Sailing Magazine
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issue – 36
18 November 2015
by Richard Crockett
Publisher & Editor of SAILING Magazine
Reader response is welcome – respond to: editor@sailing.co.za
As we head into the ‘silly season’ and begin to wind down in anticipation of some much needed holiday and relaxation time, please remember that the rules of the road in your car relating to drinking and driving are exactly the same as for you when you are at the helm of your boat.
So please don’t drink and drive – on land or at sea.
This is the time of the year when the judges cast their votes for SAILING Mag’s ‘Sailor of the Year’. This year they have had a tough time as in the mix were 4 World Champions and 2 Olympians, plus other noteworthy performances.
You will have to wait until late December before the winner is announced in the January 2016 issue – so watch this space .
And, in continuing with the FUN theme of our sport, especially in youth sailing, we have three separate pieces in which people advocate and stress the importance of FUN in sailing.
In this issue we “Talk About”…
• Spare Some Thought for Our 49er Sailors
• Maserati hosts Cape Town Race Week
• Sponsorship
• Sailing Takes Top Honours
• A World First. Rounding Cape Horn in A Foiling Catamaran
• Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image. Cast YOUR Vote Now
• To Wear Or Not to Wear – That is the Question
• Seeing Stars, Again: Naval Academy Reinstates Celestial Navigation
• SWIZA reinvents the Swiss Knife
• Youth Nationals
• 2016 Rick Tomlinson Calendars
• The Future of Sailing
• Grow Sailing, Not Egos
• Putting Fun in Junior Sailing
• The 39 Steps to Being A Sailor
• Sailing Humour
• How True! This Simply Needs to Be Said!
• I Like This!
• Some Selected Responses to “Talking Sailing”
• A Lasting Gift – A Subscription to Sailing Magazine
• Sailor of the Month – Submit Your Nomination Now
• To Subscribe
Spare Some Thought for Our 49er Sailors
Our 49er sailors, Graeme Willcox and Andrew Tarboton, have been campaigning for the past three years to qualify for Rio2016. They are currently at the 49er Worlds in South America where just 3 sailors will pick up the final international qualification slots.
In a mail to me after the first day’s racing, Graeme closed the correspondence with this: “With the Olympic slots going to the teams positioned in 1,3 & 5 it is not likely we will do it.”
These guys have worked hard to get where they are, and most of the time have had the odds stacked against them. But they are not complaining, making excuses, or finding fault. They have given it their best shot, but failed. Plus, instead of talking about campaigning, they actually went out and did it.
Unlikely to realise their Olympic dream, they do take away a wealth of experience which will stand them in good stead, plus memories which will last forever.
Maserati hosts Cape Town Race Week
Following on the success of the Maserati Charity Regatta of 2013, Maserati South Africa has extended its involvement with the South African Sailing community by acquiring the title sponsorship to the Cape Town Race Week. The event will be known as the Maserati Cape Town Race Week and takes place at the Royal Cape Yacht Club from 11 – 16 December 2015.
According to Brad Graaff, Operations Manager for European Automotive Imports South Africa (EAI-SA), the sponsorship of the Cape Town Race Week is a natural extension of the Italian luxury brand’s alignment with sailing through its international sailing team.
The Maserati Cape Town Race Week will comprise a minimum of 5 races, taking place over the six days. The racing also sees 2 social races where guests can experience the thrill of yacht racing first hand. The racing schedule concludes with a middle distance race where the fleet will head East along the Cape’s Atlantic Seaboard, past the iconic Granger Bay, Clifton, Camps Bay, Llandudno and Hout Bay shores.
Whilst the sailing will be competitive and uncompromising, the Maserati Cape Town Race Week places a strong emphasis on fundraising for charity to ensure a social responsibility legacy for the event. In keeping with this agenda, the organisers have identified two beneficiaries, these being the Royal Cape Sailing Academy – a sailing and life skills initiative for youths from disadvantaged backgrounds – and The Ripple Effect – an organisation supporting the NSRI, Dyer Island Conservation Trust and Clean C.
The Maserati Cape Town Race Week promises to be the elite social event on the local sailing calendar for sailors, boat owners and, of course, Maserati owners. It creates the ideal environment for the sailing fraternity, and the Maserati family to network and engage in a relaxed and social environment.
To this end, there will be a race day party on the 11 and 13 December, with the Maserati Gala Charity event taking place on the 12 December. The main prize giving and after party will be a fitting end to the week on 16 December.
