Last weekend saw yet another successful training course at the Sailing Academy Gordon’s Bay (GB), with four new sailors completing their Keelboat Level 2 training at Gordon’s Bay Yacht Club (GBYC).
New sailors Sharon Peckham, Ferman de Wet, Heinrich Spangenberg and Francois van Binsbergen all learnt the ropes out on the waters of False Bay.
The Sailing Academy originally started at the Theewater Sports Club (TSC) on the Theewaterskloof Dam in 2012. Under the leadership of instructor-developer and owner Neil Ashton, the Sailing Academy expanded its offering to GBYC in 2021.
“The advantage of being at both TSC and GBYC is that we can host training all year round,” he said.
“Summer is best for sailing dinghies at Theewaterskloof, while False Bay offers some of the best winter keelboat sailing the Western Cape has to offer.”
At GBYC the Sailing Academy makes use of an L26 keelboat named Wild Goose. The L26 is an extremely popular weekend racer at clubs throughout South Africa, and was for many years the designated design for the prestigious Lipton Challenge Cup. At last year’s GBYC Gaul Regatta, Wild Goose finished second overall with an all-woman crew, under the skippership of Sailing Academy instructor Nakita van Eck.
For dinghy sailing courses at TSC, the Sailing Academy has a fleet of Topaz dinghies. These durable and forgiving boats are ideal for learning to sail. The Sailing Academy also offers lessons on Hobie multihulls. The Sailing Academy is recognised by World Sailing, and is accredited by South Africa Sailing (SAS). They offer the SAS Learn to Sail and Sail to Compete programmes.
At GBYC, the Sailing Academy has proved popular with new sailors keen to get a taste of what yachting is all about. Several Academy graduates of the programme have since been welcomed into the club and are active sailors. Youth sailing camps at TSC are also a very popular offering. In addition, the Sailing Academy offers corporate sailing days, as well as corporate team-building centred on learning to pilot a dinghy.
Ashton noted one of the remarkable things about sailing is that it is a sport where women and men can compete on an equal footing. “Sailing is so much more than just a sport,” he said.
“It teaches self-reliance and confidence, and engenders a sense of independence and adventure in a way few other activities do.”
The Sailing Academy doesn’t just train people learning to sail – it is also an entry point for young sailors hoping to enter the yachting and broader maritime industries. The Sailing Academy has hosted numerous instructor trainees, providing the practical experience needed to become sailing instructors themselves as well as improve their skills as sailors.
For instance, Van Eck recently passed her RYA Yachtmaster’s ticket and sailed to St Helena, while instructor Christo-Louis Rust recently acquired a SAS Day Skipper’s ticket for yachts over 9 m. Junior instructor Edmund Tough, a regular keelboat sailor at GBYC, has also sharpened his race skills on dinghies thanks to his involvement with the Sailing Academy, earning second place at this year’s 420 Provincial Championships.
. For more information, visit sailingacademy.co.za, contact Ashton on 072 219 5951, or email coach@sailingacademy.co.za.
. Gordon’s Bay Yacht Club can be reached at gbyc@gbyc.co.za.
