www.abyc.org.za: The ABYC dinghy fleet travelled down to Sedgefield this past weekend beginning on Friday the 21st September, for the South African Sailing East Cape Dinghy Provincials hosted by Knysna and George Lakes Yacht clubs at the Pine Lake Marina.

We had 18 sailors and around the same number of supporters travel down to Sedgefield through the stop-go and N2 detours. ABYC members assisting on the bridge, finish boats, rescue and office were Ronnie & Glynnis Baer, Graham Snowball, Gavin Stephens was accompanied by Dylan and Jason on the Optimist finish duck. ABYC also helped out with the loan of a duck, radios, flags, marks, anchors and chain.

Sailing started on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. in a light South Wester and a total of three races were sailed. The high mountains to the North, West and East of Pine Lake make for interesting and challenging sailing and the decisions basically boil down to whether you should sail through the header or tack and tack and tack. Great for the lighter sailors, but hell for the heavier.

Sunday's racing got underway at 11:00 a.m. in a very strong north westerly gusting to around 25 knots and intermittent rain. Not the greatest of conditions for the fair weather sailors, many of whom decided to rather fill the coffers of the local pub and support the Springboks against Tonga. Three races were sailed, with the first race seeing a wind shift oscillating 30 degrees and moving marks that turned expected reaches into beats. Great fun.

Monday's racing turned into a perfect day. The wind out of the South South West was a little bit more steady than Friday and Graham Snowball got the fleet off at exactly 9:30 a.m. The course was a little bit off on the Reach necessitating a tight reach to the second mark, but the downwind leg was spot on with a nice beat up to the top of the sausage. Three races were sailed just before the cut off time, thanks to a black flag start for the Open Fleet who had a couple of good needle matches going on. Noticeable in the Finn fleet was the first place for Knysna Yacht Club's Dudley Isaac, edging Greg Davis into second spot.

With nine races sailed the fleet headed back for the prizegiving, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. but delayed as a result of a protest between two budding sea lawyers in the Optimist Fleet.

Sailing on Pine Lake Marina always is a challenge as the slightest wind shift seems to change the side that pays with many sailors commenting that what worked on their first beat completely killed them on the second. Many times boats that were sailing on the same tack within 50 metres of each other would be sailing away from each other up the beat.

The prizegiving once again highlighted the amount of time and effort that goes into a regatta and the many people who give up of their time, money and effort in order to ensure that the sailors have a good time. I just wish that someone could explain to me how the sailing fraternity manages to get hordes of volunteers to work on the water, in the sun and rain,take abuse from sailors and parents for eight hours and all of that in return for one packed lunch a day and one bottle of wine at the end of the regatta. Well done organisers and helpers, I thank you.

ABYC Sailors Results
All the East Cape Champs Results