Sailing
by Momelezi Funani
Mowbray Peer Helper, 3rd year Sports Management
Sailing is a very strange sport because so much of it is out of your hands. You rely solely on the weather for all of your push. You can personally be as prepared as possible, but if the weather doesn’t want to play you cannot change it. Last Sunday the 21st of May was my first time on boat. It was very scary but enjoyable at the same time. I remember it as an absolutely sensational feeling! I tried to learn as much as I can from other team members, as some of them had more experience than me. I kept my head open to new ideas, new technology and try towards the end of the day even to anticipate what I was going to be told to do. Sailing requires team effort as you have to cover for one another. I found that if you are in a team sport, you’ve got to work together, and you’ve got learn and listen to everyone. During a maneuver you got to give 100%, and that means lifting and moving heavily sails and often finding yourself in a space you cannot fully stand up straight! What adds to making these maneuvers so complicated is that you are doing all of this on a completely unstable platform.
However the boat becomes its own little city that never stops. When you are on the boat you become intimately aware of its noises, smells and general feel of the boat. You can actually feel the sea state change. My most important life lesson so far is that you have to trust your team mates because they need you and you’ve got to bring your A GAME as they rely on you.
As a peer helper from Mowbray campus we received an invitation from CPUT DSA about an initiative to teach youth life skills using sailing as the medium. The sessions are held at the Royal Cape Yacht Club. When I heard about this opportunity I was immediately excited to join. The main criteria was that students/ youth were required to be able to swim. If not, they will give us an opportunity to learn. The sail programme lasts for 5 consecutive Sundays and you have to attend all of them in order to graduate. This is a great opportunity for students because sailing sport is a non-traditional sport, especially for young people from disadvantage communities. I am learning so much and enjoying every minute of this experience and would like to thank all the agencies for making it possible for us to be part of something great….
