News
Local events: The great African adventure - By Flt Lt Jon Best (Royal Air Force)
Published: Feb 03, 2009 - 11:40 AM
The International Flying Dutchman class (sailing dinghy) World Championships were held in Durban, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa in November 2000, alongside the same event for the International 5o5 sailing dinghies.
The Great African Adventure
By Flt Lt Jon Best (Royal Air Force)
The International Flying Dutchman class (sailing dinghy) World Championships were held in Durban, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa in November 2000, alongside the same event for the International 5o5 sailing dinghies. Ordinarily my crew, James, and I would not have had a chance to take part in such an adventure, but a visit to the Station Gym secured a form to apply for a grant from Central Service Funds; we applied, we got a grant, and the adventure began.
We packed my Flying Dutchman (FD) "BIGGLES GETS A LIFE" into a container in October, in Oss, Holland, for the transit to Africa with the Dutch contingent of FD's. Although reunited with "Biggles" in Durban, customs had not decided whether our dinghy and the Dutch FD's were actually allowed into South Africa, but after some 2 or 3 days of discussion we were able to unpack "Biggles" and get on with the adventure.
Our Great African Adventure started on the Indian Ocean with, of course, an offshore wind. The sea was extremely rough with what we thought were huge waves; nothing compared with what we were to see later, when the waves became seriously awesome. Although we lived a mile away, in a hotel behind the Sea World Dolphinarium on the North beach, our launching site was by the harbour mouth, getting from one to the other was very like driving through the worse districts of Beirut.
Launching was achieved by wading out with the boat stern-first to the 1-metre high surf, inside the reef break. Over the surf, I jump into the helmsman's position, pop the rudder on, and seconds later James emerges from the neck-deep water and away we go. If we thought that launching with an offshore wind was difficult, worst was to come when the wind was onshore, and the sea had got up, following three days of 45-knot winds. Then you really do begin to believe in divine intervention. Why is it that whenever somebody takes a photograph of you sailing in huge waves, the picture makes it look as if you are sailing on Poole boating lake? The Race Committee boat, "Roller", was 15 metres long and 5 metres high, not misnamed, it kept disappearing behind waves, and that was when we were sitting on the starting line! When racing, we had to take compass bearings, given the chance, on the next mark or the Finish Boat. They would appear from time to time on the crest of a very blue wave on the very blue sea, probably with just a hint of a Great White fin showing somewhere in the background.
The first race of the Kwa Zulu Natal Pre-Worlds Regatta will stay in my memory forever. Firstly, it was our second sail on the Indian Ocean, secondly the sea was definitely 'Great White' infested; there appeared to be hundreds of them, and thirdly it ended up blowing jolly hard, 48 knots towards the end; our little pink bodies, out at sea, felt very vulnerable. The race started in about 12 knots of wind, which rapidly became 20 knots and then very quickly increased still further. We were on the pace; the Australians were just ahead at the windward mark, wall to wall Dutch and German FD's just behind us. We popped the spinnaker and set off on a wild ride to the wing mark, I had what James calls 'a senior moment', and took the spinnaker down for the gybe, very wise. It didn't reappear for the second reach, too windy, too tight, too everything! Somehow we had got ahead of the Australians who very sensibly bailed out and went home, not so your scribe - no sense at all - we went crashing around the course to win the race. Only then did we realise that it was EXTREMELY WINDY. We had somehow managed to finish and set off home under very reduced sail. Two hours and seven capsizes later, we got a tow the last half-mile by a local Inshore Rescue Boat. There was so much spray it was impossible to look upwind. Thus it continued for three days. We learnt, after coming ashore, that three 5o5's were missing; their crews were eventually brought ashore safely, but not so the boats. We did go out and start another race the following day, much the same thing happened, we won, but maybe it wasn't quite so windy. The race officer tried a third race, but abandoned it as the wind increased through 35 knots; very wise. With two first places, we had won the pre-Worlds regatta, and subsequently found that the regatta authorities were now using us as the barometer to measure insanity level. They figured that if we would go sailing then it was OK to send the fleet, the fleet did not share the same enthusiasm.
Then came the 'Worlds'. We had come a long way for this regatta; we wanted something special, and it would seem that we got it. The first race got underway in quite light conditions, with the Australians James Cookie and "Fred" McCrossin leading the field, with young Dutch and German sailors right on their heels. We got down to seventh, but clawed one back when it inevitably got windy, but we had left ourselves too much to do. The Australians won, Hans Peter Swartz and Roland Kirst (GER 87) was second, the Van Der Pol brothers (NED 32) were third, GER 28 was fourth, Harold Wijgers and Niels Kamphuis in NED 325 was fifth, and we were sixth. Three days later, after the wind had blown ceaselessly from the East, he swell assumed monster proportions, and the wind was now against the swell from the South West. There was desperation in the eyes of all the regatta management; to make up time we would have to sail the next two races back to back.