Sponsorship
I am always critical of event organisers and clubs who fail to understand their obligations to sponsors.
Sponsorship is a business deal – nothing more and nothing less. So it requires one party to give something in return for receiving something. It is NOT a one-sided affair.
Sponsorship in our sport has been tough to get in recent years as many big sponsors quickly exited the sport when they realised they were being ripped off. And their reasons become boardroom talk.
Today, the Royal Cape Yacht Club leads by example and has the people in place who understand sponsorship, plus the ability to deliver and keep the sponsor happy by getting the returns promised. As a result they are attracting more and more sponsors to their events.
Other clubs should take note and learn from ‘the masters’.
Sailing Takes Top Honours
Sailing took the top honours at the 2015 Eden District Sports Awards in the Southern Cape recently.
The ‘Sportsman of the Year Award’ was presented by Elana Meyer to Blaine Dodds, in recognition of his achievements over the past year, including winning the Hobie 14 World Championships and 2nd place in the Hobie Tiger Worlds.
Elana Meyer was guest speaker at this event where sailing triumphed over finalists from Golf and Modern Pentathlon.
Also at the 2015 Eden Sports Awards, Team ClemenGold, comprising William and Douglas Edwards was awarded the ‘Team of the Year Trophy’ in recognition of their sailing achievements over the past year, including winning the Hobie Tiger Worlds. William was there with his wife Lucinda to receive this award. Other finalists in this category were Rugby teams.
Robyn Hellstrom of GLYC was a finalist in the category ‘Junior Sportswomen of the Year’.
Evelyn Osborne was a finalist in the category ‘Sport Legends’ in recognition of her contribution to coaching in Sailing for many years.
Well done to them all.
A World First. Rounding Cape Horn in A Foiling Catamaran
Franck Cammas, one of the most successful French sailors in the world, is preparing to do something never done before – round Cape Horn in a foiling catamaran.
This ‘HORNomous’ adventure is between Ushuaia (Argentina) and Cape Horn (Chile). Cammas will share the experience with amateur German sailor, Johannes Wiebel.
Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image. Cast YOUR Vote Now
The world’s greatest marine and yacht racing photographers have entered this year’s international Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image contest and voting is open to the public! The winning image and its photographer will be revealed at the Yacht Racing Forum in Geneva on 8 December.
Sailing and photography enthusiasts from around the world are invited to vote for this year’s Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image – click HERE to vote.
135 professional photographers from 29 different countries entered. Their best shots of 2015 are now available to view and to be voted for – including South African photographer Marc Bow – so consider casting your vote for our local lad.
To Wear Or Not to Wear – That is the Question
Brian Hancock (‘Mugs’ to his mates) is a former top local sailor and now sailing writer. He recently launched a blog entitled ‘All About Sails’, and a recent offering, below, solicited much comment and hate mail. Read it and think carefully before commenting!
I read a blog by my mate Skip Novak the other day. Skip and I have logged north of 70 thousand miles together so we do agree on many things but I really agree with him on this one. He was taking to task the overuse of life jackets. Here is how his blog starts. “I first realized there was something amiss when several years ago on a visit to the Hamble River during a dead calm weekend afternoon. I noticed that everyone on every craft (and they were not racing) was wearing a lifejacket.” I have noticed that as well. I have seen grown men and women, many of them hugely successful in life, wearing their PFD on a boat, at the mooring, as if it was quite normal. It’s not normal. Get a grip. You can swim. You are not going to fall into the water. You have been brainwashed.
OK, so I know I am going to get some heat for this and bring it on, but seriously, it’s time we all stepped back a little and started to think for ourselves. When the wind is up and the boat is crash banging to windward and waves the size of washing machines are slamming over the foredeck then for sure, it’s time for a life jacket, but seriously you look like a fool when you are motoring on a calm day and your whole crew are wearing their brand new West Marine PFDs. When did we all stop thinking for ourselves?
I am going to take it one step further. I never wear a life jacket when I am sailing alone no matter the conditions. Foolish you say? I don’t think so. There is no joy in falling overboard and having your life jacket inflate while you watch your boat sail merrily away from you with the auto-pilot in control. Nope if I am overboard I don’t want to be bobbing happily in the wake of my boat when the outcome, yes certain death, is going to be the same, life jacket or not.
