You don't need a boat to sail with Durban's Point Yacht Club

Mother's Day celebrations 10 days ago coincided with the 125th anniversary of Durban's Point Yacht Club.

Durban held its first regatta in celebration of Queen Victoria's birthday in 1858, but it wasn't until 1863, with the formation of the Natal Yacht Club, later the Royal Natal Yacht Club, that the sport of yacht racing really took off in Durban.

Legend has it that the idea of creating a separate club, the Point Yacht Club, was inspired by three Norwegians, each missing an eye, who arrived in Durban with their smaller-than-usual boat strapped to the back of an ox wagon.

More likely, says Gavin Smith, former commodore of the PYC and now a member of its trust, was that tradesman and "ordinary people" living in the Point area wanted a club accessible to "everyman".

story_article_left1

The Royal Natal Yacht club was exclusive and expensive - members even had to wear a uniform. The PYC was formed on May 14 1892 with about 30 members. "The new club cast off its pompous and pretentious roots to become the yacht club for the people of Durban," says Smith.

"This ensured that the PYC has remained the biggest and strongest sailing club in KZN and for a long period arguably the strongest sailing club in the country."

Apt then, that the nickname of the Royal Natal Yacht club is "Legal and General", while the PYC members are dubbed "Fitters and Turners".

Of course "people" in those days meant white men. "Lady membership" was introduced in 1971, although white women had been permitted to sail with the club since the 1890s, "But only," adds Smith, "in specific events and when the commodore decided that the weather was 'suitable'.

"Ladies were allowed in the clubhouse in 1923 on Saturdays, Sundays and race days, but only until 7pm, except on social occasions."

The club took off with guns blazing. In 1911 PYC member NW Chiazzari won the very first Lipton Challenge, one of the most popular races in southern Africa, on a boat named Tess. The club went on to win the event another 10 times.

The club's sailors have represented South Africa at the Olympics and this year members Garth Loudon and Robbie Eduard-Betsy are travelling to Germany to compete in the World Cat regatta, the only two catamaran sailors in the country to be invited.

In 1921 the PYC had 170 members. Today membership sits at about 1,800.

But it's not all been plain sailing. From its first clubhouse on Hospital Road, PYC was regularly forced to find new premises. "The most recent move to its present location came about when the clubhouse was situated exactly where the authorities had planned to position the new railway crossing," says Smith.

And despite its 125-year history, the PYC is on a month-to-month lease, much like other sports clubs around the country. "This could be a threat to the existence of the club or simply a circumstance with which we need to learn to live until it can be resolved."

story_article_right2

Smith is proud that the club has made major strides since its birth in the colonial era.

"We lead the way in transformation and development; we are the strongest sailing club in KZN by quite a distance. We put a lot of effort into training and education, which has not only brought many previously disadvantaged youngsters into sailing, but has opened up opportunities for them to find employment in the marine industry."

You don't need much money to get involved in sailing - the Point Yacht Club welcomes anyone wanting to try it out to come along and sail with someone who has a boat.

"We believe that sailing is one of the best activities in the world for the development of life skills in young people and we are actively promoting the development of young, black sailors.

"Our current commodore founded the Sail Africa Youth Development Foundation for this purpose 10 years ago, a goal now woven into the fabric of the Point Yacht Club. I believe that it is critical for the powers that be to recognise the very special job that sports clubs like ours do in the development of a healthy, young society."

• Interested in sailing? Visit pyc.co.za, call 031-301-4787 or e-mail sailing@pyc.co.za

• This article was originally published in The Times.