SAIL Magazine Vol 5

SAIL ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

2013/14 Racing Season

CAPE TO RIO SPECIAL EDITION W W W. R C YC . C O. Z A

SAIL WELCOME RCYC

T

he Royal Cape Yacht Club has seen a full and exciting season of racing and cruising over the past year. The number of boats on our local waters has increased immensely, showing a renewed interest in our sport on all levels. (For an account of the successful season by the rear commodore of sailing, Luke Scott, see page 12.)

In January, RCYC members were knocked by the news of the senseless death of their stalwart fellow member and friend, Rob Meek.

Friends pay tribute to this highly respected sailor of our seas on page 60.

The world-renowned Cape to Rio race was effectively and successfully hosted by RCYC, with the help of a hardworking committee led by Ray Matthews, the race chairman. When you look at the race in numbers (page 50), it shows just how popular the event is, how social media can support our sport and, perhaps most important, that sailing from Cape Town to Rio is on many people’s ‘bucket lists’!

From the Formula One-style racers aiming to break records to the cruising-boat crew who see this is as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, this race hooks all who have sailing at heart. A full account of this fantastic race can be seen in Sail’s first-ever Cape to Rio special section, brought to you by First National Bank – a great addition to this, the fifth edition of Sail.

Sail magazine bids farewell to RCYC Commodore Dale Kushner, who served the club so well for the past two years. We thank you for your support of Sail and your appreciation of the value of a dedicated magazine: One that creates pride in belonging to a club of like-minded people who prioritise enjoying the one thing they love the most – sailing.

Contents

3 Letter from the Commodore

SAIL

SAIL ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

VOL NO 5 | 2013/2014

Ingrid Hale and the Sail team

2013/14 Racing Season T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E R O YA L C A P E YA C H T C L U B

To view the digital version, go to www.issuu.com/sailrcyc

4 Welcome to Cape Town 8 News and views 12 Local sailing round-up

CAPE TO RIO SPECIAL EDITION W W W. R C YC . C O. Z A

00_Cover_RCYC.indd 1

2014/05/21 3:03 PM

SAIL

12 Club racing 16 RCYC Sailing Academy 18 Report on IRC racing

T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E

ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB

PUBLISHING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ingrid Hale ART DIRECTOR Piers Buckle (Fresh Identity) COPY EDITOR Deidre Donnelly ADVERTISING SALES Shirley Roos CONTRIBUTORS Penny Alison, Nick Baigrie, Mike Bartholomew, James Blakemore, Harry Brehm, Grant Chapman, Stephan Claassen, Janet Cotton, William Crockett, Shane Elliot, Des Featherstone, Andrea Giovannini, Hylton Hale, Paul Harding, Dave Hudson, Gordon Kling, Dale Kushner, Dr Bernice Kushner, Lord Irvine Laidlaw, Dave Mabin (cover image), John Maschalk, Matthys Lourens, Judith MacGregor, Toni Mainprize, Ray Matthews, Keith Mattison, Di Meek, Rick Nankin, Kristina Plattner, JJ Proveyeur, Markus Reuter, Gill Robinson, Luke Scott, Derek Shuttleworth, Gary Sindler, Adrian Spencer Jones, Tony Strutt, Robert Van Rooyen, Polla Wasserfall, Trevor Wilkins, Paul Willcox SPECIAL THANKS Toni Mainprize, Marcus Reuter, Tiffany Swann, all the marina, bar and catering staff.

PHOTOGRAPH DAVE MABIN

CONTACT RCYC Tel: +27 21 421 1354 | Fax: +27 21 421 6028 Email: info@rcyc.co.za | www.rcyc.co.za FOR LETTERS AND ENQUIRIES Big Blue Media – Ingrid Hale Tel: +27 83 309 3895 | Email: bigblu@iafrica.com BIG B LUE M E DIA CR E AT E

CO L L A BO R AT E

20 Crocs Regatta 22 Ladies’ Day Race 24 Lipton Cup 27 Midsummer Fling 30 Mykonos Offshore Regatta 32 Yachtport Overnight Race 33 The Royal Cape Yacht Club’s Cape to Rio race 52 Sea the world Reporting on Royal Capers abroad

56 RCYC race results 58 RCYC sailing calendar Events from July 2014 to June 2015

60 Remembering Rob Meek Tributes to the sailing stalwart

CO N N ECT

PRINTING Paarl Media Paarl ©Royal Cape Yacht Club. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission from the publisher.

W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

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SAIL RCYC

Letter from the commodore

PHOTOGRaPH dave mabin

T

he Royal Cape Yacht club once again completes a season full of accomplishments with its continued growth in membership year on year for the second year running.

In a tough economic climate, this is a healthy sign.

Not only are membership numbers on the increase, but overall participation at club sailing events, whether racing or cruising, has also grown.

So, too, has the overall club usage by members and their guests. This is, after all, what belonging is all about, so it’s something that RCYC is proud of: we are a well-utilised club!

A growing club with good participation levels is the mark of success. RCYC has gone beyond just being a yacht club: it has become a leading institution in the yachting fraternity of South Africa.

The calibre of events that are hosted by the club are of an exceptionally high standard, and the magazine that you are about to read bears testament to this. I’d like to congratulate Big Blue Media and the team behind Sail magazine, which will hopefully give the reader some insight into RCYC. As a club we’re fortunate to have the commitment of the president, trustees, flag officers, committee, sub-committee members and the numerous volunteers, as well as the ardent support of the staff. Without this, the Royal Cape Yacht Club would not be the institution it is.

An important sector of the club is the RCYC Sailing Academy, which grew from two vessels to four this past season. The academy shows such promise, with good sailing results and youth ‘graduating’ onto other boats.

The academy has been fortunate to have received additional funding from various donors: the Jewish Maritime League, who continue to support the club’s programme and sponsored a boat; the late Julian Ozinsky’s estate, which made a sizable contribution; an anonymous donor who made the largest donation ever received by the club to date; the South African Ocean

“The RCYC has gone beyond just being a yacht club: it has become a leading institution in the yachting fraternity of South Africa” Racing Trust; The Italian Embassy; the Midsummer Fling Regatta; the Crocs Regatta; the Lotto; and others.

These donations allow the academy to run a yearly programme and maintain four boats with all the latest gear and safety equipment. We are truly grateful.

In January 2014, RCYC hosted a successful Cape to Rio race. The stats show that this event received more coverage then any previous event, and the entry field was more than double the previous edition – the largest since 2000. This is such a promising sign for the race going forward. The next edition takes place in January 2017.

We owe much to the Cape to Rio organising committee – especially Ray Matthews, RCYC vice commodore, who stepped in as race chairman four months before the start and put an excellent race together. See Sail’s special Cape to Rio section for more on this wonderful race.

RCYC is a well-established club in South Africa. In 2014, we celebrate 100 years of holding the Royal Charter.

This was bestowed in 1914, when King George V granted permission for the Cape Yacht Club to prefix its name with the word ‘royal’, thereby becoming the Royal Cape Yacht Club. This significant part of our club’s history should not be overlooked.

Having completed two terms as commodore, this will be my final contribution to Sail while in office. During both terms I have received overwhelming support from the membership of RCYC, for which I’m truly grateful.

Without it, my task would have been difficult to perform.

It has been a privilege to serve this great institution.

To all members and friends of the Royal Cape Yacht Club, I would like to thank you for your continued support of this great club.

Yours in sailing, Dale Kushner RCYC commodore w w w. r c y c . c o . z a

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SAIL RCYC

Cape Town welcomes you

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PHOTOGRaPH dave mabin

T

he combination of mountain and sea has always made Cape Town a bucket-list destination, but it’s the ocean that has helped define our city and what it is today.

Historically named the ‘Cape of Storms’ due to its challenging ocean passages, Cape Town also has calmer waters − perfect for gentle cruises, enjoying endless sunsets and leisure water sports.

We are blessed to have active working harbours here, as well as prestigious yachting marinas and clubs that welcome travellers from around the world through international yacht races, such as the Cape to Rio, the Volvo Ocean Race and the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. We also welcome visitors from cruise-liner tours, like the Queen Mary 2, and regularly see to berthing ships in need of servicing and repair.

As a port city, we have been infused with the cultures and traditions of people from all over the globe and this is a distinct part of Cape Town’s charm. Beyond the natural beauty that keeps drawing visitors back for more, it’s the people that make the Mother City such a fascinating and intriguing place.

On a trip around Cape Town, you’ll meet designers, musicians, storytellers, crafters, chefs and winemakers. Start with the city’s biggest attractions, if you haven’t seen them already − Table Mountain, Cape Point, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Robben Island and the V&A Waterfront.

Then move on to the city’s surprising gems, like the design districts of Woodstock and The Fringe; the heritage-rich yet contemporary central city; the inspiring communities of the Cape Flats; the eight internationally recognised Blue Flag beaches; and the delicious food and wine of the Cape Winelands.

Add to this world-class shopping options, spa experiences, golf courses and adventure sports, and there’s no end to the amount of leisure activities on offer in Cape Town.

Join us for the trip a lifetime: Welcome to Cape Town!

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SAIL RCYC

®

T

he city of Cape Town remains proud to be the home of the Royal Cape Yacht Club. The RCYC is an integral part of Cape Town’s nautical tradition and history. The international networks established by the RCYC with other sail affiliations have helped to ensure that Cape Town attracts top sailors from around the globe, and that local sailors participate in high-profile races.

This, in turn, has helped to strengthen Cape Town’s positioning as the events capital of Africa. Major sporting events, such as the Cape to Rio, play a significant role in attracting visitors to our shores, which helps to create much-needed jobs in the city. And since sporting events, by their very nature, help draw people together, they contribute to building the kind of inclusive city to which we all aspire.

The RCYC also plays an essential role in providing residents of Cape Town with the opportunity to participate in sailing activities. The club is to be commended for the proactive measures they have taken to expand access to these opportunities to communities who were historically excluded from such sporting activities. This kind of innovative initiative typifies exactly what the city administration is trying to achieve in our commitment to making progress possible, together.

It is my sincere wish that the RCYC continues to go from strength to strength and that it cements its reputation as the premier sailing club in South Africa.

Patricia de Lille Executive Mayor of Cape Town @PatriciaDeLille

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Judith Macgregor, high commissioner designate to South africa, commemorates the fact that the Royal Charter was granted to RCYC 100 years ago.

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8

w w w. R C Y C . C o . z A

I’m delighted to have this opportunity to celebrate the centenary of the granting of a Royal Charter to the club, by George V in 1914, with the Royal Cape Yacht Club.

The relationship between the club and the British monarchy is clearly long established. It’s mirrored by the frequent visits by members of the royal family to South Africa, including in the last few years by TRH the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex. These have all demonstrated the continued affection and interest that the royal family has for South Africa.

In the wider relationship between the United Kingdom and South Africa, the sea has always played a strong part. Most recently, this was demonstrated by the visit of HMS Portland to Cape Town – captained by the first female royal navy commander, Sarah West. The visit demonstrated the importance of the ongoing maritime collaboration between our two navies.

A few months earlier, we had the wonderful spectacle of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in Cape Town. Some of you will have seen the GREAT Britain yacht lead the way into the Cape Town harbour last October. This sporting achievement was even more thrilling for me, as several young members of the local Sapinda Rainbow Project were part of the GREAT Britain crew as it sailed around the world. This inspiring partnership in youth development is an example of an increasingly important element of our relationship with South Africa.

I’m delighted to see that the RCYC Sailing Academy is also developing talent from a diverse range of communities. The growing of skills in young people is as important in the maritime sector here as elsewhere − especially as we all celebrate 20 years of democracy, and look to build a better future for the next generation in both the UK and SA. I look forward to the continuing friendship and partnership that Britain enjoys with the Royal Cape Yacht Club, and wish both South African and British sporting yachtsmen success in their preparations for the Rio Olympic Games in a couple years’ time.

And for now, I send your members my warm congratulations and my best wishes for a further 100 years of great sailing achievements.

PHOTOGRaPH dave mabin • Gilles martin-raGet • des featherstone

What’s been happening at RCYC

SAIL newS & VIewS RCYC

high tea indeed!

Dr Bernice Kushner reports back on an annual social highlight: the Commodore’s Wife’s Tea, this year in aid of Matla a Bana and the Strydom Trust.

Our beautiful RCYC hosted the yearly charity event on 16 November 2013 – and what an inspirational, successful day it was. Thanks to our amazing team − Brigette, Toni, Tiffany, Paul, Riaan and all their team members − we had 135 women in attendance and were privileged to secure Monique Strydom as the guest speaker.

As you’ll recall, Monique and her husband, Callie, were held captive on the Philippine island of Jolo for 127 days back in 2000. Based on that experience, Monique committed her life to helping others in need.

Together with her husband, she founded the Callie and Monique Strydom Trust, as well as Matla A Bana, a voice against child abuse.

At the end of 2002, after the rapes of babies Leratho and Tsephang made the news, Monique Strydom was asked to hand a petition to the government asking them to do something about the sexual abuse of our children. As she wasn’t then experienced to do this, she called together a task team to investigate the issue.

During this process, the team identified many grey areas in the reporting system, specifically focusing on the secondary abuse children suffer when they report these crimes. A need for an organisation to address all these grey areas was identified, and the Child Protection SAPS task team asked Monique to consider starting such an organisation. She took up the challenge: Matla A Bana (‘Power of the Children’) was registered on 27 August 2002 – exactly two years after her release. Monique not only runs the charity, she is often in the field, helping volunteers, or in the boardroom, presenting for funding.

Each year, the charity helps more than 20 000 children.

This year, we chose Matla A Bana as our charity of choice.

Each attendee bought a donation of school supplies and, thanks to the spectacular raffles, we also raised close to R25 000 for the Strydom Trust. People were unbelievably generous: I was truly overwhelmed at how open-hearted our guests were.

The high tea itself (all made in-house) was decadent, to say the least. And Monique is an amazingly inspirational speaker; she kept the audience on the edges of their seats, recounting the horrific events she and Callie experienced. Their son, Luc, who came along, was a star – with his RCYC peak cap on, drawing all the raffle tickets. (Monique says he has taken to sleeping with the peak cap on ever since!)

With thanks to… … everyone who made 2013’s high tea such a memorable one.

The afternoon would not have been possible without our generous sponsors (so many, I hope I haven’t left any out!): Good Housekeeping SA, Taste magazine, Woolworths, Le Creuset, Addis, Kitchen@49 (social cooking evening classes), RCYC, Dale Kushner (RCYC commodore), The Hair Chair, Joico Haircare, London Shoes, The Baker’s Den, Garrons, SSC (Silver Stationary Company), and Alison Rese from Super Crew.

SailorS of the Month Congrats to the following RCYC sailing members who made the grade, according to criteria set out by Sailing magazine, and were thus nominated for ‘Sailor of the Year’.

Jun ’13 Jacqui Brand, for winning the Double Handed Series Jul ’13 Markus Progli, tactician on the winning FBYC Lipton Cup team aug ’13 Ian ‘Chunkie’ Meggy, for his commitment to RCYC over the years Sept ’13 Dave Bartholomew, on Tokoloshe, for his wins in the UK Oct ’13 James Blakemore, for his win at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez Nov ’13 Heidi Kavanagh, for winning the Ladies’ Race Dec ’13 No nominations Jan ’14 Harry Brehm, for achievements with the RCYC Sailing Academy Feb ’14 Peter Bam, for winning all his Twilight races (Oct−Dec) and in the Midsummer Fling Mar ’14 Patrick Holloway, for winning the Mykonos Offshore and Club Champs 2014 Series apr ’14 John Connor, for winning the over-80s category in this year’s Seniors’ Race and his assistance on the Royal Cape Bridge

all handS on deck

Thanks to the volunteers of the 2013/2014 season: Twilight racing Ron Keytel Viqui Stevens Veronica Miller Diane Brown Andre Fredericks Tommy Walker Peter Hill Joep Schoof

Main regattas Doug Alison Judy Alison Rick Nankin Derek Shuttleworth Ray Matthews Vitor Medina Robert van Rooyen Rob Meek

Double-handed and club series Ron Keytel Liz Matthews John Connor Deon Miller Jo-Anne Lambrecht

Driving and mark laying Toni de Villiers Dave Garrard

w w w. R C Y C . C o . z A

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goingS on in the galley JaZZ on the deck

Over the past 18 months, Jazz on the Deck, the monthly event that sees a different jazz band perform at the club, has become a popular feature on the RCYC calendar. Not only has it been welcomed by members and guests, the Cape Town jazz fraternity see it as one of their favourite gigs.

Keith Mattison, who has plenty experience working with musicians and comes with word-of-mouth recommendations, has been responsible for booking the groups. So far, most of the city’s big names have performed at least once – including Andrew Ford, Eddie Kirkwood, Adolf Thielen, Andrew Lilley, Amanda Tiffin, Mike Rossi, Mike Laatz, Mike Campbell, Gary Deacon, Charles Lazar, Butch Rice, Kevin Gibson, Heinrich Goosen... the list goes on (apologies to those not mentioned!). And due to popular demand, the Riverboat Jazz Band are invited back regularly.

The great thing about jazz is that it has a broad appeal across all age groups – performers range from musos in their seventies to a group of three young women students (Sarah Blake, Amy Campbell and Christiana Rossi), all of whom have parents who are well known in the local music scene. To go with the great music, chef Paul Harding and the catering staff always produce an interesting menu – with good service to boot.

The RCYC’s food-and-beverage operation had been making significant losses. In March 2013, Paul Harding volunteered to help turn the situation around and was appointed consulting executive head chef of the galley. His mandate? To reduce losses and improve on the quality of service offered. Here’s his update.

After initial analysis it was clear significant changes needed to be made and a two-year plan was initiated. Now, one year on, there have been big improvements, which have made a significant contribution to the efficiency and quality of the operation. In 2013: •New equipment was purchased to introduce modern culinary methods (May).

•The menu was updated to remove dishes sold at a loss, or which used unique ingredients (July). Commonality of ingredients among dishes reduces waste and, therefore, costs.

•Also in July, new food-handling and hygiene standards were introduced, as was regular staff training.

•In September, professional sous chefs were employed to support the head chef.

(Previously, there were no culinary trained professionals in the kitchen other than the head chef.)

•Arrangements were made with the International Hotel School of Cape Town to take in interns from the school to support improvements at the club (October).

The Jazz on the Deck menu is a good example of what can be achieved with the newly structured kitchen. Good-quality food can now be provided, without fuss, for over 300 diners in a period of a few hours.

Progress is steady, but there’s still a lot to do. The main aim, to reduce losses, has been achieved. Food quality has also improved, thanks to the introduction of the trained staff as well as policies to source only fresh produce from local suppliers, wherever possible. –Paul Harding, RCYC head chef

cape to rio Q&a

Q

Have you ever sailed the Cape to Rio? If so, what did you take away from the experience? If not, do you plan to sail it in the future?

Dale Kushner, RCYC commodore Yes. I did the race to Salvador in 2006 (third in class), then Cape to Rio in 2011 (third) and 2014 (first in class).

An offshore, transatlantic race is a great experience. Those who do it go back for more. Contrary to what people think, it’s not that expensive − if you start with a well-maintained boat

A

Gary Sindler, General committee I sailed aboard Hi Fidelity in the 2009 race to Salvador.

We enjoyed some of the best sailing conditions in the first few days out of Cape Town; then frustrating conditions midway, trying to avoid the Atlantic high.

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We put key questions forward to the Gencom committee:

w w w. R C Y C . C o . z A

The crew was made up of good friends, so we had a blast!

Luke Scott, Rear commodore sailing Regrettably, not yet. For this last race, critical funding fell through a month before the start. We had a really lekker crew lined up. But I felt like I was there in spirit, surfing alongside the Simonis 35, Ciao Bella.

In reality, I’d be happy to compete on the Simonis 35 that we acquired this last season, Scarlet Sun. She has the legs for it, having sailed to a class victory in the 1993 race – with the owner, Herb Farrow, his son, and Patrick Holloway et al. – as Lady Lorna II. She also safely navigated the race with Bertie

A

Reed (his sixth Cape to Rio), and an otherwise all-girl crew, to Rio as Shoprite Organics in 2000.

That crew included Judy and Dominique Provoyeur, Lara Keytel, Joanne Wilson and Jackie Foord.

I chatted to Ciao Bella’s Ricky Robinson after this last race, and he said he’d like to do it every time until he is an old man.

That’s a lovely thought, and I’d be honoured to make sure two Simonis 35s are at the start line next time. The Robinsons will no doubt generously show us the ropes in the build-up, before gratiously cleaning our pipes out on the race course! I’d like to complete the race with my brother (may take some convincing!), my other partners,

Ian and Joost, and our crew, together with the previous owner of the yacht, the fantastic Billy Leisegang. He has yet to compete in this race, but is a multiple winner of the Governor’s Cup to St. Helena, sailed on this yacht as Our Dianne. Overall, we’d be honouring this boat’s history and the success of all her owners.

Viva, Scarlet Sun, for the 2017 Cape to Rio Race!

Matthys Lourens, Gencom treasurer No, I haven’t. I’d consider doing the race only if I could mount a spinning bike on the foredeck. I wouldn’t do it on my boat as it would interfere with my training schedule, and will lose some fitness.

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SAIL newS & VIewS RCYC

fnB reaffirMS involveMent with cape to rio and Sailing

“We’re very proud of the amazing achievement that has been realised by the Explora team, especially as the conditions at the start of the race were so difficult.

Our sponsorship of the Explora and involvement in this year’s race demonstrates our continued support for the sailing industry in South Africa.”

–Stephan Claassen, FNB Cape Provinces Cell +27 82 859 1184 stephan.claassen@fnb.co.za

Tony Strutt, General committee I did two races on Wizard: ‘93 and ‘96, I think. The first was a good experience, but I remember it being very hot in the middle. We didn’t have a water-maker, and were rationed to two litres per day, of which we gave 0.75 to the galley for tea and cooking. It was a very thirsty race. I also sailed on Hi Fidelity three races ago, but we were forced to retire with rudder problems. I have no plans to do another, as I have no need to go to Rio. Now, if they moved the finish to Cabo Frio, I would reconsider...

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Rob van Rooyen, General committee I did the 2006 on Gumption and 2009 on Overproof (both Cape to Bahia). It’s a must for anyone passionate about sailing or just Mother Nature.

The experience is unforgettable:

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clipper race, octoBer 2013

It was quite an exciting arrival of Clipper boats for the RCYC Bridge Hut and Harken Round Robben Island (RRI) race competitors. We saw three of the 12 competing 70-foot race boats arriving during the October RRI race – quite a lovely site!

The Clipper team always make early contact with RCYC, making arrangements, and generally making use of our friendly welcome and facilities. RCYC was asked to run the bridge for the race start on Monday, 4 November. Luke Scott, rear commodore sailing – joined by Toni and Adrian; RCYC Marina manager, Neville Norton, and crew – all headed out to manage proceedings. It was a glorious day, with ideal start conditions and many spectator boats out to enjoy the spectacle of 12 racing boats heading off into the South Atlantic. –Toni Mainprize

a new addition to the faMily RCYC recently welcomed a new addition to her marina as JML Rotary Scout has taken up an offer to make the Royal Cape her new home after many happy years spent at False Bay Yacht Club.

