Yacht work’s a grind, but iron Wills can handle it
A 100kg Westville man has landed one of the most gruelling jobs on the South African yacht, the Shosholoza, whose crew is in training for the prestigious America’s Cup Race.
Yesterday, Camron Wills was out at sea off Cape Town, training hard for the big race in 2007 and several other high-profile, pre-race regattas.
Team Shosholoza recently launched an urgent nation-wide search for more heavyweight “grinders” to join the permanent crew.
At least four powerful grinders, who have to weigh between 95kg and 105kg, are being sought, and an appeal has gone out to gyms, rugby teams and boxing schools.
The main job of a grinder is to grind the primary winches, which pull the sails in and out during tacking and gybing manoeuvres.
Although it is a specialist position that can be filled by a non-sailor, as it is purely physical, a grinder has to be smart and co-ordinated and has to have nimble fingers - or he will lose them.
Grinders have to have excellent cardio-vascular fitness, be aerobically fit, have excellent endurance and have a bench press average of more than their body weight.
Yacht work’s a grind, but iron Wills can handle it [Daily News]
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