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Issue 51
23 March 2017
by Richard Crockett
Publisher & Editor of SAILING Magazine (incorporating SA Yachting)
Reader response is welcome – RESPOND HERE
Readers are encouraged to share this with their sailing mates
The last two issues have covered the ‘Jiggery Pokery’ of the Rule 69 investigation by SAS – and the response from readers certainly does not show SAS in a good light. The matter has gone very quiet – – and one wonders if there is not a sting in the tail still to come!
I also question whether yachts are sometimes abandoned prematurely – and would obviously like reader comment on this subject.
As always there is a varied mix of ‘good reads’ in this issue – so enjoy it, and please share it with your sailing mates.
In this issue we “Talk About”…
Jiggery Pokery
Discretionary Penalties
Rescues
Abandoning Ship Too Early?
What Sank a Racing Yacht?
Parenting – Then vs Now
Too True
Kicking Myself for Not Thinking of this First
Bart’s Bash – Help Where It’s Needed
Who Is the Overall Winner – the Line Honours Or Handicap Yacht?
124 Days Of Being Alone
New World Speed Records Confirmed
Meet the Man Behind the Moment
Massive Rogue Waves Aren’t as Rare as Previously Thought
Is Sailing Badly Broken?
How One Club Grew Their Racing Fleet
IOC Launches Bold Initiative on Gender Equality
KHOB Mystery Revealed
Nelson’s Blood Grog
2017 Prohibited Substance list
Proper Charlies!
Nailing Their Colours to the Mast
Celebrating 90 Years of Yacht Design
Government Gone Wild!
Message In A Bottle
Beware – the Pirates Are Back
Jiggery Pokery
The Rule 69 investigation by SAS was so poorly handled that it has incensed readers of this Blog and the sailing fraternity at large. I feel that their comments are worth sharing and, due to their importance, I have chosen to use them here rather than at the end in the ‘Reader Response’ section.
• I read the story of the L26 Rule 69 saga with interest and amazement. I was an International Judge for 12 years (now retired) and South Africa currently has two experienced IJs in Alan Keen and Lance Burger. To my knowledge none of us were involved or consulted in this botched ‘investigation’. It is absolutely basic in the Rules of Sailing that a competitor in an event cannot be penalised without a hearing. Why was the available expertise not utilised. I am gobsmacked that the rules have been flouted in this way.
• Having read your reports on the L 26 debacle and the manner in which it was managed, a few thoughts come to mind:
1. How has SAS been able to slip the many tackles made in relation to the L 26 Class and contentious issues surrounding it for so many years? Had decisive action been taken when these first arose, we may have been spared the disgrace of the current situation as well as having to consult World Sailing due to our inability to manage issues according to clearly laid down procedures.
2. By having his Vice Chairman respond to what must surely rank as the most controversial issue ever faced by SAS or for that matter, even SAYRA, the Chairman appears to have delivered the former a ‘hospital pass’, the result of which will only be a bone-crunching high tackle to the recipient!
• Well written article on Lipton and refreshing to read.
The biggest losers were probably the youth who would have benefited from sailing with the rightful winners in the following years (and therefore sailing as a whole). Sad that ‘self ego’s’ have spoilt a sport where one is taught from a young age in sailing to be honest, fair and sporting.
Lets hope a few more ‘facts’ are brought to the table and some big fish rightfully exposed.
I assume the results also affected ‘Sailor of the Month’ along with other opportunities, especially 2014 probably heading for a larger fleet in Durban and giving the Lipton Cup a big boost.
Great to see that someone keeps the sailing flag flying with some pride. Thank you – and love the mag.
• Just read your latest article on this matter. Well done, very clear article. It’s lovely to know we have your insight in these matters.
• I once again am amazed at the amount AND intensity of the content of Talking Sailing.
On the matter of Rule 69 – I sort of get the feeling that SAS is finding it easier to pass the buck than going through the arduous process of skinning it themselves. It also appears that there might be some ‘political bias’ and a struggle here.
My question is this: Is the current SAS lax in their duties or arrogant OR apathetic?!
Thank God I am not involved, nor have your knowledge – if I was I would be up there with the full compliment of brass and drums from the Edinburgh Tattoo!!!
Discretionary Penalties
After the J22 debacle some years ago, and with Lance Burger’s guidance, the L26 Class introduced a rule in 2014 (CR 1.5, see below) to prevent Protest Committees being forced to disqualify an L26 for an inconsequential breach of a class rule.
The Rule Reads
1.5. A yacht which is found to have broken a Class Rule which, in the opinion of the Protest Committee of the event in question, has no material impact on the fairness of the competition, shall be subject to a penalty at the discretion of the Protest Committee.
In an interview with Lance Burger in the January issue of SAILING Magazine, when he was interviewed about the role he played in the Sailing Olympics in Rio, he mentioned and clarified the ‘Discretionary Penalty’ rule.
Maybe more classes and event organisers should look to including this in their rules?
Rescues
A few issues back I covered the launch of the NSRI book “Into a Raging Sea”. It had just been launched and my comments were made after a very quick speed read due to the deadline.
I have since had the opportunity to read it from cover-to-cover, and can report with authority that it’s a great read – in fact a ‘must read’ for everyone going to sea in a small boat. There is lots to learn from the rescues covered, and there are a few, in which at times, I could feel myself choking up.
As seafarers we have a lot to thank all the NSRI volunteers for. They are a hardy bunch, dedicated to their duty, and fine seaman too. There were several accounts where conditions were considered to be too extreme to head out on a rescue mission, but these hardy guys and girls went anyway. And in those situations they saved lives – which is why they ventured out in the first place.
What did strike me though is that there were too many rescues where those in difficulty had simply not obeyed the lore of the sea and made rookie errors. It is incumbent on every single person putting to sea to ensure that they have checked the weather, people know where they are going and when they will be back. Plus, never to paddle alone at sea, and to take basic survival kit.
In my formative keelboat sailing years it was drummed into me by David Cox and others, that the very first thing one did before going sailing for the day, was to get a weather forecast. In those days this required a telephone call (from a landline) to the local weather office. Today there are a myriad of apps available that will give you this information – but the message is to get the info before going out. I find that PredictWind (www.predictwind.com) is pretty accurate on our coastline.
Tell people exactly where you are planning to go, and also when you are expected back. There are too many occasions when people don’t do this, so the rescue authorities are ‘in the dark’ so to speak.
