” catering business will very shortly be taking up residence at PYC. Nick has specifically been hard at work trying to replicate the PYC pie – whilst the physical appearance might not be the same, I was one of several fortunate test pilots asked to recently taste a number of his pie recipes, and we are very confident that Club members will be very pleased with the results delivered. So, get on down to the Club and give the new Pie & Chips a test drive, and while you are eating, have a look through the rest of the menu.
 
Over the first two weekends in February we will move into a more serious racing mode as the Dinghy Class Championship kicks off – this series will run over 4 weekends altogether. So get polishing those hulls and foils for that extra edge of speed through the water.
 
In closing, although a few people that I have spoken to expressed interest in the invitation received from the New York Yacht Club to their Team Racing event later this year (which I mentioned in my previous Missive), I have not yet received any formal responses or commitment. There is a deadline of 15 February by which entries need to be lodged with NYYC, so if we are going to do this, we need action. It will not be cheap to compete in this event, but it will be an experience of a lifetime. Whether you are a dinghy or a keeler sailor it does not matter – if you are keen and committed, please drop me an e-mail on myles@holburn.co.za, so that I can co-ordinate our response.
 
See you on the water!