The first race of the day started in a reasonable wind, but sailing conditions could best be described as challenging. The German team GER 87, showed impressive speed, followed by the, Australians and the Van Der Pols; we hung in there to take fourth, a long way clear of the rest of the fleet. The third race was something of a challenge; as the wind lightened, it began to oscillate and we still had the 4-metre swell to contend with. We came out of the start well, had good speed and worked the breeze; we got to the windward mark first, 100 metres ahead of our nearest rivals. This was it, our trip had been worthwhile; we were leading a World Championship race at the windward mark. Then it occurred to us that we could maybe win the race if we got seriously stuck in. James trimmed the spinnaker beautifully to hold the NED 325 team off on the reaches; we now had good speed on everybody else. On the second beat to windward the Australians came through to second, the Van Der Pols were consistent and stayed third but we were definitely faster, opening up about a 3-minute lead at the windward mark. The run downwind was nerve wracking but no problem; the next beat was OK, not much place-changing going on behind us. Then a bit more divine intervention, the wind dropped and became really light and fluky on the last reach to the finish. We used our brains and held our nerve, which saw us through to WIN our first race in the FD World Championships. That was one of my lifetime ambitions taken care of. The next race was windy and rough, well at least for the Australians and us, everybody else seemed to think it was very rough. Hans Peter Swartz played his joker and nipped past the AUS 33 about 50 metres before the finish, the Van Der Pols stayed in front of us by about 20 metres, and every body else came in later, another fourth place.
What turned out to be the last race of the championship started in about 28 knots of wind - usual thing, rough and now quite windy. Along with us, the Australians took off on a long starboard tack in clouds of spray and were never seen again. Hans Peter went for the spinnaker on reach two - big mistake - he crashed spectacularly, ended up in last place only to scoot through the fleet to finish third when the Van Der Pols crashed on the run. The Australians were first with us 50 metres behind; the next boat was one and a half miles astern. The downwind run was a nightmare, running head-on into huge swells - Awesome!
Overall, James Cookie and "Fred" McCrossin (Australia) were first, Hans Peter and Roland Kirst (Germany) came second, James and I third (Wow) and the Van Der Pols (Netherlands) fourth. How James stuck with the programme, I will never know. I take my hat off to his ability to stay on the side of the boat, jolly well done our Kid! There were times when approaching particularly big waves at unusually high speed we did wonder whether there was a Deity; I guess there must be, we all survived to tell the tale.
We packed my Flying Dutchman (FD) "BIGGLES GETS A LIFE" into a container in October, in Oss, Holland, for the transit to Africa with the Dutch contingent of FD's. Although reunited with "Biggles" in Durban, customs had not decided whether our dinghy and the Dutch FD's were actually allowed into South Africa, but after some 2 or 3 days of discussion we were able to unpack "Biggles" and get on with the adventure.
Our Great African Adventure started on the Indian Ocean with, of course, an offshore wind. The sea was extremely rough with what we thought were huge waves; nothing compared with what we were to see later, when the waves became seriously awesome. Although we lived a mile away, in a hotel behind the Sea World Dolphinarium on the North beach, our launching site was by the harbour mouth, getting from one to the other was very like driving through the worse districts of Beirut.
Launching was achieved by wading out with the boat stern-first to the 1-metre high surf, inside the reef break. Over the surf, I jump into the helmsman's position, pop the rudder on, and seconds later James emerges from the neck-deep water and away we go. If we thought that launching with an offshore wind was difficult, worst was to come when the wind was onshore, and the sea had got up, following three days of 45-knot winds. Then you really do begin to believe in divine intervention. Why is it that whenever somebody takes a photograph of you sailing in huge waves, the picture makes it look as if you are sailing on Poole boating lake? The Race Committee boat, "Roller", was 15 metres long and 5 metres high, not misnamed, it kept disappearing behind waves, and that was when we were sitting on the starting line! When racing, we had to take compass bearings, given the chance, on the next mark or the Finish Boat. They would appear from time to time on the crest of a very blue wave on the very blue sea, probably with just a hint of a Great White fin showing somewhere in the background.