One rescue describes a man who was maniacal about telling his wife where he was going fishing, and exactly when he would be back. Plus he would ‘report in’ at times to ensure his wife he was okay and on schedule. On one occasion he was on his way back from fishing alone on his skiboat when he went aft to check something while the boat was in gear, and a wave knocked him overboard – and the boat sped off without him. He was alone in the water with no method of requesting assistance. Fortunately his wife raised the alarm early, and fortunately an NSRI coxswain had a hunch which saw him rescued in fading light. He was lucky – and fortunate that his wife reported him overdue very early.
Have mini-flares and other lifesaving gear on your body at all times if possible. And a PFD too.
Trackers are not expensive today, with some leaving a ‘breadcrumb’ at specified times showing the track of the vessel. This will help those at home – AND the rescue authorities.
There were too many stories of paddlers being rescued after being separated from ‘the herd’ on races, or having simply gone on their own. That’s foolish and could cost a life. Have a buddy with you – and have a method, or several methods, of being able to signal distress.
I could go on – but instead of reading my thoughts, get the book and read the real spinechilling tales, and acts of heroism, yourself.
And please give generously to the NSRI – as they need it.
Finally, remember this: You are NOT a survivor until rescued!
Order the book – or simply give a donation HERE
Abandoning Ship Too Early?
At the time I was reading “Into a Raging Sea” came news that three South African sailors had been rescued from the yacht ‘Jedi’ while on the way to New Zealand.
‘Jedi’ was a Durban boat, and sold to an owner who hired a delivery crew for his newly purchased yacht. There were several false starts to the delivery. However the delivery ultimately ended in disaster as the boat was abandoned after the crew were airlifted to safety having been dismasted.
That is when my alarm bells began ringing as one simply does not abandon ship because the mast fell down?
Follow this link to see a pic of the boat taken by the rescue authorities – HERE
Reports said: Three South African sailors have been winched to safety in the remote Indian Ocean, after their mast broke on the way to New Zealand. The stricken yacht was 1300km off the Australian mainland’s most south westerly point. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) says the men had been sailing from South Africa to New Zealand, before their distress signal was detected in Canberra.
A Perth-based rescue jet flew to the dismasted 13-metre vessel, ‘Jedi 1′, and established a radio connection around midnight, AMSA said in a statement. It took ‘HMAS Parramatta’, which was deployed given the yacht’s remote location, more than 40 hours to reach the men. AMSA said the sailors were winched to safety in good health by a Seahawk helicopter after the HMAS Parramatta located them.
Editor’s note – no information was given about the yacht itself, so it is likely to still be afloat, and therefore a navigation hazard.
Without knowing more about the above incident, one simply needs to take a leaf from the book of Conrad Coleman who, when within 1000 miles of the Vendee Globe Race finish, was dismasted. Instead of calling for a helicopter to lift him off his yacht, he set about fashioning a jury rig and sailing to the finish line with out any assistance – all this singlehanded.
Not many months ago, a small yacht was being delivered down the East coast from Durban towards East London when she got into difficulty, and the crew requested assistance – and also abandoned ship.
‘Sticky Fingers’ crew requested a tow in bad weather, having run out of fuel. Interestingly, they reported that they were under sail, in somewhat heavy conditions and that the two people onboard were tired and therefore asking for assistance. Plus they reported to be taking water from a forward hatch which was not dogged down!
The point of mentioning these two incidents is that there do appear to be too many occasions when crew choose the ‘abandon ship’ option too early, when they could possibly have saved the situation and the boat.
I can hear Chris Bonnet, and others, having a full-on rant about this!
What Sank a Racing Yacht?
The mystery of what sank an racing yacht has finally been solved from video footage showing a violent impact.
French sailor Kito de Pavant was sailing along in the Indian Ocean a month after the start of the Vendee Globe round-the-world race when his ‘Bastide Otio’ monohull violently struck an unidentified floating object.
The high-speed collision 120 miles north of the Crozet Islands destroyed the keel and part of the hull around it, forcing de Pavant to radio for help and abandon the sinking ship.
The incident occurred on December 6, but it wasn’t until the end of February that video of the collision was discovered on the hard drive of the boat’s computer and solved the mystery of what the racing yacht struck.
The video shows the violent impact and de Pavant emerging on deck moments after a sperm whale disappears into the boat’s wake.
LaCroix reported that on-board cameras record continuously during the famous race and are stored on the boat’s computer. Fortunately de Pavant rescued the hard drive before abandoning his vessel, which has never been found.
But at least the mystery of the what sunk the racing yacht has been solved.
“Thanks to the magic of computing, I am satisfied to know what happened even if it does not change much to the unhappy story that I experienced,” de Pavant told France Bleu.
See the video footage HERE
Parenting – Then vs Now
Brian ‘Mugs’ Hancock wrote this in his Great Circle Sails blog.
I had dinner with a friend of mine the other day. She was constantly checking her phone. Her 20 year old daughter had moved to live with her father in Germany and her three-times-a-day text had not arrived. She was worried. “She usually text’s at the same time every day,” my friend said. “I can’t imagine what’s gone wrong.” I nodded in sympathy. I am a parent and I totally understand.
The next day I had lunch with one of my oldest and sweetest friends. Without her I would never have had the most awesome life that I have had. That’s a true statement. I was a snotty nosed kid walking the docks in Durban, South Africa, dreaming of a life on the lip of an ocean swell; but clueless. That’s when I met Lyn Lindsay. She was First Mate of one of South Africa’s best known yachts – ‘Dabulamanzi’. They had just arrived from the Seychelles and they were planning on doing the Cape Town to Uruguay race. I was a hands-on-my-knees sailmaker at Elvstrom Sails in Durban and the boat needed some sails repaired. I offered to help and Lyn saw something that she liked. Enthusiasm, innocence, and a bucket full of bullshit. Lyn asked if I would like to join the boat for the race to Uruguay.
OK let’s put this into perspective. I was a 20 year old “kid”. I had no offshore sailing experience. I had a long term girlfriend, my first love, and had just been offered an adventure of a lifetime. I wasn’t sure. I walked the damp streets of Durban searching my soul. Should I go for it or should I stay with Liz? It never once occurred to me that my parents had any say in the matter. My Mom was dead but I was very close to my Dad and Step-Mom. I wandered some more and at some point I made a decision. I was going to join the crew.
