Successful week for SA sailing

Johannesburg - Three South African Sailing (SAS) teams claimed top honours in international championships in the last week.

Despite being black-flagged in the final race, siblings Ryan and Michaela Robinson from Carletonville recorded South Africa’s first ever win at the Mirror World Championships in Tipperary, Ireland.

This was after two South African teams - Allan and Daniel Lawrence and Blaine and Peter Dodds - finished second and third respectively at the Hobie Tiger World Championships across in Travemuender, Germany.

There were more medal performances from South African sailors at the RS Tera World Championships in England. Competing on the same waters as last year’s Olympic Games in Weymouth, Georgou Divaris claimed victory in the RS Tera Sport World Championships in a fleet of 72.

His team-mates, Sam Lombaard and James Hellstrom, won silver and bronze respectively in the RS Tera Pro fleet.

"I’m so stoked I almost can’t believe it as I was expecting a top 10 place, but definitely not top three," Lombaard said.

"I’ve been in Europe for a month now, first competing in Belgium and then France before coming here and I think that just meant I was in the right mindset coming in."

The 13-year-old from Point Yacht Club in Durban said the performance followed in the wake of stellar year.

"I’m really happy for the whole team, we really outperformed ourselves this year," he said.

"It’s the first time in three years here that we’ve heard the South African national anthem which was special."

SAS chairman Mike Dixon said it had been an incredible week for South African sailing and boded well for the future of the sport.

"I think the particularly pleasing thing is that many of these great results have come from sailors in their teens," Lombaard said.

"That just shows us that South African sailing is in good hands and we can look forward to plenty more exciting results in the future."

Dixon said SAS had decided at Saturday’s annual general meeting to award the David Butler Trophy, for the most outstanding youth sailors for the year, to Ryan and Michaela Robinson for their victory in Ireland.