Durban North sailor shines at MSC Week Regatta

FIVE days of sublime sailing concluded with the fleet competing in the MSC Week Regatta hosted by Point Yacht Club, enjoying the champagne sailing conditions recently.

The weather gods provided a bit of everything for the participants, dishing up the very best of Durban weather.

There were three classes competing, with the main division being the ORC Nationals, followed by a highly competitive fleet of L26s tussling for the KZN Regional title, and then the open class.

Leading from the start, the team from Izivunguvungu MSC Foundation, sailing on Captain Sarno’s J33, MSC Donna Mia, impressed from the get-go.

The young team were competing in the ORC Nationals, skippered by 34-year-old Kenwin Daniels, a sailing instructor with the Izivunguvungu MSC Foundation who notched up five wins, and three second places in the eight races the ORCs completed.

Durban North resident Jessica Fennessy relished her time during her second MSC Week Regatta.

They had a challenging regatta coming up against some of the top future sailors in South Africa in a highly competitive L26 KZN Regionals fleet. Finishing fifth in their last race on the first day was their best result, with all their other races finishing comfortably mid-fleet. Fennessy was crewing for the UKZN Yacht Club on SLFC Spindrift and they finished sixth overall.

“Our best race was definitely when we finished only one metre ahead of the target competitor. There were a lot of tactics involved, and ultimately our choices paid off. We didn’t make the position we aimed for, but we had a lot of fun and made good memories. We also learnt a lot and worked well together as a team.”

Asked what her standout moment was for the week, she said: “A huge pod of dolphins swimming alongside the boat during the race, they were hunting the bait fish we had seen along the surface.”

After the tremendously successful MSC Week, the Point Yacht Club will now be turning its full attention to the Mirror Worlds Regatta that will be taking place next year.

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