And I did. We left Cape Town on a blustery January day and sailed across the South Atlantic. Along the way I turned 21. Jeeze I am pushing six decades now and as I said I have children. I am not sure how I feel about things. Would I let my boys “just go for it?” Probably, but then, maybe not. Back then the only means of communication was by letter. Or if desperate, telegram. They charged by the character and it was expensive. So expensive that when I was lost and presumed dead in the 1979 Fastnet Race, and then found alive, my parents sent me a telegram. They signed it MaenPa. That’s Afrikaans for MomandDad. See, shorter= cheaper.
The friend with whom I had lunch with, Lyn Lindsay, brought along a pile of photographs from our wonderful adventure. We not only sailed to Uruguay but continued up the coast of Brazil to the Caribbean. She dug through the photos and found one of me. I had just turned 21. I was broke but the captain of the boat had offered to buy me lunch; a beer and a whole chicken. I look at the picture now and I am not sure what I see. I see a happy kid with a whole lot more hair than I have now. I have a son who looks just like me. He is only 16, so he is not leaving just yet, but I wonder how much courage it took for my parents to give me their blessing. They let me go on a trip across the Atlantic and eventually around the world. Postcards would be sent when I had money for a stamp and sometimes they got lost. They could not follow me daily on Facebook, or Twitter, or Instagram. Definitely not Snap Chat. Nope I was out there making it; or not.
I have huge respect for parents of the past. How much courage did it take to say goodbye – and hope beyond hope – that not only had they done a great job raising their (in my case) son, but that the traffic and jams of life did not trip them up along the way. Thank you Dad, and you too Judy, my StepMom.
Subscribe to his blog HERE
Too True
The strength in the sport is the comraderie among our peers and not the shiny boats we sail. – Tim Galey. (Seen in Scuttlebutt News)
Kicking Myself for Not Thinking of this First
The subhead is: After all, we had Mirror spinnakers lying around the house! Brilliant!
That was the headline which caught my eye on Facebook – and which many people had commented on. It’s a video of an Optimist dinghy flying a spinnaker!
Great footage, and definitely worth a try.
See more HERE
Bart’s Bash – Help Where It’s Needed
Bart’s Bash is one of those casual sailing events that has quickly taken off around the world, and which is also doing great work with the funds it raises.
In 2016 there were:
54 253 participants.
62 participating countries
847 sailing venues
12 916 volunteers
They support 45 sailing projects in 12 countries, and have pledged £736 000.
One of their beneficiaries is the Garden Route Sailing Academy.
This inspiring programme takes 29 young people, who experience incredibly challenging home environments within a local township in Mossel Bay. They are provided with weekly sailing sessions and access a hot meal and a hot shower. The programme is designed to expand the young people’s horizons and offer them an opportunity to gain skills that ultimately will provide a route to employment so that they may succeed in life.
Their funding from Bart’s Bash enabled them to set up a project with Ridgeview Primary School and Sao Bra High in Mossel Bay.
22 pupils have so far completed 5 or more sessions. Some pupils have also competed at local sailing regattas and one is currently training to become an assistant instructor.
Bart’s Bash is on 16 and 17 September this year. Start your planning now and make it a bumper event.
Who Is the Overall Winner – the Line Honours Or Handicap Yacht?
There is some consternation out there amongst the more Corinthian type sailors who feel that the ‘big boat’ maxi sailors are getting more than their fair share of the glory.
Take this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart race as an example as seen by David Salter, an independent journalist who has competed in 10 Sydney to Hobart races. (This is an abridged version).
If the television coverage and newspapers were any guide (they say), then the annual dash South was a contest between four 100-foot supermaxis. Everyone else was just making up the numbers.
That impression was amplified when, a few days after the race, Rolex took out prominent display advertising to congratulate ‘Perpetual Loyal’ on being “the winners” – and made no mention whatsoever of the actual IRC handicap winner.
But it’s misleading to lump all the blame for this false emphasis on the television producers or newspaper editors. In any sporting contest the fight for the lead is where major attention naturally falls, and the media will always tend to follow what they believe to be popular interest.
But the intense concentration on the supermaxi drag race to the virtual exclusion of all other competitors is a relatively new development. These days even a keen follower of offshore racing struggles to remember who was really the overall winner of the Sydney-Hobart – but everyone knows about ‘Comanche’, ‘Wild Oats’ and ‘Loyal’.
I would have no issue with this situation if all yachts in the fleet were competing on genuinely equal terms, but they aren’t.
Indeed, to my mind, the supermaxis (and their shorter imitations) should not be accepted as entries in the race as we know it. They are certainly very exciting boats, but they should be racing against each other – like with like – and not against the smaller conventional yachts over whom they hold immense advantages.
The core problem is the changes to our rules that allowed the use of stored power and moveable ballast. Anyone outside the world of yachting is astonished to learn that the big boats they so admire have to keep an engine running all the way to Hobart to deliver power to their winches, cant the keel and move water ballast around the boat.
To me, the sport of ocean racing is a unique test of skill, strength, stamina and tactics. It should not be a contest between people pushing buttons.
Technology has its place. Improvements in hull design, rigs, sails and electronics are all welcome but they should not supplant or subvert the basic physical elements of fair competition.
If a boat cannot be properly sailed using muscle power alone then it is (at least in my contention) actually a motor-sailer and should not be competing against conventional yachts.
Consider this: ‘Wild Oats XI’ pulled out of the last Sydney-Hobart after a simple mechanical failure in its canting keel mechanism. The implicit admission behind that retirement was that even with its keel locked in an upright position (and in a moderate wind aft of the beam) the maxi would not have been competitive, so they threw in the towel.
That decision also underlined the reality that the supermaxis cannot be sailed safely – or effectively – with human energy alone.
There are other aspects of this mismatch that make the contest even more unfair.
Engines never flag from exhaustion, get seasick, injured, or need sleep. They can run at peak efficiency 24 hours a day. The use of this limitless power-on-demand means that crews on the supermaxis don’t get as tired as their comrades on human-powered yachts.
That is a significant advantage that cannot be sensibly counterbalanced by handicapping. TCFs can only apply fairly across a fleet if all the boats are of a generic type, and are sailed using the same general principles.
Next, canting keels and/or moveable water ballast – made possible by that ever-running engine – mean the supermaxis can carry proportionately more sail area at any given wind speed than fixed-keel yachts, and sail with less bulb mass. Again, those are huge advantages.
