SAIL Magazine Vol 6

SAIL ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

2014/15 Racing Season

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SAIL WELCOME RCYC

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t has been another truly remarkable year of sailing in the Royal Cape Yacht Club’s playground, Table Bay. In this issue of Sail, we focus on local club sailing, which boasts many new regattas and races, record participation and a general good feeling where the growth of sailing is concerned.

We also look at the high level of talent competing in our racing divisions and how this talent is recognised worldwide – to such an extent, our sailors are being invited to sail with impressive international campaigns. This stems from the hard work of many individuals and organisations who have concentrated on ‘upping the game’, which can mostly be seen in our IRC fleet racing, where local teams have raced against international teams made up of the professionals these types of teams attract. We’ve had a five-year run of this massive ‘take-out factor’, and the dividends are now paying off.

As the official host club for the Cape Town stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race, the Club was proud to provide essential services to ensure a successful series of inshore races and the start of Leg 2 to Abu Dhabi.

This lucky Ed got to work with Team SCA as the communications manager for media and events for the CT stopover. Overall, the event was a great learning experience for all of us fortunate enough to be involved.

Such opportunities help us better our understanding of what is needed to provide world-class racing, host world-class events and be an integral part of a well-oiled machine.

Let’s toast to a fantastic 2014/15 sailing season!

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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

PUBLISHING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ingrid Hale ART DIRECTOR Piers Buckle (Fresh Identity) COPY EDITOR Deidre Donnelly ADVERTISING SALES Shirley Roos CONTRIBUTORS Mike Bartholomew, James Blakemore, David Booth, Harry Brehm, William Brooks, Janet Cotton, William Crockett, Henry Daniels, David Elcock, Charlie Enright, Bruce Parker Forsythe, Andrea Giovannini, Phil Gutsche, Hylton Hale, Simon Hayes, Alan Heafele, Dave Hudson, Roger Hudson, Lord Irvine Laidlaw, Nick Leggatt, Toni Mainprize, Liz Matthews, Ray Matthews, Vitor Medina, Di Meek, Geoff Meek, Paul Morris, Chris Nankin, Rick Nankin, David Rae, Mark Sadler, Vincent Schioppa, Luke Scott, Derek Shuttleworth, Robert Van Rooyen, Polla Wasserfall, Charmaine Wharburton, Trevor Wilkins, Paul Willcox SPECIAL THANKS Toni Mainprize, Marcus Reuter, all the marina, bar and catering staff.

CONTACT RCYC Tel: +27 21 421 1354 | Fax: +27 21 421 6028 Email: info@rcyc.co.za | www.rcyc.co.za

PHOTOGRAPH MARCOS MENDEZ

4 Welcome to Cape Town 8 News and views

VOL NO 6 | 2014/2015

Ingrid Hale and the Sail team

2014/15 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

FOR LETTERS AND ENQUIRIES Big Blue Media – Ingrid Hale Tel: +27 83 309 3895 | Email: bigblu@iafrica.com BIG B LUE M E DIA CO L L A BO R AT E

3 Letter from the Commodore

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ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB

CR E AT E

Contents

CO N N ECT

16 RCYC Sailing Academy 18 Club racing 24 Local sailing regattas 24 Mykonos Offshore Regatta 27 Novamarine Rob Meek Overnight Race 28 Midsummer Fling 30 Summer Regattas 33 Lipton Cup 34 Women’s sailing 37 IRC racing 43 Volvo Ocean Race 52 Coast to coast Royal Capers adventures abroad

60 RCYC sailing calendar Events from July 2015 to June 2016

63 RCYC race results

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. Sail aims to provide accurate and up-to-date information. Information is given in good faith, and is believed to be correct at the time of publication.

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SAIL RCYC

Letter from the commodore

PHOTOGRAPH DAVE MABIN

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he past year has included many highlights that indicate, once again, that the Royal Cape Yacht Club is the foremost yacht club in Southern Africa.

Each year it seems the seasonal southeaster blows for longer and harder, but this doesn’t dampen the spirits of our sailors – in fact, it does exactly the opposite. Our sailing calendar expands and the standard of sailing at all levels rises. This will become evident as you review the sailing reports included in this magazine.

What, then, makes the RCYC such a special place and keeps it relevant? It’s all about participation, and for this we need to cater to all segments of our community.

I am pleased to report that for the third year in a row, our membership has continued to grow. The membership and marketing

portfolio, led by the Vice Commodore Vitor Medina, is among our most important.

