Five Malawian sailors get Yachting Marathon boost
Five indigenous Malawian sailors got a boost as organisers of the adventurous Lake Malawi International Yachting Marathon which got underway yesterday allowed them to participate free of charge; otherwise, they were supposed to pay K160 000 each.
Malawi Sailing Marathon chairperson Erik Schouten said they decided to bail out Gilson Jana and his son Newton, Harrison Ibrahim, McFord M’bwana and Matola Mwawa with the cushioning to encourage and motivate local contestants.
The five are among 17 pairs of participants in the race that started off yesterday at Chembe Lodge at Cape Maclear in Mangochi.
The week-long race covers a 580-km stretch between Mangochi and Nkhata Bay.
“With the help of our sponsors, we put an effort to assist the indigenous Malawians because they mostly struggle to find funds for such exciting events. This competition is happening in Malawi waters and it is proper to have the owners of the lake participating,” said Schouten.
Ibrahim thanked the organisers and the sponsors for the kind gesture. He promised to work hard to at least earn a medal.
“We are grateful for the assistance. It is a fantastic surprise that will lift up our spirits as we hunt for medals,” said Ibrahim who contested in the past three yachting marathons.
This 27th edition of the race that has five legs was officially launched on Saturday evening by Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Elsie Tembo.
The first leg yesterday was a return trip from Cape Maclear to Nkopola Lodge.
Today, the sailors will race between Cape Maclear and Senga Bay in Salima before proceeding to Nkhotakota tomorrow. On Wednesday, they will cruise to Dwangwa. On Thursday, they will go to Likoma Island before wrapping up the marathon at Chintheche on Friday.
Apart from the hosts, other participants are from South Africa, Nigeria, Netherlands, Germany and USA. They are racing in two classes, which are spinnaker (fast boats, namely, Teobie Tiger, Nacra 18 and Tornado) and non-spinnaker (slower boats; Dart 18 and Teobie 16), according to one of the organisers, Sue Mennell.
“Each class will be producing a winner per day, but the overall winners will be determined on Friday after calculating the total shortest time contestants will cover in the six days. This will depend on the handicaps of the yachts because some use faster boats than others,” said Mennell.
The marathon was being conducted annually since 1986 until 2011 when it was halted on logistical grounds.
The water race, whose prize money is donated to charity along the lakeshore communities, has Illovo Sugar (Malawi) and Total Malawi as the main sponsors. The other sponsors are Rab Processors, Chipiku Plus, Carlsberg Malawi, Malawi Shipping Company, Manica, Skyband, Malawian Airlines, CFAO and Almeida Transport.
