Kevin Bingham is the race director of the Mirror Worlds international sailing regatta. The event starts in Durban on Monday.
Image: Sophie Thomson
SAILORS from across the globe have gathered in Durban for the renowned Mirror Worlds, an esteemed international sailing regatta renowned for changing locations each year. This year's event promises excitement and camaraderie, with 33 boats and 66 skippers registered to compete.
Durban's Kevin Bingham is the race officer for the Mirror Worlds, his first ever international regatta.
Point Yacht Club is hosting the event and the boats will launch from Vetch’s Pier. For the next week Bingham will be hard at work managing the proceedings and to ensure that everything goes as planned.
“There's a skipper or a helmsman that steers the boat and then one crew member.
Ordinarily, it's an adult and a child that are on the boat. If there's the weight on the boat, it's going to go slower so they always try and get a light weight. So often you'll find it's a dad, and a daughter or a son on the boat,” said Bingham.
“As long as I can tell that everyone is safe on the water, I'm at ease. I have a good support team on the boat with me, running the races, watching the timing, raising and lowering flags. So it's not a one person thing in reality.”
Local skippers Paul Changuion and Thomas Funke welcome international and national competitors for the Marriott Mirror Worlds hosted by Point Yacht Club off Durban. The International Regatta starts on Monday with the fleet of 33 yachts racing for six days.
Image: Shelley Kjonstad
Since Thursday dozens of boats have already been in the water for the Africa Mirrors ahead of Monday’s international event. Bingham says the weather will play a major role next week when they are scheduled to do three races a day and a maximum of 12 races over five days.
“We are very reliant on weather forecasts so we look at that all the time. I've got six forecasts on my phone, so I'm constantly looking at those. But we also have two weather stations, one at Port Shepstone and the other one at the Tugela. So we're able to see if there's anything coming towards us.”
A well-known architect who was also the event director for the uMhlanga Park Run for five yearsBingham used to sail dinghies but says it was largely his sons who were the sailors in the family.
Local skippers Paul Changuion and Thomas Funke welcome international and national competitors for the Marriott Mirror Worlds hosted by Point Yacht Club off Durban. The International Regatta starts on Monday with the fleet of 33 yachts racing for six days.
Image: Shelley Kjonstad
“It's very prestigious for us to be hosting this event; this is really great for Durban and also good for our club. With the launching from the beach I think it gives an opportunity for people who are just at the beach to be able to see what sailing is all about. Because it's a wonderful sport and the life skills children learn through being on the water and having to fend for yourself if there's a problem, I don't know any other sport that would allow you to benefit in that way.”
Bingham says the event was named after the Daily Mirror newspaper in the UK. He said in the 1950s they ran a competition for the design of a dinghy that anyone could build in their home. “The competition entry that won ended up being the design of this boat that literally you can build in your living room. I think the shape and design was based on a little go-kart.”
Spectators wanting to catch the action they can see the races from the beach near the Maharani and Blue Waters Hotel.