My brother lives in the Okavango Delta in Botswana and has been there for the better part of three decades. He lives in the bush where there are lions and the rest but he has never carried a gun and never had any incident. How is this related? Well here’s what I think. I don’t advocate the use of life harnesses either unless it’s really howling out and even then I rarely use one. You see my brother’s logic is simple. You have a gun, you rely on the gun. You have no gun and you build up a very good sixth sense. You are very aware that you do not have a life harness on and your movements are more heightened and more cautious as a result of it. You are not doing stupid things and taking unnecessary risks believing that the life harness will be there to save you when you screw up. My brother said it best. “When I am in the bush,” he said, “and there are lions about, I am very aware of the risks. I use my own innate sense of what to do and what not to do. I never do anything stupid but I have seen others do incredibly dumb things with a sense that if something goes wrong they will shoot their way out of it.”
Seriously, it’s time we all started to think for ourselves again. What has happened to us? Why do we all just follow along like a bunch of sheep? It’s not just PFDs, it’s everything. It’s time we recouped some of that independence we once had and started to believe in ourselves again and take responsibility for ourselves. We have all become pathetic little yes-men, err and yes-women too.
Follow Hancock HERE
Seeing Stars, Again: Naval Academy Reinstates Celestial Navigation
A glimmer of the old lore has returned to the Naval Academy.
Officials reinstated brief lessons in celestial navigation this year, nearly two decades after the full class was determined outdated and cut from the curriculum.
That decision, in the late 1990s, made national news and caused a stir among the old guard of navigators. Maritime nostalgia, however, isn’t behind the return.
Rather, it’s the escalating threat of cyber attacks that has led the Navy to dust off its tools to measure the angles of stars. After all, you can’t hack a sextant.
“We went away from celestial navigation because computers are great,” said Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Rogers, the deputy chairman of the academy’s Department of Seamanship and Navigation. “The problem is,” he added, “there’s no backup.”
And therein lies the problem. If the GPS system goes down, how many people on the water will be able to navigate home safely? A sobering thought indeed!
SWIZA reinvents the Swiss Knife
Switzerland has a new knife! The legendary Swiss Knife has been given a redesign for the first time in decades.
The new Swiss knife successfully couples the contemporary design conceived by a Zurich-based company with a number of technical innovations; note particularly the blade-locking system and easier access to the tools for both right- and left-handers. The new knife was prototyped and is being produced in the Swiss canton of Jura by specialists accomplished in the expertise and high quality standards inherent in the “Swiss-made” epithet, the pocket knife represents time-honoured tradition and modernity in perfect synthesis.
In addition to the extra-robust blade manufactured of stainless steel 440 and hardened to 57 HRc, other practical and cleverly designed tools make this knife an essential everyday companion. There is a five-turn sommelier cork screw, a flat-head and a Phillips screwdriver, a punch and an awl with a perfect cutting edge. Some styles also include a universal bottle opener, a can opener and tweezers with bevelled tips for the utmost precision. The knife is available in four versions offering four to six tools to meet the individual needs of every user.
Get more HERE
Youth Nationals
These are always hotly contested affairs where lifetime friendships are forged with like-minded people from around the country. The competition is usually healthy and conducted in a sportsmanlike manner.
Sometimes the atmosphere of these events is charged by over zealous parents, often those who have never sailed themselves, who believe that their offspring have been unjustly treated on the water or in the protest room. I must remind these parents, and indeed all parents who will be there, that the sport has a comprehensive rule book that has been fine-tuned over many years, and that protests are simply part of sailing. When handled by competent protest committees, the results are usually fair and correct.
Some years back a New Zealander David Pearce wrote a book entitled ‘How to be a successful Optiparent.’ It’s something all parents with kids competing in regattas should read, as it offers excellent advice to every parent irrespective of what their children sail. The fact that it has been written by an Optimist parent is why the class is singled out.
To me, one of the best pieces of advice the book gives is the following extract, in bold and underlined in the book:
‘Leave the coaching to the coaches and maintain your role as a support person. Never question a coach’s decision – if you feel you need to express coaching opinions, go and do the Yachting New Zealand coaching courses. Please don’t interfere with the trained professional – their job is difficult enough as it is without having their judgement questioned’.
I also like the description of OptiParent and OptiKid which is as follows:
‘OptiParent (N); Parent who shares the ownership of an Optimist dinghy and all the hopes and dreams that come with ownership, with one or more OptiKids’.
