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IOL News
4 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Seasoned sailor Nqoba Mswazi launches sailing initiative to empower youth in KwaZulu-Natal
Nqoba Mswazi has launched MH Performance Sailing to uplift young sailors in KwaZulu-Natal. Image: Supplied While the MSC Week regatta was underway off the coast of Durban, another significant moment in local sailing was quietly unfolding onshore. Nqoba Mswazi, a seasoned sailor with international experience, returned home not just to race but to launch something much bigger than a single event: MH Performance Sailing. Now based in the Mediterranean as a first mate on a super yacht, Mswazi has made his participation in MSC Week an annual tradition. However, this year, the regatta coincided with the official unveiling of his sailing initiative, which aims to uplift young sailors in KwaZulu-Natal. Standing proudly at the Royal Natal Yacht Club, Mswazi announced the formation of MH Performance Sailing on the eve of the 49th MSC Week which took place recently. 'The sport of sailing has given me so much. It has opened so many doors I never dreamed possible,' he said. 'I am hoping that through MH Performance Sailing, I will be able to give back and open some doors for a few others that share my love for this amazing sport.' His stable currently includes two L26 yachts: Velocity, purchased in 2023, and Element, the former Point Yacht Club Lipton Cup Challenger, which had been in storage since its last campaign. Both boats flew the MH Performance Sailing flag for the first time during MSC Week. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Raised in uMgababa south of Durban, Mswazi was among the first participants in the Sail Africa Foundation, a project launched by the Clipper Round the World sailor Craig Millar. Since then, his journey has taken him across oceans, from the Lipton Cup to the Vasco da Gama Ocean Race and to the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. But even with global experience under his belt, he hasn't lost sight of where it all began. 'Durban is an incubator for amazing talent,' he said. 'I want Durbanites to remain on their local waters and, from our beautiful home base, go and make waves on the international scene.' MH Performance Sailing is designed to serve as a stepping stone for young sailors who have already learned the basics but need support to take the next step. His MSC Week crew was made up entirely of young local sailors: some relatively inexperienced, others who had competed in international events like the Mirror Worlds, but all eager to improve. 'MSC Week was amazing even though there was a lot of pressure on us,' Mswazi said. 'But I'm proud of the guys I selected, and we proved that anything is possible if you believe in it.' The final race proved decisive. 'We were sitting on top of the leaderboard, but equal on points with our toughest competitor, Rainhard Lenz on Grayhard,' he said. 'We had to go out there and sail the race of our lives to win. We pushed the boat like never before, in a breeze that all but evaporated. The conditions were extremely challenging.' They emerged as 2025 L26 National Champions, MH Performance Sailing's first title. 'This is hopefully the first of many,' Mswazi said. His long-term goal is to grow the project into a launchpad for youth aiming for international sailing. 'My vision is to give youth the opportunity to step onto a competitive boat and reach for their stars,' he said. 'To be the best, you have got to beat the best.' Mentorship, he added, has played a vital role in his own development. 'It helped me to stay focused,' he said. 'It is really special having supportive people in your corner wanting to see you succeed in life.' Reflecting on his early days in sailing, Mswazi said he never imagined a career on the water. 'Not at all,' he said. 'But I felt at home on the water and saw an opportunity to make it as a career working on the big boats, so I followed that path. And I love it.' Side by side, MH Performance Sailing teams Element skippered by Nicolene Henkeman and Velocity skippered by Anna Correa head up to the top mark on day five of the MSC Week recently hosted offshore of Durban by Point Yacht Club. MH Performance Sailing, a vision of Nqoba Mswazi, was launched on the eve of the highly competitive regatta. Image: Chris Clark Asked what advice he would give to young people especially from rural KZN, Mswazi said: 'Stay true to yourself and focus on one goal so you can never lose direction. Mainly, be bold, never give up and stay humble.' He has headed back to the Med, leaving MH in the hands of his operations partner, Nicolene Henkeman. 'I need to head back to work to make some money so that I can spend it on the new boats, as well as keep MH Performance Sailing running.' For Mswazi, it's more than just racing. It's building a lasting platform for the next generation. THE MERCURY
The Citizen
14-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
MSC Week regatta highlights young talent