In this year’s Cape to Rio, Rotary Scout was crewed by scouts and scouters between 17 and 20 years of age. She is no stranger to ocean races, having completed four Governor’s Cup races as well as two Cape to Rios, among numerous other local races and regattas.

The modified 39ft Tosca belongs to Western Cape Scouting and is managed from the Sea Scout Base at Sandvlei, Lakeside – her official home.

painful and awesome at the same time. The best part is the sense of achievement afterwards, which makes you forget the tough times.

The Rio, or South Atlantic race, is no walk in the park (or, let’s say, sail in the pond).

The first few days can be tough, which was proven in the 2014 race. But a well-prepared boat and competent crew can overcome these conditions.

In 2009, I knew what I was in for... or did I? As a crew of four, our boat failed us when, a week into the race, we lost total steerage. Did we panic! But we persevered and got the boat to Salvador safely. And we’re all still best friends...

The Cape to Rio is certainly one of the best races I’ve done.

Derek Shuttleworth, General committee I’ve completed three events as skipper: 1996

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on a Bruce Roberts Fortuna 37; 2003 with a 70-foot British Steel Challenge; and 2011 on my Farr 38, Me2Me. I was unprepared for the 1996 race and missed the cut-off by days, arriving on the evening of the prizegiving after a not very enjoyable time. Then 2003 was a new challenge, sailing with the 70-foot yacht and a crew of 12 on a sponsorship from Coca-Cola.

But with a 42-ton vessel, the light winds during the latter part of the race again saw us miss the cut-off by seven minutes.

(This was later corrected, as I’d assisted another yacht during the race, so we were classed as a finisher.) In 2011, now with plenty of experience and a crew of six, I had the most enjoyable race. Even after experiencing a calm for five days, we completed the race on time Things to take home: preparation is everything, including getting your crew

fond farewell to harriet RCYC bid a sad farewell to Harriet Symons, membership secretary at RCYC for 16 years.

Known for her efficiency and calm manner when dealing with members, she will be sorely missed.

She knew every member by name (and was very quick to remind any if they were late with fees!).

Harriet has chosen to retire in order to take time to travel and see the places that so many of the RCYC members have enjoyed sailing to. It was their stories of adventure and fun that inspired her journey. We wish you well and happy travels, Harriet!

‘sea fit’, as seasickness can be most destabilising. Also important are the preparations before the event to get your yacht home. Mostly, there is a lack of experience of yacht handling at the Iate Clube do Rio, with spares almost non-existent, and there are always delays in the shipped container arriving with your equipment for the return journey.

Plan with a 7 000nm event in mind, not just one way. Cost is a factor. Even a small budget will end up being in the hundreds of thousands to do it properly. So no, I wouldn’t do it again. Three times is enough!

Polla Wasserfall, General committee You’re asking the wrong person. The only time I’d overnight is on a Double Cape Challenge or overnight race.

I get claustrophobic, and it’s too long away from work and family, so Rio is a no go!

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Season’s best Luke Scott reflects on a spectacular sailing season at RCYC

“When we look back at it, as I know we will, it’s nice to feel the wind, roll with the swell and the humorous crew fun.

A flood and flow of memories, lay lines and fresh sea scents…

Sailing is a big love, a life and a passion, reflected on the sun-soaked glittering ocean”

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SAIL LoCAL RCYC

PHOTOGRaPHS trevor wilkins & dave mabin

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his season, we tried a few new ideas, reinterpreted trusted old ones, and cross-pollinated through collaboration and open lines of communication. From a club-sailing management side, we have a dedicated group of staff in the sailing office, a supportive network of voluntary race-management assistants − and an attitude that believes, it is possible.

The sailing committee comprises club members from all divisions across the club. The intent is that there is broad representation and consensus of ideas from all constituent sailing fleets, from the coastal cruisers through the club divisions and the IRC racing fleet. Thanks to the members of the sailing committee for your input and dedication.

The Club Championships, in its second year, comprises six series: the Club Winter Series, Round Robben Island Races with Harken, the Lufthansa Twilight Series in support of Community Chest, the Overnight Race, the Lufthansa Twilight Series in support of the National Sea Rescue Institute, and the Club Summer Series. We also run special events, like the Seniors’ Race, Portugal Day Race, Maserati Charity Bay Race, Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy and the RiskSA Regatta. Two important specialised series complete the picture: the Double-Handed Series and the Ladies’ Race, which we are developing into a series next season.

The Club Championships was well supported, showing regular participation in support of the club-sailing programme. It’s not about the best sailors in the club, who tend to filter to the top in the big events, like our Crocs Summer Regatta, Midsummer Fling and Mykonos Offshore Regatta. Winning in the Club Championships is a special achievement that shows your commitment to club sailing, to keeping crew motivated all year round, and to keeping your yacht in a good condition. A look at the leader boards in all divisions reflects this, with the sailing stalwarts filling the top 10 positions in each division.

There are no surprises there, as participation is key to the game in the champs. What’s extremely positive is that there has been a strong growth in participation in club events for a number of years now.

RCYC CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS Club Winter Series Lufthansa Twilight Series (Oct−Dec) Overnight Race Round Robben Island Races with Harken Lufthansa Twilight Series (Jan−Mar)* Club Summer Series* Overall

2012−2013 season 34 63 13 44 66 26 95

2013−2014 season 23 77 18 63 71 28 114*

*Article written with numbers for two remaining race dates in the club summer series outstanding.

I’m not sure how much longer we can keep growing, but the main point here is that participation has been bred by enthusiastic race offerings, sound race management and publication of results, and continuous reporting of all sailing events. There is no longer a tentative couple of yachts wondering if racing is on. Racing is always on! This is a big shift of attitude from a couple of years ago. A further reflection of a general upping of the game is the number of yachts that are now better prepared and maintained, and the number of good-looking sails flying across all fleets.

It’s been a really good season in terms of weather. For example, there were only three blow-outs in the entire Lufthansa Twilight Series − which is extraordinary.

All other race dates in the Club Championships calendar took place as scheduled. There are 28 possible race dates in the championships.

To date, only three were blown out, and at the time of writing there were two race dates left in the summer series. The Summer and Winter series both sailed with an earlier start time of 1pm, to allow for the possibility of more than one race on the day. This worked out nicely, with extra races being sailed in one of the Winter Series dates and all of the Summer Series dates so far.

The positive attitude of sailors participating in the club series adds value and weight to the club’s partnership opportunities with sponsors.

The partnership with Lufthansa bears testament to this. To have a powerful international brand embrace our sailing in this way, and to provide such a strong trust in the partnership to promote our aims of increasing member participation, has resulted in the offering of a reward programme, with business-class tickets up for grabs to club members. There have been four such tickets to Europe to date, with a commitment to have this incentive return next season.

Harken have supported the brace of Round Robben Island Races for a number of years now. To have a world-class producer of yacht hardware and accessories continue to support us underlines the synergy and positive relationship between user and producer. A visit to the Harken showroom is like being a kid in a sweetie store. The Round Robben Island Races are always well supported, and we’re making sure that we look after all parts of the fleet to ensure happy participation and completion.

Another synergetic relationship is the Overnight Race − supported

by Novamarine, a marine safety equipment company, and Yachtport SA, a focused service marina in Saldanha Bay. This race was an absolute

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cracker this year, and the beat back down the coast from Cape Columbine to Saldanha Bay will stay etched in my mind for years.

There are other opportunities to partner with the club in the championship series, particularly the Summer and Winter Series.

While we’re in discussions with leading national brands in this regard for next season, there are still opportunities for interested parties.

Taking the relationship between yacht racing and promotion to the next level, we’ve seen the RiskSA Regatta, Maserati and the Italian Ambassador put together high-level offerings on and off the water for three bespoke charity functions. All three events were affected by the weather to varying degrees, but they bring newcomers to the sport of sailing, and have all had an emphasis on good causes, with our own RCYC Sailing Academy being a beneficiary of all three. These were all inaugural events, and there is every indication that all three will be back in the next sailing season as there’s a hunger to build on what has been started. Exciting stuff! All involved want to raise the bar on these events: they’re good for sailing, good for the club, good for the academy and good for the promoters. Even more encouraging is how some of these promoters are moving beyond the initial event template to try to integrate them into the Club Championships programme.

In a similar manner, the perennial favourites, like the Portugal Day Race, can look to up the ante of their offerings, sound in the knowledge that they already have strong support from the club sailors. This year the event was sailed in a strong westerly and big swell, and was again well supported. The pursuit format is incredibly exciting, especially when the timing is right!

The final aspects of the club offering to mention are the niche events and series, like the Double-Handed Series, the Seniors’ Race and the Ladies’ Race.

Double-handed sailing is hardcore. Yet it has a very loyal following, and we’d really like to grow this as it gives a massive boost in sailing confidence and competence on the water. There is such open camaraderie between the double-handed sailors, and a strong sharing of knowledge. Kling Wines have supported the prizes for this for quite some time, which no doubt brings sailors together!

The Seniors’ Race is a well-loved event. With the average age of the club membership as it is, support for this is readily forthcoming and fiercely competitive. However, it also reminds us all to support and care for the senior members of the club, and to keep an eye on the constant injection of younger members to ensure the future viability of this one.

Double the fun

Four years ago, double-handed sailing was dying at RCYC. Only one or two poorly supported races were being held each year, and the format was in danger of being discontinued.

Harry Brehm, a sailing committee member at the time, mentioned the problem to me and, with prompting from my dear late friend and co-skipper Rob Meek, I offered to sponsor a transformed event. And so the Kling Wines Double-Handed Series was born, with an emphasis on the social atmosphere of a post-race table featuring snacks and wines, plus the wealth of knowledge-sharing that comes from such special camaraderie.

The format has now become a mainstay of weekend sailing at RCYC. Some 66 sailors on 33 boats competed in the two divisions, one Saturday every month, in the first three months of the 2014 series, which runs till 14

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June. There are usually about 20 boats on the water for each race. Plans are afoot to include some longer, possibly overnight, sessions.

Certainly, the racing focuses the mind. The two crew obviously have to do everything − properly, and reasonably efficiently, for any chance of success. Think running downwind with spinnaker up in more than 20 knots towards a lee shore, with one crew on the bow to get it down, while the other is essentially confined to the helm. Just the thought of ‘man overboard’ has contributed to the formation of unique bonds within this remarkably dedicated band. Close calls do occur, but safety is paramount: life jackets are mandatory, and tactics emphasise doing things slowly, carefully. Even setting up the boat and taking it down is more time-consuming; an extra half-hour has been added between the skippers’ briefing and the race start to make up for the lack of hands.

PHOTOGRaPHS trevor wilkins & dave mabin

Kling Wines took on the challenge of reviving the dying art of double-handed sailing at the RCYC. Here, Gordon King suggests why you consider this sailing challenge

SAIL LoCAL RCYC

The last word is a really encouraging one. A new sponsor stepped up from within our club’s ranks in the last season to sponsor the Ladies’ Race. This was part of a larger interest on behalf of the member to promote women sailors, so we also had a Ladies’ Key Crew Position Twilight Race. Looking to the future, the sponsors, One Eighty engineers, are sponsoring a series in the next season comprising a number of events to promote our female members in both competitive and introductory sailing events. These will include a Women’s Day

Cruise to be held on the national public holiday, the One Eighty Regatta (all-women racing) and a Twilight Series comprising of at least two races, possibly more.

The culmination of the Club Championships is the awards evening, held after the closing cruise, on 31 May. I’m pleased to report that club sailing is in a very good space, thanks to the positive efforts and participation of our members. Thank you to all sailors for making this season such an active and happy one, both on and off the water.

Supposedly retired RCYC stalwart Ron Keytel usually manages the bridge, sets the courses and officiates at the post-match conviviality.

Overall winner of this year’s Mykonos Offshore Regatta, Patrick Holloway (who doubtless not coincidentally also happens to be top of the double-handed ranking at present), sums up the feeling shared by many: “It’s my favourite racing format”.

So if you think you have it in you to become a jack-of-all-trades on your boat in mightily testing conditions, or just enjoy good wine and great companionship, why not get out there?

team: I preferred to be on deck, sailing, most of the time; while Anthony, who did his fair share on deck, enjoyed doing the navigation, food preparations and general maintenance, which meant we complemented each other very well. Our motto was “Two up – fully crewed”, and our attitude matched that. We were able to push hard and arrived in Salvador just 1.5 hours behind a fully crewed 42-footer easily as fast as us, if not faster.

The sense of achievement is huge, once on the other side, and the friendship with your sailing mate is very meaningful and cemented. I am very fond of sailing with a large crew that gels well and it is special to put it together and succeed, but if one is pressed for time (and money), two-handed sure does have tremendous advantages.

There are a few things to mention that could make you more efficient for short-handed sailing.

•Know your limitations, but push them so you achieve your potential. For example, physical strength: how many hoists/gybes/ tacks can you do in a race before you are exhausted – enough for a two hour race? Do you need to do some physical preparation?

•You should also go out early for your race, so you can get used to the conditions, the course and your ability versus these.

Then decide what you are capable of doing on the various legs of the course, but be flexible!

•Prepare your yacht to make it easier to handle short-handed.

This will best be achieved by first discussing all the manoeuvres you are likely to go though. For example, make a list of all the various jobs though a gybe, hoist, dowse, etc. and know who is responsible for what.

•Invest in a good autopilot. You will find it very useful for other applications (while using your yacht with friends, cruising, etc.).

•Get a snuffer for your spinnaker – it makes hoisting and dowsing the sail very easy – and then go out and practise using it.

•Good communication is of utmost importance. You only have two pairs of hands, so timing for all manoeuvres is critical. If you are really serious about two-handed sailing, nothing can beat preparation and practice, as for any sport.

The sense of achievement and bonding is well worth the effort, so let’s get out there in even bigger numbers!

Finally, a big thank you to Gordon Kling, who continues to support this format of racing. We are very grateful.

JJ Proveyeur looks back on a great double-handed sailing career: The Kling Wines Double-Handed Series has been growing from strength to strength, which proves that the concept of short-handed sailing is popular with boat owners.

This could be because of the extra challenge required to handle the yacht: it eliminates the need to work hard at finding crew, which is often difficult to achieve. It also allows for quality time spent with a good mate, something not that easy to do these days.

It was 20 years ago, in 1994, that I embarked to follow in Bertie Reed and John Martin’s footsteps and fulfil a personal challenge of sailing a BOC Around the World Alone Race.

I built the boat that Bertie used in the previous race, which fed the fire that I already had about doing the race myself. Short-handed sailing had always appealed to me, even considering my rather loud style of working with a crew! So, I give myself a hard time instead, when doing silly things without thinking – so easy to do in the heat of the moment, as we all know!

As the boat was built for single-handed sailing, the layout was such to make things as easy as possible. Some things can be changed fairly easily on your yachts, which will make a huge differences in your manoeuvre time and, ultimately, your race time.

Anthony Spillebeen and I sailed together in the 2006 South Atlantic Race (that year from Cape Town to Salvador). We used After You, a 41-foot Lavranos design, which is well equipped for short-handed sailing, but not specifically designed for it, in her current state.

We prepared ourselves pretty well, with spinnaker snuffers, a great autopilot, easy food to prepare, and asymmetrical spinnakers (although, in hindsight, symmetrical would have been faster). We were a good

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SAIL RCYC LOCAL

The tides of change The RCYC Sailing Academy, with the help of SailPro, are helping to grow the next generation of champion sailors

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see the opportunities a programme like this offers to youngsters, which is hugely encouraging.

One thing all students see as a big bonus is the chance to become an accomplished sailor, which will open doors to a career in sailing. The chance to receive a fully paid skipper’s ticket is just another bonus we offer our students.

We aim to give all our students the platform to reach their sailing goals. Who knows? The biggest dreams of our students may just come true – like competing in the biggest sailing events, such as the Volvo Ocean Race or the America’s Cup. At the RCYC Sailing Academy, the sky is the limit. –Harry Brehm

SailPro update The 2013/2014 season was kickstarted by the new Junior School Programme, which ran through the winter at the Milnerton Aquatics Club, offering sailing as a school sport to students from CBC St. John’s and Elkanah House. This programme rolled on into summer, and saw SACS Junior School and Cedar House sailing down at Zeekoevlei Yacht Club (ZVYC) alongside the exceptionally popular High School Programme.

Now in its sixth year, it includes students from many of the top local high schools, who come to the vlei twice a week after school to race as teams on SailPro’s six 420s.

An exciting new addition was Springfield Convent of the Holy Rosary, who joined the programme at the start of 2014. The High School Programme’s season culminated with the SailPro Interschool Championships, which saw over 85 students from Wynberg Boys, SACS, Bishops, Westerford, Wynberg Girls, Herschel, Springfield, the Izivungu Sailing School, the Zeekoevlei Sailing Centre and Plumstead High head down to ZVYC to take part in a glorious day of top-calibre racing. This tournament has, in the past, been won by Bishops, Westerford and SACS, and it’s the top platform for high-school team-racing in the country. This year, Wynberg Boys put on a phenomenal display of skill and teamwork to claim the next year’s worth of bragging rights. Many of these SailPro students progress into RCYC’s Keelboat Academy each year, and their participation bodes well for the future of youth sailing.

SailPro started exciting ventures, including the annual Laser High Performance Clinic, which saw Cyrill Knecht – a top-ranked Swiss Laser sailor – choosing the Cape Doctor over the Swiss winter for his January training. We also ran the Bishops Epic sailing programme, where over 120 Bishops Grade 10s did a 16-day trek around the Cederberg. In May 2013, SailPro tutored at the Zimbabwean Sailing School’s annual clinic at Jacana Yacht Club, Harare. Back home, SailPro launched an Adults Learn to Sail Programme, which runs twice a month in the season.

–Nick Baigrie and Penny Alison

PHOTOGRAPH DAVE MABIN

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acht clubs around the world face the same problem: The average age of their members is close to, or even over, 60.

This is a concerning factor for the future of yacht clubs.

Given the capital outlay needed to own and maintain a yacht, it’s no wonder that very few younger people are able to own their own sailing vessel. Yet boat owners I’ve spoken to tell me that young sailors are welcome on their boats, any time. But the reality is that these youngsters aren’t always strong enough to fulfil their role on most given crew positions, nor do they have enough experience to get them in desirable crew positions other than being ‘rail bait’.

Our main intention at the RCYC Sailing Academy is to give young sailors the base knowledge to become sought-after crew for the bigger boats. Before they start the sailing programme, we send students on a two-month dinghy-sailing course. Once they understand the basics of sailing, they can broaden their knowledge and hone their racing skills.

All students will go through all crew positions to be able to understand every aspect of sailing a yacht. You need to know the challenges of the other positions when you work as a team.

Not every sailor wants to race, but it’s interesting to see even laid-back characters developing the desire to test their newly aquired sailing skills and match their speed with other boats. That’s the start for most people getting into racing: the competitive element. Our sailing academy helps students get into racing, even if the initial goal of sail training isn’t performance based.

Our biggest challenge is the fact that very few sailors from previously disadvantaged backgrounds find their way into yachting.

Yet, worldwide, the yachting industry offers great career potential.

While few may end up as paid professional sailors, there are many other job opportunities out there. These give students a chance to travel and see the world if they find employment on a yacht. Three of our students have found employment in the yachting industry after successfully completing our programme.

But first, we spend a lot of time on basic sailing training, so our students understand the terminology and develop the technical skills required to become a yachtie. Knowing the ropes and having broad sailing knowledge is the beginning. Discipline and the ability to work in a team are much harder to establish. This has proved the breaking point for some of our students. They weren’t able to adjust to teamwork and subsequently lost interest in yachting or went back to dinghy sailing.

To be involved in the sail training is hard work at times. But the fast progress of certain students, the solidarity of the club members who stand behind the programme, and the forthcoming individuals who offer their help and get involved by far make up for the low points. We also received substantial sponsorship from institutions and individuals who

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Report on IRC racing

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RC racing in Cape Town has settled down into a regular format and consistency, with an active IRC Class fleet featuring at all of our cornerstone regattas, such as the Mykonos Offshore, Crocs Summer Regatta, FBYC’s Intasure Spring Regatta and Lord Irvine Laidlaw’s Midsummer Fling. In addition, the use of IRC as the only handicap system for the Cape to Rio is a definite step in the right direction. As with all international regattas or offshore races, the adoption of an internationally accepted rating system will always insulate the local rule authority from the perception of favouritism or misinterpretation of measurements, or the miscalculation of performance as a result of sail-size changes, for instance. All the big offshore events now use IRC (to name a few: The Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, the Fastnet Race, the Middle Sea Race, the RORC Caribbean 600 and the Round Britain and Ireland races).

Sadly, 2014 started off with the news of the tragic and untimely loss of Rob Meek, who was senselessly killed while celebrating New Year’s Eve with his family. His enthusiasm towards yacht racing, and IRC racing in particular, never wavered. We will sorely miss his wisdom and valued contribution to our sport.

For our IRC fleet members, the 2013/2014 season was an interesting one of mixed fortunes, which can best be described as, ‘out with the old, in with the new’. Since 2012, there has been an unusual but exciting glutton of new launches, followed by the exodus of some of the more regular teams − citing reasons including: “The cost to race IRC is too high”, and “The unavailability of a regular, good crew inhibits my ability to race effectively”. This is understandable and sometimes it is frustrating to you, as the owner, that your enthusiasm doesn’t rub off onto your crew. On the other hand, some owners or skippers might need to first check up on themselves to make sure that they are up to date on their own abilities and knowledge of the rules, and that they’re respectful to fellow competitors and their crew.

It is common knowledge that there are discussions in support of bringing in ORC (Offshore Racing Congress), to replace the very outdated RCYC PHRF (Performance Handicap Racing Fleet) or RRS (Racing Rules of Sailing), and perhaps even introducing ORC to South Africa in general. Before I comment further, it must be noted that I’m not adverse to ORC as an alternative ratings system, because both IRC 18

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and ORC are accepted by the International Sailing Federation as an official rating system for handicap yacht racing. However, I am not in support of introducing a new rating system into South Africa while we have IRC established here already: ORC will dilute our already fragile fleet, cause confusion among sailors and put more burden on our already limited resources in terms of administration. The Royal Ocean Racing Club is currently experimenting with a basic IRC system geared to accommodate club racing. Perhaps this is the answer to replacing the PHRF in the near future?

I know that there are club sailors reading this and wondering what all the fuss is about. You’re probably saying to yourself, “I am a cruiser and I only race for fun”. So let’s discuss the reasons why people buy yachts in Cape Town. If it’s for cruising, where is there to cruise? After five trips to Clifton, you might venture to Dassen Island for some crayfishing. But the season is so limited and confusing now, the chances of finding the correct weather window are definitely limited.

The West Coast, with places like Langebaan, is definitely an option, but also limited to Oude Pos, Saldanha, Kraal Bay (if you have a shallow draft) and Club Mykonos. These are all fantastic places to visit, but from first-hand experience, the weather can play havoc with your romantic plans. After a year or two, you might question why you bought the boat in the first place.

So why not race with a bunch of like-minded people, who enjoy being on the water for the fun and camaraderie? RCYC has a fantastic spread of races to cater for all, from the more casual afternoon club or PR races to the competitive cornerstone regattas and offshore races.

