UCT Triumphs at USSA Sailing 2024
By Lee Gibbs
After six days of varying conditions, culminating in the final races in howling winds, the UCT Sailing Club A Team triumphed over Stellenbosch’s A Team at USSA Sailing 2024. The finals featured a best-of-five race format, contested over two days.
On the first day, sailing in light winds, Stellenbosch took the lead with a win. The next morning, stronger winds prevailed, and Stellenbosch extended their advantage by winning the second race. This placed UCT in a challenging position, needing to secure victories in the next three consecutive races to claim the title.
Displaying incredible determination and skill, the UCT A Team—helmed by Cameron Clark, Lee Gibbs, and Rhys Whitfield, with their crews Mark Noble, Eve Gardiner, and Chiara Ross—rose to the occasion. Their resilience shone through as they clinched all three remaining races, bringing the trophy back to UCT for the ninth consecutive year.
The UCT B Team also delivered an outstanding performance, emerging as the top-placed B Team at the regatta. Their skill and teamwork were evident throughout the event, and their efforts contributed significantly to UCT’s strong presence in the competition. Their achievement underscores the depth of talent within UCT’s Sailing Club and sets a high standard for future regattas.
Much credit for UCT’s success must also go to the dedicated coaching team. Mirjam Ellemers (Mitzi), the pre-regatta coach, spent the past few months working tirelessly with the squad, honing their skills and preparing them for the challenges ahead. Although Mitzi was unavailable to attend the event, regatta coach Alex Falcon stepped in to assist the team during the competition. Both coaches were crucial in the team’s victory, and their commitment and efforts deserve immense gratitude and recognition.
USSA Sailing 2024 was held at Theewaterskloof Dam in the Western Cape from December 10th to 16th. The regatta featured a wide range of conditions, with winds fluctuating between 3 knots and gusts of up to 35 knots during the final day of racing on the weekend. Teams arrived on Tuesday, December 10th, with racing commencing the following day. Each evening was marked by vibrant social events, fostering camaraderie among students from universities across the country. This intervarsity spirit is a key part of the regatta, drawing eager participants year after year.
The competition was sailed on a fleet of boats developed by the South African Sailing Federation seven years ago. These boats are specifically designed for umpired team racing in a 3 versus 3 format, accommodating two sailors per boat. Their one-design nature ensures that success depends heavily on teamwork, strategic execution, and mastery of the rules to outmaneuver opponents. In team racing, the scoring system awards victory to the team with the lowest combined score at the end of the race, with the magic number being a total of 10 points or lower.
The pool stages, held from Wednesday 11 December to Saturday 14 December, included nearly 70 races featuring 11 teams from seven universities. A special thank you is owed to race officer Edrich de Lange, who ensured the successful completion of this demanding schedule. Gratitude also extends to the organising authority, umpires, and the hosting university, Stellenbosch. Regatta convenor Chiara Fruet deserves particular recognition for her pivotal role in orchestrating the event.
The semi-finals on Saturday saw UCT’s A Team (1st place in the pool stages) face TUKS (4th place), with UCT emerging victorious. Meanwhile, Stellenbosch (2nd place) overcame DUT (3rd place) in their semi-final match-up. The third-place playoffs followed, with DUT securing the final podium position.
USSA Sailing 2024 showcased the best of university sailing, combining fierce competition on the water with the cherished tradition of intervarsity socialising. Congratulations to UCT’s A Team on their remarkable victory, UCT’s B Team on their stellar performance, UCT’s coaches, and to all participants for making the event a resounding success.
