The strong wind on day two of the Benoni Sailing Club’s annual open regatta at Homestead Dam played a key role in the competition after a gentle breeze on day one on February 25.
With light wind on the opening day, the sailors went up a gear on February 26 as the strong south-easterly resulted in faster and thrilling competition.
“On day one, the wind was light, and the sailing was slower. But today, it’s a bit stronger and this has made sailing exciting and faster,” said Peter Clayton.
Clayton said it was encouraging that all the clubs from around Gauteng supported sailing in Benoni.
According to Dudley Thomson, there were 30 competitors, with Leon de Raay winning the senior’s category for the second successive year. Maximilian Malan was the junior winner.
Thomson said the regatta was a great success and that the young and old had fun.
The top three were as follows:
Senior fleet: First De Raay, second Clive Whitburn, third Duncan Hawksworth
Juniors/optimists: First Malan, second Natasha Brown, third Aydin O’Hara
Hyacinth still a problem at Homestead Dam
Clayton said the hyacinth was affecting the usability of the shoreline at the dam.
“This is despite that we have been able to control the growth of the invasive species. The weed starts growing on the edges where we are supposed to launch the boats. It’s been a problem in recent years. There’s an ongoing battle with the hyacinth, water lilies and weeds which we constantly have to clear,” said Clayton.
According to Chris de Bree from the East Rand Kayak Club, they’ve had to move from their base because of the growth of the hyacinth on the shoreline where they are supposed to put up their pitch for canoe polo matches.
“We have to put our pitch further into the water because the hyacinth congregates on the edges. We’ve had to move our field further into the dam and this is not conducive for our spectators,” De Bree stated.
De Bree said the canoe and sailing clubs, together with the local homeowners’ association, have been able to stop it from growing further into the dam.
“The canoe and sailing clubs have put resources into manually removing it in addition to the work done by the Alphen Park community. It’s a team effort.”
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