Under the leadership of Harry Brehm, the Royal Cape Sailing Academy continues to make waves within the sailing community. His blend of sail training and life-skills coaching has meant that our students have increasingly contributed to life at the club.

An academy team sailing under the Zeekoevlei burgee came second to the Royal Cape team at Lipton 2014!

Sailing in our fleet of four L26s, the teams train on Saturdays or take part in club-sailing events helmed by the students who now hold South African skippers’ tickets. All this wouldn’t be possible without the generous contributions of our sponsors: the Jewish Maritime League (JML), the Ozinsky Family Trust, an anonymous club donor, Lotto, SAORT, and the Italian Embassy. With the next Cape to Rio coming up in January 2017, we’re hoping to enter an academy team on a competitive boat.

Once again our sailors have had an amazing year on the local and international scene. A young team lead by Andrea Giovannini won the Manhattan Yacht Club Dennis Connor Invitational Cup

“The past year has included many highlights that indicate, once again, that the Royal Cape Yacht Club is the foremost yacht club in Southern Africa.” racing J24s. David Rae and his team won the J22 Worlds sailed at the Vaal Dam. Greg Davis and Dave Rae then went on to win the 2014 Lipton Challenge Cup in False Bay, and will defend the Cup in Table Bay in July.

For our social members, some new traditions are being created. On the first Sunday of the month jazz can be heard on the deck, coupled with some culinary delights from our Galley. Every Friday night the club is abuzz with diners eagerly awaiting the lucky draw. In addition, many NGOs and social clubs use our facilities as a special meeting venue.

We celebrated the centenary of our Royal Charter with a gala dinner in the main hall. The club was decked out in all its glory, with the original burgee and ensign flying. All the memorabilia was laid out, the cannons were fired, the silverware was put out, and more than sufficient toasts and speeches were made in honour of the celebration.

The club requires a dedicated, professional staff, which we have. They are led by general manager Marcus Reuter, and I would like to thank thank them and him for their unstinting efforts this year.

To all the elected committee members – the president, trustees, flag officers, committee members, subcommittee members and volunteers at all levels – thank you for serving Royal Cape.

To the members of RCYC, it is a pleasure to serve you. Thank you for your overwhelming support.

Yours in sailing, Ray Matthews RCYC commodore

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SAIL RCYC

Cape Town welcomes you

Enver Duminy CEO of Cape Town Tourism @enverduminy

PHOTOGRAPH DAVE MABIN

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s a port city, Cape Town shares a rich history with the sea. With the Atlantic and Indian Oceans lapping at our shores, we owe so much of our deep cultural heritage to the deep-blue sea – it has helped define us as a city and a people.

As much as the oceans add to our past, so do they shape our future. Our working harbours drive the economy, Simon’s Town continues to be an important base for the South African Navy, and the waters provide a wealth of activities for the tourism industry to draw on, with everything from sunset cruises to leisure sports. We also continue to welcome global travellers through our ports as visitors arrive on cruise ships and professional yachtsman stop off in the city through international races, such as the Cape to Rio and the Volvo Ocean Race. The Volvo, in particular, generated huge excitement during its time in Cape Town late last year, with the Race Village at the V&A Waterfront a hive of activity. The Mother City was the first stopover, and participants and spectators combined to make it a seamless and successful event.

Coastal towns, with their long and illustrious heritage, such as Simon’s Town, Kalk Bay, Muizenberg and Fish Hoek, all have a story to tell. With their unique cultural mix, they offer a huge variety of attractions and sites to see. But don’t stop there. There is so much more to discover and explore beyond our shorelines. Dig just a little bit deeper and you’ll find a city alive with possibility!

Start with the big sights, such as Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront, Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden, Cape Point, Robben Island and Groot Constantia. But if you really want to unlock the city, use its best source of information – its people.

The locals are what make the Mother City tick. They’re the most welcoming and warm you’ll ever find. Talk shop with the flower sellers in Adderley Street, haggle with the local artists at Greenmarket Square, share a coffee with a Woodstock barista, or a glass of wine with a sommelier at one of the city’s many fabulous wine farms. Travel like a local, because it is here that you will discover the real magic.

Welcome to our neighbourhood. We hope you enjoy your stay!

