If sailing is to thrive amongst future generations, then it is our youth that needs to be encouraged and uplifted. Empowering our young sailors is something that we are extremely passionate about here at Ullman Sails and we always love to hear about what our youngest ambassadors are getting up to.

In the below blog, we catch up with two young shining stars of the South African sailing scene, namely Hamilton Slater and Sean Kavanagh:

Please tell us more about yourself and how you got into sailing?

S: I was born into a sailing and all-around sporting family. I have embraced the opportunities presented to me to develop my sporting skills, paying particular attention to the technical and mental aspects of sport. Not only do I sail but I am also a competitive cricketer, hockey player, and golfer. Fishing consumes much of my time as well.

H: My grandfather, Trevor Wilkins, was a professional photographer who specialized in sailing. He taught my mom, Karen Slater, and aunt to sail at a young age and invited me to regattas that he photographed. I was always interested in sailing and eventually begged my mom enough to sign my brother and me up for a sailing camp. My mom dropped us off and we quickly made lifelong friends. My mom picked us up again on Sunday and we told her without negotiation that we were coming back the next week Sunday for the club’s weekly training.

I developed quickly from the novice fleet up into Optimist A fleet but had to leave the Optimist Class fairly soon because of the fast rate at which I grew. I was always fairly tall for my age and moved off Optimists before the rest of my age group. I took this opportunity to try as many boats as possible and eventually settled on sailing Dabchicks.

What do you sail today and where?

H: Currently I sail a Dabchick. A Dabchick is a South African class of boat and can best be described as a stand-up paddleboard with 2 sails and a set of foils. It was originally, according to class rules, only allowed to cost a couple of cents to manufacture in your garage and quickly got developed and fine-tuned into the rocket ship it is today. This class is very special because it is a youth class that can be sailed double-handed as well as single-handed. It is also the only youth class that is run by its sailors. The teenagers make the decisions and the parents assist with some help in the logistical world. The class is one big friend group from all ages as many of the aged out sailors are still involved in the class today.

I have also competed in the 420 nationals. On this boat, I like to take a young Optimist sailor and teach them as the regatta progresses. I am built to be a crew and this trust I place in a youngster to helm our boat seems to make them flourish. This year (2021) I joined Blake Madel who is 11 years old and had minimal experience on the 420. Blake ended up steering us to win the last two races against a very competitive fleet. We placed 2nd youth and 4th overall.

I have also had the privilege of competing in keelboat regattas and have been part of a great cruiser/ racer team that has seen much success. I do not believe that a person should only sail one boat because every boat teaches you something different. I like to try them all and try and understand the quirks of each boat and try and take things I have learned on one boat onto another.

S: I sail Optimists, 29ers, and Dabchicks all over the Western Cape, mostly in the sea. I also sail a DF95 radio-controlled boat. I also have extensive ocean racing experience with over 20,000 nautical miles logged at sea. I compete in all the major inshore and offshore sailing events in South Africa aboard my parent’s yacht Ray of Light.

What are some of your top achievements?

S: I was named South African Junior (u19) Sailor of the year in 2020 for my achievements in 2019. I was awarded Western Cape colors for sailing in 2018 and 2019. I have represented South Africa in the African Championships in 2018 and 2019 and in the 2019 championship I finished 4th and was the first u12.

My first international event in the Optimist Dinghy was the 2018 British Nationals. I celebrated my 9th birthday during the event in which I finished in the gold fleet in the under 12 category. I also represented South Africa at the 2019 European Optimist Championships where I was the youngest sailor in the fleet and finished in the gold fleet (top third).

I also represented the Royal Cape Yacht Club in the 2019 Monaco Optimist Team race and participated in Optimist training and regattas in Viana Portugal and Vigo Spain. I won the Mozambique Optimist Championship in 2019. In the South African National Optimist Championships, I finished 3rd in 2017 as a 9-year-old, 2nd in 2018, and in 2019. I won the 2020 and 2021 Western Cape Optimist Championships and won the 2018 Northern Region and 2019 KZN Championships.

Most recently I represented South Africa at the 2021 Optimist World Championships at Lake Garda in Italy. He finished in mid-sliver fleet.

H: I am a very keen sailor and did well in my Optimist days usually placing just outside the top 3. My first Dabchick nationals (2017) was amazing and I placed 4th in a boat I had never raced on before. The competition was very good but something simply clicked between myself and my boat. I later won the 2018 and 2020 national championships.

