Owner-reported racing lesson. Dates, classes and official event names are still being checked against records.
As a child I watched inflatable powerboats arrive at Strand Beach after the Trans Agulhas. The picture stayed with me in Mpumalanga, where there was no sea. It stayed a picture until my father asked me to bring R5,000 to his shop.
An inflatable boat was waiting. Driving it on the dam was the first time the dream had a throttle. From that boat came the first race, the workshop years in Cape Town, and a sporting life I now document on this website.
The boat was not magic. It was an entry ticket that still required propellers, instruction and a willingness to finish last in public. I am glad I paid attention to all three.