THE inclement weather that hit Durban recently did not not dampen the sailor’s spirits as they flocked to take part in the third Bart’s Bash event.
Coinciding with the 125th opening cruise, more than 40 boats braved the miserable weather to venture out on the water to participate in the race.
The fleet lined up in the bay to compete in the two nautical mile race. Yachts of all shapes and sizes got underway in a one-start race, as they made their way in light conditions. Only 31 boats crossed the start line for a single lap around the usual Wednesday night race’s course.
Leading the pack, Struan Campbell and his crew member, Murray May, blitzed their way around the course on Campbell’s Hobie Tiger taking line honours. Not far behind was Peter Hall, sailing single-handed on his Hobie 16, crossing the line in second.
As the race progressed, the sailors were doused with several downpours. The last boat across the line was Terry Hargreaves, who sailed the race single-handedly in his 50-year-old Vivacity 20.
Local competitors can proudly say that they were one of 7 265 competitors in the world’s biggest sailing event, with the Point Yacht Club being one of 361 venues out of 58 countries that participated. The Durban based yacht club was lying third in the world on entries received, behind the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and the Bristol-based Chew Valley Yacht Club.
The Point Yacht Club’s commodore, Craig Millar, said, “It will take the organisers at the Andrew Simpson Foundation a while to go through the thousands of entries. Regardless of the outcome, I am really impressed with how many sailors came out in the wet weather to take part in the event. It bodes well for the upcoming season with the keen interest shown on Saturday.”
This is the third year that Bart’s Bash has taken place with the total number of sailors creeping past the 52 000 competitors mark. The cause for this year was to raise awareness for disabled sailing and the event also fell on the International Coastal Clean Up Day, with Durban’s sailors being invited to scoop up any litter they stumbled upon in the bay prior to the sail past.
The next event for Point Yacht Club is the Hobie Weekend on Saturday, 1 and Sunday, 2 October.
