Blog For Free!
Archives
Home
2005 October
2005 August
2005 July
2005 June
2005 April
2005 March
2005 February
2004 October
2004 September
2004 August
2004 July
2004 June
2004 May
2004 April
2004 March
2004 February
2004 January
My Links
Cape Town weather
Royal Cape Yacht Club
South Atlantic Race
Americas Cup 2007
Our America's Cup entry site
Sailing Speed Records
Sue Bodycomb: excellent yacht racing pics
International Sailing Federation
tBlog
My Profile
Send tMail
My tFriends
My Images
Sponsored
Blog
Sailing Quotes:
|
| America's Cup - South African entry official ... latest press release from Geneva |
| 06.04.04 (12:54 pm) [edit] |
‘TEAM SHOSHOLOZA’ FROM SOUTH AFRICA IS THE THIRD CHALLENGER
Valencia, Spain – 4th June, 2004 – Following completion of all entry formalities on Thursday, 4th June, AC Management, on behalf of the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), is proud to announce that the Royal Cape Yacht Club has become the third challenger for the 32nd America’s Cup.
Pierre-Yves Firmenich, President of the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), accepted the challenge on behalf of his club, the Defender of the America’s Cup.
![]() =http://img21.photobucket.com/...%20Cup/sailing_picture_2_ web.jpg
This challenge marks the first time an African-based team has participated in the America’s Cup. The Royal Cape Yacht Club joins the Golden Gate Yacht Club and the Circolo Vela Gargnano as official Challengers for the 32nd America’s Cup.
Captain Salvatore Sarno is the driving force behind South Africa’s maiden America’s Cup challenge. Italian born, he has lived in South Africa for 14 years, first arriving as a ship’s officer on a freighter picking up a load of granite in Durban.
“South Africa is a modern, dynamic, exciting country, and we want to show that to the world,” Captain Sarno said, explaining his reasons for putting together the Shosholoza team. “The America’s Cup is the most sophisticated sporting event in the world. It’s a perfect fit.”
“We want to show that on the boat, black and white can work together, do well, and have success together. We want to be part of the renaissance of South Africa.”
The team will make its first public appearance in Europe in Marseille, on the 7th June, at a press conference promoting the Marseille Louis Vuitton Act, Act 1 of the 32nd America’s Cup – Valencia. Team Shosholoza plans to race in all three Acts this year.
The team name, Shosholoza, is a word with roots deep in South African culture. It is a worksong with a long history with mine workers, and others engaged in hard, physical labour. As a word, it is understood to mean, ‘go forward’ or ‘make way’, an appropriate sentiment for an America’s Cup team. The song was used to great effect by the home South African crowd in the 1995 Rugby World Cup that was won by the South African team over New Zealand (the Kiwis had a better year on the water, winning the America’s Cup for the first time that same year).
The South African America’s Cup Challenge has already been working for several months from its base in Cape Town. It has purchased one of the Prada boats from the Louis Vuitton Cup winning team of 2000, and has been sailing on Table Bay for several weeks.
World-champion South African yachtsman Geoff Meek has been appointed skipper of the team. A five-time South African Yachtsman of the Year, Meek also has America’s Cup experience as the alternate skipper for the British team in training for the 1986-1987 America’s Cup.
Adding experience to the team is sailing manager Paul Standbridge, who filled that role for the GBR Challenge in 2003. Standbridge also brings experience from five Round the World Races, among other world-class offshore campaigns.
The Shosholoza team plans to build two new boats for the 32nd America’s Cup, and to that end has already enlisted designer and naval architect Jason Ker. The team is currently planning to launch its first new design on Freedom Day in South Africa, the 27th of April 2005.
Act 1 of the 32nd America’s Cup - Valencia begins in Marseille on the 5th of September, 2004. Racing will commence in Valencia, Spain, the host city of the America’s Cup, on the 5th of October, 2004 with the Valencia Louis Vuitton Acts. The 32nd America’s Cup Match is in 2007.
|
|
|
| |
| What a saga! |
| 06.03.04 (3:11 am) [edit] |
[i][b](Oh Why did we not just get a new yacht?)[/b][/i]
![]() =http://img21.photobucket.com/...
[b]I NEED YOU![/b]
Starting with an antifouingl, we realised that all the old paint had to come off. Then came the hull above the waterline which had to be buffed to see what had to be attended to.
This revealed the damage to the toe-rail and stanchions and their bases. What have you guys been up to- saling isn't a form of nautical dodgem cars! Dings and holes and scratches everywhere!
And then the lifelines had to come off to get the stanchions off for straightening. This necessitates cutting another short piece off them which made them too short for reuse. Another grand between friends!
As you know, before we left for PE we had all the halyards and other lines in the mast replaced- well, we saw that the mast needed to be attendeed to. Little did we realise that:
The connections of the lower spreaders to the mast were cracked,
The sheaves were badly worn,
The kicker bracket had not only been installed upside down but that the bearing was siezed,
The connections to the various stiffening plates were loose,
The mast was corroded etc etc etc
We all know about the turnbuckles- AndyM more than most and his remoulded visage bears testimony to it ( there have been comments about that side being more attractive than the original)- they are now all working.
Now that the underside is looking so good, it highlights the deck so here we go again- Through the excellent Carl, we were able to get hold of Robby and his crew who are going to attend to the deck starting next week.
Then the leaks- first it was the windows.
Carl then introduced us to Neville who is busy sourcing replacement materials and will do this for us at cost- again thanks to CR and his merry crowd.
This leaves the leak around the VHF so Action Yachting were asked to take the port Genoa track off and reseal and whilst they are busy there they may as well do the same to the chainplates.
Bu this leaves the cracked washboard- that has to come out and whilst we are busy, what about the cover to the electrics?
And/and/and----the inside and the electronics and the radios. The ananometer is being attended to at the same time.
[b]Soooo- where do you all fit in?[/b]
Well, there is, believe it or not a lot to do. We MUST smooth the antifouling off before we relaunch, we must seal all the port stanchion bases, I need a hand with reinstalling the new wshboard and replacement of those bolts that are rusting around the exhaust outlet.
Also, some of the fittings should come off before they start with the deck repainting, and the tiller should be painted when the mast is repainted on its return- and the boom!
Instead of "growing like Topsy" it is now "like maji"
I am not sure what the weekend weather is going to be like but, if one of the days is fine enough, who can help? Don't run me over in the rush but assistance would be appreciated.
Sailing again will be a pleasure.
|
|
|
| |
| Winter work on Maji |
| 06.01.04 (12:23 pm) [edit] |
PG Glass Majimoto is looking spiffing with her newly cleaned hull and fresh self-polishing anti-foul - huge thanks to PG Glass's Carl Raikes, Mike Maree and Neville for the assistance on the windows - and Robbi from STI for organising the new anti-slip deck coating.
Carl has arranged for the catalysts and bonding compounds to be sponsored as well as technical advice from Kevin Heine - all these unbelievable people who are offering their time and money to assist us make PG Glass Majimoto the fastest Farr sailing out of Royal Cape this season - The owners and crew cannot thank you enough - and we will do everything we can to bring home the results this summer.
|
|
|
| |
|
Majimoto II racing with PG Glass
PG GLASS MAJIMOTO in action
Bookmark This Site!
|