The first race of the Kwa Zulu Natal Pre-Worlds Regatta will stay in my memory forever. Firstly, it was our second sail on the Indian Ocean, secondly the sea was definitely 'Great White' infested; there appeared to be hundreds of them, and thirdly it ended up blowing jolly hard, 48 knots towards the end; our little pink bodies, out at sea, felt very vulnerable. The race started in about 12 knots of wind, which rapidly became 20 knots and then very quickly increased still further. We were on the pace; the Australians were just ahead at the windward mark, wall to wall Dutch and German FD's just behind us. We popped the spinnaker and set off on a wild ride to the wing mark, I had what James calls 'a senior moment', and took the spinnaker down for the gybe, very wise. It didn't reappear for the second reach, too windy, too tight, too everything! Somehow we had got ahead of the Australians who very sensibly bailed out and went home, not so your scribe - no sense at all - we went crashing around the course to win the race. Only then did we realise that it was EXTREMELY WINDY. We had somehow managed to finish and set off home under very reduced sail. Two hours and seven capsizes later, we got a tow the last half-mile by a local Inshore Rescue Boat. There was so much spray it was impossible to look upwind. Thus it continued for three days. We learnt, after coming ashore, that three 5o5's were missing; their crews were eventually brought ashore safely, but not so the boats. We did go out and start another race the following day, much the same thing happened, we won, but maybe it wasn't quite so windy. The race officer tried a third race, but abandoned it as the wind increased through 35 knots; very wise. With two first places, we had won the pre-Worlds regatta, and subsequently found that the regatta authorities were now using us as the barometer to measure insanity level. They figured that if we would go sailing then it was OK to send the fleet, the fleet did not share the same enthusiasm.
Then came the 'Worlds'. We had come a long way for this regatta; we wanted something special, and it would seem that we got it. The first race got underway in quite light conditions, with the Australians James Cookie and "Fred" McCrossin leading the field, with young Dutch and German sailors right on their heels. We got down to seventh, but clawed one back when it inevitably got windy, but we had left ourselves too much to do. The Australians won, Hans Peter Swartz and Roland Kirst (GER 87) was second, the Van Der Pol brothers (NED 32) were third, GER 28 was fourth, Harold Wijgers and Niels Kamphuis in NED 325 was fifth, and we were sixth. Three days later, after the wind had blown ceaselessly from the East, he swell assumed monster proportions, and the wind was now against the swell from the South West. There was desperation in the eyes of all the regatta management; to make up time we would have to sail the next two races back to back.
The first race of the day started in a reasonable wind, but sailing conditions could best be described as challenging. The German team GER 87, showed impressive speed, followed by the, Australians and the Van Der Pols; we hung in there to take fourth, a long way clear of the rest of the fleet. The third race was something of a challenge; as the wind lightened, it began to oscillate and we still had the 4-metre swell to contend with. We came out of the start well, had good speed and worked the breeze; we got to the windward mark first, 100 metres ahead of our nearest rivals. This was it, our trip had been worthwhile; we were leading a World Championship race at the windward mark. Then it occurred to us that we could maybe win the race if we got seriously stuck in. James trimmed the spinnaker beautifully to hold the NED 325 team off on the reaches; we now had good speed on everybody else. On the second beat to windward the Australians came through to second, the Van Der Pols were consistent and stayed third but we were definitely faster, opening up about a 3-minute lead at the windward mark. The run downwind was nerve wracking but no problem; the next beat was OK, not much place-changing going on behind us. Then a bit more divine intervention, the wind dropped and became really light and fluky on the last reach to the finish. We used our brains and held our nerve, which saw us through to WIN our first race in the FD World Championships. That was one of my lifetime ambitions taken care of. The next race was windy and rough, well at least for the Australians and us, everybody else seemed to think it was very rough. Hans Peter Swartz played his joker and nipped past the AUS 33 about 50 metres before the finish, the Van Der Pols stayed in front of us by about 20 metres, and every body else came in later, another fourth place.
What turned out to be the last race of the championship started in about 28 knots of wind - usual thing, rough and now quite windy. Along with us, the Australians took off on a long starboard tack in clouds of spray and were never seen again. Hans Peter went for the spinnaker on reach two - big mistake - he crashed spectacularly, ended up in last place only to scoot through the fleet to finish third when the Van Der Pols crashed on the run. The Australians were first with us 50 metres behind; the next boat was one and a half miles astern. The downwind run was a nightmare, running head-on into huge swells - Awesome!
Overall, James Cookie and "Fred" McCrossin (Australia) were first, Hans Peter and Roland Kirst (Germany) came second, James and I third (Wow) and the Van Der Pols (Netherlands) fourth. How James stuck with the programme, I will never know. I take my hat off to his ability to stay on the side of the boat, jolly well done our Kid! There were times when approaching particularly big waves at unusually high speed we did wonder whether there was a Deity; I guess there must be, we all survived to tell the tale.