‘OptiKid (N): child enjoying the great adventure of learning more about the Optimist every time they go sailing together’.
Sailing is a ‘great adventure of learning’. It’s a life-skill and a lifetime sport. That’s what makes our sport unique, ad so great. Let’s keep it that way during the youth nationals.
2016 Rick Tomlinson Calendars
The 28th edition of the highly acclaimed Rick Tomlinson Portfolio and Desk Calendars are now available featuring 12 spectacular images from recent assignments around the world.
This year’s pictures include action from the Volvo Ocean Race at Cape Horn, the Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary Regatta, Sir Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup challenge, sailing in Greenland, plus other action and art from the international racing circuit.
Action and art has always been Rick’s style, “Each picture will hang on the wall for a month and offer the viewer something that perhaps they didn’t see on the first look” says Rick, “my particular favourite this year is the shot of Brunel off Cape Horn.”
To get your calendar, CLICK HERE
The Portfolio Calendar costs £17.50 plus p&p and the Desk Calendar £7.50 plus p&p
Incidently Rick Tomlinson has raced in 4 Whitbread Round the World Races. Photographs taken onboard Drum started his career, becoming one of the most highly acclaimed marine photographers in the world. High profile projects include the Volvo Ocean Race, America’s Cup, and many SuperYacht commissions. He was recently the Official photographer for Team SCA. He works from his gallery in Cowes – Isle of Wight, and travels the world on assignments.
The Future of Sailing
Captain Alex Blackwell, a USCG Master, has a very interesting take on this subject – and one I personally identify with. Below is an abridged version of a blog he wrote recently. The full text can be seen HERE
In most parts of the world, people lament the decline in enthusiasm for sailing. And yes, we do see so very, very many boats that never seem to leave the harbor. We have heard many tales of youth sailing programmes that have serious rates of attrition from one year to another. Yacht clubs everywhere are relying more and more on so called social members to keep their membership numbers up, while hoping to convert these non-sailors to sailing.
It is interesting to note that people have many different ideas of what ‘sailing’ is. National organizations such as US Sailing and many yacht clubs view racing in a regatta as what sailing is all about. Yes, these same groups also pay lip service to other aspects of ‘the sport’, but by defining sailing as a sport, they do indeed contradict themselves right at the outset.
With all the boaters interested in their small world instead of being excited at being out on the water, and enthusiastic about others enjoying this as well, we simply have no cohesive base. But these are just the symptoms, and just like in medicine, you can try and treat the symptoms, or you can try and get to the root of the problem and perhaps find an actual cure for the disease.
In a self perpetuating spiral of stress and forced activity, peer pressure and resulting busy schedules force parents to bring their offspring from one planned and organized activity to another, with no time for the kids to just be kids. Spending a whole day just messing around in the yard or in a boat just does not fit in a ‘programme’. Consequently it is a small wonder that young people drop out of organized programmes because they are tired of being organized and it ceases to be fun.
I believe that the root of the problem in building interest in any activity or sport is making it too stressful and competitive at an early age. How different would it all be if the youngest kids (and then progressing onwards through their life) were to be shown just how much fun it is to go out in a boat. Would kids not then provide a large pool of young adults clamouring to crew on a race (or cruise), or buy their own boat(s) as their formative childhood memories taught them a deep love for being out on the water? Would these same young enthusiastic adults not perhaps then grow up into potential sponsors and supporters of a thriving Olympic fleet – elevating this into a real matter of national pride?
Perhaps a cure for the problem of a lack of enthusiasm for sailing or any other activity is just to learn to relax, to “smell the roses”, to enjoy a sunset at anchor, in short, to learn to live. Let the kids discover stuff for themselves
The kids are our future and the future is theirs. Though it may run contrary to current convention and also to popular belief, perhaps we might just let the kids be kids. Give them access to a boat and let them find out where it takes them. If we spend less time stressing over their prowess on a race course, we may even start to enjoy sailing more ourselves.
We actively lobbied our yacht club to change its junior programme and include pleasure sailing as well as racing. We had heard from numerous parents that their child had dropped out due to the pressures of the constant competition. In fact their attrition rate bordered on 30% per annum. One also always puts the racing successes up on the pedestal and not the “Joy of Sailing”. They then added a programme of messing about in boats parallel to the racing programme. What was the result? Zero attrition, a succession of Olympians, a dramatic increase in junior members of the club, and plenty of young and enthusiastic crew for the big boats.