IRC is only a tool used to give everyone a fair chance on the water.

Remember, IRC assumes that your boat is sailed to 100 percent of its ability and design. The ‘rockstars’ − as some cruiser guys put it − are just trying to hit that 100-percent mark all the time, which is why they constantly win. The point I’m making is that if IRC were to become the only rating system in South Africa for handicap yacht racing, then the fleets would be divided according to boat type − no different to our club handicap system being used. The only difference is that we would use an internationally accepted handicap system that currently manages about 6 300 yachts around the world. If you take an average of 10 people per boat, that’s 63 000 people who’ve put their faith into IRC.

PHOTOGRAPHS TREVOR WILKINS & DAVE MABIN

Hylton Hale, IRC South Africa chairman, comments on the benefits of the rating system to local competitive racing

SAIL LoCAL RCYC

The good news is that the new or relaunched boats have jumped our fleet decades forward. There is now a healthy mix of sub-40 and 40-footers regularly racing in Table Bay. This has led to a better compression of the rating bands, which has resulted in some closer racing between the boats within the fleet. Robbie van Rooyen’s immaculately prepared Farr 38, A-L, continues to show good results.

However, without her previous dominance, they’ve had some close-fought battles against Phil Gutshe’s Landmark 43, Windpower, Irvine Laidlaw’s revamped Corby 49, Cape Fling, and the GP 42, Vulcan (right). Since shedding her yellow armoury, Jacana has also shown some great results, becoming the boat to beat. The future season will certainly be interesting, with the promise of the new First 40, Irvine’s super-fast RP 52, Highland Fling, and some Simonis 35s joining the fray.

As the IRC chairman for South Africa, I have often written in our newsletters about the vulnerability of a diverse, small IRC fleet, as is the case in South Africa. At the time of writing, there seems to be a new-found enthusiasm within our fleet, mainly due to the recent boat launches. However, the consistent ability of one boat to regularly win or dominate regattas can also have a negative impact in attracting newcomers to IRC racing. Yes, I am talking about A-L, but before we get ahead of ourselves, the rumour mill around a dominant boat can compound the situation and often the opinions expressed neglect the important facts, for example: •A-L is meticulously prepared before each and every regatta.

•The same crew has been sailing together for many years.

•The Farr 38 is an old design, designed way ahead of its time.

•Due to limited numbers, A-L races against boats that she wouldn’t

be racing against overseas (the rating band is just too wide from the fastest boat to A-L).

This perception of an unfair rating has resulted in teams just giving up on IRC racing, without really having a long and hard look at their own abilities. This has made it very challenging to build numbers to create that tipping point where we have the luxury in splitting fleets into acceptable rating bands. Imagine the interest in yacht racing among crew members, if regatta results are continuously down to the wire and all in the last race?

I am confident that if we can have one rating system in South Africa, we will be able to divide the fleets into acceptable divisions according to rating bands and boat types.

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A farewell – and fun

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he Crocs Summer Regatta has become the annual ‘wind-down’ sailing event in the Cape, with entries coming in from all over the province. This year was no different, with an entry of 48 boats, making for a very competitive event.

The emphasis has always been on fun, and in 2013 the organising committee really tried to have races that were more representative of what the sailors wanted, not just the monotonous ‘windward/leeward’ courses that have become the norm in most other events.

The format was for a maximum of three races a day, finishing around 4pm, giving ample time to get back and join in the onshore festivities – like at the V&A Waterfront, where boats rafted up before enjoying complimentary drinks and steak rolls.

With the passing of South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela, Minister of Sport and Recreation Fikile Mbalula decreed that there would be no sporting events on Sunday, 15 December, to honour Madiba’s state funeral. As a result of the lost day, organisers were under pressure to get the races in.

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The three races on Saturday were run in sublime conditions.

They started off in a light southwesterly of about 8 knots, which built to a steady 18 knots for the final race of the day − the distance race to Barker’s Rock and back. This was one of the best races I’ve done in a while. The prevailing conditions meant that gains could be made by staying close in shore, which must have made for a spectacular site for onlookers from the Sea Point Promenade. Maybe this is something organisers can leverage off in the future in terms of viewers? However, it does require that the conditions be just right.

The evening celebrations were held at the V&A Waterfront, where a great time was had by those who attended. I was somewhat surprised at just how few boat crews arrived, as it was well organised, with great food − and free drinks! The venue provided a welcome change of scenery from the club bar.

Sunday was a day of no racing. As such, a cruise to Robben Island was organised, where flowers were laid as a mark of respect to our late statesman. This was attended by most of the boats.

PHOTOGRaPHS trevor wilkins

From sublime conditions to a state funeral, the Crocs Regatta marked a truly memorable end to the 2013 race season, says William Crockett

SAIL LoCAL RCYC

Monday morning dawned with a stiff southeasterly forecast.

True to form, it picked up early. The organisers and race officer decided on a single race − around Robben Island was the best option, based on the prevailing conditions. By the time the race started, it was blowing about 30 knots and conditions were hairy. This led to the backing out of a few boats with breakages, with a large contingent simply not fronting up at the start and remaining on moorings. The boats that did race had a phenomenal ride down to Robben Island before having to start the long, hard slog back to the finish line.

Besides the hair-raising conditions of the Monday race and the non-race day on Sunday, all the competitors seemed to really enjoy the event. The emphasis on enjoyment is, I think, crucial to the success of this regatta as there are too many ‘serious’ regattas on the calendar.

This is a perfect way to ease things down before the festive season break. RCYC has a great sponsor in Crocs, who support the event every year. This partnership can continue to leverage great mutual returns for Crocs, RCYC and, most importantly, the sailors.

Ladies, ahoy!

Janet Cotton from One Eighty, the sponsors of the Ladies’ Day Race, on the importance of growing the number of women taking to the seas

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uring the middle of last year, I heard that Lion of Africa would not be sponsoring the Ladies’ Day Race in 2013. As a keen sailor, and having enjoyed this event for some three years already, I knew it would be a great pity for the event to simply fade out.

I thought about the idea of sponsoring the event, but was initially reticent, wondering whether a smaller business, like One Eighty, would be considered an appropriate sponsor. But I also thought the potential sponsorship would be a great fit – a female-owned engineering company plus women sailors − not to mention that the whole idea was incredibly exciting for me personally. I contacted Toni Mainprize and we had a long discussion about the idea, after which we reached an agreement – and One Eighty was set to sponsor the event!

Seas-ing the day

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The sea and the elements keep me humble. When on the ocean, a positive attitude, sense of humour, and eagerness to learn and push yourself and your crew to do your best is what helps you win races − or even just survive the storm. It’s for this reason that I think yacht racing, and yachting in general, is an empowering sport. After all, the ocean knows no gender.

Racing up In the months leading up to the race, and after several discussions with women sailors, it became clear that they were looking for something more challenging. I worried we wouldn’t have enough participation, as the race was intended to follow a Wednesday-night format and last no more than two hours.

However, the race was well attended with approximately 19 entries and just short of 180 ladies on the water. We decided to race with two divisions, as had been done before: a spinnaker and a non-spinnaker division. The evening before the race threatened with a very strong southeasterly and the possibility of the race being called off.

Thankfully, the wind behaved and we started the race in a light westerly. Phillippa Hutton Squire, SA’s world-renowned ocean sailor, was asked to speak to the women sailors before the race.

Her motivating and frank talk, about the challenges of being a lady in the man’s world of sailing, was inspirational to all.

PHOTOGRaPHs trevor wilkins & supplied

Excited by our new sponsorship project, Toni and I devised how we would run it. I decided to maximise the marketing opportunity and took out some VIPs on the Esperance to watch the racing, which was very successful for the business. Being fairly competitive, I also set to work on training our women crew for the event. My idea was to encourage ladies’ sailing and promote yachting as an empowering sport for women.

Having worked in engineering for some 15 years, following 10 years at university, I have some interesting, first-hand experience of what it’s actually like to be a woman in a male-dominated environment.

I attribute much of my approach to my career to skills that I learnt through yachting. I could write volumes of hilarious stories about being a woman in the sport. I’ve had several marriage proposals, and all manner of inappropriate comments made by a full spectrum of individuals, from those whose wardrobes are limited to blue overalls to those who know how to wear a suit. One only has to go down to the dry dock to inspect the hull of a ship, for example, to realise that we’re very far from gender equality out in industry. I often say that the more dangerous arenas are those that have to be more politically correct.

Engineers usually put their perspectives on the table, and usually this is delivered with zero tact. But I see this as a great advantage: at least I know what I am dealing with.

But there’s never a good reason to feel sorry for oneself, and countless women have excelled and made their mark in science and engineering throughout the centuries. It all comes down to your own attitude, and there’s no better place to develop it than through yacht racing.

SaIl local RcYc

The event was certainly successful and One Eighty would like to say a very well done to all the winners, and many thanks for the enthusiastic participation of all involved.

Watch this space Through this event, discussion started about the promotion of ladies’ sailing at RCYC. A few ideas were thrown around − one being the Bona Drag Ladies’ Key Crew Position Twilight Race One Eighty sponsored at the end of the sailing season. Through various discussions between myself, Toni, and Luke Scott, we’ve undertaken to totally transform the ladies’ event. It’s clear there is a strong group of competitive women sailors. For this reason, the next event won’t be a single race, but a regatta with three races starting at 10am in the morning. We’ve decided to name it the X-Chromosome Regatta. There will also be two X-Chromosome Wednesday-night races, which will not be part of the main series and will carry their own prizegiving.

The purpose of these events is to give women a stage to reveal the empowerment that they realise on the water. We also believe that there’s room to introduce new women to sailing. Consequently, we’re planning a separate Women’s Day event on 9 August 2014, which will involve motivational speakers and a ladies’ cruise around the bay.

Hopefully, this event will increase our X-Chromosome race fleet, making yacht racing among women that much more popular.

As the sponsor, I am so excited about this upcoming event, and I look forward to seeing enthusiasm growing among other women sailors in the coming months.

For more on the sponsor, visit www.one-eighty-degrees.com

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Making a comeback

William Crockett, team manager of Intasure, the 2013 Lipton Cup winner, gives a thrilling account of how they claimed the top spot in Durban

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he 2013 Lipton Cup posed a unique challenge for Cape competitors, as it was being hosted by the Royal Natal Yacht Club, in Durban – on ‘foreign’ waters. With this challenge in mind, a hybrid, competitive team of 2011 and 2012 winners was put together. The team applied to represent the RCYC at the challenge, but we weren’t selected. So we set about searching for a new yacht club to represent − as well as funding to cover the costs of travelling to Durban and staying there for two weeks.

Fortunately, the False Bay Yacht club chose to have us represent them, and provided a budget to get us and the boat to Durban, as well as purchase the required number one genoa. DHL came to the party late in the game by sponsoring a much-needed new mainsail. Intasure Marine insurance was ever present, allowing us to use their boat, which had won the 2011 Lipton Cup and was still in tip-top shape.

Training began in early April at RCYC; the club kindly allowed us to dry-sail the boat there. We went out a few evenings per week and over the weekends, no matter the conditions. This built team confidence and the skipper was heard to say “The boat has never felt this good!”

Early in June, it was time to ship the boat to Durban, compliments of MSC Shipping. This was a relatively easy process, but the pack-up required extra care to prevent damage during the transportation.

A few days before MSC Week, we boarded a 6am flight to Durban, where we were collected by James Largier, who’d gone on ahead to start prepping the boat. Vernon Goss, the sponsor of our fiercest rival, very kindly let us use his minivan for the duration of our stay.

Accommodation was provided at the Crockett family’s house, which also helped the budget!

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As has become the norm with Lipton Cups, the optimum weight of 420kg proves a challenge for some, so a 5am trip to the gym was required the morning of the weigh-in. MSC Week was used as a training event for us, where we aimed to perfect the boat set-up for the expected conditions and get a feel for what the wind and current does.

Our tactician, Markus Progli, and helmsman, Andrea Giovannini, had this sussed after the first day’s racing. MSC Week ended with us narrowly missing out on the victory, due possibly to a few on-course sides while pushing hard on the start line. But MSC Week wasn’t our real goal.

For the Lipton Cup, we moved into different accommodation, as there were now nine of us needing beds, food and hot showers! Five guys sharing a dormroom with one shower was an interesting experience, but there were few grumblings to be heard. Again, an early trip to the gym before our weigh-in was required. This is not pleasurable, but it’s necessary. We made weigh-in (by some margin in the end), so could indulge in a Spur breakfast at Wilson’s Wharf before getting into serious boat-prep mode.

Once confident in our rig set-up, we launched the boat just before the 12 noon cut-off and tied her up on our allotted mooring. After a final once-over, it was time to scrub up for the opening ceremony, held at the Royal Natal Yacht Club. After this, which was quite an event, we retired for an early night and the usual strategy session that seems to happen.

Sunday dawned, day one. We were ready for battle... Unfortunately, the weather gods weren’t ready for this titanic feat. Racing was postponed for the day as the wind would not settle.

On Monday, the wind was steadier, and race officer Jimmy Melville set the triangle course, the first of the three compulsory courses.

SAIL LoCAL RCYC

The early pace was set by ourselves, the RCYC team, led by Greg Davis, and the PYC team, led by Richard Weddle (we finished the race in that order).

Tuesday was not our day. There was an onshore postponement up for most of the morning, with the race officer eventually dropping it and the fleet heading out. The wind was light and from the south west. The square course was laid. Unfortunately, we had a terrible start and simply couldn’t get any speed. Various boat set-ups were checked and rechecked. After a back-down, there it was − a nice big piece of plastic that had almost ended our hopes of a Lipton victory. We finished the race seventh, losing serious ground on the top two.

We put this disappointment behind us and focused on what we could control − race three − and control it we did. We had a solid start and were right up at the front at the first weather mark, a lead that grew at every mark rounding. The guys really showed that they were true champions, winning the race by a country mile and sending a message to the rest of the fleet that we weren’t about to let them win this thing! But we faced an uphill battle: there were two races left to sail and we were three points behind the PYC team. We went out guns ablaze in the fourth race, eager to close the gap at the top. We managed to finish second, with PYC in third.

RCYC finished lower down the fleet, ending hopes of a victory.

Then out came the calculators… What did we have to do to ‘steal’ a regatta victory here? Well, it was simple. We had to put a boat between us and the PYC team (there were other factors, such as “If X wins we have to be higher than position Y”, but we planned on winning the race). We’d run through every possible scenario, we knew what we had to do, and how to counter any move the PYC guys could make.

From the support boat, my nerves were shot. The guys chased the PYC team from the pin to the committee boat and back; eventually starting just to weather of them, right on the pin end. This leg out to the left was sailed for what seemed like an eternity, as the rest of the fleet worked the right-hand side of the course. The duel was amazing to watch.

A masterful display of boat handling and tactics was put on for all to see.

However, we rounded the first weather mark in the worst position possible, first, with PYC second and a huge gap to third. This was terrible because we needed to put a boat between us. This was eventually done, when RCYC managed to just sneak ahead of the PYC team at a weather-mark rounding, a position they wouldn’t relinquish.

We crossed the line in first, and the agonising wait to see if RCYC crossed in second began. Eventually, we knew we’d won. Or had we?

Upon returning to the dock, we were met with a flurry of protests, none against us. The prizegiving was delayed a few times, but we were finally declared the winners late on 12 July. I suppose it would be wrong to compare this comeback to that of Oracle Team USA in the America’s Cup a few months later, but to us, it was one hell of a comeback!

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A fling of flair

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The fourth annual Midsummer Fling wasn’t without its challenges, but these all help in charting the way forward for this enjoyable regatta, says Rick Nankin

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he Midsummer Fling Regatta is very much the brainchild of Lord Irvine Laidlaw of Rothiemay, who has generously backed the event for four years. Each year, round November, we meet with Irvine and the RCYC sailing team to discuss the Fling and decide whether anything needs to be tweaked to make it more efficiently organised, more exciting and more attractive to sailors. The Fling has seen a year-on-year growth in entries, and for the 2014 event, held in Table Bay from 14 to 16 February, we had a stunning 43 entrants.

SIMPLY GRAND Lord Irvine and Lady Christine Laidlaw again treated all owners and partners to a dinner at their beautiful manor on the De Goede Hoop Estate in Noordhoek. This is always a grand evening, yet not at all ostentatious. In fact, the atmosphere is rather friendly, with the hosts mingling among the guests, swopping tables and talking to many groups of sailors. There was a great ambience in the courtyard where the dinner was held, and guests thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful setting, the hospitality and the good fare served.

On behalf of all the sailors and the RCYC, a huge thank you to the Laidlaws.

PHOTOGRaPH DAve MABin

BEHIND THE SCENES When the Fling was first planned, an aim was to offer slick organisation, both on and off water, with accurate courses, and a high standard of course and race management. Each edition of the regatta has seen us set out to secure the services of excellent race officers and crew, a protest chairman with international credentials, and more than enough mark-laying and support vessels, crewed by competent skippers and crew, with experienced sailors aboard.

For 2014, we were fortunate to secure Doug Alison as the race officer. With great experience, savvy thinking and a sailor’s ‘feel’ for

doing the right thing, the races Doug officiates at are usually well run, starting on time and with well-set, accurate courses. Steven Flesch, the protest chairman, is a regular at Fling. His experience, knowledge and management is valued highly.

Three years ago, Irvine invited Peter Craig to be the PRO for the Fling. Peter is an internationally renowned race officer and co-ordinator supreme for events such as Key West, Block Island and many of the superyacht regattas. Peter rewrote the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions, and supplied many of the bits of documentation used in organising and running this event. He designed the short buoy race courses and supplied the course cards. We’re still using Peter’s systems, with some tweaks, so there are several differences to the standard RCYC regatta instructions. Local sailors who do not read the Fling instructions will experience problems on this regatta and may lose their way occasionally.

ON COURSE Each Fling has been planned to have around 50 percent of sailing time on longer courses – the bay-type races. Due to the weather, this hasn’t really materialised in the four years − a real pity. But we’ll continue to try to find a way to run a few of these enjoyable longer races next time round.

A set of bay-racing courses has been developed over the years, but they’ve seldom been used, as the weather hasn’t been conducive to setting long legs down the bay. These courses are designed to take boats zig-zagging to different parts of Table Bay, using harbour marks and extra RCYC-laid inflatable buoys. The idea is to try simulate the complexity one sees in a typical Solent course, where courses are created using marks that are permanently laid over the length and breadth of the Solent. Race officers typically use up to 10 different marks for a course, selected from a list of close to 150 marks. Here at Fling, we work from a list of around 20 marks. These courses require w w w. r c y c . c o . z a

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Lord Irvine Laidlaw’s recap

WEEKEND WEATHER

Friday afternoon arrived with a fresh southeaster blowing. Saturday and Sunday were similar, although the wind died steadily on Sunday until the last race became split between two breezes in the north-west end of the bay. Unfortunately, we had to settle for courses crammed into the southern part of the bay, owing to the 28

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wind, and the longer courses only used on Friday.

Flat water and hot, hot wind coming off the land created Caribbean-like sailing conditions, even in 20 knots of wind. We couldn’t have asked for steadier winds and better conditions for setting boats up and sailing fast. The starts were well contested and closely packed. And all the way, racing was tight and enjoyable in all fleets.

TOP CLASS

Rob van Rooyen’s Mount Gay Rum, A-L, steered

by Geoff Meek, took home the IRC fleet for the second year, winning all but the final race, where the wind turned fickle. Boats from second to sixth were close throughout, with a single point finally bringing Hylton Hale and Johnny Cullum’s Vulcan second, ahead of Phil Gutsche’s Windpower, Tina Plattner’s Morning Glory, Irvine Laidlaw’s Cape Fling and Dwayne Assis’s Pants on Fire.

Club Division 1 saw JJ Provoyeur take the win, a point ahead of Michael Kavanagh’s Ray of Light − followed by Bad Habit, helmed by Rodney Tanner; Nandi Scorer and Derek Shuttleworth’s Me2Me; and Luke Scott’s team on Scarlet Sun. Division 2 was also close, with a point between winner Peter Bam’s Hors d’Oeuvre and Vitor Medina’s Miura ELS, Far Med. Peter Hill’s J27, Hell’s Teeth was next, followed by the first of the RCYC Academy L26s, skippered by Harry Brehm.

We’ll see you all next year, for a bigger, better Midsummer Fling.

PHOTOGRaPHS trevor wilkins

crews to put some planning in, and a bit of effort needs to be put into simple navigation to track the many legs and marks, and the order of rounding.

For this year’s event, we aimed − weather permitting − to run three short around-the-buoys races and at least three longer races, using the Table Bay harbour buoys, laid inflatables, marks and even Robben Island and Barker Rock. Racing would begin on Friday with one race at 5pm, followed by 10am starts on Saturday and Sunday.

The Friday race, offering an example of these courses, was very successful. However, we had a small hitch that confused a number of boats.

One of the marks was laid out of position by mistake. It was on the last triangle, where a set of fast reaches was planned, with a gybe between, but this became a pretty boring, broad reach, followed by a dead run, instead. One mark was visually hard to spot, too, adding to the confusion.

For 2015, you’re all urged to bring your navigator hats and equipment as there will again be some interesting courses, with plenty variation in the sailing angles, to keep all sailors happy.

Despite the competing attraction of Cape to Rio, numbers at the Fling increased again this year. Hopefully, this is because sailors enjoy the format of the regatta, and not just the dinner at Noordhoek Manor!

As usual, the wind didn’t co-operate fully, and two races ended up with very little or no breeze. Next year we need to have more ability to shorten courses at various points, to avoid having boats parked with little hope of completing the course.

We instituted permanent trophies this year (please remember to return them!), in addition to the traditional small memento for all boats.

What else can we do to improve the regatta (apart from the wind, over which we have little control)? Tell us what you’d like, and we’ll carefully consider every suggestion.

The event couldn’t have been run without the work done by Luke Scott, who stood in for Toni. A big vote of thanks is due there. Overall, it was once again tremendous fun, and I’m looking forward to competing again next year. See you on the water!

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Sweet, smooth sailing

PHOTOGRAPHS TREVOR WILKINS

The 24th annual Mykonos Offshore Regatta once again proved why the event is so popular, says race chairman Derek Shuttleworth

ith so many stories already written about the last Mykonos race, I wondered what I could write that would be of any interest to you. We all have our individual recollections of hours spent in the fog off South Point, and my 360-degree tacks would be no more impressive than anyone else’s. But here goes…

The most popular event on our race calendar, running for the 24th consecutive time, had an impressive 93 entries: 58 made it through Dassen Island gate; 10 completed the leg from Dassen to Mykonos; only 10 yachts were awarded a finish for all three offshore races; but all 59 yachts that started the pursuit race finished.

The shortened pursuit course proved to be more popular than expected, with quite a few crews saying they preferred that length of race as it allowed more time to enjoy the weekend. Consideration will be given to keeping the shortened course and starting a bit later next year, as this will be advantageous to the smaller yachts, who invariably start in lighter winds and then watch the larger yachts get the stronger breeze that kicks in later on. Watching the L26 and the Miuras having a fighting chance at line honours is enough of an incentive to keep a shorter course.

