IN many ways Frances van Breda has etched her name into sailing history. In 1996 she won the Point Yacht Club (PYC) ‘Yachtsman of the Year’ award, the first and only woman to win the award in the club’s 122 year history and last week she was the first woman to be appointed Honorary Vice Chairman, as a result of the recognition that she has brought the club over the years.
She has also won the SA Laser Radial national champs twice and was crowned the Laser apprentice masters world champ at age 35.
Now 18 years later she is again chasing the dream of becoming a world champion at the Laser Masters World championships in Hyeres, France which will begin later this year.
She recently returned from Simonstown where she battled extreme elements, capsizing several times amidst spotting a great white shark gliding past her boat.
“The wind was howling with 30-knot gusts on the day and the spray off the sea was so bad, I could hardly see anyone in front of me. It was at this point I saw a shimmery copper object swim past my boat.
“In between races, I shouted over at the nearest competitor who didn’t seem too perturbed. And I capsized a few more times after that. I thought I’d be the last woman across the line but I was determined to finish. I would not give up and when I crossed the finish line, the organisers told me I was the only woman to finish,” she said.
Van Breda said her aims at the world champs was to do her best in the 262-boat fleet. “I’d love to win in France but I’m going to do my best and make South Africa and Durban North proud,” she said.
The 53-year-old said she had a spirtiual connection with the ocean.
“The ocean is my therapy, other women prefer shopping but I’m at home out on the water. I have a spiritual connection with the ocean,” she explained.