THE future of sailing is in good hands if the strong representation of young people at the MSC Week regatta, hosted offshore of Durban by the Point Yacht Club from July 7 to 11, is anything to go by. Out of 134 sailors that participated in the week-long event, over 30 of them were children under the age of 18 who were crewing on a variety of local and visiting yachts while making the most of their school holidays. The tally included two youth boats competing in the L26 Nationals, run by Durban High School and Glenwood High School. Taking the overall honours in the L26 Nationals was Element, which had Eden School matric learner Matthew Jolley crewing on it. His fellow learner Anna Correa, a Grade 12 learner, also shone at the regatta, skippering Velocity to an impressive third place in the L26 Nationals. Also Read: MSC Week comes to an epic close 'This was my first time skippering a sailboat offshore and in a race,' said Correa. 'I worked hard and gave it my all, and I'm overall really happy with how I did. It was tiring, but so worth it.' Jolley and Correa were fresh from successfully competing in the Marriott Mirror Worlds under the recently launched MH Performance Sailing and had their skills tested. 'The conditions were definitely tricky, shifting from strong winds on one day to hardly a breeze the next, which definitely tested a range of skills. I'm so thankful that I had the support of the MH Performance Sailing team,' said Correa. Finishing sixth overall was Chaz Hansen, skippering Glenwood's Container World for the first time in this event. Hansen and his team had a competitive time offshore, including leading the fleet around the turning mark, and anchored ship on the horizon on day two in the long-distance race to uMhlanga and back, running in the front of the L26s for a patch. 'It was an exciting moment. We came third place in that race, 12 seconds behind the first yacht and only two seconds behind the second,' said Hansen. 'We definitely improved as the week went on. I set a personal goal of finishing fifth overall, but we ended up sixth, which I'm more than happy with.' Only one point separated Container World and Cracker, DHS's entry. Skipper for Cracker, DHS Grade 11 learner, 16-year-old Sohan Seetal, said, 'It was comparable to a rollercoaster — enjoyable, but in complete honesty, it had its ups and downs. It wasn't the result I had hoped for, but I'm grateful for the opportunity and the fantastic support. We all learnt so many lessons over the week and finished in seventh overall.' For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
14-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Sailing success: young sailors shine at the MSC Week 2025 off Durban
Seth Dass, a Grade 10 DHS pupil, and Eden College's Anna Correa, who is in her matric year, performed commendably in the 5-day MSC Week regatta Image: Bev Reith AFTER braving the elements offshore of Durban for five days, the MSC Week 2025, hosted by Point Yacht Club, finished over the weekend. There were 22 yachts entered in the event, which was manned by 134 sailors, and they slugged it out over seven races. Kenwin Daniels and his crew on MSC Donna Mia won the ORC Division. Bluff resident Nicolene Henkeman and her team on board MH Performance Sailing's Element bagged honours in the L26 Nationals. Michael Purvis and crew on the Upstadt emerged victorious in the handicap division. Durban's Moses Mabhida provides a backdrop for the MSC Week 2025, in shot a some of the yachts competing in the ORC Division Image: Chris Clark Video Player is loading. 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Next Stay Close ✕ Also making a splash in the MSC contest that adopted the tag line 'Seas the Week', were two Durban school pupils; Seth Dass, a Grade 10 DHS pupil, and Eden College's Anna Correa, who is in her matric year. Correa had her first outing as skipper of the MS Performance Sailing's L26 Velocity and finished third overall. In spite of being fairly new hands at taking on the might of the ocean in a regatta, Seth and his team on the Cracker finished seventh overall. 'It was an incredible experience and the biggest regatta I've ever taken part in, which made it even more special. 'I made many unforgettable memories with my crew during the event.' Seth said the wind conditions varied throughout the week, with the stronger winds on the first two days, testing their mettle. As the fordeck on the boat, positioned in front of the mast, Seth was usually the one who would get the first feel of what nature was throwing at them in the form of wind and water. 'Being at the front meant getting completely soaked in the process.' Seth said he and his crew appreciated 'the calmer conditions'. One of his best moments came ahead of Day 3's start when he enjoyed a swim, until the bluebottles began to unleash their stings. Another standout moment was their 2-hour 'exhausting but memorable' hike in uMhlanga. 'Our team maintained a positive and open mindset throughout. Even if we didn't perform well on a particular race or day, we always regrouped and focused on improving in the next one.' Seth said they would have loved to have finished ahead of the sixth-placed Container World, the yacht that scored a point more than the Cracker and carried the more experienced Glenwood High School team on board. 'Given that this was the first major regatta for most of our crew, I think we did fairly well. It would have been great to finish ahead of them (Glenwood), but there's always next year. I'm looking forward to that,' he said. Anna was also stoked by her MSC outing. 'Conditions were definitely tricky, shifting from strong winds on one day to hardly a breeze the next. It definitely tested a range of skills, and it was my first time skippering a sailboat offshore and in a race. 'I worked hard and gave it my all, and I'm really happy with how I did. I'm so thankful for the support of the team.' Anna said the top-two finishers in the regatta were out of their reach, but 'I'm still happy with the third place we got. 'This MSC Week definitely ranks really high on my list of sailing achievements, because I really pushed myself and exceeded my own expectations. I learnt a lot.' she said. DAILY NEWS
