Team Shosholoza bowman Ken Venn credited his favourite sunglasses for saving his left eye when he took a direct hit in the face from a spinnaker pole during sail training off Valencia this week.

"It was a hell of a knock. But my Oakley’s (sunglasses) definitely saved my eye as they didn’t even shatter with the impact. I guess I was lucky not to break my neck as the pole was carrying three tons of load on it," said Venn.

"I was pretty dazed and just carried on sailing - probably like a boxer - a bit punch drunk. You know what you have to do so you just carry on like a robot."

Venn, a veteran of a Whitbread Round the World Race and other hi-profile local and international campaigns, said the team were out for a full day of training with two practice races scheduled when the accident happened. Shosholoza RSA 83 was sailing downwind with the spinnaker fully filled.

"We were approaching the marker buoy and I was working on the bow furling the sails for the next sail change when the pole suddenly swung across and collected me on the side of the face.

"Usually I know when the pole will be coming around as a loud creaking noise is produced when the brace is released. It is usually slow and controlled. But sometimes things go wrong.

"As a bowman it is normal to be prone to accidents as you can easily get in the way of the pole. But usually it comes down on you vertically so you’ll get hit by about 50 kgs. This time it hit me from a horizontal direction with a force of about three tons," said Venn.

Mastman Charles Nankin who describes Venn as "real tough guy and qualified to the hilt to be bowman on this hi-tech racing machine" said the first thing he saw was blood.

"It’s bright red and very noticeable on a boat and immediately sets off an alarm inside you. The priority is always to make sure whoever gets hit is able to carry on or needs assistance. Ken was definitely disorientated, and at the same time precariously situated right on the narrowest forward part of the bow.

"Dazed as he was, he was able to carry on the manoeuvre, the blood all over his face and trickling down his neck. Fortunately our midbowman Golden Mgedeza was right next to him at the time of the smack and could make sure he was OK," said Nankin.

Once ashore Venn was taken to a doctor who taped up a large gash above his eyebrow, put him on painkillers and recommended a day off. "I’m fine, except for the swelling and a big headache," said Venn who was back on Shosholoza today.

The South African’s, who are making their maiden bid for the America’s Cup in 2007, are currently based in Valencia, Spain.

Their intensive daily sail training schedule involves up to six hours on the water as they hone their skills for the start of the first of the 2006 America’s Cup class pre-regattas which start next month (11 May)

*Royal Cape Yacht Club in Cape Town is the official South African Challenge Club

Team Shosholoza is sponsored by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the second largest container shipping company in the world, and T-Systems, an IT and telecommunications multinational.

* South Africa is making her maiden bid for the America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain in 2007. It is the first African challenge in the 156 year history of this prestigious event and will sport a largely representative South African crew on a state-of-the-art America’s Cup racing yacht designed and built in South Africa.

Photo: Team Shosholoza bowman Ken Venn says his favourite sunglasses saved his eye when he had an altercation with a spinnaker pole during sail training on Shosholoza RSA 83 in Valencia this week.

Photo: Jacaranda Marketing