AN exciting youth two-day sailing regatta will kick off on Friday, 26 February in the port of Durban as part of the first Annual Durban Maritime Summit, giving delegates and the community a chance to experience the beautiful yachting marina first-hand.
This event is organised and hosted by Sail Africa Youth Development Foundation. The regatta includes young sailors from schools, youth centres and sailing clubs around Durban.
Sail Africa Youth Development is a non-profit organisation that provides education, skills training and personal development and empowerment through the medium of sail training.
Although this is the second Sail Africa Interschools Keelboat Regatta, the event has been realigned with the Durban Maritime Summit and will become an annual event aimed at promoting skills development and career choices in the maritime sector in the city.
The first round starts on the afternoon of 26 February from 2pm to 4pm and will include boats sailed by pupils studying nautical science as a matric subject. These schools include G Zuma High School, Zwelibanzi High School and Sithengile Secondary School.
Round two takes place on Saturday, 27 February from 10am to noon and is expected to include a number of boats crewed by youth groups and the junior sailors from the Point Yacht Club.
Round three, also on Saturday, is scheduled for 12.30pm to 3.30pm when six boats from local Durban schools, including Glenwood Boys’ High School, Rossburgh High School, Eden College, Umhlanga College and New Forest High School, will take to the water.
The winners and runners-up from each of the rounds will participate in the final race of the regatta.
The Interschools Keelboat Regatta is aimed at showcasing the port of Durban as a maritime recreational and educational centre.
“Durban is the ideal home for yachting in South Africa as its temperate climate and warm water mean that there is no off season. This is not only a great opportunity to put the city on the map for water-related sports, but also to grow tourism and stimulate business around that,” said Sail Africa’s Jackie Barnard, co-ordinator of the Sail Africa Interschools Keelboat Regatta.
According Barnard, even though many young Durbanites live close to the coast, most have not had the opportunity to connect with the maritime environment.
She said that while sailing can be considered as a sport or recreation with a view to a career in the maritime industry, it also provides a more holistic educational experience.
“The practical experience gained from such exposure cannot be replicated in a classroom. This course offers pupils an opportunity to become familiar with and learn to respect the maritime environment.
“Sailing promotes a healthy lifestyle. It demands physical fitness, balance and co-ordination and leads to good all-round health and a feeling of well-being,” said Barnard.