Grow Sailing, Not Egos
Following on from the prior story, this above headline appealed to me in a recent issue of Scuttlebutt Sailing News.
Its author said: “When I visit the Southern California club of which I was a 40-year member, and one-time chair of the junior activities committee, I see a small number of junior sailors being trained by a large number of instructors
“The emphasis seems to be on developing super-stars to bring glory to the club and parents rather than giving youngsters a chance to develop basic sailing and seamanship skills, and have fun while doing so. Meanwhile, the number of juniors who remain active sailors into their adult years grows smaller.
“Happily, that is not the case at my current club where the emphasis on basic skills nonetheless produces some outstanding competitive sailors at the national and international level.”
Putting Fun in Junior Sailing
The October 2015 issue of Spinsheet magazine (www.spinsheet.com), a publication for boating in the Chesapeake Bay area, carried the following – an abridged version which is below.
The highlight of my trips has been the kids of Glandore Harbour YC (GHYC). There is nothing fancy about the clubhouse. There are no employees; the members do everything, including all the work to gut it and fix it up.
The GHYC junior programme runs more than 200 kids through it—from one to six week programmes. Rather than drill after drill, the accent is on fun first and racing second. They capsize (the water in Glandore is no jacuzzi), have water fights, run into rocks, and take picnics to Stone Beach across the harbor and BBQs to Rabbit Island. And they laugh all day long.
This is not to say that they never race, but that is not the key. Nice is the key word when describing the junior sailors of Glandore Harbour. The kids treat each other with respect. There is no “tude” with adults – their parents or otherwise.
Parents are involved in the programme, but in a constructive way. Each day, there are several parents wearing their ‘parent of the day’ vest. They are not the helicopter parents found in too many places in the United States. Nor do they spend the day haranguing the instructors.
I don’t mean to put down junior sailing as a whole in the US, but for those who run junior programmes, ask yourself one question: “Why do we have 50 or more Optis and only five Lasers and four 420s?” The answer is pretty clear. The kids are not having fun. There are too many other things they can enjoy without adding stress to their overstressed lives.
Will the kids of GHYC win Olympic medals or sail in the America’s Cup? Not likely, but when they’re 50, I bet the majority of them are still sailing.
There is a message here for those who want to listen.
The 39 Steps to Being A Sailor
Sailing Today magazine in the UK have penned these interesting steps to being a sailor. Do any ring true for you?
A sailor…
1. Knows what phase the moon is in.
2 Can tell the wind speed by feel.
3. Can light a cigarette no matter the weather conditions (French sailors).
4. Has lost a digit in a winching accident.
5. Dresses in primary colours.
6. Gets upset when people call the British national flag the Union Jack.
7. Always passes port to the left (unless he’s in America).
8. Can sleep anywhere.
9. Has an eclectic collection of yacht club-branded T-shirts.
10. Sports sun-yellowed eyebrows.
11. Is not afraid of seasickness.
12. Does not carry an umbrella.
13. Sniggers when hearing someone say ‘Over and out’ in a movie.
14. Can always find a parking space.
15. Drinks beer/rum/whisky for breakfast (after a long passage).
16. Never uses a wheelie suitcase.
17. Finds it acceptable to eat and drink out of plastic.
18. Owns a spork.
19. Can fix anything (usually with epoxy or duct tape).
20. Can throw a great party in the smallest of spaces.
21. Can make friends in an instant that last a lifetime.
22. Is good at keeping in touch.
23. Is adept at sewing up holes (in sails, in clothes).
24. Is good at whipping (but not in a 50 Shades kind of way, although he or she does know a lot of handy knots).
25. Daydreams of adventure.
26. Actually goes on adventures.
27.Shies away from botox, knowing that lines speak of a life well lived.
28. Never goes for a manicure.
29. Does not use the word ‘hurricane’ lightly.
30. Is not daunted by third world lavatories.
31. Is open-minded and big-hearted.
32. Knows the name of a good pub or restaurant in every port town in the western hemisphere (and much of the eastern).
33. Has a friend in every port town in the western hemisphere – often a bartender.
34. Can whip up a hearty meal consisting entirely of tinned and packet foods.
35. Is not phased by the idea of making tea at 30° (whether lat, long or angle of heel).
36. Knows the difference between latitude and longitude – and is always aware of where he or she is.
37. Has seen more sunsets and sunrises, dolphins and views of the Milky Way than anyone else they know.
38. Is not afraid of the dark.
39. Knows that lists like these are for desk-based landlubbers who aren’t busy off having adventures.
Sailing Humour
This was sent to me by Hilary Ralph, who recently celebrated her 88th birthday.
