Sailing Magazine
Round the Island Race 2014
Hosted by LDYC, Deneysville, Vaal Dam
31 January – 2 February
www.ldyc.co.za
No gate entry fee for sailors who enter by 15th January.
The 56th annual LDYC Round The Island Race Weekend Regatta takes place at Lake Deneysville Yacht Club (LDYC) from Friday 30th January to Sunday 2nd February. Competitors are urged to register before 18h00 on Wednesday 15th January to avoid paying the R100 gate entry fee per person. Entry forms are available on www.ldyc.co.za.
Results go digital
This year the Round the Island Race on Sunday 2nd February will go digital. Commodore James Peyper elaborated, “The sheer scale of this race with an average fleet of 380 registered entrants, has always presented a challenge in recording the results. To date this has been done manually by volunteers manning two bridge boats placed at each end of the finish line. It is extremely difficult to accurately record 50 or more boats bunching as they cross!”
LDYC is partnering with Race Time to use RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Tags) on competitor’s boats to monitor the finishing line-up and to record race results virtually real time. Race Time has extensive time keeping management experience in off-road racing, mountain bike racing and other major sporting events. The tag system will not replace the manual recording but will provide an invaluable cross-check tool to ensure no boats are missed in the final results. All competitors will pay a refundable R50 for each tag at the on-site registration during the weekend. Race officials will also have video footage of the finish to ensure 100% accuracy. The event still holds its 2007 Guinness World RecordTM for ‘most yachts in an inland race’ in which there were 389 finishers.
We want the dinghies back!
The committee for the annual Round the Island Regatta noted that although keelboats and multihull participation quotas have been fairly steady, the numbers of dinghies has been steadily diminishing over the years. “To encourage the class we are offering a tiered cash prize structure.” explained LDYC’s Austin Daly. Overall, the 56th LDYC Round the Island Regatta Weekend has R22 000 in cash prizes up for grabs.
The tiered cash prizes specifically for dinghies are:
71 or more finishers – R5 000 to first finisher on handicap.
51-70 finishers – R3 000 to first finisher on handicap.
20-50 finishers – R2 000 to first finisher on handicap
The Club has also added a R2 000 prize for first on handicap in Friday’s Commodore’s Cup.
The long-standing R10 000 prize for the first boat to break the existing elapsed time record set by Danie Colyn on a Seacart in 2007, of 55 minutes 37 seconds remains in place. This prize excludes windsurfers and yachts with hydroplaning abilities.
Cats before Keelers
Rear Commodore Deon Viljoen explained the race structure, “We have kept the racing format introduced in 2012, of 3 starts instead of 5. The first will be the Ultra Class, comprising a maximum of 50 mixed class boats with a handicap of 1.00 and above. However at the request of the sailing fraternity, this year the second start will be for the cats and dinghies followed by keelers and micro-multihulls in the third start.”
On-land attractions
Sailors and visitors alike can enjoy the usual bar, catering, air shows, top-notch live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. Ample camping and caravan space and utilities are available. At a price of R100 a head over 18 years of age for the entire weekend it is unbeatable value for money.
The sailing and entertainment weekend runs from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd February. To download entry forms and the Notice of Regatta visit www.ldyc.co.za. Contact LDYC on 016 371-1393 or email ldyc@telkomsa.net