At the same time, stored on-board power can exert forces well beyond human capacity. Hydraulic or electric winches grind in their huge jibs, bring the traveller up the track, haul halyards, and furl and unfurl headsails at incredible speeds. Pumps fill and empty water ballast tanks – all at the push of a button. 12-15 tonnes of load on the runners of a supermaxi is not uncommon. Try that by hand!
And a supercharged maxi will cover the course very quickly. Consequently, they enjoy the significant weight-saving benefit of needing to take less food and water, and the crew’s strength and concentration is required for a much shorter period.
The combined effect of all these advantages is extraordinary performance. As anyone who has raced against the 100-foot behemoths will confirm, after a few hours the sheer speed of the maxis means that the middle-of-the-fleet boats will often be racing in very different conditions.
Handicapping, which is predominantly based on the measurable physical metrics of the boats and their sails, struggles to even out these advantages. To my mind it is therefore unreasonable for a yacht using stored power to win the Hobart race on IRC, yet that is what happened in 2005, 2012 and 2016.
And before you dismiss all this as no more than the bleatings of some sour old yacht club fuddy-duddy pining for the glory days, let me say that I have nothing against the supermaxis per se. They are awe-inspiring machines, and I’ve sailed on them enough times to understand their appeal, and how they work.
But I’ve also raced on conventional maxis – such as ‘Apollo’ and ‘Condor’ – where it took four strong men on the coffee-grinders just to trim the genoa (and everyone had to sit on the rail to help keep the boat upright). Sure, we were much quicker than an S&S 34, but the underlying design parameters, rating rules and demands on crew work were common to all entrants.
What’s the solution? It seems we will never be able to stop the well-off owners employing the latest technology in their quests for trophy glory. But not all new technology is necessarily good for the sport as a whole. They don’t allow electric hub motors in the Tour de France.
When the Royal Ocean Racing Club was founded in 1924, Yachting Monthly magazine greeted the news by describing the sport as an ideal test of “skill, courage and endurance”. The man was more important than the machine.
In my view, yachts that employ stored power should be racing in their own separate division, under any handicapping system they agree amongst themselves, and for their own line honours trophy.
So, who really is the winner? In terms of the NOR, most events show the overall winner as the winner on handicap.
Your views please – email HERE
124 Days Of Being Alone
It was obvious for anyone following this race that for Sébastien Destremau, the solo round the world voyage was anything but easy. Technical problems, calms, storms, being alone…
After finishing the race fifty days after the winner, Armel Le Cléac’h, Destremau gave his impressions. He looked thinner than usual as he had to ration his food for the final 14 days.
This is what he said:
“The Vendée Globe is something for people with mental problems! There is the enormous pressure on you to finish that you feel day and night. Because it can come to an end at any moment. Then, there are the occasional difficulties, which are extremely difficult, but that you can deal with. There is the fact that you’re alone. That can cause you to feel certain emotions. Things that you don’t feel elsewhere, maybe because you don’t allow yourself to feel.
“When you’re alone on a boat, you can do what you want. You can sing if you want or cry if you feel like it. I cried every day between the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn.
“However long the race lasts, you have to deal with everything with what you have with you. You don’t have the choice. You have to find the solution. The starter, the alternator belt… You make do with what you have on board. If not, you have to turn back. Consequently, you find an inner strength to do things.
“I’m not a good mechanic. I’m not good at much. But I managed to repair things when I had to. I don’t know how I managed to do it. I’m not someone who likes being alone. I never really wanted to do any solo sailing. But it was the difficulty of the Vendée Globe that was my motivation.
“This is a huge victory for me. The Vendée Globe is something you win or you finish and finishing is for me a victory. Armel finished fifty days before me. I didn’t sail that well, I suppose… (laughs) But I did do better than those that didn’t finish. The race itself is only a small part of the adventure. The Vendée Globe for us is not four months, but four years of everything that has to be done before. So today, I am extremely proud.”
New World Speed Records Confirmed
The World Sailing Speed Council has confirmed the establishment of three new World Records set by the 120-foot trimaran ‘IDEC’ with skipper Francis Joyon (FRA) and five crew:
Record: South Indian Ocean – Round The World Intermediate Record.
Dates: 29th December 2016 to the 4th January 2017
Start time: 05:42:11 on 29/12/16
Finish time: 02:49:56 0n 04/01/17
Elapsed time: 5 days 21 hours 7 minutes and 45 seconds
Previous record: 12/12/15. IDEC. Francis Joyon. FRA.7 days
Record: South Pacific Ocean – Round The World Intermediate Record.
Dates: 4th January 2017 to the 12th January 2017
Start time: 02:4956 on 04/01/17
Finish time: 000327 on 12/01/17
Elapsed time: 7 days 21 hours 13 minutes and 31 seconds
Previous record: 25/02/05. Orange II. Bruno Peyron. FRA.8d 18h 8m
Record: Equator to Equator – Round The World Intermediate Record.
Dates: 22nd December 2016 to the 20th January 2017
Start time: 03:17:31 on 22/12/16
Finish time: 12:2826 on 20/01/17
Elapsed time: 29 days 9 hours 10 minutes and 55 seconds
Previous record: 30/12/11. Banque Populaire 5. Loick Peyron. FRA. 32d 11h 52m
Meet the Man Behind the Moment
The story behind the dramatic ‘Telefonica’ wipeout during the Volvo Ocean Race.
Text by Jonno Turner
It’s 25 March 2012, during the fifth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, from Auckland to Itajaí.
‘Telefónica’ is sailing at break-neck speed in insane conditions, with over 40 knots of wind and 10-metre waves, in the Southern Ocean – the most dangerous and remote area of the planet for sailors.
At the helm of the boat is one of the best drivers in the world under extreme conditions, Pablo Arrarte.
“The Southern Ocean is like no other place on earth,” he says.
“The wind conditions are extremely strong, the waves are gigantic and the water is ice cold.
“We love racing the boat in conditions like that, it’s why you do the Volvo Ocean Race. I’ve never been afraid of things like that – the only thing that troubles me is the possibility of crashing into a container at night.”
All of a sudden, the Southern Ocean strikes.
A giant wave hits with enormous force – shaking the boat and the crew as if they were rag dolls
“If it wasn’t for my harness, I’d have been in the water,” Pablo explains. “It’s one of those moments that you look back on with excitement, as long as it all ended up well, as it did in this case.”
