Michaela (14) and Ryan(18) are a brother sister team from Carletonville JHB, who have sailed since they were babies with their family of 7. They attend the Carleton Jones high school in the grade 9 and grade 12 2015 classes at the school. They mentioned that they are lucky to be in a school where the principle is as passionate about sailing as they are.
With only one race to be sailed on the last day of the 2015 Mirror World Championships, at Theewater Sports Club,, competitors headed out to the start area in a 'bossie', a north wester, 15 to 18 knots. The race was to be a long trapezoidal course, out in the middle of the dam. Simon & Tyson Barwood took the honours, followed home by Sigi & Tamryn Bailes and Michaela & Ryan Robinson.
Spectators witnessed some exciting close to shore racing in a strengthening south easter on day four of the Mirror World Championships. After a general recall on the first race on the sausage course, we moved to the trapezoidal course which provided some very exciting racing for both competitors on the water and spectators on shore.
Competitors were met with light winds on the morning of day 3, at 11h00 the Race Officer raised the AP flag and racing only got underway at 13h30 in a light westerly. Mid way through the afternoon the wind switched to the south east and strengthened to 17 knots. Three races were sailed, the first on a sausage course and the last two on a trapezoidal course.
With the first discard after Race 5 the fleet closed up and at the end of the second day of racing, Michaela & Ryan Robinson have a narrow lead over Eleanor Keers & Isobel Pugh, with Simon & Tyson Barwood in third position.
With no racing on day one of the regatta due to a strong westerly, both competitors and race officials were eager to get on the water and an early start was called. Unfortunately, due to the light conditions in the morning, the first race only got away at lunch time, but thanks to a well run afternoons racing, we managed to get in four races.
The 2015 Mirror Worlds is officially open! After a colourful procession through Villiersdorp this afternoon, lead by the Izi Vungu Vungu band, sailors and thier supporters gathered under the Afdak at Theewater Sports Club for the National anthems, flag raising ceremony, mixing & blessing of the waters and dignatory speaches.
Congratulations to Michaela & Ryan Robinson on winning the inaugural African Mirror Championships! After seven races, the Robinsons pipped Gemma Keers & Imogen Bellfeild and the Vivier brothers. View the final results here.
Registration for the 2015 Mirror African Championships has been successfully completed. Thank you to all competitors and their gaurdians for your patience and assistance. The practice race was sailed in a steadt south easter, 12 to 15 knots by a fleet of 40 boats.
We wish all our competitors safe travels to South Africa. Please contact us if you would like to be met at the Airport in Cape Town. We suggest that you take the N1 out of Cape town, via Franschoek to Villiersdorp. Please let us know when you will be arriving at Theewater Sports Club. Please don’t hesitate call Kuba on 082 080 7258 or Grant on 083 227 7247 once you have landed and need any advice.