With all the entries and handicaps in our database we looked at ways to maximise the creating of races within the main event. You’ll have noticed that several class fleets were formed. The Farr, Fast 42, and Miura yachts provided enough entries to make this possible, but there was disappointment that there were not enough L34s and L26s to create even more. This led to a minor protest from the more modified Farr yachts that motivated for acceptance. We agreed, as the handicap system levelled the playing field.

The skippers’ briefing raised a few queries. Some wording over the start line was considered ambiguous. An amendment was posted by 6.30am on the Friday before the start. In the wash-up meeting, we agreed that to restrict the race officer to a single vantage point didn’t offer enough options in different weather conditions. We’ll revert to the race officer having carte blanche on the setting of the start line, with competitors getting the information just before the start.

As one of the major sailing events on our calendar, the event runs smoothly. All involved have had years of experience, are committed and hardworking. Special mention must be made of Anchen Stemmet from Mykonos. She has been involved since its inception, and her expertise in cramming all the yachts into the small Mykonos Marina is legendary.

Sadly, Anchen announced her retirement after this event. She will be sorely missed.

Behind-the-scenes activity begins with meeting the sponsors and presenting a budget. Further meetings are held at Mykonos, dealing with public relations, among other things. The Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions, and any amendments, are all revised and scrutinised before being posted. Then, the expertise of Toni Mainprize and her staff of one (Adriaan Spencer Jones) take over. Only essential queries come my way. I noticed that if I thought of something that might need my attention, it had usually already been attended to.

The most useful idea that I contributed was to secure a master of ceremonies (the idea came from my lack of expertise with a microphone and conversing with a crowd!). It proved to be a winning formula as Deon Bing (aka ‘Bingo’), the charismatic KFM surf reporter, brought great entertainment to the whole weekend and prizegiving.

I thank Hylton Hale for handing over a winning formula. Sincere thanks go to all those who worked tirelessly to ensure a smooth and successful regatta, and thank you to all the sailors for going out there in an unseasonable northwesterly. There was a silver lining to the wind, though, as the competitors who returned to Cape Town on Sunday were rewarded with a great sail and near-record times for the trip home.

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Racing tooth & nail

Inspired by Rob Meek, the Overnight Race challenged a brave fleet of sailors for the single-most important contributor to the club championships. By Adrian Spencer Jones

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n the week leading up to the 5pm start on Friday, 8 November, there were heaps of discussions on weather and tactics. Of the 21 yachts that entered, 18 started and 14 finished − a great improvement on last year’s 13 entries and starters. The fleets were made up of an impressive 11 yachts in Division 1, with only four and three yachts in Divisions 2 and 3, respectively.

At 4.55pm, Toni and Ron, the stalwart RCYC bridge crew, sounded the first signal of the Overnight Race. Conditions weren’t quite the much-hoped for downwind dash.

There was a gentle westerly, turning into a southwesterly as the evening progressed.

The fleet started together, but had split into two groups by Robben Island, with 15 yachts hugging the shore at Blouberg, and three rogue mavericks taking a huge risk by going outside the island. It was soon clear that the shore paid off, and so began a dark, gentle evening heading north-west up the coast.

Three waypoints off Cape Columbine were chosen to give each division at least a 100-mile race, and an approximate finish time of 11am on Saturday morning. Most of the yachts could expect to round their waypoints at the crack of dawn.

The beat back to Saldanha in a building southeaster was always going to be challenging, not just because nearly all the small bays were filled with whales and dolphins, but because of the many reefs, rocks and other obstructions – a navigator’s challenge! (To name but a few: Soldier’s Reef, Jacob’s Reef, Danger Bay, Hospital Rock, Tooth Rock, and the Sisters.) The majority of the fleet braved the challenge to play the benefits from the lifts inshore.

The sailing was really close, with the faster boats overtaking the Division 2 and 3 yachts on the beat. The two Simonis 35s, being so evenly matched, spent many hours on the beat in a ding-dong battle,

until a bad headsail peel aboard Scarlet Sun sunk the fantastic challenge and Regardless sped off. There were other such tussles across the fleet.

After a 30nm VMG beat into an ever-increasing southeaster, Yachtport SA was a very welcome stop-off. Once again a spit-braai prizegiving was laid on. A few brave yachts then cast off for another overnight sail into a southeaster of 30-plus knots. Once you factor in the return delivery, nearly everyone did at least 200nm in a weekend, with most doing well over 250nm.

Ultimately, the challenge of this race just makes one want to do more overnight racing. RCYC has had so many overnight coastal and offshore races in the past − the Double Cape, the Mossel Bay Race – but what can we expect in the future? The formula works and as many a wise person has said: don’t fix what isn’t broken! We should have more overnight races − an ‘A-to-A’ race would be ideal. Or perhaps we should challenge ourselves to create an overnight series of, say, three races over the annual sailing calendar?

Since all yachts have a GPS of some kind, we don’t need to send a yacht out to be on station as a buoy. But of the challenges, the main barrier to using waypoints is the sailors, and there have been many discussions in the bar on whether virtual marks work. We have now proven, twice, that using waypoints in long-distance racing is, firstly, doable and, secondly, that the course can be set at the last possible time to allow for the ever-changing weather conditions. Looking ahead, with the affordable technology that we have, there should be no excuse to use ‘virtual marks’ or waypoints for offshore racing.

The next Overnight Race is scheduled for 31 October to 1 November 2014.

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PHOTOGRAPH HYLTON HALE

“Rob was besotted with the idea of getting people to race a boat through the night to experience one of the great joys of sailing offshore” –Phillip Baum

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A mAjor chAllenge

By Ray Matthews, race chairman

PHOTOGRaPH trevor wilkins

A

fter the start on Saturday, 5 January 2014, it was time to take a breather after the hectic schedule of the previous few weeks of preparation.

A requirement of the race was that all boats would report in each morning, giving their positions and a summary of conditions they faced. Sunday’s reports indicated a bumpy night, which was not entirely unexpected as the weather briefing on Friday morning had indicated a “shut-off low” on the west coast of Africa.

The morning reports indicated: Black Cat had a broken rudder and a crew member with a sprained ankle, so they would attempt to get back to Cape Town; Bille had a broken mainsail and was heading for Saldanha; Mussulo 111 had taken down the mainsail as a precaution; Explora had an engine flooded, but would continue and repair it later; both Isla’s engines had failed and they had email problems Later that morning, Peekay reported no sails up, heading for Saldanha − and that she had intercepted a PAN-PAN from Isla.

In the early afternoon, I received a call from Manuel Mendes, delegate of Bille, saying they’d had a man overboard earlier. The man had been recovered, but in the process, the rear boarding platform had been damaged, all tools had been lost overboard and the platform could not be closed.

Just 50 minutes later, Manuel phoned again. The situation was now more serious: another man had gone overboard, he had died, and they required immediate rescue.

The Cape to Rio committee immediately convened a meeting at the Royal Cape Yacht Club.

Just after 4pm an Electronic Positioning Indicator Radio Beacon (EPIRB) was activated by Ava, then there was a PAN-PAN. Ava had a knockdown. All onboard were fine, but power was low. Bille confirmed that in addition to the deceased, three were seriously injured.

As the committee assembled at RCYC at 5pm, a group from Angola was already at the club, including the wife of the skipper and co-owner of Bille. They were made comfortable, while Manuel briefed the committee. He identified the deceased as António João Bartolomeu, an Angolan national.

By 6.30pm, Manuel established that the next of kin had been advised and we prepared and issued a press release. Marcus was assigned as our representative on SAS Isandlwana (SAS ISW), which departed Cape Town harbour at 9.30pm for the rescue area.

By the time the meeting ended in the early hours of the morning, the following was the status: •MRCC had advised that SAS ISW, the Sea Fisheries vessel Miriam Makeba and Smit Madura were en route to the rescue area.

•Mayday received from Isla: electrical fire, one engine compartment flooded, both engines not working.

•Mayday and EPIRB from Bille: one dead; three seriously injured.

•PAN-PAN from Ava and EPIRB activated.

•PAN-PAN from Black Cat: broken rudder; one crew with sprained ankle.

•Peekay en route to Saldanha.

Continual monitoring of tracker positions of all other yachts of concern in the area continued throughout the night. Just before daylight on Monday, SAS ISW was standing by Bille, and the container vessel

Bosun was standing by Isla. The sea state was too severe for the crew of Isla to cross over to Bosun, so Bosun stayed by them till daylight.

DoDo was located at 12.30pm and all onboard were fine, but steering kept breaking, so they were returning to Cape Town.

A half-hour later, in very poor visibly, Ava was located. They were okay, but had been swamped, so were also returning to shore.

The committee met in the morning and issued a further press release. The status was: •Bille: Crew evacuated and yacht abandoned.

•Black Cat: Under tow by NSRI to Cape Town.

•Isla: Under tow by Smit Madura on way to Cape Town.

•Peekay: In Saldanha, safe, with sail damage.

•DoDo: Underway to Cape Town with steering problems.

•Ava: Underway to Cape Town; swamped with no power.

•Avanti: Underway to Saldanha.

•FTI Flyer: On way to Cape Town; crew issues.

•Indaba: On way to Saldanha; one crew with broken ribs.

•Avocet: On way back to Cape Town with severe sail damage.

So within three days of the start, 10 yachts had retired from the race due to the effects of bad weather off the West Coast.

On Wednesday I met with the Bille crew as they were taken off SAS ISW and transported to hospital, all of them badly shaken by their experience and injuries. António’s body was piped off the deck of SAS ISW, under the salutes of the assembled crew and officers, with the utmost respect and dignity.

This wasn’t anyone had envisioned the start to the race.

We were all extremely humbled by the events of those first few days.

However, despite the above, one could not forget that there was still a race on and that the competitors on the water required our attention and our support.

In general, the Cape to Rio race provided me with some wonderfully positive moments and I feel privileged to have been involved in this iconic race.

Dale Kushner, RCYC commodore, on the partnership between both clubs: RCYC has a reciprocal agreement with our counterparts in the Cape to Rio race.

This reciprocal agreement was reaffirmed in Rio, with the swapping of burgees between myself, as RCYC commodore, and Luiz Carlos Simão of the Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro.

The commodore, club members and staff of the Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro were gracious hosts, who did everything possible to ensure a well-organised finish to the event.

A wonderful winners’ dinner was hosted for the Maserati team, and the prizegiving was a wonderful event that established close ties between all competitors, officials and both clubs.

The relationship between these two clubs has undoubtably been strengthened this year, and the 2017 Cape to Rio has been secured.

Details will be announced shortly. w w w. R C Y C . C o . z A

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SAIL RCYC CApe to RIo SpeCIAL

Cape to Rio 2014:

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ew technology characterised the Cape to Rio 2014 race.

All boats were fitted with a tracking system, partly sponsored by Xtra-Link. This enabled us to control how often we monitored the location of a competitor, and to display the positions on our website. Most yachts were also fitted with sophisticated communication systems allowing them to give continuous feedback to the outside world and receive routing information.

Then, there was Facebook. We had two people in place full-time to engage with our followers and give updates on all facets of the race. We achieved nearly 11 million hits!

With the 10 yachts retiring within the first two days, the systems mentioned above, especially the tracking system, allowed the vessels mustered by the Maritime Rescue Co-ordinating Centre (MRCC) to be sent directly to the yachts needing assistance.

It was reassuring that we evacuated one crew, towed back to shore two yachts, and tracked the other seven safely home, all in a relatively short time. Via Facebook and our website, we kept all informed during the rescue efforts.

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Thereafter, it was a case of the one that got away, and the rest chasing.

Most of the fleet experienced light winds and a slow crossing.

With eight international entries, it was Maserati, skippered by Giovanni Soldini, that broke the record by arriving in Rio in 10 days.

Maserati was followed by the Australians on Scarlet Runner.

Thereafter, there was a steady stream of yachts with the last, Hot Ice, finishing in 28 days.

Both clubs, Royal Cape Yacht Club and Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro, must be complimented on the most cordial and hospitable way in which they opened up their clubs to the competitors.

Thanks to the competitors… what a wonderful group − gracious and courteous, with most of them sharing the crossing via blogs and videos, bringing the race into our homes. Our public relations monitoring service has provided evidence that, worldwide, over 3.2 billion people had been exposed to the race via various media.

With Rio hosting the 2016 Olympics, it’s been agreed that the next race will be in 2017, and the question to be asked is: Can the crossing be done in less than nine days?

PHOTOGRaPHS trevor wilkins & trevor wilkins/john marschalk

the RaCe ChaiRman RefleCts

SAIL CApe to RIo SpeCIAL RCYC

AppreciAtion for contributions to the 2014 cApe to rio an international race can’t take place without the help of the many people who give up their precious time and resources.

The race committee Ray Matthews (RCYC vice commodore) – chairman Hylton Hale (member RCYC) – technical Gary Sindler (member RCYC) – safety Derek Shuttleworth (member RCYC) Saths Moodley (member RCYC) – treasurer (resigned Feb 2014) Race jury South Africa – Alan Keen, Lance Burger Brazil – Nelson Ilha Staff at RCYC Marcus Reuter – race communication Toni Mainprize – race secretary Tiffany McSwan – race communication Rescue co-ordination Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC)

With thanks to: City of Cape Town For their financial support and a superb Mayoral dinner at the Cape Town Civic Centre.

Wesgro For their financial support and marketing advice.

Xtra-Link For sponsoring 10 tracking units for the race and subsidised rates on hire units.

Royal Cape Yacht Club The club underwrote the cost of running the

Cape Town Radio National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Safety inspectors Dave Elcock (member RCYC) Harry Brehm (member RCYC) agencies Department of Immigration SARS customs Cape Town Radio MRCC NSRI South African Navy (SAN) South African Sailing (SAS) South African Maritime Safety Association (SAMSA) Race bridge Doug and Judy Alison event. RCYC also supplied moorings for competitors, office space, logistics for race administration, venues (for Blue Peter party and start of race), and use of club boats.

Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro Allowed the use of all club facilities and moorings, provision of a race office and logistics, and hosted the magnificent prizegiving party.

South african airways Provided affordable airfares for competitors and families to fly to Rio, return.

Bridge boat Ellian Perch Support boats Henk Jones, Hylton Hale, Colin and Tracy Whitehead, Joost van der Ploeg, Justin Spreckley, Luke Scott, Saths Moodley Iate Clube Rio de Janerio Luiz Carlos Simão – commodore Eduardo Balesteros – vice commodore Andreas Wingert – rear commodore Adalberto Casaes – director, sailing Royal Cape Yacht Club All mooring owners who gave up moorings for competitors.

Ratings committee – multihulls Royal Ocean Racing Club IRC rating for monohulls South african Navy For providing the frigate SAS Isandlwana as a viewing platform for VIPs on start day and for the search and rescue.

Product sponsors Distell South African Breweries Douglas Green wines Peninsula Beverage Co. (Coca-Cola) Asara wines GM&Ahrens Vintage Cuvée MCC w w w. R C Y C . C o . z A

35

Race to rescue

Marcus Reuter gives a gripping account of the dramatic start to this year’s Cape to Rio – arguably the toughest one yet

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unday, 5 January 2014. The day should’ve run as smoothly as day one of the 2011 event, with participating vessels eagerly sending their first position reports (POSREPS) of the morning through to the race HQ by 10am. But I soon realised that things wouldn’t be as routine as we had hoped. Little did I know, however, that the next 48 hours would be critically taxing on at least a third of our fleet − and equally taxing on the race committee.

We started receiving POSREPs mid-morning. This is usually an exciting technical stage of the race, as it’s the first time the race committee get to hear from the fleet, and the results are always eagerly anticipated by all racing – it’s the only way the fleet are able to plot fellow vessels and measure their comparative efforts over the previous 22 hours.

Initial POSREPs indicated that it had been a fairly rough night, with windspeeds in excess of 45 knots and swells averaging seven metres reported by most. This news wasn’t altogether unusual: a cut-off-low weather system was expected to the west of Cape Town, and would cross the expected route of the race over the initial days.

Despite Bille reporting that she’d torn her main earlier in the day, our attention was soon diverted when we received a satellite call from Bram Weller (Peekay) who’d received a PAN-PAN call from Isla (one of the race’s larger catamarans), indicating that they were experiencing severe weather conditions and were taking on water in one of the engine compartments. The fact that any of our vessels had reported a PAN-PAN placed HQ on alert. As is the agreed procedure, both Cape Town Radio and MRCC were immediately informed of the situation.

It turned serious very quickly and race HQ received a call that race organisers never hope to receive: Bille had declared a Mayday after having been dramatically knocked down unexpectedly, resulting in the complete loss of her mast, major damage to her upper deck and, tragically, the death of one of her crew members, Team Angola’s António João Bartolomeu, who’d been fatally struck by the mast.

It was time to get immediate assistance to Bille…

Race Chairman Ray Matthews arranged an urgent meeting of the Cape to Rio committee at HQ, while maintaining communications between the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) and Cape Town Radio.

During the briefing, race HQ received the second PAN-PAN of the day, from Ava. Skipper Belinda Horton reported that although the vessel had been knocked down twice and had taken on water, her crew was fine.

The vessel, however, was losing battery power. Five minutes later, MRCC received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) transmission from the vessel’s last-known position. This wasn’t a good sign. EPIRBs are the last call for a crew to indicate distress. Any such transmission is treated as a full-blown Mayday. Cape Town Radio and HQ tried to contact Ava, but failed for some time. The situation was made worse when we received unsubstantiated reports that Ava had capsized.

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operation sAr Through the valued efforts of Dave Herman (skipper of Yachtport SA, which had unfortunately withdrawn just days before the race), communication was quickly established between race HQ and the South African Navy (SAN). They assessed the situation of the three vessels and generously offered the assistance of one of the very latest SAN ships, the frigate SAS Isandlwana, which was berthed in Cape Town harbour after having performed duties at the Cape to Rio start and VIP platform. The offer was accepted, as the ship was capable and had the necessary equipment and facilities, with crew appropriately trained for search-and-rescue (SAR) roles. It was the closest available asset capable of reaching Bille and others in the shortest period of time.

SAS Isandlwana had to be deployed − fast. I met with the captain and executive officer onboard SAS Isandlwana at 8.30pm Sunday evening.

Despite the ship’s crew being on leave over the weekend, the ship was placed on high alert and crew members were recalled onboard the vessel within two hours of the alert. This is highly commendable and indicates the professionalism of the officers and crew of this vessel.

After a brief summary report, Captain Musawenkosi Nkomonde expertly had the vessel depart the V&A Waterfront, targeting Bille’s position at best speeds.

“The day should’ve run as smoothly as day one of the 2011 event, with participating vessels eagerly sending their first position reports... But I soon realised that things wouldn’t be as routine as we had hoped” Meanwhile, race HQ had tasked Genevieve Too, skippered by Adam Hannah, to break from the race and offer assistance to Bille. Genevieve Too reported on site at 6.26pm, but soon reported that conditions were too severe to safely close Bille in order to pass additional safety equipment, but they were happy to loiter in the area. This gave the Bille crew a sense of reassurance that help was on hand, in sight, and it also added an additional source of communication to the SAR organisation (now comprised of HQ, MRCC, the SA Navy and Team Angola shore

SAIL CApe to RIo SpeCIAL RCYC

manager, Manuel Mendes). In addition, DoDo were also requested to break from the race to close Ava’s last-known position and report on her status.

At 9.32pm, Manuel Mendes and I discussed Bille’s status via the ship’s satellite phone. Manuel said the crew were coping under the conditions, but that most of the vessel’s safety gear had washed overboard, save for a single hand-held flare. The crew were urged not to use the flare for any reason other than to signal to a ship they had absolutely no doubt would see them. In the next few hours, this message proved vital.

The situation at sea got more complicated. At 9.33 we received reports that Isla had transmitted her Mayday as a consequence of the weather, ingress of water and was now further endangered by an onboard electrical fire. As the SAN ship was too far to reach her in any appreciable time period, MRCC quickly tasked a nearby container ship, Bosun, to render assistance.

Meanwhile, the SAN ship steamed west at 16 knots throughout the night. We had regular ‘captain’s command briefings’, wherein Captain Nkomonde got updates on Bille, Isla and what I last knew of Ava. Despite having all the means available, the night was exasperating: we could hear the alarmed communications between Isla and Bosun, yet the SAN ship was too far to assist or communicate on the VHF and satellite channels used.

At 5.08am the dark dawn was suddenly brilliantly lit red by Bille’s last hand-held flare. We closed in on Bille’s position and established communications with her crew, who were stable, despite injuries.

Unfortunately, conditions precluded any immediate attempt to recover the crew as the wind and sea state (20 knots and a confused four-metre swell) didn’t provide any means of safely launching the vessel’s rescue boats. At 7.43am, the seas and winds finally lifted enough to (barely) allow safe launching, which wouldn’t ordinarily have been possible if it weren’t for the extraordinary diving rescue crew manning and driving the seaboat.

After two and a half hours of transfer operations, the body of Antonio was the last to be recovered from the deck of the stricken Bille.

While the injured received immediate professional care within the SAN ship’s hospital cabins, the rest of the crew could finally take solace from each other and the SAN crew, as they reflected on the past 24 hours.

It was heartbreaking and humbling to witness the sadness and pain Antonio’s tragic loss had caused.

the final phase While Bille’s crew received due comfort, the focus shifted to the mystery of Ava, now the SAR priority, with Isla finally having received support in the form of a tow from the Smit Amandla tug, Smit Madura.

SAS Isandlwana raced south in ever-decreasing visibility towards Ava’s last-known position, 35 nautical miles from Bille. It took us just under two hours to reach the area, which by now only allowed for 500 yards of visibility. Suddenly, a lookout shouted that he’d seen the yacht.

Everybody erupted in whoops − only to realise that it was DoDo, searching the same area. We thanked them for the efforts and released them back to Cape Town, while we carried on searching.

Our concern with Ava was that despite the PAN-PAN, the lack of comms and the EPIRB transmission, we continued to have her tracker reporting erratic, slow yet steady courses every half-hour. With poor visibility, wind and waves howling outside, there was a tense state of quiet on the bridge of the naval vessel; all eyes were peeled outward in search of Ava. Once again, an excited lookout called that they could just make out a bare mast 600 yards dead-ahead. When we were 200 yards astern of the vessel, we knew Ava had been found! Not only that, she was sailing along gracefully, under full and proper control, with all but her main sheaved in to the size of a handkerchief, and with Ken Botwood hugging the tiller under the strong winds and waves.

But despite repeated attempts to contact the vessel by VHF, we had no response, so the captain politely agreed to close the distance to a healthy 50 yards to Ava’s port quarter. To everybody’s surprise, Ken still hadn’t noticed the very large and imposing South African war ship tapping him on his left shoulder. So we were left with no other option: we had to use the ship’s main navigation horn to grab his attention!

Belinda Horton found a small hand-held VHF for us to communicate with each other. She said all were fine, but the boat was well saturated with water and they were returning home. And the EPIRB? When the vessel was knocked down, everything was ripped from its holding. In the pandemonium, the EPIRB was tossed into the vessel’s sink, and nobody noticed the little red light diligently flashing until many hours later, when it was finally turned off...

