A breezy day at the Knysna Yacht Club prize-giving

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KNYSNA NEWS - The Knysna Yacht Club (KYC) marked the end of the 2023/2024 sailing season with a celebration on Saturday 18 May.

The event, although intentionally scaled back compared to the Closing Cruise, still drew a large number of boats for the traditional sail past.

This was followed by the annual KYC prize-giving ceremony, which started with recognising achievements in keelboat sailing.

The Active Cup, awarded to the boat and skipper who participated the most throughout the season, went to Mkulu and John Kerswill.

PHOTO GALLERY: Prize-giving at Knysna Yacht Club

The Roger Clancy Award, recognising the person who contributed the most to keelboat sailing during the season, was awarded to Roland Matthysen, owner of Nirvana.

In-shore sailing had a very busy season with numerous sailors being recognised for their outstanding performances.

Arguably the most prestigious awards were the overall sailors of the year for the following categories:

Overall Open Sailor of the Year:

David Shilton, who achieved local, provincial, and national wins

Overall Masters Sailor of the Year:

Dudley Isaac

Junior Sailors of the Year:

Luca Lutolf, followed by Tyrin Williams as the second junior, and Elan Scott as the third junior

Overall Catamaran Sailor of the Year:

Blaine Dodds with crew Luca Lutolf

Most Improved Sailor of the Year:

Mike Hill

Most Enthusiastic Sailors:

Gabriela Guberman (junior) and Johan van Noordwyk (open)

Outstanding overall performances in club racing for boat classes were also recognised:

Finn Club Championship Trophy:

Dudley Isaac

Laser Mug Trophy:

Drew Scott

Sailors were also awarded for their performances in various local regattas. The Dinghy Dash this year saw high attendance, and Wednesday evening races became increasingly competitive. The series was split into 2023 and 2024, with Mike Hill winning the first and Dudley Isaac the second part.

Saturday club racing featured weekly racing for various trophies, many of which have been contested for over 100 years. Notably the Club Cup, which constituted a six-Saturday, series was won by Dudley Isaac (open) and Luca Lutolf (Junior).

Special awards for recognition of participation and contributions were also part of the day's events.

The Commodore's Award for the person who made the biggest contribution to the club this season went deservedly to Caley Reynolds.

This year's Saturday Learn2Sail programme attracted new youngsters, offering them a chance to experience sailing. Five sea cadets from TS Knysna, who joined almost every Saturday and significantly improved their skills over the season, were awarded special prizes.

These prizes, in the form of gear, were made possible by funds raised during the Kirsten Neuschäffer talk held in December 2023.

Additionally, all helpers who made this possible, including sailing coaches and shore coordinators, were acknowledged for their contributions.

Up to 25 children attended this successful initiative each week.

And last but not least, the sailing season relies heavily on volunteers who dedicate their time to bridge duty, running races and manning rescue boats.

Special recognition was given to these invaluable volunteers.

Thanks to everyone for a wonderful season and thank you to Harken, Ullman sails and North sails for contributing fantastic prizes for the winners.

All the coaches and assistants from this year's Learn2Sail programme were recognised for a job well done.