MOSSEL BAY SPORT NEWS - Despite the Mossel Bay Sailing Club having no premises, because Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) terminated its tenure of the yacht club building a few years back, the club is attracting a number of competitive and leisure sailing events and a busy sailing season lies ahead.
After a long, cold winter sailing boats were in the bay on Sunday, 12 September.
It was the Mossel Bay Sailing Club's Bart's Bash. The Bart's Bash is a sailing event held across the world.
Good conditions
"In Mossel Bay, the sun and wind turned up in the right quantities and we had an amazing time on the water," Skipper Foundation NPO founder and local sailing coach Elfie Holden said. "Thirty sailors took to the water, some for their very first race. The Bart's Bash is the flagship event for the Andrew Simpson Foundation, inspired by Andrew 'Bart' Simpson, a Olympic gold and silver medallist, who believed everyone should have a chance to sail.
"Races are sailed the world over, the results are all collected and an overall winner gets announced. Mossel Bay's own Chris Naude finished second overall in the world in the 2017 event. Results can be viewed at www.bartsbash.com/results."
Holden said: "Even though we don't have a premises to call our own, we have secured some amazing events."
Weather permitting, on Sunday 19 September, 12 cruising yachts from Cape Town will be stopping in the bay on their way to the annual Novamarine Knysna Rally.
Anything that floats
"They will be visiting various local establishments. Their visit will also include an anything that floats race, in which they will be racing against our local talent in the Skipper Foundation on Monday at 15:00," Holden says.
On the weekend of 24 to 26 September, Mossel Bay will be hosting the 29er Western Cape Champs.
Holden says: "These racing machines will be coming from across the country to compete on our waters."
From Thursday, 30 September to 2 October the boats taking part in the historical Mossel Bay Race, from Simonstown to Mossel bay, will be arriving in the bay.
"Keep an eye on Mossel Bay Sailing Club's Facebook page to see more details about these exciting events," Holden says.
Update on Mozambique sailors
A group of girls from Mozambique were coached in Mossel Bay by the International Sailing Federation's Rob Holden during June for the Olympic Games.
Unfortunately one of the sailors tested positive for Covid-19 when the sailors arrived in Japan for the Games.
She lost about 8kg in body weight while in hospital and came out of hospital a day before the event.
"She simply did not have the stamina for the event," Elfie Holden says. Her first race of each day showed promise, but for the rest of the days "she was just hanging in there".
The other girls taking part were on a "very new and highly technical boat".
Elfie Holden said they came last but did remarkably well for the time they had to prepare for the event and considering that they were sailing against the best in the world.
Rob Holden will continue working with the girl who caught Covid-19 and it is hoped she will make it to the 2024 Olympics.
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