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Last weekend we concluded a fantastic month of celebrating women, with the iMvula Ladies Race where a total of 17 boats took part. Despite the cold and light conditions two excellent races were completed. Thanks to all our members that loaned their boats or helped and supported this important event. A big thank you must also go to all the ladies who participated on the day .
On Sunday we had another well supported marina clean up and once again the amount of litter and plastic chip packets kept us all very busy. As indicated previously, we are talking with the Port and other role players to find a way to prevent the litter from storm drains and other sources from entering the harbour and our marina. We will keep you posted.
Our Spring week celebration saw winners walking away with great prizes, ranging from a meal voucher to a boat lift. Congratulations to Jan van Eeden, Paul van Lieshout, Jose Mendes and Dealtry Pickford for being winners.
This weekend is the next round of the very popular Double-handed series. The weather looks favourable and we hope to see many of you taking part.
On the international front Siyanda Vato and Michaela Robinson are currently competing in the Marina Militare Nastra Rosa Tour in Italy from the 26th of August to the 26th of September. After three legs of the Mixed Offshore European Championship, they are in fifth place out of the ten teams and 0,5 points behind the fourth placed team, with the likes of the USA and the UK behind them. We are delighted with their great results so far and will keep an eye on their progress as the month-long event unfolds.
And in the 31st Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup at Porto Cervo, Lord Irvine Laidlaw's Highland Fling XI, is leading the Maxi Division after three days of racing.
A reminder to view our social media platforms to keep up to date daily with news, events, restaurant offering and competitions.
Back on the home front, our restaurant and bar are open and operating according to Covid regulations and our popular Friday Night Draw is back.
I always look forward to seeing you at the Yacht Club.
Yours in sailing
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Introducing the new RCYC GENCOM members, by Liesl King
Two new members, Damon Lyons and Ntokozo Hlatshwayo, were recently elected to the General Committee (GENCOM) of the Royal Cape Yacht Club. Lyons will be representing the Academy, while Hlatshwayo was nominated to serve on GENCOM.
Lyons was introduced to keel boat sailing at a very young age by his father and has been passionate about sailing ever since. An RCYC member since 2003, he has competed in numerous offshore and inshore races, including the Lipton Cup and the Cape to Rio race. These days he mainly crews on Be-Witched.
He studied a B.Com. Accounting and Economics degree and then did a Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting at UCT. He completed his accounting articles at Grant Thornton, before taking up the post of Managing Director at a textile company.
Lyons joined the RCYC Finance Committee in 2018. At the same time he joined the RCYC Academy Committee and in 2019 he became a director of the then newly formed RCYC Academy NPO. Lyons currently still serves on both Committees.
Ntokozo Hlatshwayo joined RCYC two years ago. While his interests include soccer, running, basketball, swimming, philosophy, entrepreneurship, politics and economics, his first love has always been the ocean.
He was awarded a Transnet bursary and completed his Maritime studies at the Durban University of Technology. A Navigational Cadetship with Safmarine Container Liners and Unicorn Chemical Tankers followed. Hlatshwayo then joined the Transnet & IMO Structured Training Programme, which saw him complete his Radar Navigator & ARPA and his Maritime Pilotage Training in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Over the years he has held the positions of Tug Master, Marine Pilot, Marine Operations Manager, Deputy Harbour Manager Port of Cape Town and acting Harbour Master of the Ports of Cape Town, Port Nolloth and Mossel Bay.
On leaving Transnet he set up a marine consulting and ship recycling business, Nautilus Investment Enterprise (Pty) Ltd, and in 2019 he founded Aefrica (Pty) Ltd. Aefrica provides engineering services for ship recycling and ship repair services as well as developing and managing a number of marine projects.
We welcome both Lyons and Hlatshwayo onto our GENCOM and look forward to utilising their wealth of knowledge and experience.
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We also have a new Flag Officer in Johan Erasmus, who was elected to the role of Rear Commodore Inside House. Erasmus served on the Inside House Committee, as well as the Finance Committee, before being elected to the General Committee in 2020. A career in business management saw him working overseas in various positions, before joining Glen Carlou Vineyards (Pty) Ltd, where he is currently the Managing Director.
A passionate sailor from a young age he joined RCYC in 2016 and is the proud owner of Ielool, a Vickers 41. He labels himself as a cruiser with mild racing tendencies and a fondness for anchoring off Dassen, Paternoster and Stompneus. Though it seems as if Ielool will soon be venturing much further afield, with Erasmus recently acquiring his Yacht Master Offshore licence.
Click here for his live interview.
