RACING > TANZACAT International Catamaran Regatta 2004

Dar es Salaam , Tanzania – a first class sailing venue – hard to believe - but true ! Imagine warm water, steady trade winds, great shore side facilities and race management – throw in friendly locals, beautiful islands and beach catamarans and you have the perfect ingredients for a worthwhile regatta to attend.

Dar es Salaam Yacht Club (DYC) – perches majestically over the Masana Bay . Formed by Bongoya Island to the north and Ras Kankadya to the east, the bay provides a safe but challenging sailing area within an easy sail from the club. It’s an idyllic setting which local fishing Dows grace with their daily routine – ancient reminders of our Polynesian friends and the Arab traders.

The event drew competitors from the Netherlands , United States , Portugal , Tanzania and South Africa to produce a 42 boat start line. Container transport was subsidized by Maersk Tanzania . The racing schedule included 3 days of ‘round the cans’ racing in the bay as well as a two ‘Rally’ styled events to Zanzibar and Mbudya Islands .

Results where calculated using the ISAF handicap system and course configurations where varied by the race officer (Doug Alison) to keep the playing field level. The Hobie Tigers generally dominated the front end of the fleet although in certain conditions and course configurations the DART 20’s were competitive and scored in the top 3. Racing got underway each day at 11am each day with a break for lunch where sailors came ashore to an excellent spread provided by the organization. The two afternoon races generally enjoyed more breeze as the trade winds increased and shifted to the right. The racing was also spiced up by the currents as the tides filled and drained the bay.

Edge Sailing Team – comprising Duncan Ross and Wolf Seitz sailed well to take the lead of the event for the first 2 days. The racing was not without incident and in Race 5 Wolfs’ harness broke and in the confusion we ended up sailing past the finish line - having lost track of the course. What was the most frustrating despite our mishap - was that we had managed to maintain our lead – but still ended 4rth after seeing everyone else sailing through the finish while we were on our way to the weather mark ! Going into the final day we had a slim one point lead over World Hobie 16 Champion Blaine Dodds. In the generally lighter breeze on the final day – we struggled to maintain and Dodds sailed well to take the win of the event overall with EST in second.

Ashore happy hours, sponsored beer and spicy snacks kept the sailors otherwise distracted at the end of the day. CATS Tanzania provided a wireless internet room which allowed everybody to keep in touch with the rest of the world. Beautiful metal crafted model catamarans made by disabled children were distributed as prizes – not only for the competitive side of the event but also for the most ‘seriously social team’ !

Next it was off to Zanzibar - the mystical “ Spice Island ”. The course was a 30 mile dash across the channel to Kizimkazi Beach in the south of the island, leaving Pungume Island to starboard. An interesting team concept was developed by the organization – the result of which forced the sailors to stay together, sailing only as fast as the slowest boat in the group. The strategy worked well for the first 20 miles to Pungume Island with everyone arriving together. Unfortunately the leg from Pungume to Kizimkazi Beach was reduced to a drifter by a developing thunderstorm which resulted in some of the boats receiving a tow from the support boats. Nevertheless all the boats arrived safely which was the prime concern of the organizers – who were running this rally for the first time. Accommodation was organized generally on the east side of the island in basic but comfortable “lodges”. A fantastic spread of local sea food prepared with delicious fresh spices filled our bellies for dinner and the conversations around the beach bonfire lasted till the early hours.

Our second day on Zanzibar allowed us to explore. Some chose to dive and snorkel in the shallow lagoon that encloses the eastern shore. Some chose to go for a fun sail and chase the dolphins – some just ’hung out!’ A group of us took in a visit to a spice farm and were amazed to see how the spices were grown and got to taste some really fresh spices. Stone Town was also worth a visit with its interesting architectural mix, solid wood carved doors, narrow alleys and street vendors. For dinner another great spread was laid on the beach - vegetable curries, seafood kebabs and other local cuisine.

The sail back across to the mainland took us via Fungi Yasin. This is nothing but a sandbank which appears at low tide. One of those things cat sailors always dream about – a perfect deserted island. When we reached it, there was only space for a handful of boats and even although at low tide it is 1.5 miles long – it was fast disappearing! We barely had time to finish the coke and sandwich provided by the organization and a quick exchange of stories before floating off and heading back to the club 8 miles away in the freshening breeze.

On the final weekend we had another “Rally” to Sinda Island which lay 10 miles to the South East and then a very memorable downwind sail to Mbudya Island where all the competitors camped out on the trampolines for the night. The DYC in fine style provided an excellent fish barbeque and a wet bar as well as live music and a full egg breakfast to round things off in the morning.

This event is in its 7th year and is going from strength to strength. It represents a good mix of competitive sailing in idyllic conditions, travel and exploration of remote islands and a friendly atmosphere where they sell cold beers and eat good food. Into the bargain all this is pitched at an affordable price. I was surprised and impressed and will no doubt do it again. The 2005 event is scheduled to start on 28 October.

Thanks to the sponsors that make events like this happen – Celtel, Cats Nets, Stanbic, Alexander Forbes, DT Dobie, Wunderman, Tanzania Breweries, Securicor, Sea Cliff Hotel, Clear Channel, and Maersk Logistics .

Overall Results

1. Dodds/Dodds RSA - Hobie Tiger - 11 pts

2. Ross/Seitz RSA - Hobie Tiger - 16 pts

3. Zware/De Bock NED - Hobie Tiger - 30 pts

4. Hayle/Cullum RSA - Hobie Tiger - 45 pts

5. Blom/De Paker NED - Inter 20 - 45 pts