The video contains some of the most epic images in Volvo Ocean Race history – and although the crew got control of the boat quickly, the boat sustained damage to the bow which meant they had to stop in Ushuaia.
Once fixed, the team then continued racing toward Itajaí, where it arrived in second place just 13 minutes behind the leg winner, ‘PUMA Ocean Racing’.
And it wasn’t the last time that ‘Telefónica’ would face a potentially race-ending situation that race. On the way to Lorient, racing through the pitch black night, they broke a second rudder which sent them into a jibe. Their mast touched the water, as they struggled to counter the force.
See the video HERE
Massive Rogue Waves Aren’t as Rare as Previously Thought
University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science scientist Mark Donelan and his Norwegian Meteorological Institute colleague captured new information about extreme waves, as one of the steepest ever recorded passed by the North Sea Ekofisk platforms in the early morning hours of Nov. 9 2007.
Within the first hour of the day, the Andrea wave passed by a four-point square array of ocean sensors designed by the researchers to measure the wavelength, direction, amplitude and frequency of waves at the ocean surface.
Using the information from the wave set – a total of 13,535 individual waves – collected by the system installed on a bridge between two offshore platforms, the researchers took the wave apart to examine how the components came together to produce such a steep wave.
The data from the 100-metre wide “wall of water” moving at 40 miles per hour showed that Andrea may have reached heights greater than the recorded height of 49 feet above mean sea level. They also found that rogue waves are not rare as previously thought and occur roughly twice daily at any given location in a storm. The findings showed that the steeper the waves are, the less frequent their occurrence, which is about every three weeks at any location for the steepest rogues.
The Andrea crest height was 1.63 times the significant height (average height of the one third highest waves). Optimal focussing of the Andrea wave showed that the crest could have been even higher and limited by breaking at 1.7 times the significant height. This establishes the greatest height rogues can reach for any given (or forecasted) significant height.
“Rogue waves are known to have caused loss of life as well as damage to ships and offshore structures,” said Mark Donelan, professor emeritus of ocean sciences at the UM Rosenstiel School. “Our results, while representing the worst-case rogue wave forecast, are new knowledge important for the design and safe operations for ships and platforms at sea.”
The study, titled “The Making of the Andrea Wave and other Rogues,” was published in the March 8 issue of the journal Scientific Reports. The authors include: Donelan and Anne-Karin Magnusson from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. The work was partly performed within the ExWaMar project (ID 256466/O80) funded by the Norwegian Research Council. ConocoPhillips provided the wave data.
Read more HERE
Is Sailing Badly Broken?
In the last issue I carried an article as titled above. It woke something up in Brian ‘Mugs’ Hancock who responded as follows:
I recently read an article by a man named Bill Canfield. It was entitled “Sailing is Badly Broken.” Of course it got my attention. I don’t know Bill, but it seems he has vast experience in the sport and he comes to his point of view from a very thoughtful perspective. I too come at this from a thoughtful perspective and here is my response; sailing has never been so alive, so vibrant, so exciting and so extraordinary, at least in my lifetime which, I cringe to say, is approaching six decades.
There is a longing for the old days of just “mucking around in boats” but they are gone. That’s life. The flip phone is gone, replaced by a shiny, sleek iPhone. The horse and buggy is gone replaced by a Porsche that can go from 0 to 60 in less than who knows how many seconds. I could go on, but you get my point. You can long all you want, but life moves on. For me this is what I see. I see flying boats. I see crazy Frenchmen taking 100-foot trimarans and sailing them around the world, all alone. Imagine that. Just one person, by themselves, on a boat that has a mainsail the size of one and a half tennis courts and a mast that towers 12 stories. And the foolish fellow dares to take it into the deepest parts of the Southern Ocean where the waves are huge and the wind howls constantly. After 49 days and a few hours he returns to France to set a brand new record. Extraordinary, or as the French might say, extraordinaire.
Nope sorry. I just can’t agree, but I don’t want to disagree with Mr Canfield just to be disagreeable. I don’t know him and I am sure his heart is in the right place, but banging on about how much a new sail costs is just how to wreck the sport. Take a step back and look at your own children. These are vibrant human beings who are inspired by speed, sex and a fast pace. They are not going to get into sailing to go two knots; on a clunker; with bagged out Dacron sails. Look, I have kids, and I appreciate that sailing can be costly. Or to put it another way, it can be frightfully expensive. I want my kids to love sailing, and they do. They are thrilled to see two America’s Cup boats converging at a combined speed of 80 miles an hour. They want to see who blinks first. They (probably) also want to see a pile-up. These are kids raised on NASCAR and Formula One. Phones that can stream live from the Southern Ocean as some crazy sailor (yes I am talking about you Alex Thompson) is cavorting about his IMOCA 60 barrelling through the Southern Ocean at 28 knots while a French navy helicopter films it all. Sailing is dying because it’s boring. Sailing is going to thrive because it’s quickly becoming one of the most exciting sports of our time. My kids want to be the wing trimmer on an AC 40. Or a crew on a boat setting off to try and set some new records. Sport evolves. Sailing has evolved, thankfully, to a point were finally it’s shiny enough and fast paced enough to excite non-sailors, kids included.
OK, just for perspective, I grew up sailing on a muddy puddle of water inland in South Africa. Wind and sails gave me a freedom that was a drug to this teenager. I recently went back to that muddy puddle. The fleet has dwindled to be sure. But the kids were excited. They had watched the last America’s Cup in San Francisco and were blown away by it. That small stain of water propelled me out of South Africa and around the world, numerous times. I wonder how many of those kids who streamed Alex Thompson or who listened to an interview with Jimmy Spithill will be inspired to reach for their own unimaginable goal; to become a professional sailor and ride the waves just like any other sporting figure. Truthfully my son wants to be a professional football player. I never say never, but he is kind of a shrimp like his Dad and I don’t see him taking down any of those massive Mac Truck sized players anytime soon. But he’s inspired and that’s what we need from a sport. Inspiration. Not a sad look back at what once was.
How One Club Grew Their Racing Fleet
A recent issue of Scuttlebutt Sailing News carried a lengthy article covering the headline above.
There are many good points in this, and worth reading as some interesting terminology and simple principles caught my eye.