Our very special thanks go out to the South African Navy – and especially to the crew of SAS Isandlwana for their tireless efforts in securing the stricken vessels, offering comfort to those who had experienced tragedy, providing medical care where needed and for offering all on board the security of a safe vessel to take them home. w w w. R C Y C . C o . z A

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1

Irc results

Class 1

A high-speed race was on to reach rio first and break the previous record. of the 13 Irc class 1 boats that entered, 10 completed the dash across the Atlantic. maserati led the way of the top-placed boats on handicap

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MASERATI Make: Volvo 70 Skipper: Giovanni Soldini Result: Line honours, class honours, overall winner Time: 10 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes, 57 seconds VOR 70 Maserati, the cutting-edge former Ericcson 4, was designed to become the world’s fastest monohull and sports a carbon mast of over 30 metres, a canting keel, mobile water ballast tanks, canards, sleekly elegant waterlines and a composite construction.

She was the undisputed star of the 2014 Cape to Rio, taking every one of the race honours. The Italian VOR 70 and her crew were first over the finish line at exactly 11:29pm GMT, having covered the 3 300 nautical miles separating Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro in a blisteringly fast time. They also set a new race record. (The previous record belonged to the American Zephyrus IV – she clocked a time of 12 days, 16 hours, 49 minutes.)

Skipper Giovanni Soldini and the international crew were actively supported by Pierre Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline of Hanover, who represented the Monaco Yacht Club in the popular race.

“The start was difficult for us, as weather conditions were not ideal. But we tried to be ahead from the beginning,” Casiraghi told local media. “The arrival in Rio was a moment of pure happiness.”

“We’re delighted with this result,” Soldini declared during the prizegiving. “We proved that Maserati is a solid, efficient and high-performance boat. Everyone in the crew did a very good job. We didn’t make any mistakes. We chose what turned out to be the right route. Now we’re facing two months in the yard in Florida to give Maserati the best possible prep we can. Then, from June, we’ll be on standby in New York for our second attempt at the North Atlantic record. We’re hoping this time will be the right one.”

These results add to Soldini’s 20 years of offshore racing, spanning two round-the-worlds and more than 31 ocean races.

SAIL CApe to RIo SpeCIAL RCYC

PHOTOGRaPHS trevor wilkins

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SCARLET RUNNER Make: Reichel-Pugh 52 Owner and skipper: Robert Date Result: Second overall, second in Class 1 Time: 14 days, 19 hours, 1 minute and 52 seconds This result added to Australian Scarlet Runner’s impressive racing record, despite the crew experiencing engine, navigation and communciation challenges.

A few excerpts from their blog: “Day one: First thing in the morning the motor stopped taking in water to cool itself and there was smoke throughout the cabin. Some debris had blocked the intake. Rob cleared it with help of some luck.

But bad luck hit straight after that, when the satellite phone no longer recognised the antenna. No internet. No weather. Meanwhile the sea state was increasing. With smoke and hydraulic oil through the cabin, tired crew on empty stomachs, some seasickness, and no internet weather updates, we were left with our pants down: at the mercy of the storm. The wind quickly built late morning.”

“Day six: We started doing some ‘barometer sailing’, where we hunted the cumulus clouds, the lower atmospheric pressure and the stronger trade winds. It’s pretty hard to do when the pressure tide causes variations of around 1.5hPa twice a day, and yet we are trying to stay at 1 018hPa exactly. Also, which cloud types do we want? How do we chase them when they’re moving faster than us?”

“Day nine: It was a day for the clouds. Big ones, little ones, slanted ones, towering ones, raining ones, disappearing ones, reappearing ones.

We could call them by their names, such as cumulus mediocris, cumulus fractus, altocumulus, stratocumulus, cumulus congestus, etc.

But we preferred to look for clouds with wind and avoid clouds without wind. Unfortunately, one big rain cloud rolled over the top of us today and caused havoc – the wind swung left by 60 degrees and dropped to next to nothing as the rain poured down “Day 10: But then. At 16:35 Jess tuned into Rio’s weather fax frequency and held up the iPad to the radio speaker. This has never worked before, despite many forlorn attempts. The iPad app we are using is one that was downloaded on the off chance, yet it has led to such serendipity. The first fax we received was a hazy, blurred analysis chart, with clear isobars, but no indication as to where the land is. Still, Jess was grinning. A little later, at 17:15, we received a clear chart of wind-speed prognoses. There were lines and numbers and text, and land and grid lines. Jess was grinning so much, she burst into giggles.

The first proper weather information we’ve received in nine days! As the lines and dots and numbers appeared on the image, Jess’s smile turned into a frown. ‘It’s a heat low.’

“Day 12: It was a very slow day. Silence reigned on deck and below.

Water temperature said 28 degrees, downstairs felt like 48 degrees.

The heat sucked all the energy out of us and dried up conversation with it. The hours were punctuated by sporadic ‘Hey, eight knots!’ exclamations when a rolling swell wave would temporarily get the boat moving before it settled back down to five knots. The swell showed that there was wind ahead somewhere, just not here!

“For the eleventh day in a row, Jess was unable to get through to Cape Town Radio to send a position report. Each morning she has been hailing Cape Town on different frequencies, and sending DSC positions on other frequencies. But there is never an acknowledgement.

The 08:00 UTC position report was sent by a new means yet again this morning, after yesterday’s paper aeroplane attempt. Another disappointing effort over the HF – where Jess could hear Cape Town asking for positions but Cape Town couldn’t hear Jess.”

“Day 14: Quietly, each of us is contemplating what land means. This race may be the longest time in our lives we have been disconnected from the greater world. No satellite phone and no radio communications has meant we’ve been living in a world only 52-feet long with nine people in it. It has been as if no other boats or people or countries exist. World War III could have started and we wouldn’t know. Naturally, we are anxious to be reassured that our loved ones are okay, and we guess that they are equally keen to hear from us. The tracker has been our only connection, and it has been a silent one at that. The lights flash on and off. We trust that means it is working and that everyone knows where we are. The word ‘tenuous’ springs to mind.

“Much of our thoughts revolve around the welfare of our fellow competitors after that rough first night of the race. We are completely ignorant of the events of the storm and we can only hope that everyone who needed rescue survived... Land will brings us news. And it will bring us the complications of life beyond food, sleep, weather and sailing. Any landfall brings mixed emotions.

“Day 15: We crept into Rio under fickle winds and a bright moon.

Boat speed varied from one knot to nine knots and back to one knot.

The Brazilian guy on the HF Radio, Dodo, was a little confused when we reported our speed to him every five miles. ‘Five knots? Five knots?

Confirm. Confirm?’ His thick accent and phonetic pronounciation had us all in delirious giggle fits. We could only laugh, as there was no point crying at our slow progress. At 07:01 UTC we crossed the finish line.

Our shore team and a photographer jumped aboard. Beer and Champagne started to rain. And the sun rose over the Sugarloaf.

“Rio. At last.”

“Ashore we heard the news of the fatality in the race. Our hearts sunk and we gathered for a minute’s silence before breakfast. The Maserati crew greeted us with smiles, and we congratulated them on their outstanding result.

“Several days of sleep and caipirinhas are now in order. This is Scarlet Runner, out.” w w w. R C Y C . C o . z A

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4

PRIvATEER Make: Farr Class 40 Owner and co-skipper: Francois Kuttel Co-skipper: Adrian Kuttel Result: 4th overall, 4th Class 1 Time: 17 days, 20 hours, 43 minutes and 5 seconds This brother duo of Francois (45) and Adrian (42) Kuttel battled it out to the finish. They are members of a prominent Cape Town sailing family that has a proud heritage of active involvement in the RCYC and sailing.

Their grandfather, Frank, and uncle, Teddy, are both former commodores of the RCYC. Their father, Peter ‘Padda’ Kuttel, competed in a number of international sailing events. Francois and Adrian grew up sailing both locally and internationally. Having fulfilled a number of his career goals, Francois decided it was time to look for a challenge outside the corporate space and took the decision to reactivate his sailing activities with an eye to competing in the 2014 Cape to Rio. The challenge he set for himself was to complete the race as a double-handed entry.

“We’ll be back next time. The best Rio yet!” said Adrian Kuttel of his fourth Cape to Rio. “Having raced to Rio on everything from a 40-foot cruising yacht to a 100-foot super-Maxi, I couldn’t have thought of anything more exciting than to sail it double-handed, and there was no one I would have preferred to sail with than my brother,” he says.

“I guess it would be a great deal less demanding, and undoubtedly far more competitive, to sail a fully crewed campaign with a number of top-notch professionals onboard. I doubt, however, whether it would be as personally rewarding,” says Francois.

PHOTOGRaPHS trevor wilkins

3

ISKAREEN Make: Archambault M34 Co-owner and co-skippers: Christiane Dittmers and Sönke Bruhns Result: 3rd overall, 3rd Class 1 Time: 18 days, 14 hours, 8 minutes and 25 seconds Experienced local ocean-racing sailor, Phillipa Hutton-Squire, reports on the race: “We all knew that we were in for a tough few days. Onboard, we were a bit worried as the M34 was not really built to cross oceans, but we had taken extra precautions. There was a cut-off low forecast to cross over the fleet less than 24 hours after the start. The M34 handled the conditions very well. There was a cross sea with 6m waves and about 40 knots of wind, but nothing too difficult. We made one bad call, and that was sailing without a headsail for a few hours. The boat just slammed straight into the next wave, but as soon as we put the next headsail up we were surfing nicely again. We did, however, do 19 knots with the mainsail only. Iskareen loves to surf in the big waves.

“Several yachts retired in the storm. Our thoughts go to the sailors, and the families from the yacht Bille, who unfortunately lost a life. It is terrible being at sea and hearing about your competitors who are in trouble or finding things difficult.

“After the storm we had a day to dry the boat out and do our routine check and fix a few things. The next few days were beautiful, with waves coming over the deck. We sailed under the big kite and full mainsail.

“After day 10 we had to start to be careful with rations as we realised that it was going to take longer than expected. We had mostly inshore sailors on the boat and we had to focus on the big picture and not gybe on the small shifts, but wait until we were really in the shift.

It was important for us to not follow the other boats as the high moved north. We had to sail north to stay in the breeze and keep the boat moving. I think the slowest we went before we reached Cabo Frio was about four knots. We were lucky that we never sat in a hole, but also unlucky as we never got our mid-Atlantic swim. We were racing and that’s what we had to focus on! ‘Sail fast and be careful’ was our motto.

“Approaching the finish line was perhaps the hardest part of the race. We had run out of food and the water was very low, so the crew was all really looking forward to their steak ashore. But it was always going to be a difficult approach. The finish line is inside Rio Harbour and the big mountains shadowed the wind, which made it very tricky.

“Overall I think the M34 handled the race very well. I know there were a few times we could have made some better tactical moves, but I am not sure we would have saved 12 hours to beat Scarlet Runner. Well done to all the boats that finished: The race certainly tested us all in many different ways. It was a wonderful privilege to be the first South African in the rankings from one of the smallest boats.”

SAIL CApe to RIo SpeCIAL RCYC

5

INvESTEC CIAO BELLA Size and make: Simonis 35 Owner/skipper: Michael Robinson Result: 5th overall, 5th Class 1 Time: 22 days, 9 hours, 14 minutes and 57 seconds Ciao Bella turned heads in the last Cape to Rio when she was sailed by the Robinson family to an excellent second place on IRC. And in the 2014 edition of the race, she did it again in a close finish with Privateer to the end.

Mike and Gill Robinson sailed with their children, Kathryn, Ricky, Brennan, Ryan and Michaela. The crew kept an informative and sometimes amusing account of their daily activities (http://teamciaobella2014.blogspot.com).

“I don’t think it matters how many times you do it. Crossing the finish line after having sailed over an entire ocean is always an emotional and special moment. Plenty of cheers and a few tears at the end of our adventure,” the blog stated after the finish.

A mother’s memories of the 2014 Cape to Rio race: “Crossing an ocean with your family is a very interesting exercise, especially in a 35ft boat with five children – there is literally no place to hide. The older three of our children have been out of the family home and living independent lives for years now, and the youngest two are being brought up in a different world from the one the elder siblings experienced. Twenty days at sea in close confines is a rare opportunity for the family to re-establish the bonds and to test the boundaries.

“The fierce start of the race tested not only the boat and the abilities of the crew, but also the fibre of what holds a family together.

Fifty knots of wind and 15-metre swells, with horizontal rain and foaming crests, should leave a memory of fear and dread. For me, though, the memory is of the oldest three taking control of the situation, and moving into the decision-making roles on the boat with a level of confidence. The memory is of the younger two finding their sea legs and being inspired by their elders – of moments of quiet words between Ricky and Ryan, of Brennan taking Michaela on deck on the second morning and leading her through processes involved in sailing in really heavy weather, and of Kathryn setting the example by simply being indomitable.

“The intensity of the first days was test enough, but the rest of the trip contained more subtle tests. The simple act of living together requires commitment. But the simple act of living together and working

towards a common goal is also really special and rewarding. The joy of sitting alongside each other in the cockpit and enjoying a daily meal together while watching a stunning sunset cannot be properly expressed in a photograph. The fun of opening the daily emails and blog responses, and the banter that ensues, is etched in a warm place in my heart.

“Listening to the murmured conversation between two in the cockpit on the midnight watch, or hearing the off-key parodies of popular songs sung at the top of their voices during the graveyard shift, was always a reminder of a growing bond. Michael told me once that he and Ricky had spent an entire watch together, barely saying a word to each other – simply basking in the closeness of each other’s company and the beauty of the night that surrounded them. It has been special for me to watch my children learn to understand the majesty of an albatross in flight, to see the beauty of the trade wind ocean, and their animated faces on spotting a welcoming pod of dolphins on the other side.

“And it was amazing to hear how they discounted the position result against the experience of crossing an entire ocean powered only by the magic of the wind on the sails.

“With divine grace and protection, we survived the storm and crossed the regal blue ocean, and again our children gave us a gift that we are humbled to accept.” –Gill Robinson w w w. R C Y C . C o . z A

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TEAM ANGOLA MUSSULO III Make: Bavaria 54 Skipper: José Guilherme Mendes Pereira Caldas Result: 9th overall, 7th Class 1 Time: 22 days, 11 hours, 25 minutes, 25 seconds BILLE Make: Bavaria 54 Skipper: Sybille Marion Doeker Correira Da Silva and Luis Manuel De Oliveira Da Silva Result: retired Fatality of crew member: António João Bartolomeu African neighbours Angola entered two boats in the Cape to Rio. Bille’s sponsor, Angola Cables, will provide the South Atlantic Cable System (SACS) that will connect their country to Brazil with 6 000 miles of sub-sea cabling.

To sail the Cape to Rio was a long-held dream for José. And to represent Angola was a dream that became a reality. “This is the best way to raise the profile of African and Angolan sailing,” said José.

Sadly, there was a tradegy onboard Bille during the first night of the race when the boat reported mainsail problems and said they were proceeding back to Cape Town. At 3pm a report was received that the boat was demasted and there were a number of serious injuries onboard. Sadly, the yacht also reported the fatality of one crew member.

All crew were transferred to SAS Isandlwana. Once crew were secured, SAS Isandlwana immediately left the area to go to assist yacht Ava, who had also sustained damaged in the storm.

“In the situation where we stayed there was no solution my friends, we were at the mercy of the elements. The phrase of our ancestors: ‘If you want to learn to pray, go to the sea” was never so present.’”

Said Mussulo to teammates on Bille: “Past the first long hours of introspection about what happened, we can only say that we are in solidarity with you and we will continue in the race, trying to the best performance that we are sure to be what you would do for us if in a similar situation. Viva Team Angola, viva the valiant crew of Bille.

Our condolences to the family of Bartolomeu, speedy recovery for the wounded − Luís Luvambo, Rui Sancho and Tita Correira da Silva, and good return to Titi e Bartolomeu, Jean Pierre and Luís Gasparinho. Hugs of solidarity of the crew of the Mussulo III – José Guilherme, Victor Mestre, Pablo, Lolocho, Mario, Maia, Junior, Leo and Paixao e Orlando.”

PHOTOGRaPHS trevor wilkins & trevor wilkins/john marschalk

AMTEC WITS Make: Farr 40 Result: 6th Place, 6th Class 1 Time: 22 days, 0 hours, 52 minutes and 17 seconds The prestigious Cape to Rio has for many years captured the imagination of Wits club members. The interest was boosted by the participation of three members in the 2011 race. The 2014 team consisted of current and alumni members of the Wits University Yacht Club.

When asked about doing the 2014 race and about being the Amtec Wits campaign skipper, Bradley Robinson said: “I was privileged enough to be involved with the family adventure campaign for the 2011 Rio race onboard Ciao Bella – a life-changing experience. Being asked to lead a crew of such tight-knit friends as we endeavour to experience what the South Atlantic has to offer is a true honour. Wits sailing lies embedded in all our hearts, and to promote the university in such a prestigious event is bound to resonate through the halls of our club for years to come, and hopefully inspire Wits sailors to perform at the highest level.”

Daily routine onboard wits as blogged by Patty: “We only really need one person sailing the boat and so the rest of us find different ways to spend our time. There are all the domestic things. We take baths at the back of the boat, wash clothes, clean the dishes, fix small things, and generally try to keep Aladdin habitable.

“The day is mostly spent reading, writing in our journals, competing in the backgammon championship, taking turns helming, changing sails and trimming (depending on the wind conditions), debating the navigation into Rio (which is bound to be awfully tricky without a forestay and therefore without something to clip the head sail onto), tanning, looking for mermaids, conversing on all matters from religion to science to fishing techniques to the taste of fresh food (which we have all forgotten), and various other activities to help pass the time.

“Stu and I have taken to doing some ‘CrossFit’/home gym on the foredeck and thoroughly enjoy ripping on most of the gym bunnies we know back home. I have been trying to fish with various lures on and off, with much advice from everyone onboard, about the right weather conditions and how the wind and time of day will affect the appetites of the fish. Lunch is usually very ‘snacky’ with alternating peanut butter and tuna on rice cakes, Provitas, Ryvitas and other finger foods that resemble bird seed. The afternoons go quickly and then it’s time for most of our favourite time of day − dinner and the sunset − which is usually wholesome and leaves one feeling content. Then it’s bed until one is rattled on ones’ own accord for shift or awakened by screams because the weather has picked up and the brown stuff and the fan are about to anastomose.”

“This morning ‘LLLLLLLLLLLLAND AHOY’ was shouted by Ric, who was at the helm at the time. Everyone ran up on deck to find the magnificent sight of the first land in weeks − that being the small and relatively unknown islands of Ilhas Martin Vaz, Trindade and Martim Vaz (Google them to see whereabouts we are). Although they were far away, it was a pleasant surprise and change of scenery.”

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ExPLORA Make: Open 60 Skipper: Craig Sutherland Result: 10th overall, 8th Class 1 Time: 16 days, 3 hours, 52 minutes, 47 seconds Well-known Cape Town structural engineer and yachtsman Craig Sutherland assembled a crack crew of entrepreneurs, endurance sportsman and adventurers − and above all really close friends − to purchase and race the yacht Explora in the 2014 edition of the Cape to Rio. The crew of seven (Mike Clarke, Ken Venn, Philip Lambrecht, Bruce Neill, Gary Neill and Mike Minkley) share similar interests and have, as a team, an impressive record of endurance events under the belt. This was Sutherland’s third Cape to Rio (1993, skipper, at 26, of 35ft Ballyhoo; 2000, watch captain on 60ft Warrior).

An update from www.sailing.co.za: “Explora arrived safely in Rio at 2pm local time on 21 January.

The welcome from the Rio Yacht Club and race committee was fantastic, as well as from our fellow competitors, as both Scarlet Runner and Maserati crews were there to welcome us. Even though, on the water, we are fierce competitors, we all share the ocean and acknowledge the energy and skill it takes to cross it safely.

“It was certainly an eventful trip. We achieved some of the sailing goals we set as a team, being the first SA boat home and getting a podium place. From our planning and race preparations with the weather models from the last 30 years, we had about a 25 percent chance of breaking the old race record, but when the high pressure ridged in after eight days at sea, it blocked our record attempt.

“From a navigator’s perspective, this was a very hard race. The five different weather models we got, when we had communications, differed greatly as the air pressures ‘flattened’ out and the models differed widely in their forecast. For a four-day period we had weather models and optimum course projections that differed by several hundred miles from each other.

“Overall, it was a great race and it seems we were not alone in dealing with boat admin issues. Both Scarlet Runner and Maserati had to deal with their own maintenance and breakages. On day two we lost both our engines and after some hard work managed to get the main engine running again. It was not an easy job, but it was a game-changer.

Without that repair, we would’ve had to change course to Walvis Bay as it was not safe to continue.

“We blew up three sails on the crossing. Our biggest sail, the A2, could only be fixed in a sail loft. For the A1 and Code 3, we attempted repairs onboard. The A1 took 48 hours to fix and lasted another 24, and the Code 3 took three days to repair and lasted 45 minutes. It was another game-changer and part of what prolonged our eventual arrival, as we had to use the remaining sails outside their optimal areas and at times we could not sail as fast as the boat was capable of. ken venn: “As you can hear, certainly not an uneventful trip. But the memories I take away are more about the stunning star-filled skies, the morning sunrise that blew red light over the trade-wind clouds and the fantastic sailing in the storm out of Cape Town. I would not change any moment of the trip. That is the joy of sailing a major ocean passage.

You learn to be resourceful and adaptable, and make the most of the opportunities and options you get every day. It is easy to give up when the elements and equipment transpire against you, but we never once stopped racing and competing.”

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STOP RHINO POACHING Make: Simonis Voogd 55 Skipper: Gerrie Boshoff Result: 11th overall, 9th Class 1 Time: 21 days, 1 hours, 57 minutes and 21 seconds Stop Rhino Poaching was born out of the same mould as her sister ship, Prodigy – the line honours winner in the 2011 Cape to Rio. The crew chose to do the race so they could tick it off their bucket lists, and to raise awareness to the very important cause: stopping rhino poaching.

Gerrie Boshoff: “We wanted to get involved in saving the rhino from extinction, there are only 5 000 black rhinos left in SA! We want to raise awareness of the plight of the rhino at the hands of unscrupulous poachers worldwide. This is our way of making the world aware.”

(Visit www.stoprhinopoaching.com.) mike le Plastrier (crew): “We left on Saturday under apparently kind conditions with a forewarning that we may have steering problems as the newly replaced steering broke an hour before race start.

The departure itself was great, with a school of dolphins bidding us farewell. Shortly after, we hit heavy winds. All the new sailors were overcome with significant seasickness − not a pretty sight. Gerrie, Gareth and Shin were (are) the stalwarts. Overall, it was a truly tough night with minimal sleep. An extreme learning experience.

“For the experienced sailors on our boat, this was another notch in the belt. For us newbies this saw the completion of a truly unique lifetime experience.”

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INSv MHADEI Design: Van de Stadt Tonga 56 Owner: Dilip Dhonde Result: 15th overall, 10th Class 1 Time: 22 days, 5 hours, 34 minutes and 39 seconds Indian Naval Sailing Vessel Mhadei was built in Goa, India,

by Aquarius Fibreglass for the Indian Navy for the purpose of a solo circumnavigation of the globe (named Sagar Praikrama).

The Indian Navy started Project Sagar Parikrama with the aim of spreading awareness about the oceans, and inspiring its own young officers to take up 44

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adventure as a way of life. The Cape to Rio race was seen as the perfect opportunity to raise awareness of our oceans.

