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Point Yacht Club Annual Prize Giving
Point Yacht Club Annual Prize Giving
The classes that were recognised were Keeler, Dinghy and Hobies that competed over the 2015 / 2016 season. Also congratulated at the ceremony were youth sailors who have achieved both at club level and higher.
Special mention goes to Benji Daniel and Chad Stevenson who will be representing South Africa at the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Youth World Championships that takes place in Auckland, New Zealand this year. They are the only Durban sailors who have made the team to travel across in December.
Doing well racing in the keeler category were Sean Jones on Bandit; Olivia Jane skippered by Neil Millar and Brad Rayson on Flyer all achieving four top results over the season. Not far behind, with three medal placings were Robin Hulley on his Mafuta, Andrew Dolloway on his trimaran Ladybird and Tequila Sunrise skippered by Kevin Rainer.
Placing in the dinghies were Rear Commodore for Dinghies, Myles White and his partner Estelle Buys with three firsts and a third over the season. Up-and-coming Iain Bowman scored two firsts and a second sailing his Oppie. Young Bowman can be seen on the water most weekends all by himself honing his skills and is one of the most eager sailors at the club. Hobie sailor, Dylan Albert was acknowledged in both the dinghy and Hobie classes for his continued keen efforts on the water. Albert scored a first and third sailing in the bay against some of the top Hobie sailors in the world. In the junior category, Albert sailing with James Butler competed in the recent youth World qualifiers finishing fourth.
In the same event, Jethro Brophy - Tintinger, sailing with Sarah - Anne Hall finished their qualifiers off in third place. Brophy-Tintinger had a magnificent season racing Hobies and was awarded the Most Improved Sailor in the Hobie category. Currently competing overseas, Garth Loudon together with Robbie Robbie Edwards - Bettsy won the European Hobie 16 Grand Masters at the end of July. Rounding off an exceptional season for the duo having won the Hobie 16 Provincials a month ago, the team walked away winning the Hobie 16 Category. Loudon also was awarded the prize in both the Hobie 14 category, with a second result in the Hobie 14 Nationals, finishing just behind legendary Blaine Dodds.
The next sailing event takes place over the long weekend with all classes of smaller boats competing in the SAS Grand Slam with Point Yacht Club hosting the Hobie 14 Regionals as part of the slam offshore of Durban with the sunny conditions promising to have changing winds over the four days of the regatta, from light to moderately stronger winds predicted.
KwaZulu-Natal junior golf has received a tremendous boost thanks to the fundraising efforts of the PGA of South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal professionals as well as support from former professional Mark McNulty.
The local PGA professionals recently hosted their annual KwaZulu-Natal PGA Plate at San Lameer Golf Estate, and this year combined the event and fundraiser with a Junior Pro-Am prior to the main pro-am fundraiser that raised an additional R45 000 for future regional projects.
"Last year we raised about R30 000 and this year the committee decided that we would put this back into local junior golf. So we decided to hold the Junior Pro-Am as part of our tournament, and the feedback we received from the kids and parents was amazing," says Jason Bird, Chairman of the KZN Region of the PGA of South Africa.
About 50 junior golfers from in and around Durban as well as from the province's South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB) chapter were invited to play alongside a PGA professional in the pro-am.
"We funded the whole experience for them and we had such a diversity of kids with handicaps ranging from 3 to 30.
"We wanted them to experience what it would be like to play as a professional, so they all walked the course and had an official caddie. And we had an official prizegiving."
This is the third year that the KwaZulu-Natal region has hosted such a fundraiser, and it has now attracted the attention of McNulty.
"Mark has a junior foundation at San Lameer. This year he kindly sponsored the costs of the PGA professionals who played in the Junior Pro-Am. Next year we are hoping to get him to join us for a junior golf clinic during the tournament.
"The entire event surpassed all of our expectations. We raised R45 000 to invest in another local golf project in 2017. We have such a great PGA committee in KwaZulu-Natal and I think this event was a proud day for all of us," says Bird.
The KwaZulu-Natal region certainly has performed well over recent months. Meyer du Toit, the Golf Director at San Lameer, was this year named as the PGA of South Africa's Professional of the Year, while Kloof Country Club's Kate Brett-Castle was named the PGA of South Africa's Apprentice of the Year, and in May, Mount Edgecombe professional Johan Smit won the PGA National Championship presented by Diners Club.