1. Jib and Main (JaM) is Different Than Spinnaker
We believe that JaM racers are different than Spinn sailors. First off, we scrapped the old notion that the singular goal of all JaM sailors was to “move up” to Spinn. The data revealed that only a small proportion (about 5%) of our JaM racers in the last decade changed sections.
By taking a different approach to JaM over the last five years, we’ve replaced the smaller boats with larger ones and along the way, more than doubled our active JaM racers in the last three years. A JaM section that was headed for extinction instead became a growing, vibrant place to race.
2. Embrace New Racers
The second principle is that we actively court new racers. When anyone asks about joining us, we greet them with open arms. We make sure they know how to get out to the course on race day, ready to go.
When they arrive at the pre-season skippers’ meeting, we introduce each new skipper to welcome them into our fleet. All new racers are invited to the awards banquet so others can get to know them. Of course they and their crew are added to our mailing list.
3. The Right Communications
The third basic idea is that we on the race committee try to be disciplined about what we send our racers on email. We realize if we stuff their inboxes with items they don’t want or need, our outreach will end up in the spam file.
We have some rules. We never send out emails in all caps and exclamation points saying “COME RACE TONIGHT!!” or “WE NEED A GOOD TURNOUT!!” We also don’t re-send generally available sailing newsletters even though we feel these are excellent publications. When we do send something, we want it to be unique, about our racing program, of interest to our racers, and something they can’t find elsewhere. We want our emails to be news. Everyone wanting any of the other fine publications has access to them on their own.
4. An Inclusive View of Skippers and Crew
We welcome skippers and sailors of all ages, with younger crew graduating from our Junior Sail program, adults from our Adult classes, and owners and crew well into their 70s and beyond. It is no surprise that many of our best-sailed boats have talented women sailors onboard. We believe the feeling of inclusion breaks down barriers, makes our program stronger, and as a result, helps us grow.
The Right Goals
Four goals guide us which allow for quick decisions driven by the needs of our skippers:
1. We are run by the racers for the racers.
2. If no one shows up to race, that’s our fault, not the sailors.
3. We want real competition in both fleets.
4. We work hard to provide top-flight Race Committee Boat operations.
Read the full feature HERE
IOC Launches Bold Initiative on Gender Equality
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board has approved a major review project regarding gender equality in the Olympic Movement.
With the help of its partners, the Summer and Winter International Sports Federations (IFs) and National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the IOC is undertaking a comprehensive review of the current state of gender equality in the Olympic Games with a mandate to produce action-oriented recommendations for change.
“The IOC is taking a leadership role in the world of sport to push gender equality globally and effect real change,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “The outcomes from this Gender Equality Review Project will benefit the IOC, all International Sports Federations and National Olympic Committees, as well as all the athletes of the Olympic Games. It will also be a further tangible outcome of Olympic Agenda 2020.”
The IOC Gender Equality Review Project is a joint initiative of the IOC’s Women in Sport and Athletes’ Commissions, and aims to raise continued awareness of the importance of gender equality within the Olympic Movement, share best practices and present initiatives to further advance gender equality both on and off the field of play.
Five essential themes will be assessed: Sport; Portrayal; Funding; Governance; and Human Resources. The work will be conducted by a Working Group chaired by IOC Member and President of the International Triathlon Union Marisol Casado, and comprising IOC Members and NOC and Summer and Winter IF representatives.
Fostering gender equality and strengthening women’s participation in and through sport is one of the key missions of the IOC. With the adoption of Olympic Agenda 2020 in December 2014 and as reaffirmed by the IOC Executive Board last December, the IOC is committed to working with its stakeholders to increase the possibilities for girls and women in sport and to achieve the goal of female athletes representing 50 per cent of the athletes taking part in the Olympic Games.
KHOB Mystery Revealed
Last issue asked questions about the KHOBs – and now all has been revealed thanks to Vaughan Giles of Port Elizabeth who wrote:
While doing a big clear out and tidy up of files in my office, I came across the attached two pages which will probably answer some of the questions about K.H.O.B.
I have been a member since 1958 and was invited to join by Bruce McCurrach. Elton Green was the Big Bastard at the time. The society is exclusively for men and the initiation ceremonies cannot be divulged as all members are sworn to secrecy when they join.
Since 1979 we have had a lot of fun and fellowship and even though we do not meet every year, KHOB is still alive and well. Over the years we have donated about R13 000 to the Herald Christmas Cheer Fund.
We will probably have a meeting again towards the end of this year.
There is nothing to stop any existing member/s of KHOB resurrecting the society at any other club for that matter.
What does it stand for?
Kind Hearted Old Bastards
What does KHOB do?
The name tells you everything.
When was it started?
In 1948 when the Zwartkops Yacht Club Hosted the Nationals. It was started by the late Des Kemsley and the late Tommy Toft who were also founder members of the South African Yacht Racing Association.
Why was it started?
A group of yachtsmen felt that there should be more to the sport than just sailing. They wanted to make a contribution to the sailing community in general. KHOB was formed by mostly members of the Zwartkops Yacht Club and initially the funds collected at the meetings were used to make presentations to the Clubs hosting the Nationals to offset expenditure. Funds were also used to assist sailors who could otherwise not afford to attend Nationals. A Barograph was presented to the Zwartkops Yacht Club by KHOB.
Membership
Originally membership was by invitation only and admission to the organisation could only take place at a National Regatta. In the 1960s multi-class National regattas ceased in their old form due to the increase in the number of boats and the time taken for the series to be sailed. Between the 1960s and 1978, existing KHOB members at the Zwartkops Yacht Club were responsible for collecting contributions towards the annual Christmas Party for under privileged children, but no meetings were held during this period.
In December 1979 KHOB was resurrected at the Zwartkops Yacht Club by existing members and they have kept the organisation going. They have a dinner, inviting existing and prospective members. This is a fun, fundraising evening. Membership is open to all gentlemen who have an interest in yachting or members of any yacht club or angling club. Life membership is the only membership category offered and monies are only collected at this function. Funds raised at the meetings are no longer given to a children’s Christmas Party as it was felt that the community in general should benefit rather than the interest of one club only as KHOB members are drawn from many clubs. Recent donations have been made to the Herald Christmas Cheer Fund.
Dress code
Strictly Club uniform – Club blazer, collar and tie and white or charcoal trousers or Dress Suit or Dark Lounge Suit. Inappropriate dress will cost the wearer!
