One of my wages of sin is to be involved in organising and working at sailing regattas that take place at the Algoa Bay Yacht Club. The ABYC has an enviable reputation for organising and hosting some of the best local, national and international regattas (See: Mirror Worlds 2007 – Simply Gorgeous for proof).
In the 1990′s one could walk down the moorings during ABYC’s annual prestige regatta (ABYC Week) and only see 20 or so yachts still in the harbour – the rest would be out sailing. In the 2000′s sponsorship money dried up a bit and the number of participating boats dwindled.
But, this year with the help of an enthusiastic committee and a mini revival in national events such as the Boardwalk Hobie 16 Nationals, the L26 Nationals, the 505 Nationals and International events such as the 2015 505 World Championships and ABYC have put in a bid for the 2015 Mirror World Championships as well – exciting sailing stuff headed for Port Elizabeth.
This year’s ABYC week will see close to 40 boats sailing, including fourteen 505 Dinghy’s who will be sailing their nationals each year in Port Elizabeth ahead of the 2015 World Championships.
Of course, with so many boats sailing the number of club members available to help on the water has been severely curtailed and I am looking for someone keen to learn about sailing from an organiser’s perspective as I have the ‘pleasure’ of not sailing this year and am the designated mark layer/additional rescue boat/media escorter/photographer on Ocean Mania – the club’s power boat.
Let me hasten to add that everyone who works at an unsponsored regatta does so in the hope that the sailing committee will be able to afford a cheap bottle of wine as a present at the end of the regatta. If a regatta is sponsored then workers get a T-Shirt and maybe a couple of sarmies for lunch.
So, with that background I am moved to ask:
If you are strong, not prone to sea sickness and would like to help me out tossing and retrieving anchors whilst dodging yachts, ignoring the two way radio, getting sunburnt and maybe spotting a dolphin or two every day from 27 April to 1 May then contact me here. Applicants who are open to bribing me with a couple of Fanta Browns and proven ability to make a mean sarmie will receive preference.
Or you could contact me here:
