Intrigues at Southern Sun Offshore Challenge

Over last weekend, the Lagos Lagoon wore a beautiful look. It was so beautiful that motorists have to peep through the windscreen and door windows to catch a glimpse of the colourful parade on water. Even boat operators and their passengers also caught the show while on the way to their destinations.

It was an early morning with heavy showers resulting in high wind on the Lagoon.

Yet, 24 participants in the sailing boat race did not allow the strong wind or the heavy shower to deter them from their mission offshore.

Stationed at the Lagos Yacht Club, the 24 boats with over 66 participants forming teams of three per sailboat were set that morning for the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel Offshore Challenge 2014.

As they awaited the final signal to set off for the challenge, which saw them sailing some distance offshore and back, their families, friends, and enthusiasts of yacht boat racing were handy to cheer them up to a good start and also racing to the finish line later on.

This year’s challenge, which is in its fourth edition, saw fierce competition from the participating boats as they all battled to cross the finish line. Each sailboat had a lead sailor and two accompanying experienced crew, totalling 66 individual participants, setting sail for this year’s challenge.

Divided into two categories: Lightening and Hobie, the teams gained satisfaction from the heated challenge as they had their sailboats cross the finish line first. Seven sailboats from the Hobie team and one sailboat from the Lightening team enthusiastically cruised to victory.

But making it to the finish line was not an easy one because of the impact of the early morning heavy showers and the high winds. The determined teams, who are all members of the Lagos Yacht Club, defied all odds as they energetically raced towards the finish line, ensuring that team morale was kept on a high throughout the challenge.

The excitement of the race heightened when members of the Lagos Yatch Club, families of participants and invited guests of the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel kept cheering the teams on sighting them on the shore as they make the final push to the finish line.

The climax of the race was when the first team crossed the finish line and kept the guests cheering more than ever. Among the amiable guests at this year’s offshore challenge was Thandi Mgxwati, Deputy High Commissioner of South Africa to Nigeria, who gladly expressed the Commission’s continued support to the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel brand.

Upon returning to shore, Commodore of the Lagos Yatch Club, Michael Barnes, presented trophies and prizes, courtesy of the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel, to the elated winners. Barnes commenced the prize giving ceremony by first commending the “tenacity, impressive effort and relentless team spirit of all the participants and winners during the very challenging course of the day,” describing the event as “a good day and a good race.”

In addition to the trophies, winners also enjoyed complimentary prizes, courtesy of the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel. Among the enviable prizes were Buffet dinners for four at the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel, weekend bed and breakfast get-away at the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel, Brunch for four at the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel, among others.

Speaking on the rationale behind the sponsorship of the race, Mark Loxley, general manager, Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel, noted that “the hotel is a total hospitality outfit that sees to the overall wellbeing of its guests, including sports and fitness.”

According to the general manager, the hotel is also involved in golf sponsorship among others that interest its high-profile guests. He used the opportunity of the successful hosting of the fourth edition of the Offshore Challenge to invite the guests to the fifth edition next year.

OBINNA EMELIKE