KHOB Function – 20 November 1993 – Held At “A Stone’s Throw”
Officers for the Evening
B.B. Big Bastard Jerry Baker
C.O.B. Ceremonial Old Bastard Rod van der Weele
S.O.B. Scribbling Old Bastard Vaughan Giles
M.O.B. Money Grabbing Old Bastard Jerry Williamson
G.F.O.B. Gun Firing Old Bastard Michael Giles
Grace Paddy Skelton
Toasts
KHOB John Jacobson
Our Country Mike Thompson
Welcome Vaughan Giles
Absent Friends Peter Price
In the absence of B.B., Ray Langton, our oldest Bastard and ex B.B., Jerry Baker, was elected to office for the evening’s fun.
Jerry Williamson, our Money Grabbing Old Bastard, was there bright and early and cheerful as usual, grabbing our R50.00 contributions. Some thirty three members attended.
The spread produced by Keith and Trevor was tremendous – one thing for sure, the wine did not run out. The cocktail provided by Keith as we arrived sure started the evening off with a bang as a few found out! Our Ceremonial Old Bastard, Rod van der Weele, was his normal self (having done the job for fourteen years) but still had to be reminded of what was supposed to happen. (Some of his jokes were also 14 years old). John Jacobson must have sampled Keith’s punch for he was like a “Jack-in-a-Box”, up and down all night. A newcomer, Michael Giles fired the gun at the opening ceremony with half the Bastards nearly having a thrombosis. The Ceremonial Old Bastard decided in his wisdom on R20.00 fines from everyone. Another newcomer, Andrew Ward was allocated to collect the fines so he could get to know the members. Walter Baumgartner was the other collector.
The mode of dress of some members left a lot to be desired. Anthony Adler looking as though he was at a fancy dress and Walter Baumgartner wearing a shirt too small for his neck. Six new members were initiated to our ranks. During the evening, and between stale jokes, the Ceremonial Old Bastard announced the list of distinguished Bastards for the year.
O.L.O.B. One Legged Old Bastard Rob Marriot with his leg in plaster
H.O.B. Heaviest Old Bastard Trevor Bielby
L.O.B. Laziest Old Bastard Graham Wentworth
O.O.B. Oldest Old Bastard Jerry Baker
R.O.B. Rudist Old Basterd Walter Baumgartner
M.O.B. Meanest Old Bastard Tony Ward
H.W.O.B. Half-witted Old Bastard Alf Hackner
H.A.O.B. Hard arsed Old Bastard Rod van der Weele
B.L.O.B. Bent Looking Old Bastard Anthony Adler
So there you have it, some nice history and all you ever need to know about ‘The Bastards’. Well not really, as there’s more in the ‘Reader Response’ section at the end.
Nelson’s Blood Grog
Here’s a recipe for those who need a regular rum ration – and regularly remember Nelson and his famous battle at Trafalgar:
60m Pussers Rum
1 – 3 teaspoons of dark unrefined sugar (to taste)
half a Lime squeezed into the glass, and
another half to garnish
Splash of Grenadine
Method
Combine sugar and lime juice in a mixing glass and stir to dissolve sugar.
Add Pusser’s Rum, Grenadine, and a cube of ice to the glass and stir until the ice has diluted to more than half. Strain into a glass or mug and over ice and garnish with lime.
For those landlubbers who have never had the pleasure of quaffing a few Rums, I’ll let you into two secrets – one on how to drink it, the other as to how it feels:
“The only way to drink a tot (navy rum) is to swallow it whole, grimace, and sit down to appreciate the glow which spreads from the stomach and engenders that wonderful feeling of peace and bohomie” from ‘Nelson’s Blood’ by James Pack.
2017 Prohibited Substance list
The recent SAS High Performance newsletter highlighted the updated ‘prohibited substance list’ as it affects all sailors who compete in a yacht race – and NOT just the elite.
SASCOC have recently circulated the Prohibited Substance List. for 2017. Please ensure that you are fully aware of the contents of this list and that you remain compliant at all times. Ignorance is not a defence!
Check it out HERE
Proper Charlies!
I was recently corresponding with Hilary Ralph and Jeremy Bellengere, both old Point Yacht Club stalwarts, and somehow the naming of PYC’s ‘Charlies Bar’ entered the conversation.
This is how Bellengere recalls the naming of that bar:
Charlies is named after the two stalwarts who fitted it out all those years ago – Charlie Cole and Charlie Allen.
Are you aware of all the drama immediately post WW2 when the club became unhappily divided over the proposal to get a liquor licence? Thereby hangs a tale.
Another tale is how the Material for Charlies Bar was ‘liberated’ from the ‘Ile-de-France’ when she came into Durban at the beginning of WW2 to be converted into a troop ship. All the panelling you see, and much more, strangely appeared when the two Charlies commenced work on the club bar post WW2.
So there we have it. The pub was named after Charlie Cole and Charlie Allen.
Nailing Their Colours to the Mast
I am all for people having fun, promoting sailing and creating a positive vibe around our sport, but it does concern me that an event I recently received some info about has a ‘Colour Party’ as part of it. For those not in the know, this involves tossing piles of coloured powder at each other and anyone or anything that gets in the way!
What’s next – colouring-in competitions? After all, colouring-in is the new ‘in’ thing for adults!!!
Celebrating 90 Years of Yacht Design
Widely recognized as one of the longest established and most respected independent Yacht Designers and Naval Architects in the world, Laurent Giles is celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2017.
Based in Lymington, Hampshire, Laurent Giles & Partners was founded by Jack Laurent Giles in 1927, quickly establishing himself as a pioneer in used design and construction techniques. Laurent Giles was the first to design the all-aluminum offshore racing yacht, ‘Gulvain’, and one of the first to adopt GRP construction in the early 1960s. Whilst many of Jack’s early designs were “Gentleman’s” sailing yachts the pursuit of performance was always paramount and honed in racing yacht design, this included the stunning America’s Cup Yacht ‘Flica II’.
“The passion and innovation instilled by Jack is embedded in the company’s DNA that bears his name and we continue to innovate, push the boundaries and strive for perfection as Jack did” commented David Lewis, Managing Director.
Government Gone Wild!
I always enjoy reading Scuttlebutt Sailing News. The following piece certainly got my attention:
Now that a generation of helicopter parents are becoming government officials, boating is getting caught in the cross hairs. We don’t know if Maryland Senator James N. Mathias, Jr. had challenging children, but the water is worrying the bejesus out of him.
