Yachtsmen will be readying their boats for the upcoming Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Keelers Pursuit Race that takes place offshore of Durban on Sunday, 30 October. Westville resident, Rob Samways will be tasked to look after the handicaps for the fleet in the upcoming Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Keeler Pursuit Race offshore of Durban.
The highly challenging and extremely popular race attracts keelboats entries of all shapes and sizes. The race officer attempts to make the fleet finish en masse so as to make the race as competitive as possible and, therefore, the start is carefully strategised, with the slower boats going off first, with start times staggered according to handicaps. The faster racing class will be the last to start.
Westville Resident, Rob Samways, who is the only qualified International Race Officer in KwaZulu-Natal, has been tasked with the scientific job of setting the handicaps for the fleet. All yachts will compete on the same course. “We keep the course quite simple so as not to complicate the race,” the accomplished skipper, Samways said.
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The race duration is two hours with the first boat crossing over the finish line being awarded the honours of the 2011 Keeler Pursuit Race. The race officer sets a ‘there-and-back’ course all depending on sea and wind conditions on the day; the course is set with the yachts starting off Vetches Beach.
The busy sailing calendar has four pursuit races servicing all classes of sailing crafts, with one race falling in each sailing season. The defending champion of the summer Keelers Pursuit Race is Cowies Hill resident, Murray Calder who took the line last year sailing on his Impact 30 keelboat.
A highlight for Durban sailors, the Royal Natal Yacht Club’s fun-filled Keeler Pursuit Race takes place offshore on Sunday 30 October.
For more info contact Chantal on 031 301 5425 at the RNYC office for the Notice Of Race and Entry Form.