DURBAN dished up ideal conditions for the MSC Week hosted by Point Yacht Club (PYC) which took place offshore of Durban from July 3 to July 7.
Twenty-five teams took to the water over the five days, pushing their boats to the limit at the MSC Week, and the tight race was held in Durban’s bay off the Golden Mile.
Four yacht classes competed, including two Nationals with the ORC class and L26 class which were vying for top honours.
In a duel mid-fleet of the L26 Nationals, two yachts tied on points with both teams, finishing on 39 apiece. Seaview resident Shamir Rampersadh and his team were racing on BNR and took fourth spot, edging Keyuren Maharaj from Glenwood and crew, competing on SLFC Spindrift, into fifth. In the week-long event spanning 12 races, Rampersadh and crew tallied up one second place, three third places and three fourth places, while Maharaj and crew achieved one second place, three third places and two fourth places. The difference in the fourth-place finishes gave BNR the advantage in the final scorecard.
Also read: WATCH: Hair-raising video shows erosion at Morningside block of flats
Chatting after the event, Shamir Rampersadh shared, “My week was just as fun as it was challenging. But many new memories were made. Other than that, just a few bruises from knocking things on the deck. I always say, if you don’t get hurt while sailing, you’re not doing it right! Being on the water is always fun. Sailing for the 1000th time gives me the same joy I felt sailing for the first time. It was really wonderful.”
Talking about their performance, he continued, “My crew performed their absolute best. We didn’t have much time training together as we only started sailing together in late February this year. But we all tried our very best, and I am pleased with our results.”
Maharaj, who was driving a boat full of fellow engineering students, said, “Our week went really well. For the first time after sailing the MSC Week, I can’t wait to go back and sail as soon as possible. I believe it was the crew I had. It was so good; they caught on so quickly; they were so helpful. It was just so reassuring knowing that if anything were to go wrong, I had my wonderful team to back me up. Which helped tremendously as we had a few things breaking on the boat. Spindrift had been sitting in the marina for over a year not moving, so she did so well for us over the week, but on the last day, she wasn’t really moving. We were so close to finishing on the podium, but it wasn’t meant to be. We have learnt so much, and taking those lessons, we look forward to taking part in the next year’s MSC.”
Also read: New mural unveiled at Point Waterfront Canal to honour fish
The MSC Week, which began in 1976, has had a variety of colourful characters participating, and this year is no different. There is everything from an Olympic sailor to well-decorated coastal skippers who have traversed the South African coastline, to skilful homegrown yachtsmen who are very familiar with local conditions, to ‘fresh on the boat’ newbie sailors who are competing offshore for the very first time.
The MSC Week is followed by the Lipton Challenge Cup, taking place from July 11–15. For more info, visit www.pyc.co.za or follow the yacht club on Facebook or Instagram.
For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