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on the water

U N F O R G E T TA B L E M O M E N T S

SAIL RCYC

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PHOTOGRAPH MARCOS MENDEZ/EFE

he oceans surrounding us at the southernmost tip of Africa are deeply interwoven in the rich tapestry of our city’s history. They are a constant reminder of the intrepid seafarers who found their way to our shores over the centuries, searching for a new life. In so doing, they contributed much to our great city’s diversity and heritage.

Today, the Royal Cape Yacht Club continues to embody this heritage. The Club provides a welcome berth for members of the local and international sailing fraternity, and has played an active role in promoting youth sailing over the past years.

In doing so, they contribute to our collective endeavour to build an inclusive city, in which all our residents can feel a sense of belonging as they come together to participate in a variety of activities.

RCYC is also host to a number of prestigious international events, such as the Cape to Rio and South Atlantic Races.

During these events our city becomes a stage, with the whole world as its audience. Such events help us realise our goal of making Cape Town the events capital of Africa, and I would like to thank the Royal Cape Yacht Club for sharing in this vision and working actively towards it.

We are also encouraged by the enthusiasm with which the Club has embraced the opportunity to change the lives of previously disadvantaged youths. The young people who have benefitted from this chance to train as sailors have acquired a skill that has opened up many doors for them, with some going on to participate in international sailing events.

We believe that progress is made possible when we work together. We thank the Royal Cape Yacht Club not only for their role in positioning Cape Town as a leading events capital, but also for their contribution to making it a more inclusive city.

Patricia de Lille Executive Mayor of Cape Town @PatriciaDeLille

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THE BEST OF TIMES

A CENTENARY CELEBRATION

RCYC Commodore Ray Matthews toasts RCYC’s 100-year history Sometimes it’s good to look back and review what RCYC has achieved and celebrate major milestones. The year 1914 saw many firsts − then-new innovations that today are run of the mill: The first scheduled airline service (the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line); Charlie Chaplin’s first film (Making a Living); the first non-direct blood transfusion from stored blood; the first electric traffic lights (in Cleveland, Ohio)… and, by the end of the year, the First World War. In May 1914, as a result of work done by then Commodore Herbert Warington Smyth and Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, Sir Herbert Gladstone, King George V of England granted our club a Royal Charter, and so the Royal Cape Yacht Club came into existence.

To celebrate this historic occasion, on 21 November 2014, 150 members and guests were treated to a formal dinner at the club, which was decked out with all its finest cutlery, crockery and glassware.

The trophies were polished and laid out for us to enjoy, and historic 8

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paintings and pictures formed a grand gallery to put us in a historic mood as we enjoyed a welcome sherry.

The master of ceremonies, David Abromowitz, a past commodore, was in fine fettle as he led us through the protocols that have lasted over the years, starting with the lowering of the original ensign of our club (which has not been used since 1961), and the firing of our club cannon.

There were many toasts and speeches by various dignitaries from the City of Cape Town, the British Council and RCYC President Paul Maré. These were followed by a highly entertaining speech by the guest of honour, sailing journalist Bob Fisher. With the passing of the port, there were final toasts to South Africa, our Club and Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. The club staff should be congratulated on organising the splendid evening with excellence. It’s clear that custodians of the club over the last 100 years would be proud of the club they created.

SAIL NEWS & VIEWS RCYC

Want to join?

It’s easy! To apply online, simply go to www.rcyc.co.za and complete the online membership form.

PHOTOGRAPH DAVE MABIN

LASS BUT NOT LEAST

The Royal Cape Lass was christened at an informal ceremony at the club recently. She is a Magnum 780, built by Two Oceans Marine, and will serve as the club’s committee boat. She was purchased entirely from a generous donation from club member Lord Irvine Laidlaw (pictured far right, with Luke Scott), after a 10-month review of over 30 vessels.

She is powered by two 200hp Yamahas, and sports a galley with fridge and stove, enclosed heads, and a comfortable, well-protected cabin. She has a flying bridge and a sun cover over the open aft deck.

She’ll certainly be comfortable for the bridge!

She’ll be fitted with a powerful windlass, plenty of sturdy chain, and an appropriate anchor for the ground conditions in our bay.

Sophisticated race management and navigational software is being investigated for use with our sailing programme. She has a Category B Certificate of Fitness for eight people, cleared for offshore passage up to 40 miles from the coast. Feel free to check her out, and do volunteer your time to the bridge anytime you’re not sailing!

