MyPE

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A world first event for Port Elizabeth

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Before we get to the nitty gritty of the world first event for Port Elizabeth, may I just state for the record that my son Philip was ahead of his time.

During Philip’s Optimist dinghy sailing days we would travel out to Redhouse on a very regular basis and pass the Transnet Warehouse which is a fairly huge undercover structure between Smelly Creek and John Tallant Road close to the sea. Philip would always say that one day he would establish an undercover sailing school and regatta area in that warehouse.

And now it seems as though the Poles have beaten him to it and established an undercover sailing area in their 58,000 seat National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland (scroll down for video).

Sailing Scuttlebut reports that on September 5-7, the National Stadium will house the Indoor Windsurfing World Cup. The event is a part of prestigious Professional Windsurfers Association (PWA) World Tour.

The stadium, used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Poland national football team, will turn into a giant pool. At 90 meters long and 33 meters wide, filling it with three thousand cubic meters of water will take over two days – about 50 hours.

Along one of the sides of the pool, there will be over thirty huge windmills. Each of them with engine power of higher standard Harley Davidson. They will create artificial wind with gusts up to 38 knots, which will enable windsurfers to gain speed and compete in the three different categories: wave & jump, slalom, and freestyle.

The best from the PWA ranking list, including the nine times world champion, Australian Steve Allen, is expected to compete at the National Stadium in Poland. The event will also host dozens of attractions, competitions and stunning shows, plus the pool will be available to the public, for two hours, under the eye of the instructors.

But all is not lost to Port Elizabeth as we do not have snow and cold but we do have the magnificent North End Lake next to our iconic Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and at the end of April the Algoa Bay Yacht will be hosting an Inter Club Dinghy Regatta from the EP Power Boat Club premises on the North End Lake between 25 and 27 April 2014. A world first in that it will be the first competitive dinghy sailing regatta to be sailed in the shadow of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Wouldn’t it be great, though, if we could do the same as the National Stadium in Poland and turn the sport of sailing into a paid for by spectator sport and hold that regatta IN our stadium?

All Classes Dinghy Sailing Regatta North End Lake
Sailing in the shadow of the iconic Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.