What sails do you use?

S: Ullman have supported me throughout my Optimist sailing career. I will use new Ullman Sails on my Dabchick too.

H: I use sails made by Ullman Sails on my Dabchick. They were specially designed and produced for my 2020 Dabchick nationals in George Lakes. This set is now two regattas old. I also have older sails that I use for training to ensure that my racing set remains at peak performance. These older sets were also made by Ullman Sails and used to be my racing sets.

What is your greatest sailing moment? 

H: What an extremely difficult question to answer. I have had many, from going to China on an Optimist exchange programme to sailing halfway across the Atlantic Ocean during the Cape to St Helena race. Then there are more simple things like floating around in the sun after a stressful week at school or teaching someone else the tricks I have learned and watching them thrive.

If I would have to pick one moment it would have to be a specific night during the 2018/2019 Cape to St Helena race. It was a relatively warm night as I stepped on deck for my three-hour shift from midnight to 3am. It was pitch black at the helm of our 42 foot J120 Naledi. We had been in the trade winds for almost three days and I was loving it. The swell and wind were lining up really well for me to win the little onboard competition we as a crew had going: who could get the fastest speed. As I urged the boat down the waves, the waves started to glow bright blue. At first, I thought I was going mad but my watch-mate explained the ways of bioluminescence algae. All around us, there were splashes of bright greens and blues. A pod of dolphins joined us and my VMG rose with every wave. I remember surfing down one specific wave, not that I could see it or anything around me for that matter, but I could feel everything. The boat rocketed up from its 13-knot average speed to an all-time best of 18knots. The wheel went light and the boat hummed as the spray flew off the bow. The feeling of generating your own speed by using nature as a fuel source is indescribable.

S: Winning the ‘doppie’ race on a dabchick at Stillbaai in 2018. Also winning two races at 2017 Optimist nationals, my first, when I was 9 years old, and finishing third in the regatta behind Ian Walker and Matt Ashwell was pretty cool. Lately ripping downwind at 20knots plus on a 29er is pretty awesome.

What do you love most about sailing? 

S: I love the competition and mental challenge that comes with figuring out all the variables in the sport. Being outdoors on the water is amazing. It’s a sport in which I can compete both with and against my parents and grandfather. I love it!

H: I thoroughly love the basic principles of sailing: you are in control of your own boat and it is always your own decision to go out. This is reflective of life and the independence of adulthood. I love the speed and the hunt to achieve it around a race track. I love the fact that sailing doesn’t have to be racing and often just go out for some nothingness to get away from the busy world we all live in. I’ve made the most amazing friends and learned invaluable life lessons. I love how sailing brings completely different people together to all have fun doing the same thing.

What do you find most challenging about sailing? 

S: Having to go to school when I could be sailing! On the 29er, it’s a challenge to keep the boat upright, sail fast in the right direction and make good strategic and tactical decisions.

H: I find explaining to people why I enjoy sailing very challenging. Describing the thing that makes me happy to someone who has never experienced the thrill is very difficult. Many don’t understand what us sailors actually do and why we enjoy what we do so much. There is so much more to sailing than sitting on a boat and pulling a rope every now and then. To quote one of my many amazing Optimist coaches, “Sailing is as feeling”. I find it easier to describe sailing to someone by getting them to go for a sail with me.

Do you have any advice for other youngsters looking to get into the sport?

S: Just go sailing! Get down to your nearest club and just start. You are never too young or too old.

H: Give it a try! If you are keen to understand why sailing is so great, give it a go. Sailing is a great sport, hobby, or even therapy, however, it is not for everyone. I would highly recommend that any person that shows any interest in the sport should give it a go but also understand that it is very easy to get a big fright early in your discovery. Nasty weather conditions, breaking boats, or even incapable crew or coaches are some of the main contributors to a new sailor getting this big fright.

I was never pushed into sailing and found the drive out of my own curiosity to learn how it is done. I would recommend that a person looking to get into the sport should progress at their own pace, a pace they are comfortable with. Chat to people, watch tutorials but ultimately go to have fun. There are many great platforms and organizations that have programmes in place to get any individual comfortably started in the sailing world. I urge any eager person to do some research and find out which one is best for them. I will forever be thankful to sailing for all the life lessons, friends, and means of freedom, fun, and independence.