Epic victory for Albert, Goodyer Learn from the Comrades Coach
LATE-entry pair, Point Yacht Club’s Dylan Albert and Mike Goodyer pulled off a remarkable major race victory last weekend, leading in the five remnants from a starting fleet of nine boats to win the PYC’s Hobie Epic Class race presented by the Hobie Northern Region and hosted by Zululand Yacht Club.
First-timer Albert of Durban and Goodyer from Randburg, who has a few Epics under his belt, were the ideal mix of youth and experience in this downwind race from Richard’s Bay to Durban which was originally supposed to be a two-day race with a stop-over at Zinkwazi but changed to a one-dayer as it was deemed too hazardous at the time for crafts to launch off Zinkwazi.
The fleet of nine, which was made up of four Hobie Tigers, four Darts and one Nacra F20 Carbon, set sail from Richard’s Bay in 11 knots of breeze with Albert and Goodyer finishing first in 7 hours 10 minutes.
Albert, a 16-year-old Grade 11 student from Reddham House uMhlanga, and Goodyer only confirmed their entry the day before the race.
“Last year I went down to the beach to watch the end of the Epic and it was so intense I just knew I wanted to do it,” said Albert. “You have to be 16 already to take part in it so I knew that I could do it this year but I was still looking for someone to sail with the day before the race when Mike kindly offered to sail with me.
“The hardest part of the race had to be reaching halfway when the wind force had built up and the waves were really pumping with the spray stinging my eyes and beating my legs. But I knew that I could get to the finish for that champagne shower that makes all the effort, exhaustion and hard work so worthwhile.”
Albert said he had not really trained for the race but he had taken part in the Youth Nationals and in the Clemen Gold Plett Hobie Regatta, the Round the Island on the Vaal Dam and the Grand Slam at Midmar, as well as sailing offshore Durban most weekends.
The four Darts were set off at 7am from Richard’s Bay with the remainder of the fleet departing an hour later.
Just before midday Lawrence Haw and Daniel Coetzer beached their Dart at Amatikulu Nature Reserve having run out of energy.
Next to beach were the leading pair of Lee Hawkins and Kyle Bowman at Tinley Manor with a smashed rudder gudgeon. They replaced the broken part but then promptly smashed the new one when they tried to relaunch which put them out of the race.
Race director Malcolm Gibson said: “This race is like the Comrades, only on water. It takes a brave soul to conquer this race. Every competitor and their rescue team has a personal tracking device which is monitored by Race HQ, and the NSRI are kept informed throughout. The race is epic in every way possible.”
Mark Nicholls and John Goldsmid, were the first to capsize in the harbour mouth at Richard’s Bay, then broke their rudder off Tugela Mouth and finally retired at Zinkwazi.
This left Mark Kopel and Ewald Erasmus dicing with Albert and Goodyer for line honours and while skipper Kopel opted to go inshore, Albert and Goodyer’s gamble to head offshore paid off with Hobie Tigers filling the first four places.
Albert is hoping to compete in the Lake Malawi Long Haul Race later this year with Nik, his father, and then the Hobie Worlds in the Netherlands if he can charter a boat. AS THE Comrades Marathon Association takes its annual roadshow programme across the country in preparing runners for race day, the Comrades Coach has scheduled a host of monthly webinars for the online Comrades audience.
This is all in line with the CMA’s Runners First initiative aimed at better equipping Comrades athletes with the necessary training, injury-prevention and nutritional information for peak performance on Comrades race day, Sunday, June 4
Comrades runners can look forward to four webinars between now and May by the official Comrades Coach, Lindsey Parry as per the dates and times below.
To reserve your space click on the link http:// coachparry.com/webinar
Monday, February 27, 8pm-9pm: Where you should be right now? What you need to do for the next 4 weeks? How to plan your races? Why is it important to separate your marathons/ultras by three weeks? Is seeding important?
Monday, March 27, 8pm-9pm: Where you should be right now? What you need to do for the next four weeks? Hang in there for the last few hard weeks? Why no more racing? The long run.
Monday April 24, 8pm-9pm: Where you should be right now? What you need to do for the next 4 weeks? Tapering. Sort out niggles now!
Monday May 15, 8pm-9pm: Where you should be right now? Sort out niggles now! To err is human, err on the light side. Race planning. Route. Race day lists. •To view the January webinar, click on the link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/8KQTU6smrlo.