The Mhadei was skippered by Dhonde, a clearance diver by profession, and India’s first solo circumnavigator.

A recipient of the Shaurya Chakra (the third highest peacetime gallantry award) and the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award, he has also mentored India’s first non-stop solo circumnavigation.

The Mhadei can be followed on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ www.mhadei.co.in or online at www.sagarparikrama2. blogspot.com

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Cape to Rio, through my lens A

PHOTOGRaPHS trevor wilkins • Mike lePlastrier

Photojournalist Trevor Wilkins says his 2014 trip was the stuff photographers’ dreams are made of call from Ray Matthews, chairman of the organising committee: “Would you be prepared to fly to Rio in time to meet Maserati on arrival?”

This, of course, didn’t require too much thought. What an opportunity!

Rearing to go, my camera bag alone weighed around 19kg, so I had to do some cool manoeuvres to get it onto the plane as carry-on baggage. Taking no chances, I also had two back-up cameras and lenses. (The lighting equipment was another story!)

In Rio, I hit the tarmac running. I had to be prepared to set up and shoot at whatever time the yachts chose to finish.

The race is sheer magic. It’s not only the thrill of the top yachts, but the excitement of the races within races, and the personal achievements of all the competitors as they square up against the ocean storms, frightening as they can be. Sailors hone their skills and yachties come out with hard-earned experiences − lots to talk about around the teak reef!

Then there’s the beauty of the sunsets, the smell of freshly baked bread, the delight of catching fish, devouring sushi and gourmet meals, quaffing ice-cold beers on arrival, as handed over by the race committee team… Wow, so this is what the Cape to Rio is about!

For me, the privilege of witnessing racing yacht arrivals through the lens − catching up on sleep on the floor of the sailing office − working together with Ray and Liz Matthews and Toni Mainprize (who, sadly, had to leave for England to say goodbye to her mom), sharing a few laughs, was an experience I could have only dreamt of. We were treated with a warm reception, and made wonderful friendships with the staff and committee members of Iate Clube do Rio de Janerio from there on.

Add to this the hype of the race headquarters’ media office: the instant supply of media stuff within an hour or so of arrival, and the international media who never sleep (somewhere in the world, someone is awake to respond to the material sent out). The followers of Facebook – possibly one of the most powerful tools of social media − were hovering at their screens, waiting for news. For many friends and families of the crews, this provided their first glimpse of their loved ones as they arrived. The media room organically metamorphasised into a runaway train, gathering momentum as more and more people across the globe looked, shared and reshared postings – with some even going viral. During the middle of the arrivals, we were clocking up over two billion hits, with close to R300-million worth of international

media coverage. During gaps in arrivals, interest was maintained by adding some location images, so followers, friends, families and fans could appreciate the beauty of Rio. For the lone photographer, this was a heady task, as I also tried to ensure that the sponsors of the individual yachts were kept in the loop.

I even tried to do some ‘fashion stuff’, but not a chance! My camera took one look at some of the overweight, overflowing bodies and snuck back into the safety of the camera bag. I did a bit of ‘street photography’.

Dangerous. Thanks to the instantly available taxi, I made a quick getaway!

Without an excellent chase-boat skipper on the water, a photographer is hamstrung – especially for those night shots where the distance from the yacht is a serious factor. Well, I had a top skipper from the club. Portuguese was his only language, though, and I can only sort-of converse in a bit of Spanish – not an option. But with sign language, a few hugs, and lots of high-fives, we were an excellent team.

I’ve never had a chase boat so professionally brought alongside a yacht racing though the night so that I could pass across the chilled beers and bubbly and jump onboard without any fuss!

Looking back, I shall miss the yell from the secretary’s office: “Treeeevooooor – GOOGLE!” (Our conversation was helped by Google translate.)

I shall miss the endless supply of Brazilian coffee, made in an ancient percolator, served in tiny espresso cups and available at no cost, morning till night.

I shall miss the friendship of ‘the Admiral’ who took me out as driver of the chase boat, with many deviations, to show me some interesting places on the coast.

Other memories include: the warm dinner of the Italian ‘Pappa’ who hosted the Maserati team for dinner at his hotel – he spoilt us; running around looking for a hotspot to get out my material on time; trying to bank sleep… (Imagine walking into the magnificent RHQ boardroom and finding Ray asleep on the couch with a Union Jack as an anti-mosquito sheet, Liz on a mat on the floor with a sponsor’s banner, and me sleeping under one of the tablecloths with camera and lighting equipment strewn all over the place, drying out after a shoot in high humidity.) And the Rio food – whew! Thanks to the Robinson family for spoiling us to a dinner that was truly mind-blowing!

The race organising chairman, Ray, Toni and Liz, were tireless in their personal attention to each and every detail, often working right through the night. Yes, it’s remarkable that a race of this magnitude can be orchestrated by such a small team of dedicated people. Thanks! w w w. R C Y C . C o . z A

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Irc results

Class 2

skilful tactics were called for by the 13 Irc class 2 boats, to weather the storms and the doldrums. Yolo led the way of the five finishers

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around 40 minutes, sometimes going back to sleep. One tries to sleep during daylight hours as well in order to accumulate rest.

Q. Did you use a watermaker?

A. No. We carried all our water... in this way we could be absolutely sure of what we had and not be reliant on a machine for survival.

Q. What type of food did you eat?

A. Largely canned foods, and dry foods like rice, pasta, etc. We ate oats for breakfast and snack-type foods at lunch. We were well fed.

Q. How did you manage the storm of the first night?

A. We largely sailed through it fully reefed. When the winds were over 50, we dropped the main for a few hours.

Q. What weather routing did you use?

A. We used an Android app called SailGrib WR, which had all the Polars, etc. We found it simple to operate.

PERIE BANOU II ROLLY TASKER Make: Sparkman and Stephens 39 Skipper: Jon Sanders Result: 8th overall, 2nd Class 2 Time: 27 days, 2 hours, 16 minutes and 30 seconds This was Jon’s third Cape to Rio. In 1976 he came sixth and in 2011 he finished fourth. This was also his ninth circumnavigation of the world. Jon has an Order of Australia and the British OBE. From onboard: “Now that PBII is within 40nm of the coast, the birdlife has returned. The ‘inky Atlantic blue’ is gone. It now has a greenish hue, perhaps the result of suspended sediments that have been disgorged from coastal rivers? At approximately 2am GMT, on the eastern side of the Pampo Oilfield, PBII had an unexpected close encounter with Vulcan. She passed twice within a few 100 metres, after which she was apparently last seen headed for the Falklands. Jon apparently engaged in discussion with her on VHF radio.

“5.10pm Gmt: Breaking news: Gareth, on watch, has reported the first sight of land. Rio de Janeiro state is quite rugged and mountainous. The first sighting is of a mountaintop approximately 40nm to the west.

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Day 28: 3 214nm covered by 12:00 GMT 391nm to Rio de Janeiro Noon-noon: 115 nm Average per day: 131nm Sails: main/jib/spinnaker #2 South Atlantic Ocean Abyssal Plain Water depth: 4 200 metres Latitude: 21 deg, 54 mins S Longitude: 36 deg, 40 mins W Course: 270 deg true SOG: 4 knots VMG: 3.9 knots Wind: 9 knots from ENE (trade) Cloud cover: 0/8 Barometer: 1 020 Seas: mild

PHOTOGRaPHS trevor wilkins

YOLO Make: Jenneau Sunfast 3200 Owner and skipper: Dale Kushner Result: 7th overall, 1st Class 2 Time: 24 days, 13 hours, 57 minutes and 39 seconds RCYC Commodore Dale Kushner was at the helm of one of the smallest boats to enter this edition of the race. Dale is familiar with the Cape to Rio, having taken part in previous editions (in the 2011 edition, he attained third place overall).

This year he sailed the event double-handed with his long-time crew member Ian Coward. This duo has competed in almost every single offshore event in South Africa together and sailed the Double-Handed South Star race in 2003. in summary of the race: “For us, the race team, we found the race a light-wind event, this time around, taking longer then expected.

The gale that was experienced, with winds in the 50s with high seas, was nothing we had not experienced before. We took it conservatively through that section. The boat performed brilliantly. We had sufficient food, water and diesel (for charging). The start was fantasic, albeit a bit light, and the last 18 hours to the finish line were the highlight, sailing continually fast. The boat was revelling in those conditions. The crew was a happy bunch... So, another race, another transatlantic. Given the weather systems, we were pleased with our Class 2 win.”

Q. What were your shifts?

A. Two hours on; two hours off.

Q. Did you get enough sleep?

A. You get into a routine. In fact, most of the time one woke up after

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COOL RUNNINGS Make: Baltic 42 DP Skipper: Carel Jacobs Result: 12th overall, 3rd Class 2 Time: 26 days, 7 hours, 25 minutes and 39 seconds Crew members included Sean, Ben, David, Carel and Peter. On the reason for entering the race, Carel said, “From seeing the original Cape to Rio pictures in the Huisgenoot and SA Spiel at the movies, it was a dream for me to partake in this prestigious race. As Columbus said, ‘You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore’”.

An excerpt from their blog: “Nearly three weeks out of Cape Town and seven days to go. As days and night shifts and watches merge into one continuum, what does it represent? Well for you probably starting work, getting the back to school/varsity shopping done, delivering kids to school daily and the reality of the year with e-tolls. Onboard, this represents nine pages of log entries with 32 entries per day, six days of formal food remaining, about 200 litres of water left, four beers left, six litres of juice and seven two-litre Cokes left (at least there is still some Klippies also…).

“Have been thinking about the time of bliss onboard and when reality will intervene, and it intervened rudely this morning. We had a burglary at home this morning. Only received this cryptic email saying ‘Do you have a tracker in the BMW?’ You can imagine the consternation on this side... at least no one was hurt but it just complicated our lives unnecessarily.”

“It’s still hot and sweaty and the best time of the day is at sundown on the deck. Today was especially a good one as we all were sitting, chilling and talking over our second-last evening meal – that is

not because we are confident that we will be in on Thursday, but because we only packed meals till tomorrow evening. Hopefully the impending food shortage will encourage the crew to sail the boat at its best, so that we can have our dinner on Thursday in Rio. We all decided that we will have steaks… from Thursday it will be water, energy bars and Oat So Easy.

“We have now 306nm (11pm UTC) left to go and started discussions of what we have missed − steak, a warm, fresh-water shower, a bed with sheets, ice in a drink, a toilet that does not rock and roll... you start to appreciate the small things in life after a trip like this.”

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vULCAN 44 Make: Humphreys 44 Owner and co-skipper: Steve Wilson Co-skipper: Coenie Thiart Result: 13th overall, 4th Class 2 Time: 26 days, 17 hours, 26 minutes and 0 seconds on entering the race, steve wilson said: “I purchased Vulcan 44 new two years ago to do this race and tick one thing off my bucket list. The qualification age for the crew was averaged around 55. Myself and five crew sailed Vulcan 44 as a team for 18 months in preparation.” coenie said: “Since 1994 I’ve sailed my Holiday 23 from Gordon’s Bay to Port Owen and back, a few times in fairly heavy weather around Cape Point. I’ve also done three Comrades marathons. I guess, to me, sailing to Rio is like running half and full marathons… you’d always like to do the big one.”

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JACARANDA OF CARRICK Make: Van de Stadt Madeira 44 Owner and skipper: Mike and Sally Bowker Result: 14th overall, 5th Class 2 Time: 12 days, 18 hours, 38 minutes and 49 seconds The Jacaranda was 15 months into a two-year circumnavigation at the start of the Cape to Rio. Jacaranda’s schedule always included a passage from South Africa to South America in January 2014. Taking part was therefore too good an opportunity to miss. She plans to return to the UK in August 2014. w w w. R C Y C . C o . z A

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multIhull rcYc rrd results

crossing in style, the six multihull finishers enjoyed the ocean crossing like no other class. myrtle of Bonnievale led the way of the six out of nine finishers

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MYRTLE OF BONNIEvALE Make: Leopard 40 Owner and skipper: Pierre Albertyn Result: 1st Multihull Class 3 Time: 26 days, 16 hours, 13 minutes, 50 seconds Owner Pierre Albertyn sailed both the previous two Atlantic Races (2009 and 2011) with Myrtle, which finished the 2014 race first. Says Pierre: “Cape to Rio is an adventure… The life experience gained and building of camaraderie in crew while navigating across the ocean, and the feeling of having achieved your goal when arriving in Rio, is priceless.”

An excerpt from their blog: “We hope and expect to arrive in Rio in two days. Wind conditions light and the sea state flat. It is more difficult to sail in light winds than in stronger winds. It takes more concentration to keep the boat moving.

As with most things, sailing is both a science and an art. The sails have to be adjusted just right to maximise the suction effect created by them.

The sea state has to be taken into account as it keeps on changing the direction of the boat with each little swell coming through.

“The skies are at times totally clear and blue. Stars are very bright at night with no moon or dark moon situation. We see a passing ship in the distance once every two days. I cannot report anything positive of our fishing. But the food on the boat is good. Life has a rhythm here now. When the boat goes slow, we miss the hissing sound of the stern in the water – the hissing sounds means at least six knots of boat speed on the water.”

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NOMAD Make and design: Cape 54 Owner and skipper: Craig Stuart Deverson Result: 3rd Multihull Class 3 Time: 23 days, 0 hours, 52 minutes and 54 seconds After an exhilarating sail across the Atlantic, Nomad did well to be placed third. Ocean crossings are not new to the crew, most of whom had participated in the Vasco da Gama Yacht Race over the last three years. All the crew competed in the Inhaca Yacht Race. Nomad had achieved line honours in both of these races in the multihull section. Said the team: “The Cape to Rio is the ultimate downwind race in South Africa, and downwind is our game!”

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TULLIANA Make: Leopard 46 Owners: John, Scott and James Kelly Skipper: Dave Gough Result: 2nd Multihull Class 3 Time: 23 days, 3 hours, 2 minutes, 13 seconds Tulliana, a newly registered catamaran owned by the Kellys, was a Dads (Dave Gough and John Kelly) and lads (Christopher Gough and Scott and James Kelly) entry.

An excerpt from their blog: chris Gough: “So this may sound like another tall fishing story, but two days ago I lost the biggest fish of my life! We had a big hit on the lure and James and I rushed to the rod as it started zinging. You could feel it was a biggie as the rod was bending like crazy. Just as we were settling down for the fight it jumped out the water 30 metres behind us, looked at us and flicked its tail, snapping our line. It was definitely a big marlin or sailfish as it had a beak. Was a beautiful fish! This may sound like I have exaggerated, but everybody on the boat saw it jump. Since then, we haven’t had any bites, but we are hoping to get some as we go over some seamounts closer in to Rio. “Looking at our track over the past week, you guys probably think we’ve just been having one massive party. But the truth is that the wind has been seriously light and shifty. We’ve been gybing every couple of hours, trying to get towards Rio, directly downwind of us. We’re waiting for the breeze to shift NE, so we can send it towards Rio. So far, that hasn’t happened. Very frustrating. There have also been really big squalls coming through. Last night we had one that got up to 27 knots for a bit, which was fun while it lasted. It was so light yesterday that we could jump off the bow and catch the stern as it came past. I took some good GoPro footage and underwater photos in the crystal-blue water.

“Dad was looking at the instruments yesterday and the highest wind speed we recorded during the storm in the first few days was 54 knots − ridiculous. That’s roughly 100kmh, the strongest wind I’ve ever seen. We’ve just over 800 miles to go now, which should take us roughly five days if we can get into this breeze ahead.” scott kelly: “It’s amazing to spend this experience as a father-son combination. Think James really got what he asked for! I recall one day at the yacht club him saying that he wants to, ‘hit this race’, with massive swells and strong winds. At some points I think he was wishing he hadn’t. Chris has been teaching all onboard how to fine-tune the boat, with all his extra little tricks to make the boat go faster – at some speeds we didn’t think were possible on a cruising cat.”

PHOTOGRaPHS trevor wilkins & trevor wilkins/john marschalk

Class 3 2

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WINDGAT Make: Leopard 44 Owner and skipper: David Robb Result: 4th Multihull Class 3 Time: 26 days, 5 hours, 17 minutes and 47 seconds Windgat, launched in August 2012, included crew David Robb, Alex Mamacos, Jan Burhman and Nishal Robb.

An excerpt from their blog: “After a spectacular and exciting start with our support boat, Sea Princess, shadowing us some of the way, we rounded Milnerton buoy and headed north and then west in order to avoid the coastal low.

Surrounded by dolphins feeding... Oh what a good omen, we thought.

Little did we know what was about to hit us. There was fine motor sailing till midnight, after which we hit a major depression. Barometer dropped five points. Swells grew from three to eight metres. Wind speeds went from 12 to 30 knots. We’d hoped to pass south of the depression, but we’d hit the worst of it. Food: zero. Equipment: ok.

5 january: “Early morning wind up to 50 knots (gusting 60 knots), with sea state over 12 metres and at 100-degree angles to one another.

Jan (heroically on his own, dressed only in shorts and a rugby jersey) dropped the mainsail and furled the genoa, sailing bare pole at 6−7 knots, heading as west as possible. Around mid-morning we got hit by a side swell, which sent the entire port aft bedroom window under water. Had there been a whale passing by, one would have clearly seen it. This ferocious swell led the microwave, ice-maker, coffee machine and crockery into a mass suicidal leap from port to starboard, ending in tears and a lot of broken glass all over the cabin. Morale was low and fatigue high... But there were shifts to be done.

“Later that afternoon, David and Nish were putting on their harnesses to start their shift, when a big swell hit, sending David down the stairs head-first, where he provided a soft landing spot for Nish, and in the process hurt his knee. Nish strapped up David’s knee and they started their shift. We now have a ‘peg leg’ onboard. A peg leg who is too seasick to chew Nicorettes, whose coffee machine is broken and who, on top of it, cannot have a whiskey. We are fast approaching cold turkey.

“Our course was continued till evening, when the option of returning to Langebaan was considered. It was decided that re-entering what we’d just been through wasn’t an option, so we pushed west in the hope of leaving the low behind us. After dark we got klapped harder, but the boat was amazing, bouncing out of everything that the sea threw at her, in pure Windgat style. Later into the night, changing course on Lexi’s shift, we proceeded further downwind, while still bare poling up to 16 knots with both motors astern. Some scary surfing moments with Nish, when autopilot went on the blink twice, once resulting in a full 360-degree turn… Otherwise sea felt less angry at this angle with some wild surfing. Just past midnight the wind started to die down to around 25 knots with 12-metre swells as we continued north west.

“Food: still zero. Seasick: 100 percent. Equipment: Dead microwave et al, leaking through window hatches, autopilot playing up, chart plotter loses co-ordinates now and then.”

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GENEvIEvE TOO Make: Knysna 440 Owner: Kyle Blakeway Skipper: Dewald Louw Result: 5th multihull Class 3 Time: 27 days, 18 hours, 45 minutes and 41 seconds Recently purchased by a Yachtmaster Xtreme client, Genevieve Too was delivered to Cape Town from Knysna by Robbie Dove and Adam Hannah.

She was skippered by Dewald Louw, an RYA Yachtmaster instructor at Ocean Sailing Academy, and crewed by Adam Hannah (owner), Kyle Blakeway, James Mayer and Lourens Adendorff (14-week Yachtmaster students).

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HQ2 Make: Two Oceans Marine 22.8 Skipper: Barry Engelbrecht Result: 6th Multihull Class 3 Time: 23 days, 17 hours, 59 minutes and 18 seconds Fun seemed to be the main goal of the HQ2 team doing the Cape to Rio. An excerpt from their blog: 22 january: “The day inevitably started off with the precise calculations as to if and when land would be sighted, whether Ilha Da Trinidad or Is Martin Vaz would have a Woolworths, and, if so, at what time would it close… and should the tender go ahead, if the closing deadline was tonight; who would board the tender and what would happen if they did not return? All critical decisions to the life of a sailor! With less than 1 750km to Rio, thoughts are constantly turning to the ice cerveja (beer) and the famous caipirinha. The latter, according to the Gaff, can be ‘enjoyed at any hour of the day or night’. “our recipe for a caipirinha: Ingredients (as per the law of 2 October 2003, decree no. 4851): 1 ripe lime, 2 teaspoons caster sugar, crushed ice, 50ml Cachaça (a spirit made from the juice of a sugar cane − alcohol content can be as high 38 to 48 percent).

The sailing continues, with our top five songs for the day: 1. ‘Unchained Melody’; 2. ‘Crazy’; 3. ‘The Distance’; 4.’ Mannenberg’; 5. ‘Fly Away’…

Bon noite –HQ2.”

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SAIL RCYC CAPE TO RIO SPECIAL

THE RACE IN NUMBERS

What the 2014 Race to Rio figures reveal?

This year’s event had the media, and virtual spectators, abuzz

1 800 000

R217

CAPE TO RIO WEBSITE UNIQUE VISITORS <=100 420 NUMBER OF VISITS 2 381 159 PAGES 1 071 054 HITS 10 823 785 BANDWIDTH 257.96GB (GRAPHICS BELOW SHOW COMPARITIVE BANDWIDTH CONSUMED)

TOP 10 VISITOR’S DOMAINS UNKNOWN (ip) PAGES 368 143

HITS 2 381 159

BANDWIDTH 60.02GB

HITS

MILLION IN PUBLICITY

PRINT

SOUTH AFRICA (za)

20 DECEMBER 2013 – 20 JANUARY 2014

Clip count Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE)

PAGES 331 370

141 R4 116 555

Publication: Cape Argus (morning edition)

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Media type: daily newspaper

90

Media group: daily

HITS 4 737 858 BANDWIDTH 81.75GB

103

Region: Western Cape

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Byline: Murray Williams (staff writer)

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NETWORK (net) PAGES 114 779

HITS 972 591

BANDWIDTH 31.04GB

BROADCAST Clip count Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE)

261 R3 714 406

Media Type Community

68

TV Station SABC News

24

Radio Station RSG

27

Region National

124

ONLINE Clip count Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE)

HITS 482 062

BANDWIDTH 15.25GB

HITS 40 970

BANDWIDTH 0.44GB

HITS 604 485

BANDWIDTH 22.46GB

HITS 259 791

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CHINA (cn) PAGES 40 774 ITALY (it) PAGES 39 066

PAGES 22 513

105 R1 903 354

Website: www.mycapetown.co.za

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Byline: Murray Williams

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POTENTIAL VIEWERS W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

PAGES 49 270

GERMANY (de)

3 200 000 000 50

COMMERCIAL (com)

AUSTRALIA (au) PAGES 20 963 BRAZIL (br) PAGES 13 297 FRANCE (fr) PAGES 8 260

OTHERS PAGES 62 619

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Sea the world

Our Royal Capers have had a successful season abroad, competing in high-level events from Copa del Rey to the Carribbean

Highland Fling Sailing in the Caribbean is like sailing nowhere else in the world. Where else do you get strong winds (but not as strong as a Cape southeaster), sun and such great views? Cape Town comes close, but not with the consistency of the Caribbean.