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The last two weeks have seen a flurry of sailing happening at the Club and you can definitely tell Spring is in the air. We had a very successful Ladies Race on Saturday with 76 Ladies taking part. A big thank you to Craig Leslie, who was our Race Officer, and our fantastic sponsors Batela, who sponsored eight beautiful jackets for the lucky draw. The winners of these beautiful jacket were Di Hutton-Squire, Belinda Haywood, Natasha Jack, Claire Heginbotham, Yonela Temela, Carolyn Fulton and Fiona Ross. The ladies have chosen their style and colour of Batela jackets and should be receiving them shortly. We are sure there will be many of us eyeing them out with envy when they model them around the Club.
We would also like to thank Rob Beamish from Brentoni Eyeware for the eight pairs of sunglasses, Strongbow for their tasty ciders and cooler bags, Dot Milton Skin and Makeup Specialist, who gave each and every lady a complimentary voucher and a winning voucher of a Summer Makeup course. A huge thank you to our new naming sponsor of the August Ladies Race iMvula. Congratulations to Jackal, skippered by Judy Provoyeur, who won the Spinnaker Class and Cape Dancer helmed jointly by Gaylene van Rensburg / Becca Hall who won the Non-spinnaker Class.
An exciting forthcoming event is the Knysna Rally and we welcome Novamarine as the new sponsor of this event. Keep a close eye on social media for all the fun activities this fleet will be getting up to, from dinghy relays to kayaking in the wilderness, bowls and cook offs. The Novamarine Knysna Rally fleet will be leaving on 18 September.
The SAS Western Cape Point Challenge will take place on the 18th September. At this stage we have five boats taking part. This is a race from Table Bay through to False Bay and forms part of the SAS Western Cape Keel Boat Championships. This is a great way to get your boat to False Bay in time for FBYC Intasure Spring Regatta which takes place from the 24th to 26th of September.
Another exciting event to hit the calendar, if you are not taking part in either the Novamarine Knysna Rally or the FBYC Intasure Spring Regatta, is the Pinto Russell and Meihuizen International Equinox Rally. Registration with complimentary wine and canapes will be on the 23 September, with the Rally on Saturday the 25 September. Email the sailing office for more details or download the entry form on the RCYC website.
The Spring Twilight series is a hit among the die-hard sailors and certainly has been a nail biting experience from the bridge. There are three more Wednesdays left of this series. Have no fear, the Summer Twilight Series will be starting in the middle of October. Please make sure that you have all updated your ORC certificates before the start of the series.
The Opening Cruise is our next Big Club Event and will take place on the 9th October. This year’s theme is ‘Venice, City of Water’, celebrating 1600 years of Independence. Prizes for the Best Dress Boat, Best Dress Crew and the Capture the Flag competition are up for grabs.
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Meet Sazi Zoyikelo - Receptionist
Like a good strong coffee every morning, Sazi is part of our daily ritual - he is the first hello and last goodbye of every day. As RCYC Receptionist, his wide smile is a welcome sight to Club members who need information about the Club and its activities. To staff he is a treasure trove of info, always available to assist with admin matters.
Originally from the Eastern Cape, Sazi moved to Cape Town in 2010 after his matric year, and took up a position as Registration Marshall at CPUT. Fast forward a few years and we have Sazi working as a casual in the Sailing department during an Opening Cruise. He ends up loving it so much that he immediately applies for the vacancy at reception when told by one of the Club members.
Not one to be scared of challenges, Sazi has his vision set high – he is studying towards an Accountancy diploma and dreams of one day becoming a Financial Advisor in a Bank.
Samp and beans are his favourite home-cooked meal, but no one does it as well as mom, and they often have this at family gatherings. At work his favourite meals include ribs and a juicy T-bone.
Ladies, take note that he is single, loves choral music and is a snappy dresser. When he has free time, he loves watching movies and socialising with friends. A white Mustang and a trip to New York are on his bucket list.
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In search of human value, by Lindani Mchunu
The Willingness-to-Pay Method
Governmental agencies, corporations, and even individuals make decisions every day that implicitly place a monetary value on human life. Governmental officials must decide whether to raise or lower speed limits, corporations decide whether to include expensive safety mechanisms on products, and individuals decide whether to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, exercise, or drive a car.
Economists have taken advantage of these everyday decisions to develop the willingness-to-pay method for calculating the average value of a human life. Economic studies extort the fact that people are often willing to engage in riskier behaviors or occupations for a price. In essence, these studies calculate the value of human life using the following formula: ©2010 Cornell University
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund ("VCF") was created on September 22, 2001, to provide compensation for any individual (or a personal representative of a deceased individual) who suffered physical harm or was killed as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of September 11, 2001, or the debris removal efforts that took place in the immediate aftermath of those crashes. The original VCF (“VCF I”) operated from 2001-2004 and distributed over $7 billion.
