Knysna Inter-Club

**The mixed fleet of Hobies and dinghies just before the start of the Long Haul race.**
pic by Elle Photography

by Malcolm Osborne

Knysna Yacht Club hosted its annual Inter-Club Regatta on 10-11 February. The event attracted competitors from Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, as well as from the local clubs – Mossel Bay and George Lakes.

The Knysna estuary was filled with 67 boats racing around the courses. The largest fleet was the faster rated fleet of dinghies (Lasers etc.), which had 36 boats; the slower rated fleet (Optimist, Tera, etc) had 27 boats, while the Catamarans had just 4 boats. For the dinghies, those classes ratings 1200 or under were allocated to the faster fleet and those greater than 1200 to the slower fleet. On this basis, the Dabchicks were in faster fleet and in the good breeze, competed equally against the Lasers and Sonnets.

**James Vonk on his Tera Pro was the winner of the Slower Fleet.**
pic by Elle Photography

Three races were sailed on Saturday in a light breeze, initially north-west, but veering to the south-west later. Sunday’s racing commenced with the traditional long haul race from the clubhouse start line to the Heads and back, then three further races round the buoys in the afternoon, all in a gruelling, fresh south-easter. The longhaul race had a long beat to windward to the Heads turning mark in a freshening south easter. Then there was an planing broad reach back down the channel to the club finishing line.

The faster fleet was dominated by Georgou Divaris (Laser), who won two races and was consistently in the top three places. Kai Leslie on Laser Radial got second place, ahead of Dudley Isaac (Finn). The Inter-Club competition of this fleet was won by Redhouse Yacht Club, on the scores of their top 5 sailors. George Lakes Yacht were second, ahead of Mossel Bay.

The slower fleet was won by James Vonk (Tera Pro), ahead of the Tera Sport of Ashley Layland and the Tera Pro of Cameron Hills. The Inter-Club competition was won by George Lakes Yacht Club, just ahead of Mossel Bay Yacht & Boat Club. GLYC had 7 boats in this fleet while MBYBC had a big contingent of 14 boats.

The Catamarans were won by Andrew & Claudia Ward, ahead of Blaine Dodds & Angela Ward and William & Lucinda Edwards (all Hobie 16s).