Highland Fling XII (Reichel-Pugh IRC 52) has just completed two regattas in the Caribbean, with a third to come (at the time of writing) in the British Virgin Islands. The first, St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, had only two pure race boats in our fleet: us and a new Ker 43. After winning the pre-race Gill Regatta Master Watch with two wins on the day, we won the first two races, but were beaten into second on the last race, largely due to the wind stopping mid-course and the race restarting. Overall, a class win, which we were pleased about as the boat hasn’t been raced for two years, following the loss of the mast during St. Thomas 2012.

The sailing in St. Maarten was outstanding with winds mostly in the 1–26 knot region. We were doing 25 knots down the backs of two-metre waves under two sails, reaching down the back of the island.

Does it get any better?

But an easy class win in St. Maarten didn’t prepare us for the much-tougher competition in St. Thomas. Here we were faced with Near Miss, a beautifully sailed TP 52 rating two minutes and an hour lower than us, but as fast on the water. It was helmed by Karol Jablonski − America’s Cup helmsman, past world match-racing champion and presently world ice-boat champion − and with a top crew.

Although we beat them on the water four races out of seven, we never came close to winning on handicap. Also in the fleet was Tonnerre, the Ker 46, which has won Round Britain and Ireland, and been RORC Yacht of the Year twice; Scarlet Runner (TP 52), the near sister ship of Highland Fling, last seen in Cape Town at the start of the Cape to Rio; and a Cookson 50. Racing was so close at times that one race had the first four boats finishing within four seconds on corrected time. So we were pleased to finish third in class out of the six boats.

The weather in St. Thomas has been variable, with winds from 12 to 28 knots. Squalls with rain come through, although they rarely last longer than 20 minutes. Seas vary from flat to 1.5-metre short, lumpy conditions.

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Lessons learnt? First, go to the Caribbean for great sailing if you like windy conditions. Second, your sails have to be top-notch, as others will have new sails. Third, a few days of practice will be time and money well spent. Fourth, have a good navigator – there are rocks aplenty! −Lord Irvine Laidlaw

Tokoloshe Since 2009, Tokoloshe has participated in 50 regattas − taking 24 first places, eight seconds and eight thirds among them.

It was another successful season in United Kingdom waters for Tokoloshe in 2013. She won her class in, among others: the RORC Easter Challenge; the Warsash Spring Championships and Spring Series; Cowes Week; the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta; the Hamble Big Boat Series; and the Royal Southern Yacht Club Summer Series, which included four regattas.

We’ve had fairly strong South African and RCYC representation amoung the crew. Apart from myself, regulars include: David Bartholomew, Charles Nankin, Rick Nankin, Jonathan Riceman, Haig Youens, Paul Willcox and Robbie van Rooyen. Senior RCYC member David Abromowitz has also put in an appearance – on the Round the Island Race in 2012. He’s set to grace the aft windward corner of the boat in the same race again this year. David Bartholomew skippered Tokoloshe in a few regattas last season, as I had back surgery last year. He skippered to win Cowes Week in Class 3, The Hamble Winter Championship (IRC 0) and Dartmouth Sailing Week (winning in Class 1).

The Tokoloshe campaign has taken a major step (hopefully forward) for the coming season with a new boat. We’ve purchased a GP 42 formerly named Caser Madrid, very similar to Hylton Hale’s Vulcan.

We’re in the process of optimising her for IRC by changing the keel and rudder, adding a bowsprit and substantially increasing the sail area, among other things. Also, double-wheel steering has replaced the tiller to make it easier to handle (for more senior helmsmen!). The new boat has been renamed Tokoloshe II. −Mike Bartholomew

SAIL I n t e R n At I o n A L R C YC

A navigator’s account of the European circuit

PHOTOGRaPHS Kurt Arrigo •

Morning Glory

East Coast Race (first overall; Last year, I was fortunate to be invited to sail in a number of first in class): We sailed very well, four Last year saw the MaxZ86 Morning international events, including the Copa del Rey, Maxi Worlds ahead of the next boat on corrected Glory come out of the shed again for (Sardinia), Les Voiles de St-Tropez and the Middle Sea Race (Malta). time − our biggest victory of the year. a bit of racing.

A little-known fact is that the international sailing scene has Morgan Cup (first overall; first in The plan was to do the Rolex a strong and competitive cycling background, where the class): Tonnerre sailed very well and Maxi Cup in Porto Cervo, but due to competition between sailors to see who is the better cyclist can made all the tide gates. We managed the small number of entries – only be stiffer than that on the water. Being a keen cyclist, going for to hold off the Volvo 60 for three boats – this was not deemed short but fast-paced rides into the hills of both Palma and Sardinia, line honours. a World Championship class. We before the day’s racing − listening to the likes of Dee Smith talk IRC Nationals (second overall; also decided to do the Rolex Middle about his Americas Cup experiences in quaint little coffee shops second in Class): [Paul didn’t sail Sea Race in Malta. − was something special.

IRC Nationals with Tonnerre.]

Sailing in Porto Cervo is always The Maxi Worlds regatta stood out for me among the rest.

Cowes − Casquets − Les Hanois nice: warm weather, lovely scenery...

Stunning crystal-clear water, a consistent breeze and the world’s – St. Malo (third overall; second in but just this year the wind gods top Mini Maxi and Maxi yachts sailing between the islands made for class): 170 yachts from six different didn’t work in our favour and the old an amazing sight. Sailing in this regatta was a huge learning curve nations raced across the English girl struggled to get going in the for me as I was onboard Irvin Laidlaw’s Highland Fling, which is Channel to the famous walled port often very light breeze. The overall crewed by a highly cosmopolitan crew, and the majority of them city of St. Malo in Brittany, France, winner was Aegir. sail professionally. The yacht itself is extremely powerful, making in a 170-mile race that predates the The Rolex Middle Sea Race it an incredible yacht to sail on.

Royal Ocean Racing Club by almost was another, often very frustrating, The Middle Sea Race was also far different to what I’m used to 20 years. It was a tough race. light-wind affair. sailing. The race starts and finishes on Malta, a fascinating little The wind went light, so we made The 2013 line honours winner, island between Tunisia and Sicily. The fleet heads north-east some tactical decisions.

Esimit Europa II, suffered a broken towards the gap between Sicily and the southernmost tip of Italy, St. Thomas International rig on the pre-race and during and carries on in a circular route around Sicily. There is little to no Regatta (second in class): As the delivery, which left the door open straight-line sailing, and the constant changes in wind strength and smallest boat in class, we sailed for the two Mini Maxis, Alegre and angle, as well as the weaving in and around headlands, make for against some good 50-odd footers.

Robertissima 111, and Morning a tactical and busy race. I was on James Blakemore’s Swan 53, Nanny Cay Cup Round Tortola Glory, to race for line honours.

Music, for this race, and for Les Voiles de St-Tropez, and thoroughly Race (first in class; first overall): Helming Morning Glory, Tina enjoyed sailing on this graceful boat with its crew made up entirely Shortened due to light winds, but Plattner led her crew to take line of South Africans. –Shane Elliot a good and fun race in the end. honours in an elapsed time of two BVI Spring Regatta (first): Match racing against Irvin on his days, 16 hours, 12 minutes and 19 seconds for the scenic course around 52, basically.

Sicily and Lampedusa.

Fort Lauderdale to Key West (second in class; second overall): Morning Glory was placed fifth on handicap with a corrected time We started poorly but we had a good regatta. of four days, 13 hours, 20 minutes and 29 seconds.

Caribbean 600 Race (first in class; seventh overall): We did really The overall handicap winner was B2. –Kristina Plattner well to finish that high up the fleet. −Helmsman Paul Willcox Tonnerre The objectives for the 2013 season were: win RORC Class 1 2013; RORC Overall 2013; and Class 1 Fastnet.

Hi Fidelity Cervantes Trophy Race (third overall; third in class): A good start In August 2013, a group of South Africans were invited to sail on Eddie to the season, with newish crew who learnt quickly. Tonnerre lost to De Villiers yacht, Hi Fidelity, in the Copa del Rey event in Palma de the smaller Ker 40 and Courrier Vintage on a reaching course − usually Mallorca, Spain. our strong point, but we may have been a fraction too quick for the Eddie runs a phenomenal programme. He puts together the top weather conditions. amateur yachtsmen in South Africa with one or two professionals to North Sea Race (first overall; first in class): We seemed to have compete in some of the biggest events in Europe. solved our issues from the last race, but missed 10 points towards The two pros for this event were skipper Mike Joubert and TP 52 the season’s championship due to the lack of entries. trimmer Paul Tingle on the mainsheet. I was doing tactics, with James Myth of Malham Race (third overall; third in class): We had Beaumont doing navigation, Guido Verhoevert running the pit, and a speed issue for the first part of the race. Then we seemed to have Gary Sindler in the trim department. Upwind trimmer was Shane Elliot; solved it, but we later found damage on the keel and rudder after downwind was Simon Eatwell. The bow team was made up of Trevor the race.

‘Farmer’ Spilhaus, Michele Camerota and Lauren Eatwell. w w w. R C Y C . C o . z A

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The team who came second (ex Optimist world Champion) mentioned us as the boat to watch, as we were always positioning ourselves well on the course. The crew work run by Gui, Gary, Farmer, Shane and Simon was impeccable. It’s awesome to sail with a crew that know exactly what they’re doing every step of the way. And we did it the South African way, having a good time on the water, and off. I’m sure it’s an event the guys will want to return to. −andrea Giovannini

Music In late 2012, after a second position in our class at the Les Voiles de Saint Tropez, I decided to ship Music, a Swan 53, to the Caribbean to take part in the Rolex Swan Cup in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). We entered the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta as a warm-up. After a slow start in the round-the-island race, we came a disappointing sixth. But Music showed her class and finished first in the next three races − top of CSA Division 2!

Next, we were off to Virgin Gorda in the BVI for the Rolex Swan Cup at the magnificent new Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Perfect conditions for Music on the first two days of sailing resulted in two bullets, but with the drop of wind speed during the last two races, we were unable to hold off the challenge from the much lighter Swan 42, Arethusa, who prevailed overall in Division B, beating us by one point into second place.

A quick decision was made to stay in the Caribbean for one more regatta, so we entered the Les Voiles de Saint Barth. In that beautiful setting, Music started the regatta with a second, then a third position. The much lighter Defiance made the best of the early conditions, with two first positions. Yet, with the wind increase on the last two days, they couldn’t hold off our challenge − Music led the way, winning the last three races.

Music was then shipped back to the Mediterranean to take part in the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez for the second time. This is like a ‘home’ regatta for us, as we have a mooring in Port Grimaud, in the beautiful bay of Saint-Tropez, and it’s the regatta we wanted to win more than most. A sixth position in the first race didn’t make for a promising start, but a second, then two great wins in the last two races, meant Music took first in her class – as well as the much-fancied overall win for boats longer than 16 metres: the Edmond de Rothschild Trophy!

PHOTOGRaPHS ForZA giANFrANCo • giLLES MArtiN-rAgEt

The Copa del Rey is probably the best round-the-can racing you can do in the Med. The world’s top professionals flood the small island of Palma to join the TP 52 class, the Mini Maxi class or the uber-competitive Soto 40 fleet. The IRC fleet was only for the boats 50 foot and up.

There were a few logistical nightmares preceding the event, as there always are. We were planning on sailing IRC Class 1, but a few days before the event, we learnt our boat didn’t measure big enough and we had to adjust the rating to fit ORC Class 1. It is a mammoth task getting it rated in time for the event. But the choice was simple: we could either have changed sails and opted for larger sails to try fit the boat in the rating band for IRC, or adjust things to fit to ORC. We somehow scraped our rating into ORC. However, the day before the event they added extra time on to us to allow us to race in that division.

We knew from the beginning that this event was going to be an uphill battle. To start on the back foot even further, the instruments failed before the event and replacements weren’t an option in Palma a day before the event. Hence our navigator (who famously won the Rolex Middle Sea Race) was forced to use a compass and help with the grunt work on the boat. It was a long way for a navigator to fly to end up as rail bait. But James, the good sport, slotted right in to help wherever needed.

Racing overseas is completely different to racing back home. The boats are so evenly matched, it feels like a one-design event and the whole fleet finishes within two or three minutes of the leaders.

Palma is an amazing place to sail. The wind is predictable and the shifts are incredibly small. Before the event I got a lot of advice from the local pros on the circuit, like Mark Sadler, Mark Lagesse and Mike Giles, who was sailing with Lord Laidlaw. On our boat we had Paul Tingle, who trims on a TP 52 usually, has lived in Palma and has a lot of local knowledge, as well as Mike Joubert, who has done plenty of sailing in that bay. It was lovely to be in Palma as a South African unit.

Our results were mainly in the early teens to sevenths, but in one race − where we won the start and smacked the correct side to leave the fleet all going the wrong way − we finished second. But besides that, we were left to the 20 percent mark in the fleet.

We made some mistakes, but on the whole sailed quite well.

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The Voiles is one of the truly great regattas with over 300 entries, including the lovely classic yachts that race adjacent courses to the modern yachts. It’s a truly magnificent sight out on the water.

Next we were off to the beautiful island of Malta for the Rolex Middle Sea Race. It was a great start for Music, with us leading at the first transit point, Capo Passero, at the entrance to the Strait of Messina. But with lighter airs around the island of Stromboli, we lost valuable time and only managed to finish in 28th position.

So three wins from five starts ended a really fantastic racing year for Music. Credits are due to my wonderful Cape Town-based crew, without whom none of this would be possible. [At the time of writing], we look forward to four regattas in 2014 – and in 2015, it’s back to the Caribbean! −James Blakemore

RaceAhead The RaceAhead team of young South African sailors had a full year, in which Roger Hudson (skipper, trimmer and tactician) and Asenathi Jim (Olympic sailor, helmsman) focused on three main projects:

Developing a strong partner for asenathi Jim for the 470 Junior World Championships in France and the Junior European Championships in the UK. After an intensive training-and-selection programme involving nearly 100 days on the water, Sibusiso Sizatu emerged the strongest candidate. The pair finished 16th in the Junior Worlds and seventh in the Junior Europeans.

Competing for the 2013 SB20 World Championship title.

In a down-to-the-wire finish with the podium rankings only being decided in the final seconds of the final race, the RaceAhead team (Wandisile Xayimpi, Sibusiso Sizatu, Roger Hudson and Asenathi Jim) took third place in the 90-boat fleet.

Passing on the learnings of our Olympic team by developing a local Sa 470 training group. Some 50 intensive training sessions were conducted between October and March, with a total of 35 young sailors taking part in the programme. This was driven strongly by Roger Hudson, who commented: “We now have a core training group of six high potential young sailors (three helms, three crews) in addition to myself and Asenathi. I really believe in these guys and their potential and I’m working at getting them Olympic circuit-racing experience this year and next.”

All of this activity is, I believe, of critical importance to the future of the current 470 campaign and South Africa’s future Olympic sailing ambitions. We have to learn to train hard, and develop strong basic skills locally (as Australia and New Zealand do), before stepping onto the international circuit. This is essential if South African sailors are to compete and draw proper value from circuit racing when they get over there. –Dave Hudson

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SaIl RcYc local

RCYC RaCe Results Club Champs 2013/2014

Overnight Race Nov 2013

DIVISION 1

DIVISION 1

J133 Beneteau First 44.7 GP 42

Patrick Holloway/Neil Gregory Michael & Heidi Kavanagh Hylton Hale

Simonis 35 L34 Simonis 35

William Brooks Dave Garrard Luke Scott

Miura L26 Beneteau First 345

Vitor Medina Peter Bam Jannie de Goede

DIVISION 2 1 Regardless 2 Nuthr Witch 3 Scarlet Sun

DIVISION 1

J133 Beneteau First 44.7 J111

Patrick Holloway/Neil Gregory Michael & Heidi Kavanagh Rob Meek/Gordon Kling

Beneteau First 34.7 L 34 Simonis 35

David Booth Dave Garrard Luke Scott

Charger 33 Astove 30 Stadt 34

Keith Mattison John Waller Ray Matthews

DIVISION 2 1 Necessity 2 Nuthr Witch 3 Scarlet Sun

DIVISION 3 1 FTI Flyer 2 Humdinger 3 Cabaray

Double-Handed Race Jul–Dec 2013 DIVISION 1 1 Jacana 2 Nuthr Witch 3 Mwah

J133 L34 J111

Patrick Holloway/Neil Gregory Dave Garrard/Damon Lyons Gordon Kling/Rob Meek

Charger 33 Astove Miura

Barnaby Steynor/Andrew Collins John Waller/William Gubb Colin Horton/Ken Botwood

DIVISION 2 1 FTI Flyer 2 Humdinger 3 Ava

Lufthansa Twilight Series Oct–Dec 2013 DIVISION 1 Spin 1 Vulcan 2 Windpower 3 Morning Glory

Spinnaker Division

1 Vulcan GP 42 2 Hermanus YC Windpower Landmark 43 3 Nuthr Witch L34

Non-Spinnaker Division 1 Ray of Light 2 Naledi 3 Corum

Heidi Kavanagh Jacqui Brand Mary-Ann Sharwood

DIVISION 1

1 After You 2 Maestro 3 Bad Habit/AE Electrical

L41 mod Fast 42 Mount Gay 30

JJ Provoyeur Paul van Ass/ Ankie Roux Rodney Tanner

L26 L26 J27

Harry Brehm Theo Yon Peter Hill

Corby 49 L43 Windsong 37 mk 2

Irvine Laidlaw Phil Gutsche/ Rick Nankin Nigel Clack

Farr 38 J133 J 105

Robert van Rooyen Patrick Holloway Dwayne Assis

Mauritius 45 Elan 444 Stadt 34

Grant Saunders Steve Wilson Marius Saunders

DIVISION 2 1 RCYC Academy Escape 2 HBYC JML III 3 Hill Billy

IRC DIVISION 1 1 Cape Fling 2 Windpower 3 Cardiac Arrest

IRC DIVISION 2 1 A-L 2 Jacana 3 Pants on Fire

Dave Garrard Luke Scott Jennifer Burger/Alan Keen

Sunfast 32 Farr 38 Simonis 35

Dale Kushner CP van der Merwe William Brooks

L26 Charger 33 RCOD

Peter Bam Keith Mattison Thinus Groenewald

DIVISION 3

Miura Miura Miura

Vitor Medina Tom Connell Klaus Wiswedel

1 ELS FarMed 2 RCYC Sailing Academy Mac a Tini 3 Iechyd Da

Wilderness 1480 Leopard 44 Nose Be 38

Ian Henderson Dave Robb Jimmy Eugster

1 Malu’lani 2 Vulcan 44 3 Spirit of Charlotte

Overall

1 Jacana 2 Windpower 3 Ray of Light 1 Jacana 2 Windpower 3 Ray of Light

Michael Kavanagh Iain Park-Ross Hylton Hale

Beneteau 44.7 Landmark 43 GP 42

Michael Kavanagh Iain Park-Ross Hylton Hale

Simonis 35 Simonis 35 L34

William Brooks Luke Scott Dave Garrard

Miura Miura L26

Vitor Medina Klaus Wiswedel Peter Bam

DIVISION 1

Patrick Holloway Phil Gutsche/ Rick Nankin Michael Kavanagh

J133 Landmark 43 Beneteau 44.7

Patrick Holloway Phil Gutsche/ Rick Nankin Michael Kavanagh

Simonis 35 Comfortina 39 Lightwave 395

William Brooks Volker Vierhaus Dave Smith

Miura

Vitor Medina

L26 Miura

Harry Brehm Stefan Hundt

DIVISION 2 1 Regardless 2 Celine IV 3 Touch & Go

Club Summer Series Jan-May 2014 DIVISION 1

1 Regardless 2 Scarlet Sun 3 Nuthr Witch

Beneteau 44.7 Landmark 43 GP 42

J133 Landmark 43 Beneteau 44.7

DIVISION 1

1 Ray of Light 2 Windpower 3 Vulcan

J133 L35 mod Farr 40

Patrick Holloway/Neil Gregory JJ Provoyeur Paul Mare

Simonis 35 Simonis 35 L34

William Brooks Luke Scott Dave Garrard

L26 Miura Astove 30

Peter Bam Vitor Medina John Waller

DIVISION 2

DIVISION 3

DIVISION 2

DIVISION 3 1 ELS FarMed 2 Apricot 3 Hors d’Oeuvre

Beneteau First 44.7 J120 Briand 43

Crocs Summer Regatta Dec 2013

Round Robben Island Pursuit Race Oct 2013

1 Regardless 2 Scarlet Sun 3 Nuthr Witch

Penny Alison Dale Rae Belinda Hayward

L34 Simonis 35 L34

Overall

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One Eighty Ladies’ Race Nov 2013

1 Jacana 2 After You 3 Majimoto II

1 Ray of Light 2 Windpower 3 Vulcan

Bernard Farmer John Little

Round Robben Island Race Jan 2014

DIVISION multihulls 1 Isla 2 Windgat 3 Sea Oyster

Charger 33 Stadt 34

Robbie Van Rooyen Patrick Holloway/Neil Gregory Lood Rabie

DIVISION 3 1 ELS FarMed 2 Phantom 3 Apricot

1 Shadowfax 2 Cloud 9

Farr 38 J133 Bavaria Match 38

DIVISION 3 Spin 1 Hors d’Oeuvre 2 FTI Flyer 3 Reaction

Stephen Farber William Brooks Luke Scott

Cruising Division

DIVISION 2 1 Yolo 2 Freedom 3 Regardless

Jenneau Simonis 35 Simonis 35

Hylton Hale/Johnny Cullum Rick Nankin/Phil Gutsche Kristina Plattner

DIVISION 2 Spin 1 Nuthr Witch 2 Scarlet Sun 3 Lapwing

1 Mojie 2 Regardless 3 Scarlet Sun

GP 42 Landmark 43 Farr 40

DIVISION 1 1 A-L 2 Jacana 3 Sheshisa

Hylton Hale Patrick Holloway Tina Plattner

DIVISION 3

Club Winter Series Jul-Oct 2013 1 Jacana 2 Ray of Light 3 Mwah

GP 42 J133 Farr 40

DIVISION 2

DIVISION 3 1 ELS FarMed 2 Hors d’Oeuvre 3 First Lady

1 Vulcan 2 Jacana 3 Morning Glory

w w w. R c Y c . c o . z a

1 Hors d’Oeuvre 2 ELS Far-med 3 Humdinger

PHOTOGRaPH dave mabin

1 Jacana 2 Ray of Light 3 Vulcan

Lufthansa Twilight Series Jan–Mar 2014 DIVISION 1 Spin 1 Windpower 2 Morning Glory 3 Mwah

Landmark 43 Farr 40 J111

Rick Nankin/Phil Gutsche Kristina Plattner Gordon Kling

J133 Farr 38 Beneteau First 44.7

Patrick Holloway/Neil Gregory Robbie Van Rooyen Michael and Heidi Kavanagh

L34 L34 First class 7.5

Jennifer Burger/Alan Keen Dave Garrard Ralph Thomas

Comfortina 39 Farr 38 Simonis 35

Volker Vierhaus CP van der Merwe William Brooks

L26 Charger 33 RCOD

Peter Bam Keith Mattison Thinus Groenewald

Miura Miura Miura

Vitor Medina Tom Connel Klaus Wiswedel

DIVISION 1 1 Jacana 2 A-L 3 Ray of Light

DIVISION 2 Spin 1 Lapwing 2 Nuthr Witch 3 Always Well

DIVISION 2 1 Celine IV 2 Freedom 3 Regardless

DIVISION 3 Spin 1 Hors d’Oeuvre 2 FTI Flyer 3 Reaction

DIVISION 3 1 ELS FarMed 2 Phantom 3 Apricot

Mykonos Offshore Regatta Feb 2014 IRC

1 Warrior 2 Jacana 3 Vulcan

Simonis 60 J133 GP 42

Phil Gutsche/Rick Nankin Patrick Holloway Hylton Hale/Johnny Cullum

L52 L41 mod Fast 42

Rhett/Glenn Goldswain JJ Provoyeur Andrew Edwards

Simonis 35 L34 Farr 38

Luke Scott Jennifer Burger/Alan Keen CP van der Merwe

Miura Charger 33 Charger 33

Klaus Wiswedel Keith Mattison Bernard Farmer

Division 1 1 Zenith Thunderchild 2 After You 3 One Eighty

Division 2 1 Scarlet Sun 2 Lapwing 3 Freedom

Division 3 1 Apricot 2 FTI Flyer 3 Shadowfax

Midsummer Fling Feb 2014 IRC

1 A-L 2 Vulcan 3 Windpower

Farr 38 GP 42 L43

Robbie van Rooyen Hylton Hale/John Cullum Phil Gutsche/Rick Nankin

L41 mod Beneteau First 44.7 Mount Gay 30

JJ Provoyeur Michael Kavanagh Rodney Tanner

L26 Miura J27

Peter Bam Vitor Medina/ Jorg Wegner Peter Hill

Division 1 1 After You 2 Ray of Light 3 Bad Habit/AE Electrical

Division 2 1 Hors d’Oeuvre 2 ELS FarMed 3 Hill Billy

Seniors’ Race Apr 2014 Overall 1 Over 60 2 Over 70 3 Over 70

A-L Windpower Nuthr Witch

Johan van Rooyen Phil Gutsche Ernie Chicken

Carousel

Hein Schipper

Over 100 1 Over 100

Over 80 1 Over 80 2 Over 80 3 Over 80

RCYC Academy Escape John Connor Nutcracker Dieter Mielke Sheshisa Peter Nicolay

Over 70 1 Over 70 2 Over 70 3 Over 70

Windpower Nuthr Witch Touchwood

Phil Gutsche Ernie Chicken Gerry Hegie

A-L Lapwing Humdinger

Johan van Rooyen Alan Keen John Waller

Over 60 1 Over 60 2 Over 60 3 Over 60

Des Holtman - 083 255 7048 Tel: 021 552 4952 Fax: 021 552 4953 des@marine-electrical.co.za www.dhmarine-electrical.com 11 Tijgerhof, Milnerton, Cape Town

Specializing in Marine Electrical and Electronic Sales, Services & Equipment, Marine Baaeries, Chargers, Generators, Inverters and Alternators.