Daughter to Dad. TEXTING Communication in Todays Generation:
Daddy, I am coming home to get married soon, so get out your check book. LOL
I’m in love with a boy who is far away from me.
As you know, I am in Australia, and he lives in Scotland. We met on a dating website, became friends on Facebook, had long chats on Whatsapp, he proposed to me on Skype, and now we’ve had two months of relationship through Viber.
My beloved and favourite Dad, I need your blessing, good wishes, and a really big wedding.”
Lots of love and thanks,
Your favourite daughter,
Lilly
Dads reply ….also by texting:
My Dear Lilly,
Like Wow! Really? Cool!
Whatever….., I suggest you two get married on Twitter, have fun on Tango, buy your kids on Amazon, and pay for it all through Paypal.
And when you get fed up with this new husband, sell him on eBay.
Dad
How True! This simply needs to be said!
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. Winston Churchill
I Like This!
I get my best ideas in a thunderstorm. I have the power and majesty of nature on my side. Ralph Steadman
Some Selected Responses to “Talking Sailing”
● SA sailor David Shilton sailed on ‘Dorade’ across the Atlantic prior to the Fastnet.
● George Lakes Yacht Club registered for the Bart’s Bash again this year; however lack of wind prevented a race from being completed. Thus we did not have results to submit and the RSA total was a bit fewer without our contribution.
● Another good one Mr Crockett.
● For interest, Michael Baumann also rebuilt ‘Zeeslang’ in Germany and had it on a lake in Austria – still does as far as I know. I saw on the web the other day that he no longer works for MTU in Austria but is now head of a different business in Munich. I once had dinner with him and his wife in Simon’s Town a few days before he started the Governor’s Cup race two-up in ‘Zeeslang’. They broke the (wooden) boom in a storm on the first night and retired from the race – probably wisely as that boat had zero head room. Andrew Mackenzie
● Yet another information-filled ‘log’ for which I thank you!
● Great news re Asenathi & Roger – I think your sketch of what they have achieved is right on the button – remarkable progress in a Class known for the difficulty to progress in a hurry.
● Great to see ‘Mariquita’ once again receiving loads of TLC – I well recall my late friend and confidant Eric Bongers lovingly restoring her after she was rescued from, was it Mauritius, by Mike Daly?
A Lasting Gift – A subscription to SAILING Magazine
Need a gift for a loved one, sailing friend or crew? A subscription to SAILING Magazine will last the whole year round as we produce 12 issues per year – and it costs just R250 per year.
Call 031-7096087 or e-mail: derri@sailing.co.za
Subscriptions are available as a printed magazine OR a digital e-zine. Your choice.
Sailor of the Month – Submit Your Nomination NOW
SAILING Magazine, in conjunction with MDM Marine Services, North Sails and Southern Spars, back the ‘Sailor of the Year’ Award.
Monthly winners are featured in SAILING Magazine, with the overall ‘Sailor of the Year’ receiving a substantial cash prize.
The Roll of Honour so far this year reads as follows:
February Alan Kernick
March Jof Heathcote
April Michaela Robinson
May Peter Funcke
June Rob van Rooyen
July Simone Swanepoel
August Stefano Marcia
September Blaine Dodds
October William Edwards
November Alan Keen
December Announced 1 December
Who can make nominations? Anyone (individuals, clubs, class associations or administrators) may submit nominations.
What are the criteria? The award is strictly for ‘sailing excellence’ or in exceptional circumstances, for ‘dedication to the sport’.
What is the procedure? All nominations must be fully motivated in writing, and must be accompanied by a head-and-shoulders picture of the candidate, plus an action sailing pic aboard his/her boat (unedited hi-resolution (300dpi) digital images are required). Motivations must include current performances, a brief CV of the nominee, and other pertinent, personal background information (age, school, employment, home town etc) so that an interesting editorial on the winner may be written. Failure to submit the required material will result in the nomination not being considered.
Deadlines. Nominations must be received by the 1st of every month, although this may be extended at the Editor’s discretion, so it is recommended to submit them as soon as possible.
If you think there is a sailor worthy of nomination, simply send the nomination with a motivation and a photo of the person to – editor@sailing.co.za