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VIVA ITALIA

Ray Matthews reports back on the second annual Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Regatta, held in November

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n 2013, I was invited to the Italian Ambassador’s residence in Cape Town for an Opening of Parliament cocktail party. Ambassador Vincenzo Schioppa chatted about his family’s involvement with the founding of the Naples Yacht Club. He mentioned that while he was in Australia, he assembled the consular corps to host a regatta. On the spur of the moment, he asked if I could arrange a similar regatta.

Not to be outdone by our rivals in the antipodes, I accepted, knowing RCYC’s capabilities. Vincenzo must be a man of action for, in his speech a little later that evening, he announced to the assembled Consular Corps that later in the year, he and Royal Cape would host a friendship regatta in Table Bay, and proceeds would go to development sailing.

The format this year was similar to the inception regatta in that all consul corps representatives are invited to pay for a seat on one of our yachts. The funds collected go towards paying incidentals, and the ambassador hosts an alfresco dinner at his residence for paying guests and yacht-owners. Various sponsors also contribute to the Italian flavour of race day.

Also in town that weekend was the opening of the Volvo Ocean Race Village at the V&A Waterfront, and VOR agreed that we could use their VIP centre to host the Italian Ambassador’s prizegiving.

For the regatta, the weather was marginal, but the 29 boat-owners all felt comfortable to take guests out without spinnakers. A course of

14.6 miles was set using harbour and Royal Cape marks. The pursuit format had the slower boats start first, with the rest of the fleet starting at timed intervals. This method helps the more cautious skippers on the start line, and the slower boats get to ‘mix it’ with the faster boats when, or if, they pass.

Out on the course, the racing was fast and furious, and some boats got tangled up with a ship going around Landfall Buoy. But the RCYC Sailing Academy team, on Regardless, came in ahead of Jacana (with the ambassador onboard), and the final podium-taker, Scarlet Sun. All yachts then rafted up outside The Table Bay Hotel as part of the opening of the Volvo Race Village. The prizegiving in the newly commissioned VIP centre rounded off a great event. In such an ideal setting, all boat-owners and their partners and guests enjoyed the congenial hospitality of our host the ambassador, who sustained us with fine Italian fare. The Izivunguvungu youth band, under the leadership of Mike Oldham, entertained us.

Packed picnic dinners were supplied to all competitors to enjoy on the yachts while the opening ceremony was underway, but this was dampened by a roaring southeaster, which saw all yachts returning to Royal Cape.

With thanks to the Italian ambassador for hosting the event and for the generous donation to Isivunguvungu and the RCYC Sailing Academy.

IT’S GOOD TO GIVE

Liz Matthews reports back on the annual Commodore’s Wife’s Tea in aid of the Where Rainbows Meet Training & Development Foundation

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he yearly Commodore’s Wife’s Tea charity event was hosted by RCYC on 14 March 2015 − and what an incredible afternoon we had!

We were alerted to the needs of this year’s charity, Where Rainbows Meet, by RCYC member Brenda Cheverton. At the tea, marketing volunteer for the NPO, Gill Atkins, spoke about the work they do and showed pictures of their many activities.

Where Rainbows Meet is a training and development foundation in Vrygrond, near Muizenberg. Mymoena Scholtz, who was also with us, started this project some seven years ago, working from an old car.

In an area rife with poverty, unemployment, drug and alcohol addiction, and violence against women and children, Mymoena saw there was a great need for help to be given to men, women and children.

The foundation offers the following: • A crèche for some 70 children – many come from poor and abusive backgrounds, and some suffer from Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or are HIV-positive.

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SAIL NEWS & VIEWS RCYC

From the Italian ambassador’s desk Many years ago, as young Italian Consul in Australia, a love of sailing and passion for the sea and seamanship brought me to establish a charity and social regatta in Perth, the Italian Consul’s Cup, which is run to this day.

It is the same enthusiasm and passion that I found here, in South Africa, in the experience and extraordinary work of the coaches and young sailors of the Izivunguvungu Sailing School, part of a foundation for disadvantaged youth in the Cape. Operating in the Simon’s Town harbour area, and supported by the South African Navy (SAN) and the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the school offers young students the opportunity to become involved in the sailing community and develop professional sailing skills.