AC & DC instrument, control panel manufacturing and designs. Electrical installaaons, upgrades, repairs, consultaaon and surveys.

T

SAIL WELCOME RCYC

he Royal Cape Yacht Club has seen a full and exciting season of racing and cruising over the past year. The number of boats on our local waters has increased immensely, showing a renewed interest in our sport on all levels. (For an account of the successful season by the rear commodore of sailing, Luke Scott, see page 12.)

Main – RCYC members were knocked by the news Club championships Inregattas January, of the Offshore events Western Cape circuit RCYC rating/IRC senseless death of their stalwart fellow member and friend, Rob Meek.

Friends pay tribute to this highly respected sailor of our seas on page 60.

DAY JULY AUGUST The world-renowned Cape to Rio race was effectively SEPTEMBER and SUNsuccessfully hosted by RCYC, with the help of a hardworking led by Ray Matthews, the race chairman. When MONcommittee MSC Week 1 you look at the race in numbers (page 50), it shows just how popular the event is, TUE 1 MSC Week 2 how social media can support our sport and, perhaps most important, from Cape Town to Rio is on many people’s ‘bucket lists’! Talk WEDthat sailing 2 MSC Week 3 Club Winter Club Winter Talk From the Formula One-style racers aiming to break records to the THU 3 MSC Week 4 cruising-boat crew who see this is as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, hooks at heart. A full account of this FRIthis race 4 MSC Week all who have sailing 1 5 Gaul Regatta fantastic race can be seen in Sail’s first-ever Cape to Rio special section, SAT 5 Club Winter Race 1 2 6 Gaul Regatta brought to you by First National Bank – a great addition to this, the fifth SUNedition 6 of Sail.

3 7 Gaul Regatta Lighthouse Cruise Sail magazine bids farewell to RCYC Commodore Dale Kushner, MON 7 4 8 who served the club so well for the past two years. We thank you for TUEyour 8support of Sail and your appreciation 5 of the value of 9a dedicated magazine: One that creates pride in belonging to a club of WED 9 6 10like-minded people who prioritise enjoying the one thing they love the most – sailing.

RCYC RaCing CalendaR 2014/2015

10

7

11

FRI

11

8

12

SAT

12 Kling Double-Handed 1

SUN

13

SAIL

SAIL

THU

WED

16

THU

17

FRI

18

SAT

19

SUN

20

MON

21

TUE

00_Cover_RCYC.indd 1

12

15

VOL NO 5 | 2013/2014

15

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E R O YA L C A P E YA C H T C L U B

MONIngrid 14 Hale and the Sail team 11 TUE

ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB

2013/14 Racing Season

To view the digital 13 Kling Double-Handed 3 9 Kling Double-Handed 2 version, go to & Women’s Day Cruise www.issuu.com/sailrcyc 10 14 CAPE TO RIO SPECIAL EDITION W W W. R C YC . C O. Z A 2014/05/21 3:03 PM

16

SAIL

1 2 1 2

3 Lufthansa Twilight 9 & prizegiving 4

3

5

4 Kling Double-Handed 4 & Viglietti/Ferrari 5

1 Italian Ambassador’s Challenge 2

6 Kling Double-Handed 5 7

6

3

8

7

4

9

8 Ladies’ Key Crew Position Race Series

5 Lufthansa Twilight 4

39 Letter from the Commodore 6

10 Ladies’ Key Crew Position Race Series 11

7 IRC Invitational 4 Welcome to Cape Town

12

11 Cape Town Boat Show Opening Cruise 12 Cape Town Boat Show

8 IRC Invitational

13 Crocs Summer Regatta

9 IRC Invitational

14 Crocs Summer Regatta

10 Cape Town Boat Show

8 News and views

12 13 Local sailing round-up 10 14

15 Crocs Summer Regatta

12 Club racing11

16 Crocs Summer Regatta

15 Lufthansa Twilight 1

12 Lufthansa Twilight 5

17

13

18

15

19 Rock-2-Rock Challenge End 20 FBYC Spring Regatta

17

16 Club Winter Race 3

19

23

23 Club Winter Talk

TUE

29

30

THU

& Club Winter Talk 421Cup 1354 | Fax: +27 21 421 6028 31 CONTACT RCYC Tel: +27 28 21 Lipton

PHOTOGRAPH DAVE MABIN

DECEMBER

16

& L26 Prov FBYC Ingrid Hale PUBLISHING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 17 L26 Prov FBYC 21 FBYC Spring Regatta ART DIRECTOR Piers Buckle (Fresh Identity) COPY EDITOR Deidre Donnelly 18 22 ADVERTISING SALES Shirley Roos

26 Lipton Cup

30

SPECIAL THANKS Toni Mainprize, Marcus Reuter, Tiffany Swann, all the marina, bar and 27 Lipton Cupcatering staff.

Email: info@rcyc.co.za | www.rcyc.co.za 29 Lipton Cup

& Rock-2-Rock Start FOR LETTERS AND ENQUIRIES Big Blue Media – Ingrid Hale 30 Club Winter Race 4 Tel: +27 83 309 3895 | Email: bigblu@iafrica.com

SUN

NOVEMBER

17

ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB

FRI

OCTOBER

Short-handed series

18

WED

SAT

Fun PR events

13 Club Winter Talk

T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E

22

Twilight Series

14

CONTRIBUTORS Penny Alison, Nick Baigrie, Mike Bartholomew, 20 24 FBYC Spring Regatta James Blakemore, Harry Brehm, Grant Chapman, Stephan Claassen, Heritage Day Shane Elliot, Des Featherstone, THU 24 Janet Cotton, William Crockett, 21 25 Andrea Giovannini, Hylton Hale, Paul Harding, Dave Hudson, FRI 25 Cup Kushner, Lord Irvine 26 Gordon Kling, Dale Kushner,22DrLipton Bernice Laidlaw, Dave Mabin (cover image), John Maschalk, Matthys SAT 26 Club Winter Series 2 23 Lipton Cup 27Lourens, Judith MacGregor, Toni Mainprize, Ray Matthews, Keith Mattison, Di Meek, SUN Rick 27 Nankin, Seaport Fishing Cruise Cup Markus Reuter, 28 Gill Robinson, Kristina Plattner,24 JJLipton Proveyeur, Luke Scott, Derek Shuttleworth, Gary Sindler, Adrian Spencer Jones, MON 28 25 Lipton Cup 29 Tony Strutt, Robert Van Rooyen, Polla Wasserfall, Trevor Wilkins, Paul Willcox WED

Contents

31

BIG B LUE ME DIA

16 RCYC Sailing Academy 18 Report on IRC racing 14

19

20 Crocs Regatta 15 Volvo In-Port Race

20 Dassen Island Cruise

16 Cruising Weekend

22 Ladies’ Day Race

21 Dassen Island Cruise

17

22

18 Harken RRI 19 20 21

24 Lipton Cup

18

23

27 Midsummer19Fling Lufthansa Twilight 6

22 Lufthansa Twilight 2

24

Volvo Leg Start

23

20 30 Mykonos Offshore Regatta

25 Christmas Day

24

21 32 Yachtport Overnight Race

26 Boxing Day

25 Risk SA Regatta

22 One Eighty

27 Governor’s Cup Start

26

23

28

24

29

Ladies’ Regatta 33 The Royal Cape Yacht Club’s Cape toFBYC Rio race

52 27 Sea the world 28

Reporting on Royal25Capers abroad

29 Lufthansa 26 Lufthansa Twilight 8 56 RCYCTwilight race3 results

30 31

30 27 58 RCYC sailing calendar 31

28 Novamarine Events from July 2014 to June 2015 Overnight Race 29 Novamarine Overnight Race 30

60 Remembering Rob Meek

Tributes to the sailing stalwart

MON C RE ATE

C O LLA B O RATE

CO N N EC T

Eikos Boating Insurance is a specialist provider of boating insurance products ©Royal Cape Yacht Club. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be to the boat owner.

PRINTING Paarl Media Paarl

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be transmitted in any form or by any means,

W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

Tel: 031 584 2600 | Email: hullinsurance@eikos.co.za | Web site: www.eikosboatinginsurance.com

1

electronic or mechanical, without prior permission from the publisher.

Eikos Risk Applications (Pty) Ltd trading as Eikos Boating Insurance is an Authorised Financial Services Provider with license number 481

58

w w w. r c y c . c o . z a

01_ContentsIntro.indd 1

2014/05/22 7:40 AM

SAIL CALendAR RCYC

DAY

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

PHOTOGRAPH trevor wilkins

SUN

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

1 Saldahna Bay Raid

MON

2

1

TUE

3

2

WED

1 RCYC Lipton entries close 2

THU

1 New Year’s Day

4 Lufthansa Twilight 8 & prizegiving 5

FRI

2

6

3 Good Friday

SAT

3

SUN

4

7 Club Summer Series Race 2 8 Pick n Pay Argus Cycle Tour 9

1

3 4

4 Easter Cruise

1 Workers’ Day Lipton sail-off 2

5 6

5 Easter Cruise

3

7 RCYC AGM

MON

5

2

6 Family Day

4

8

TUE

6

3

10

7

5

9

WED

7

4 Lufthansa Twilight 4

11 Flag Officers’ Twilight Race 12

8

6

10

THU

8

5

FRI

9

SAT

10

6 Midsummer Fling Regatta 7 Midsummer Fling Regatta 8 Midsummer Fling Regatta 9

9

7

11

13

10

8

12

14 Kling Double-Handed 3 & MAC 24HR 15 MAC 24HR

11 Club Summer Series Race 3 12

9 Club Summer Series Race 4 10

14

16

13

11

15

17

14

12

16 Youth Day

13 Portugal Day Bay Race

SUN

11

MON

12

TUE

13

WED

14 Lufthansa Twilight 1

11 Lufthansa Twilight 5

18

15

13

17

THU

15

12

19

16

14

18

FRI

16

13

20

17

15

19

10

SAT

17 Kling Double-Handed Race 1

18 Kling Double-Handed Race 4

22

19

16 Kling Double-Handed Race 5 17

20

18

14 Double-Handed Race 2 Clifton Cruise 15

21 Human Rights Day

SUN MON

19

16

23

20

18

22

21

TUE

20

17

24

21 Patent Cup

19

23

WED

21 Lufthansa Twilight 2

18 Lufthansa Twilight 6

25

22 Patent Cup

20

24 Club Winter Talk

THU

22

19

26

23 Patent Cup

21

25

FRI

23

20 Mykonos Offshore

27

24

22

26

23 Esprit de Corps – Simon’s Town 24 Hout Bay Raid

28 Youth Regatta

SAT

24 Harken RRI

21 Mykonos Offshore

28 Seniors’ Race

25 Admiral’s Regatta HBYC

SUN

25

22

29

26 Admiral’s Regatta HBYC

MON

26

23

30

25

29

31

27 Admiral’s Regatta HBYC Freedom Day 28

26

30

TUE

27

24

WED

28 Lufthansa Twilight 3

25 Lufthansa Twilight 7

29

27

THU

29

26

30

28

FRI

30

27

29

SAT

31 Club Summer Series Race 1

28 Saldahna Bay Raid

30 Closing Cruise & club prizegiving 31

SUN

27 Youth Regatta

MON

Are you automatically covered while racing?

1

Always ensure your boat is comprehensively insured

2

Always ensure that the sum insured values for your boat and its equipment are up to standard

3

Know your policy’s navigation limits and advise your broker or insurer when you are sailing beyond these limits w w w. r c y c . c o . z a

59

SAIL RCYC

T Remembering Rob Meek he Royal Cape Yacht Club has seen a full and exciting season of racing and cruising over the past year. The number of boats on our local waters has increased immensely, showing a renewed interest in our sport on all levels. (For an account of the successful season by the rear commodore of sailing, Luke Scott, see page 12.)

In January, RCYC members were knocked by the news of the senseless death of their stalwart fellow member and friend, Rob Meek.

Friends pay tribute to this highly respected sailor of our seas on page 60.

The world-renowned Cape to Rio race was effectively and successfully hosted by RCYC, with the help of a hardworking committee led by Ray Matthews, the race chairman. When you look at the race in numbers (page 50), it shows just how popular the event is, how social media a can support ourvaried sport life and,centred perhaps on most important, ob enjoyed vibrant and sailing and that sailing from Town toand Rio is on many ‘bucket lists’! the sea.

HisCape notebooks diaries arepeople’s filled with drawings From the Formula racers aiming to break to the of yachts, and hisOne-style highly successful career as anrecords architect cruising-boat crew who see this is as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and urban designer focusing on waterfront and marina this race hooks all who have sailing at heart. A full account of this development provided him with opportunities to sail worldwide. fantastic race can be seen in Sail’s first-ever Cape to Rio special section, His parents, George and Peggy, raced a beautiful double-ender in brought to you by First National Bank – a great addition to this, the fifth Tableedition Bay, and Rob and his brothers, Geoff and Steve, were brought up of Sail. as active members of Royal Cape and Zeekoevlei Yacht Dale Clubs.

Theirs Sail magazine bids farewell to RCYC Commodore Kushner, was awho family synonymous South African – most served the club so with well for the past twosailing years. We thankdinghy you for your support of Sail andthe your appreciation of the of aMeeks dedicated or keelboat regattas from 1970s on would findvalue all the magazine:different One thatboats. createsAll pride in belonging to a club of loved like-minded campaigning fiercely competitive, Rob sailing people who prioritise enjoying the one thing theythem. love the most – sailing. with his brothers as much as competing against

Paying tribute to one of SA’s top skippers and navigators who was tragically killed during an armed robbery on 1 January 2014

R

Paul Maré, RCYC president/chairman, SA Ocean Racing Trust “It is seldom in life that one makes the acquaintance of an individual endowed with the unique human qualities I discovered through knowing Rob Meek as a friend, colleague, fellow club member and trustee.

Having worked with him as a colleague in the built environment, including the planning and development of the V&A Waterfront, I had come to respect him for his structured, creative thinking. His passing is a great loss to our club, and to the greater community of Cape Town.”

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E R O YA L C A P E YA C H T C L U B VOL NO 5 | 2013/2014

CAPE TO RIO SPECIAL EDITION W W W. R C YC . C O. Z A

2014/05/21 3:03 PM

SAIL T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E

ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB

Rob was awarded National Colours for sailing four times: PUBLISHING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ingrid Hale • 1977 Fireball Worlds, Cork, Ireland (skipper) ART DIRECTOR Piers Buckle (Fresh Identity) • 1981 Half-Ton World Championships, Poole, UK, COPY EDITOR Deidre Donnelly on yacht Gwaap (navigator) ADVERTISING SALES Shirley Roos • 1990 Winner of Sigma 39 Class Cowes Week, UK (navigator) CONTRIBUTORS Penny Alison, Nick Baigrie, Mike Bartholomew, • 2006James Blakemore, Winner (handicap andBrehm, line honours) of the South Atlantic Race, Harry Grant Chapman, Stephan Claassen, Cape toJanet Cotton, Bahia, Brazil,William on Windsong Crockett,(skipper) Shane Elliot, Des Featherstone, Andrea Giovannini, Hylton Hale, Paul Harding, Dave Hudson, Gordonhighlights Kling, Dale Kushner, Rob’s career include:Dr Bernice Kushner, Lord Irvine Laidlaw, Dave Mabin (cover image), John Maschalk, Matthys Lourens, • 1979 Fastnet Race as navigator for the Irish Admirals Cup team Judith MacGregor, Toni Mainprize, Ray Matthews, Keith Mattison, Di Meek, aboard Inishanier, when extreme storm conditions took Gill theRobinson, lives of Rick Nankin, Kristina Plattner, JJ Proveyeur, Markus Reuter, Luke Scott, Derek Shuttleworth, Gary Sindler, Adrian Spencer Jones, 15 sailors Tony Strutt, Robert VanCape Rooyen, Wasserfall, Trevor Wilkins, Paul Willcox • 1970, 1976 and 1993 toPolla Rio races • 1998 Delivery CapeToni Town to Tortola, British Virgin Isles, with SPECIALfrom THANKS Mainprize, Marcus Reuter, Tiffany Swann, all the marina, barfamilies and catering staff. brother Geoff and their respective • 1987, 1989, 1991 RCYC and 2004 Mauritius to Durban races CONTACT Tel: +27 21 421 1354 | Fax: +27 21 421 6028 Email: info@rcyc.co.za | www.rcyc.co.za

PHOTOGRAPH DAVE MABIN

In 62 FOR years, Rob generously gave back theMedia sport– as an Hale LETTERS AND ENQUIRIES Bigto Blue Ingrid administrator andTel: volunteer.

As3895 an office bearer at Zeekoevlei and +27 83 309 | Email: bigblu@iafrica.com RCYC, he served on several race committees, most recently the RCYC BIG B LUE ME DIA sailing committee and the South African Ocean Racing Trust. He wrote about sailing for newspapers and magazines, was involved in sail training, and assisted South Africa’s Team Shosholoza in Valencia, Spain, during the 2007 America’s Cup. What Rob cherished most about PRINTING Paarl Media Paarl sailing were the people.

They were among his greatest companions. ©Royal Cape Yacht Club. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be Rob was also the perfect father to Louise and Claudia (pictured), reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic to or mechanical, prior permission from the publisher. and loving husband Di for overwithout 31 years.

60

C O LLA B O RATE

CO N N EC T

Dale Kushner, RCYC commodore “Rob RCYC andthe the sport in many capacities, and his passion for 3 served Letter from Commodore safe offshore sailing has contributed to the sport and will continue to.”

4 Welcome to Cape Town

Richard Crockett, editor, SA Sailing magazine 8 News and views “Rob was softly spoken, kind, gentle and exceptionally knowledgeable about of sailing.

He was respected and admired as he was 12 every Localaspect sailing round-up simply one of the best sailors around – he sailed to win, yet played fair.

12 is Club Our sport poorerracing for his loss and the wisdom he brought to it.”

16 RCYC Sailing Academy

Rick Nankin “Rob’s 18 racingReport record and on achievements IRC racingwere many, including sailing and winning in some really prestigious and famous events around the Crocs Regatta world. 20 His seemingly laid-back attitude belied the fact that he was a successful, competitive, driven person who was extremely capable 22 Ladies’ Day Race and switched on about so many subjects.”

24 Lipton Cup Phil Gutsche 27 Midsummer Fling “Rob was one of South Africa’s most successful yachtsmen. He was modest, humble, yet so successful in sailing and in life. Rob 30 Mykonos Offshore Regatta was respected as a true gentleman and, above all, for his coolness 32 Yachtport Overnight Race and integrity.”

33 The Royal Cape Yacht Club’s Cape to Rio race

Gordon Kling “Rob’s overall brilliance, 52 Sea the worldunderstanding, enthusiasm and mentorship made for a friendship that will endure forever.”

Reporting on Royal Capers abroad

56 Abromowitz RCYC race results David “Only a few of the people I’ve met over the last 60 years in sailing 58 RCYC sailing calendar circles have left an indelible mark on me. Robbie was one.”

Events from July 2014 to June 2015

Felix 60 Unite Remembering Rob Meek “Rob was such compelling company, with his acute mind and offbeat Tributes to the sailing stalwart sense of humour. He was full of surprises and found unusual solutions to life’s challenges.”

Andrew Flint, partner at Gapp Architechts and Urban Designers “Rob has left a legacy that will be long remembered and respected. His life stands as a beacon to us all to live life W to W theWfull and .RC Y Cstrive . C O . to Z Aadd 1 our best through innovation, commitment and enthusiasm.”

PHOTOGRAPH supplied

SAIL

ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB

2013/14 Racing Season

C RE ATE

Contents Tributes to Rob

Rob’s log of his competitive offshore sailing experience locallySAIL and internationally from 1970 to the end of 2013Tototalled 700 nautical view the76 digital miles. If his dedicated commitment to club championships version, go toand fun www.issuu.com/sailrcyc social events were added, Rob’s log would be hundreds of times greater.

Recorded hisand RYAthe and Yachtmaster’s certification, the log is Ingridfor Hale SailSA team typically understated and gives no indication of his many victories and achievements in some of the world’s most prestigious events, the respect he enjoyed as one of South Africa’s top skippers and navigators, or his passion for a sport that gave him so much joy and lifelong friendships.

00_Cover_RCYC.indd 1

SAIL WELCOME RCYC

w w w. r c y c . c o . z a

01_ContentsIntro.indd 1

2014/05/22 7:40 AM

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