Teams of sailors geared-up for the annual Milnerton Aquatic Club’s (MAC) 12/24 Hour Challenge last week where boats sailed through the night and finished on Sunday 24 March at 12:00.
When the horn sounded at noon on Saturday, Rietvlei came alive with 21 sailing dinghies crossing the start line and racing towards the first mark in this year’s 24 Hour event.
Twenty-one teams entered the 25th anniversary event, started in 1998 at MAC.
This year saw the introduction of a 12-Hour Challenge being incorporated into the 24 Hours.
A total of seven teams entered the 12-hour event and they sailed the daylight hours – going ashore at 18:30 and then re-joining the challenge at 06:30 on Sunday Morning.
“The weather gods were kind to the sailors this year,” said the club’s Mark Algra, and the sailors were treated to near-perfect and steady 5- to 10-knot winds – these conditions were perfect for the junior and novice teams. It blew westerly and north-westerly most of time. On Saturday afternoon we had a medium 10-15 knot south-easter blowing, but this died and went back to a northerly late on Saturday night.
Where it started
Started in the UK in 1967 by West Lancashire Yacht Club and in South Africa by MAC in 1998, these are the only two countries to host this event.
The UK held onto the record since its inception with the sailors trying every year to break it.
South African sailors had to wait another 22 years before a team of sailors, sailing on the GP14 dinghy The Red Barron smashed the world record in 2022.
This year sees teams from the Sea Scouts, youth groups, sail training groups and yacht clubs taking part.
Teams consisted of eight to 12 sailors who sailed their boats for two hours and then swapped to relay style at the “changeover beach” where fresh crew jumped in and took over.
“This is a very popular spectator sport,” Algra says, “and when the wind gets up swopping crews can be very challenging with lots of action, some teams even capsizing their boats right at the shore with lots of cheering on and shouting instructions to the crews on the boats.”
This was unlike the last event in 2022 where gale force 25-35 knot SE winds blew, Algra adds.
“The 20 boat fleet was reduced to just five boats competing with many boats going in for repairs and torn sails, while other teams waited on the side lines for the conditions to moderate. These heavy winds helped a MAC GP14 dinghy, The Red Barron-break the world record.”
Saturday night saw the light winds continue and eventually die off in the early morning hours.
This year’s event saw nine Sea Scout Groups sailing their 16 foot Saldanha dinghies, the Sea Scouts have become regulars at the Event and it gives them the opportunity to sail away from their home waters at Zandvlei.
The wind came back at around 05:00 and was steady up to the Sunday noon finish horn.
Results-24 Hour Challenge
Sea Queen a Saldanha dinghy from 1st Plumstead Sea Scouts sailed a flawless race and won the Mac 24 Hour Challenge on Handicap, Royal Cape Yacht Club A sailing a Sonnet dinghy placed second, in third place another Saldanha from 1st Bergvliet, RCYC B team in a 420 were fourth and the MAC team RoyPow sailing an Enterprise were in fifth spot.
The MAC Junior sailing team “Awesome Rawson” sailing a Pico finished in sixth place. “This team of junior sailors have only been sailing for a short while and these young sailors were over the moon at having completed their first 24 Hour Sailing Challenge.”
Results – 12 Hour Challenge
A MAC sailing team on the Extra Dinghy “Platypus” flew around the course and finished first, they were followed by team Dunoon sailing a Laser and came in second.
In third spot on a Topaz, team Goose followed in fourth spot by NAVY 1 in a Bosun dinghy. Fifth place went to the Enterprise CV6 followed in sixth place by team Corinthians 2 in a Mirror.
The seventh spot went to Team Viking in a Finn dinghy.
The prize giving ran smoothly and sailors are now already planning for the 2025 event.
“This was yet another very successful 24 Hour event hosted by Milnerton Aquatic Club.”
For more information and results, visit the MAC 24 Hour Facebook page. https://web.facebook.com/people/MAC-24-Hour-Challenge