This is why I decided to support them in sharing the values of seamanship, solidarity and sport with underprivileged communities here, with the aim to further strengthen the fraternal relations between Italians and South Africans. And so the Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy was born! This exciting adventure was made possible by the Royal Cape Yacht Club. My good friends, Commodore Ray Matthews and the dynamic events manager, Toni Mainprize, were immediately enthusiastic about the idea. So the RCYC is now the home of the Perennial Trophy, which has a beautiful logo made of Italian mosaic.

On the occasion of the first edition, in 2013, we also promoted the twinning of the RCYC with the oldest, most glorious sailing and rowing club in Italy – the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia of Naples, of which a member of my family was among the founders.

The second edition of the Italian Ambassador’s Perennial regatta, held in November 2014, was an outstanding success! More than 30 yachts made waves in the amazing sea in front of Table Mountain.

Those involved included sports champions, artists, businesspeople, sailing enthusiasts and, most importantly, the young sailors from the RCYC Sailing Academy and the Izivunguvungu School.

The Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy Regatta 2015 will mark my last year as the Italian ambassador in South Africa, but the feelings of friendship, integration and solidarity that we were able to create and share with the young South African sailors will remain as a witness to the extraordinary togetherness that has been created between our countries.

I trust that my successors will keep the flame high and visible, alongside our friends of the Cape. − Vincenzo Schioppa, ambassador of Italy to South Africa

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Thanks, too, to our generous sponsors:

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PHOTOGRAPHS DAVE MABIN & TREVOR WILKINS

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A centre that provides computer-skills training free to the unemployed by day and, for a small fee, to the employed at night.

A feeding scheme for children, the sick and elderly. A vegetable garden provides employment for five local people and fresh, home-grown produce to the kitchen.

Advice on nutrition, family planning and HIV/Aids prevention.

Individual counselling and courses cover abuse and addiction.

A children’s playground and after-school care, with activities to keep kids off the streets (there are five football teams and a dance team).

A sewing centre where the women are taught sewing and beading.

A depot for clothing and household goods.

RCYC President Paul Maré drew the raffle tickets, helped by Brigette Walker and Charmaine Warburton, to many whoops.

Afterwards, we adjourned to buy items made by the women of Where Rainbows Meet’s Siyazenzela Sewing & Beadwork Project and to socialise on the terrace and veranda. My heartfelt thanks to our staff and helpers: Brigette, Natasha Benson, Micky van Der Pitte, Toni Mainprize, chef Fagan Basson and his team – Riaan Bezuidenoudt, Wesley Young − and our catering staff. Thanks also go out to Jacqui Brand of Sharp Sharp knitwear and her team, and Charmaine and our little models, who were absolutely fabulous! In all, we raised R5 000.

Indigo Brands Limnos Bakers Fragrance Boutique Addis Froggitt The Linen Corporation Event Decor All Events Hire Mullers Optometrists City Sightseeing Cape Town Jacqui Brand Sharp Sharp Knitwear Charmaine Warburton Hans Jürgen Steinicke Rocket Signs RCYC Galley Tranquility Beauty Salon Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Schnetler’s Inc Attorneys (Belinda van Niekerk-Scholtz)

Yachtmaster Sailing School Club Mykonos Resort Distell Two Oceans Aquarium Good Hope Sailing Academy Associated Media Publishing (Ingrid Hale) Media24 (A. Mayman) Buggs Bernice Kushner FastNet (Duncan Ellison) Ray Matthews – Delheim wines Dave Mabin – photography Ecoco (D Mendes) Stringbead Heidi Vollmer Premier Hotels & Resorts Richard’s Supper Stage & Bistro W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

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SAIL NEWS & VIEWS RCYC

FOND FAREWELL

Heartfelt thanks to a functions co-ordinator extraordinaire It hardly took long to find Brigette Walker’s personnel file within the club records − it was by far the thickest staff file on record! This is perhaps the simplest evidence of the history shared between the Royal Cape Yacht Club and one of its most cherished members of staff.

Trying to encapsulate the essence of that relationship, which spanned well over 25 years, is a hard task.

Fortunately, I’ve had some help from a handful of members who have served alongside Brigette over this period. I’ll begin by looking back…

Brigette joined RCYC on 17 December 1990, fulfilling the role of general assistant until October 1997, when she was thrust with the responsibility of the Club’s Galley and bar centres of business. While memory of this period may be distant, I have no doubt that Brigette embraced this role with the same enthusiasm and commitment she continued to display years later.

