Umgababa sailor launches sailing venture
Also read: Umgababa sailing ace clinches second place
On the eve of the regatta at the Royal Natal Yacht Club, Mswazi proudly introduced his fleet of two L26 yachts, Velocity and Element, marking a significant milestone in his sailing journey.
Mswazi, affectionately known in sailing circles as 'The Machine', has travelled an extraordinary journey from the shores of uMgababa to international waters. He cut his teeth in the sport through the Sail Africa Foundation, later going on to represent SA in the Lipton Cup, the Vasco da Gama Ocean Race, and the gruelling Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
Speaking at the launch, Mswazi said sailing has given him more opportunities than he ever thought possible.
'I am hoping that through the MH Performance Sailing, I will be able to give back and open some doors for a few others that share my love for this amazing sport,' he said.
His newly formed team did not disappoint. Element, skippered by Mswazi, clinched the L26 national championship, edging out rivals by the narrowest of margins in a nail-biting final race. Going into the last day, Element was neck-and-neck with Rainhard Lenz's Grayhard, with everything to sail for in the challenging, light-wind conditions.
With the MSC Week concluded, he returns to his post as first mate on a superyacht in the Mediterranean, while his sailing project will continue under the stewardship of Nicolene Henkeman.
'I'm going back to earn more so I can invest it in the boats and the team back home. This win is just the beginning for MH Performance Sailing,' he said.
For more South Coast Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox.
Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
4 days ago
- The Citizen
Umgababa sailor launches sailing venture
WHILE Durban's coastline hosted fierce competition during the 49th MSC Week regatta, which wrapped up on July 11, Umgababa sailor Nqoba Mswazi stole the spotlight with the launch of his sailing venture, MH Performance Sailing. Also read: Umgababa sailing ace clinches second place On the eve of the regatta at the Royal Natal Yacht Club, Mswazi proudly introduced his fleet of two L26 yachts, Velocity and Element, marking a significant milestone in his sailing journey. Mswazi, affectionately known in sailing circles as 'The Machine', has travelled an extraordinary journey from the shores of uMgababa to international waters. He cut his teeth in the sport through the Sail Africa Foundation, later going on to represent SA in the Lipton Cup, the Vasco da Gama Ocean Race, and the gruelling Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. Speaking at the launch, Mswazi said sailing has given him more opportunities than he ever thought possible. 'I am hoping that through the MH Performance Sailing, I will be able to give back and open some doors for a few others that share my love for this amazing sport,' he said. His newly formed team did not disappoint. Element, skippered by Mswazi, clinched the L26 national championship, edging out rivals by the narrowest of margins in a nail-biting final race. Going into the last day, Element was neck-and-neck with Rainhard Lenz's Grayhard, with everything to sail for in the challenging, light-wind conditions. With the MSC Week concluded, he returns to his post as first mate on a superyacht in the Mediterranean, while his sailing project will continue under the stewardship of Nicolene Henkeman. 'I'm going back to earn more so I can invest it in the boats and the team back home. This win is just the beginning for MH Performance Sailing,' he said. For more South Coast Sun news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and get news delivered straight to your inbox. Do you have more information pertaining to this story? Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
14-07-2025
- The Citizen
MSC Week regatta highlights young talent
THE future of sailing is in good hands if the strong representation of young people at the MSC Week regatta, hosted offshore of Durban by the Point Yacht Club from July 7 to 11, is anything to go by. Out of 134 sailors that participated in the week-long event, over 30 of them were children under the age of 18 who were crewing on a variety of local and visiting yachts while making the most of their school holidays. The tally included two youth boats competing in the L26 Nationals, run by Durban High School and Glenwood High School. Taking the overall honours in the L26 Nationals was Element, which had Eden School matric learner Matthew Jolley crewing on it. His fellow learner Anna Correa, a Grade 12 learner, also shone at the regatta, skippering Velocity to an impressive third place in the L26 Nationals. Also Read: MSC Week comes to an epic close 'This was my first time skippering a sailboat offshore and in a race,' said Correa. 'I worked hard and gave it my all, and I'm overall really happy with how I did. It was tiring, but so worth it.' Jolley and Correa were fresh from successfully competing in the Marriott Mirror Worlds under the recently launched MH Performance Sailing and had their skills tested. 'The conditions were definitely tricky, shifting from strong winds on one day to hardly a breeze the next, which definitely tested a range of skills. I'm so thankful that I had the support of the MH Performance Sailing team,' said Correa. Finishing sixth overall was Chaz Hansen, skippering Glenwood's Container World for the first time in this event. Hansen and his team had a competitive time offshore, including leading the fleet around the turning mark, and anchored ship on the horizon on day two in the long-distance race to uMhlanga and back, running in the front of the L26s for a patch. 'It was an exciting moment. We came third place in that race, 12 seconds behind the first yacht and only two seconds behind the second,' said Hansen. 'We definitely improved as the week went on. I set a personal goal of finishing fifth overall, but we ended up sixth, which I'm more than happy with.' Only one point separated Container World and Cracker, DHS's entry. Skipper for Cracker, DHS Grade 11 learner, 16-year-old Sohan Seetal, said, 'It was comparable to a rollercoaster — enjoyable, but in complete honesty, it had its ups and downs. It wasn't the result I had hoped for, but I'm grateful for the opportunity and the fantastic support. We all learnt so many lessons over the week and finished in seventh overall.' For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
30-04-2025
- IOL News
Entries for the Vasco da Gama Ocean Race close
ENTRIES for the 2025 Vasco da Gama Ocean Race from Durban to East London close this weekend. The annual event is one of the highlights on South Africa's yachting calendar and attracts sailors from across the country and even abroad. The prestigious event is hosted by the Durban-based Royal Natal Yacht Club (RNYC)and this year marks the 52nd anniversary of the Vasco, the oldest coastal ocean race on the South African sailing calendar. Barry Boorman the Commodore at the RNYC says there are several sailors who have indicated that they will participate but still need to submit their formal applications while others have fallen by the wayside for various reasons. 'Some of the boats that we were really hoping would be taking part have failed. We have engine problems. We had a skipper message us that he's had an accident and he's not able to sail. One of the nice things is we've got some boats coming up from Cape Town, which we haven't had in quite some time. We're also hoping that Richard's Bay might turn around and say, yes, we'll send two boats down.' Boorman said often sailors would wait until the last minute to submit their applications: 'A lot of them are naughty because they don't want anyone to know, and then they put it in at the last minute like it'll be a big surprise.' This year multiple sponsors have come on board for South Africa's most prestigious race. However, Boorman says it's not all about winning. 'It's all about pride. It's all about saying 'I did the Vasco' first of all, that's the most important thing. And then, 'I participated in the Vasco and I finished'.' Last year 15-year old Michaela Barrett was the youngest participant in the Vasco and is most likely to participate again, said Boorman. CFM took line honours in the 2024 race and would participate again this year. Bellatrix also did well and took handicap honours in that race, said Boorman. 'Both are incredibly fast boats and really well maintained boats, but just because there's a slight difference in handicap and they were so close together, one got line honours, one got the handicap honours.' All participants set sail from Durban on Sunday 25 May, and are expected to start arriving in East London late on Monday as well as Tuesday where they will be welcomed by the receiving club, Buffalo River Yacht Club. Boorman says it takes about 36 hours for the first vessel to arrive at the end of the race.
