MASTHEAD # 5 – January 2012

Firstly, the compliments of the season to all HMYC members – your Committee hopes that you have a good 2012, and that your sailing will always be fun.

The SAS KZN regatta was held between Christmas and New Year at HMYC, and this was a great success with a total of 76 entries, which was a significant increase over last year. Two courses were run, with the catamarans sailing on the one course, and dinghies on the other. The Sprogs and Halcats had their Nationals, while the Lasers had their KZN Provincial Championships.

Next weekend – the 28th and 29th January – sees the Summer Series Mini Regatta at the Club. The first start is at 14h00 on Saturday 28th January, and anyone can sail in this event. We are also expecting that some of the Durban sailors will make the trip up the hill with their boats to participate in this regatta.

There are some more regattas and events coming up in the next few months at HMYC, the first of which is the Midmar Mile. This will be held on the 11th and 12th February, and Club members are reminded that your Club has been hired out to one of the swimming clubs for the whole weekend, so Club members won’t be able to go to the Club on either the 11th or 12th February.

The next event is the Quantum HMYC 9 Hour 2012 – this will be held on the 25th February, and once again is being generously sponsored by Quantum Sails. Our thanks go to Quantum for giving us their sponsorship, as without this the 9 Hour wouldn’t be the success that it has been in the past.

Then, on the 10th and 11th March, HMYC will be hosting the KwaZulu-Natal Inter-Schools regatta. This regatta is where scholars compete in any type of dinghy and sail for their school.  And, also in March – from the 17th to the 21st to be exact – HMYC will be hosting the Hunter Nationals regatta. This should be a good regatta, with a good entry, as Hunter sailors from all over will make
the trip to HMYC to come and sail on the Dam and enjoy our hospitality and sailing conditions.

National Small Vessel Safety Regulations: Do You Comply?
All skippers and persons going onto the water need to be aware of the contents of the Merchant Shipping (National Small Vessel Safety) Regulations of 2007, as per Government Gazette 30151, and ensure that they and their vessel comply. The following schedules indicate the minimum equipment requirements for sheltered waters (including Midmar Dam):

Sailing Vessels Between 7m and 9m In LengthWith Motors < 15 Hp
NO EQUIPMENT ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Other Vessels
All vessels over 9 metres in length, or with motors exceeding 15 horsepower are required to have a
Certificate of Fitness and the skipper must have a Certificate of Competency.
** In addition to the NSVSR requirements, the HMYC specifies that all youth sailors
must wear a buoyancy aid at all times when on the water.
NOTE: FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, PLEASE CARRY OUT A SELF-CHECK!
THE WATER POLICE ARE COMING AND WILL BE CHECKING FOR COMPLIANCE!

SAS Membership Cards
Please can you give Heather Marshall – your Club Administrator – your date of birth and ID number,
as then she can pass these onto SAS and this will facilitate your getting a SAS membership card. SAS
has introduced a new computerized membership system and your date of birth or ID number is
required before a SAS Membership Card can be produced on the system.
If you don’t have a SAS member number and card you won’t be able to compete in Provincial or
National regattas.
Finally, the Dam level is rising with all the rain we’ve had, so please don’t forget to come and check
your mooring lines – you might be surprised!