At the end of February I was invited to join a crew set sail from The Royal Cape yacht Club in Table Bay all the way to Club Mykonos Resort in Langebaan. Having not ever taken part in yacht race, let alone sailed out of Table Bay without any training, I decided this was an opportunity I couldnt miss!
The morning of Friday, 28 February 2014, I arrived bright and early at the Cape Royal Yacht Club to be met by my skipper, Marc, whom I've never met before. On arrival, the yacht club was abuzz with many crew members jostling about in anticipation for the annual offshore regatta.
I was introduced to the crew who I would be spending the rest of the day with. Skipper, Marc, this would be his first time sailing this race; Kyle, this would be his fifth time; Wesley and Brandon who had a fair share of experience - unlike me!
As I set foot onboard, I became very anxious, obviously not used to the motion of to and fro, but on I got with no hesitation at all. All seemed to be good as I inspected the inside of the yacht. I have to admit, it was tiny, but well organised. I can imagine that minimal is taken onboard to ensure the safety of all passengers in case of an emergency.
It's about 9 am and we're in Table Bay, nearing the start line and hanging about near out other yachts in the division.
To be honest with you, I knew this was going to be a trip and a half!
The start of the race began with a light wind, not enough to get a good start to the race, nonetheless, my crew was determined to carry on.
It had barely been two hours when it was decided by the skipper to retire from the first leg of race. It was then that we motor-sailed to Dassen Island, the half way point and beginning of the 2nd leg of the race.
It was at this stage when the wind slowly disappeared and the mist began to arrive - making it impossible to see the surrounds. So there we were, in the middle of nowhere, unable to see anything.
This is where I began to doubt my decision of getting on the yacht, but the trooper that I am, I didn't regret it and kept my head up high.
We eventually arrived in Langebaan after 10pm Friday night, while some of the yachts had arrived from 7pm and the last of the fleet coming in on the early hours of Saturday morning.