On January 2, 2011, the President signed into law the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 (“Zadroga Act”). Title II of the Zadroga Act reactivated the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (“VCF II”), expanded its pool of eligible claimants, and appropriated $2.775 billion for additional payments. VCF II opened in October 2011 and was originally authorized to accept claims for a period of five years, ending in October 2016, with a final year for processing and paying claims until October 2017.
On December 18, 2015, the President signed into law the James Zadroga 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Reauthorization Act (“Reauthorized Zadroga Act”). The Reauthorized Zadroga Act extended VCF II for an additional five years, allowing individuals to submit claims until December 18, 2020, and appropriated an additional $4.6 billion to pay claims.
On July 29, 2019, the President signed into law The Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, (“VCF Permanent Authorization Act”). The VCF Permanent Authorization Act extends the VCF’s claim filing deadline from December 18, 2020, to October 1, 2090, and appropriates such funds as may be necessary to pay all approved claims. ©2010 Cornell University
All these acts based their payouts on certain formulas that calculated the worth of the claimant depending on his/her value, his/her worth. One of them that intrigued me was this one below:
Strengths and Weaknesses of Valuation by Human Capital
Strengths: In theory, valuation by human capital rewards the plaintiffs the monetary amount that the decedent would have provided for them had he or she lived. It is appealing to judges and juries because damages based on lost earnings are relatively simple to calculate, and the measurement provides a meaningful anchor for jury deliberation.
Weaknesses: The human capital approach creates inequitable results. It highly rewards the survivors of victims from well-paying professions; it disadvantages women and racial minorities who are on average paid unequal salaries. By strict application of human capital calculations, children would have negative net worth, due to the high cost of raising a child; the retired and elderly would have very little. ©2010 Cornell University
In one fell swoop- a human being’s life was reduced to his/her earning potential. A human being was equal to their future projected earnings. If women earn less on average to men, then it’s clear their value will be less in society. Children, no earning potential to even use as a starting point- zero value. The 911 attacks precipitated a chain of events that would place human value at the centre of it all. What was the value of those who perished and their loved ones? The value was placed on their income at time of death and their earning potential for the future. The maintenance staff stood no chance. The CEO who probably had a substantial and significant pension fund and life policy, still took the lion’s share of the value.
Others question the soundness of methodology’s underlying assumption that people’s decisions to tradeoff small amounts of risk can be used to accurately calculate the value that they place on their lives. Critics argue that people’s behavior is not always rational with regard to extremely small risks. People purchase lottery tickets even though the expected payout is much lower than the cost of the ticket, and people often improperly overstate the risks of salient, but unlikely events, such as plane crashes, while undervaluing the risks involved in common, seemingly non-risky activities, like riding in a car©2010 Cornell University
Apparently studies across the world estimate a human life to be worth on average $ 5 million dollars. Again the delivery guy didn’t stand a chance, the value of his life was pegged on a number he would probably have to win the lotto to attain. A few weeks ago I actually watched a movie on this whole story about how America went about finding ways to compensate the 911 victims. It was indeed amusing to see how human beings derive value. How human beings value one another and most importantly themselves. It was more interesting to see how that value, translated itself into society and the pecking order of things.
I think this value coefficient is so pervasive in our society that everyone knows where they belong without even being told. In fact if anyone strays from their designated station of value, there is alarm, shock and reproach. One can see what a problem this poses for us in the Club. We have young, black and coloured kids, male and female, coming from challenging circumstances, some with no parents, dropouts and unemployed, no formal education, hardly speak English.
They are in our Club and share the same space with us. Yet according to my research they have very little value if any at all. What do we do? How do we go out of our way to make such efforts to help those whose future earnings are minimal at best and their value is well on the wrong side of right?
What gave me hope in my research was that human beings have not actually agreed in principle and in an absolute sense, exactly what is the value of a human life in monetary terms or otherwise and what method of calculation should be used. This gave me hope indeed, because in further research done in the past on the human condition and its frailty. I discovered that, it is only when human beings start to speak of absolutes and refer to immutable facts, that one should start worrying. This is when human beings are preparing for war.
If we are still battling with this very crucial question of value and worth and the measurement thereof, then programs like the Academy can still see the light of day. If there is still uncertainty and doubt, perhaps there is still room for the opportunity to create a new value system, one that never gives value to a human life outside of the collective. A human being living or dying is at the mercy of his surroundings, organic or inanimate. A human being, wealthy or poor, is at the mercy of his confidants. A human being, male or female is at the mercy of his or her connections and networks, professional, social or otherwise. A human being is at the mercy of all that he is born into. A human being cannot have value devoid of all this. It is only in our hubris that we may believe that monetary value can exist and stand without all the above mentioned. If it has any value at all, its real value is the ability to make one an extension cord, a javelin pulling everyone along. I am almost certain on its own, it can only achieve the accumulation of interest.
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