THE Royal Natal Yacht Club has issued an exciting challenge to Durbanites: take up sailing and prepare for the Vasco da Gama Yacht Race, often referred to as the Comrades Marathon of the ocean.

Commodore Barry Boorman says being out on the ocean is a transformative experience with many benefits like mental clarity, physical fitness and camaraderie. It also teaches you a lot about yourself.

“When you're on land, if you've had enough, you can pull back and go in the other direction. At sea, you can't ever do that. You have to turn the boat around and bring it in.

You have to finish the job whether you are fatigued or feel ill because you are not comfortable out there, you can't stop it. You come face to face with who you really are and every sailor will at some stage in their life have to face who they are,” said Boorman.

As part of this initiative, the Club has partnered with The Admirals Locker and the Offshore Sailing Academy to make it easier for anyone to get involved in the sport. Boorman says the club’s resources and the expertise at these academies, provides the ideal environment to learn about sailing. “We look at the training academies as critically important because it's a feeder into any of our sailing. It's all designed around getting people into the water, getting people into our club and getting people into and enjoying the sport of sailing.”

However, before you sign up he suggests that you should first experience the ocean.

“If you just want to sail, if you want to go into the academies, rather go and find out if you like sailing. They get you on a boat and you see whether you like it or not. I've had many people say, ‘no, that's not fun,’” said Boorman. He says The Admirals Locker is for those who prefer to start sailing with smaller boats while the Offshore Sailing Academy is for the more adventurous. Both offer structured training at the club where you can learn the ropes of sailing from experienced instructors.

Paul Pereira is one of their newest students. The 67-year-old is originally from Krugersdorp and moved to Durban when he retired. He told the Independent on Saturday that he has always harboured a dream of learning to sail.

“I've never had the opportunity so now that I'm an old man I decided I'm going to do it because this is the year to do things. I could sit and watch TV but fortunately I love to go out and do things. To me, this is ideal”, said Pereira.

Pereira says he’s learnt a lot in just a few weeks and he enjoys both the practical and theory side of sailing.

“Everybody talks about these funny words, instead of left and right, it's port and starboard and instead of a rope, it's a reef. And there's so many strange things, which were completely bamboozling me out. It was quite hectic because I had no clue what I was doing. And then I flipped the boat fast but it was a big joke and we actually had a lot of fun.”

However, he is not just learning to sail for fun, he actually wants to compete in the Vasco da Gama Yacht Race.

“Maybe by the end of the year, once I've done all the courses, I might be able to just do that. I can't afford to buy a yacht but I could definitely go as a deckhand or as a skipper. That's my goal,” he said.

Boorman says the Vasco da Gama Yacht Race has long tested the endurance of many sailors. The 250-nautical-mile race which starts in Durban and ends in East London is the oldest ocean coastal race in Africa and one of the most challenging sailing events on the annual calendar.

“It doesn't matter whether it was an easy race or a hard race, you always face the wall at some stage when you're doing the Vasco. You're out there at night, you're dealing with the day. The Vasco is notorious for bringing in some really unusual conditions and you will definitely meet your nemesis out there.”

Boorman says entries for this year’s Vasco have opened and has encouraged sailors to sign up as soon as possible. This year’s race is scheduled to start on 25th of May.

He urges those interested in the sport to start by taking sailing lessons at the club. Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to take your sailing to the next level, now is the perfect time to start training and test your limits on the open sea, said Boorman.

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It's time to set sail