Mathias has authored Senate Bill 1147 to ‘protect’ people from sailing in a manner that is totally normal. The law would be…
• An individual may not operate a vessel on the waters of the state while another individual is riding on or suspended from the vessel’s bow, gunwale, or transom in a dangerous manner.
• An individual who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanour and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $300.
Can you imagine the skippers meeting at the 5O5 World Championship this year in Annapolis when crews are told they cannot use the trapeze and instead have to hike off the strap?
The law doesn’t say anything about climbing the mast while underway, because you know, you can’t drown from falling onto the deck of a boat.
I hope that our very own SAMSA (Suffocating Amateur Sailing) does not read this and get any more dodgy ideas about the safety of sailing vessels – we have far too many rules as it is.
As a result of the above, there were two very good responses, as follows:
Self-reliance was a trait that defined us, and sadly a trait that is not very common anymore.
Boating teaches young people independent thinking and problem solving. Requiring teens (some of whom by the age of 13, 14 and 15 are world champions or world-calibre sailors!) to have adult supervision robs them of these vital learning opportunities, and is unnecessarily burdensome for both the young boaters and their parents.
Message In A Bottle
There’s a Blog entitled ‘Message in a Bottle’ whose author writes about finding messages in bottles and meeting the people who sent them.
“Time after time, I am amazed by the power of these bottled notes. They may seem silly to some, but messages in bottles have the power to connect people in a profound way. They create real friendships between strangers all the time. They make people care about each other–people who never even knew each other existed before. And, especially with older messages like this one, a message in a bottle may be the most important letter some ever receive.”
“Messages in bottles have saved lives, led to marriage, and reunited folks with lost loved ones. In my view, there’s nothing silly about them. I found my first message in a bottle in 2007. I must have walked past several thousand bottles that day—I had almost zoned out when something caught my eye: a blue bottle lying right on the sand, like it had just washed up. There was something inside! I stumbled over to the bottle and held it up, examining the contents: bright orange paper rolled up tightly and tied with a piece of string that poked out the top of the bottle which had a rubber cork. Wrapped around the message inside were two US dollars.
That bottle sparked something in me that led to finding more messages, and led to this blog. The idea of finding even a single message in a bottle had always enchanted me – but to find dozens of them?! How could I NOT write about it?!
Over time, I found that most people who send messages in bottles are wonderful, kind, friendly folks, who enjoy making friends with the person on the other end of their bottle.
My hunt for messages in bottles started purely as a form of adventure – the thrill of finding them is intense! However, although I go looking for “treasure,” what I mostly find is trash. Looking for messages in bottles opened my eyes to the staggering problem of plastic pollution in our oceans.
Read more HERE
Beware – the Pirates Are Back
Recently Somali pirates struck again when they took an oil tanker hostage.
The piracy issue has been pretty quiet for some time now, and there is no room for complacency as one simply never knows when they will strike again.
Pirate attacks peaked in 2011, but fell sharply after shipping companies upgraded security aboard vessels and regional naval forces stepped up patrols.
Be careful and don’t sail near know areas where piracy has been reported.
Book Review
A history of SAILING in 100 Objects
by Barry Pickthall
Published by Adlard Coles Nautical
This book is not a history of the sailing boat as it rather looks at a number of items and events that have marked a turning point in technological development or human achievement at sea.
Arranged in chronological order, this broad approach allows for an eclectic range of ‘objects’ to be included – objects that have been pivotal in the development of sailing and sailing boats.
It’s a fascinating read and one which will give an armchair sailor as much to reminisce about as well as to learn about this fascinating lifetime sport of ours as each topic is covered succinctly.
This is available from SAILING Books. Email HERE
Humour
The three stages of the aging sailor:
Impotence and loss of interest in the other sex.
Drooling while sleeping.
Pride of ownership in a powerboat.
How True
The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries. — Rene Descartes
I Like This
From out there on the Moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a bitch.’ – Edgar Mitchel, Apollo 14 astronaut
Reader Responses
• KHOB. My title was a ‘Bastard of the Second Degree’. I was initiated at the Multi Nationals held at AllemansKraal Dam way back in the middle ‘60s – Bruce Mc Currach was the initiator, I was about seventeen at the time. To me Mc Currach was a giant.
KHOB was active in Port Elizabeth years back at ABYC. In 1982 I attended a meeting there.
Rod Van Der Weele was the GOB – Grand Old Bastard & presided over the meet.
As a proud member with a lapel badge to prove my membership, not to mention the certificate, I was sworn to secrecy so I cannot divulge more information regarding this society.
Part of the initiation was to be weighed – this was only held at National champs – so larger guy like a Finn skipper who is already a ‘Bastard of whatever degree’ slung you over his shoulder and estimated your weight. That was part of it and where Bruce Mc Currach came in. I was a lightweight Sprog crew.
• I remembered from the ZYC the ‘Wooded KHOB Burgee’, but it’s not there now, nor in the ABYC.
• Whilst attempting to identify the stock of PYC dinghy trophies last year, I had a browse through the trophy register. There is within that book, a loose page or two which detail in handwriting (as I recall) much detail of the KHOB, including descriptions of weird salutes (and more) applicable for greeting the various officers of the organisation.
The late Bob Fraser told me when describing the sinking of his Flying Fifteen, that they were in fact competing in the KHOB race that day. It seems that the event was a bit of a longhaul – with several laps around marks laid near the coal terminal, and the graving dock.
So, if my above memories are correct, there will be a KHOB trophy listed (with accompanying photograph) in the PYC trophy register, and that is where these additional documents will also be found – in all probability, left there for precisely this type of research.
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 R290 per year. Call 031-7096087 or e-mail HERE
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.
Roll Of Honour – 2017
February Matt Ashwell
March Mikhayla Bader
Roll of Honour – Sailors of the Year
2016 Rob van Rooyen
2015 Stefano Marcia
2014 Blaine Dodds
2013 Asenathi Jim
2012 Roger Hudson
2011 Stefano Marcia
2010 Asenathi Jim
2009 Taariq Jacobs
2008 David Hudson
2007 Dominique Provoyeur
2006 Craig Millar
2005 Shaun Ferry
2004 Justin Onvlee
2003 Dominique Provoyeur
2002 Golden Mgedza
2001 John Eloff
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. EMAIL HERE