Brigette assisted in various roles over the next decade, until 2004, when she was made club function co-ordinator. In this role, she found her true passion for customer relations and banqueting, and made a name for herself as being unflappable. Brigette, your departure will leave us heavy-hearted. You’ve built the banqueting business to its current outstanding quality – the Club and its members will be poorer without you.

Bon voyage, on behalf of the RCYC family…

Brigette’s parting words: “I must say that I’m going to miss the staff, who I’ve worked with for years and are always so obliging when it comes to setting up functions – they never complain when I feel that the tables are too tight and we have to move things around until I am finally happy. I wish the person taking over my job all the best − and please, look after my regular clients as they are very special to me.”

DREAM BIG

Commodore Ray Matthews and Councillor Gareth Bloor at the Royal Cape 2014 opening cruise

Some Gencom members answer the question...

PHOTOGRAPHS TREVOR WILKINS

“Which sailing race, regatta or cruise is on your bucket list?”

Ray Matthews, commodore: “The Rio Olympics 2016. I can think of no better place to spend a few days watching the best sailors in the world compete.”

Vitor Medina, vice commodore: “To charter a yacht and spend six months cruising the Med. I’d start off in Portugal, as it’s my heritage and rich in sailing culture. From there, I’d sail the coast of Spain, Greece, Turkey and… by this time I’m sure to be broke!”

Derek Shuttleworth: “My hope is never to need a bucket list, but if I had one, it would include a return to Cuba, where I spent several months sailing the North Coast. It’s a unique place, like stepping back 60 years in time. The country boasts the most incredibly friendly people, and the opportunity to experience Cuba as it is now will soon disappear as America is relaxing its sanctions. Anyone intending to sail the Caribbean should visit. Be prepared to spend many months exploring.”

Charmaine Warburton: “Definitely not a Cape to Rio race – too hectic.

Maybe a cruise in the Carribean with my family, rather.”

David Elcock: “I’d like to do Antigua Sailing Week, the BCI Regatta and a couple more Atlantic crossings.”

Robert van Rooyen: “The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.”

Polla Wasserfall: “I’d have to say my 10th good old-fashioned Double Cape Yacht Race.”

Luke Scott: “I’m still pretty young to be contemplating bucket lists… so a 20-year-plus fast-forward forecast of sailing goes a bit like this: 2033/34 [depending on the race date]: Qualify for my first oldies’ race at RCYC. 2034: Take my daughter Filipa, the club’s current youngest member, on her twenty-first birthday cruise.

2035: Take my daughter Anna, the club’s soon-to-be youngest member, on her twenty-first birthday cruise.

2054: Join the IRC Cape Summer circuit as an octogenarian.

2074 or after: Have a bucket of my cremated ashes sprinkled in the bay we all love so much.

Alan Haefele: “An easy cop-out to this question would be to say I want to cruise in some unusual and exotic place that I haven’t been to yet. Well, I’ve been fortunate to have cruised in many parts of the world. I certainly want to do more cruising, but top of my bucket list is to win a Round Robben Island pursuit race – in fact, any pursuit race will do. Why? Because all my RCYC cruiser buddies say it can’t be done in my old cruising boat… Watch this space! All I need is massive wind in the morning, no wind in the afternoon, Ian Walker or Bouwe Bekking onboard (I’ll settle for Hylton Hale or Greg Davis), and a bit of luck.

Ha Ha! Clearly, the most important thing to have on your bucket list is to develop a sense of humour before you ‘kick it’.”

William Brooks: “First on the list would be a Cape to Rio, hopefully in 2017 and ideally with my son, Alexander, as part of the crew.

Second would be a Cowes Week with a bunch of sailing mates.

Third, a Caribbean cruise with the whole family.”

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SAIL RCYC NEWS & VIEWS

WITH THANKS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS Veronica Miller Diane Brown Andre Fredericks Bianca Kraft Mathina Schmidt Dave Blewett Liz Matthews John Connor Deon Miller Jo-Anne Lambrechts Main regattas Luke Scott Doug Alison Judy Alison Rick Nankin Derek Shuttleworth Ray Matthews Vitor Medina Robert van Rooyen Patrick Holloway Jacqui Brand Di Hutton-Squire Neville Norton Di Norton David Booth Jendo Ocensak Driving and mark laying Toni de Villiers Dave Garrard Ian Kennedy Jennifer Hutton Trevor Wilkins Dave Mabin Harry Brehm 14

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Twilight racing and double-handed bridge Twilight racing bridge/Seniors’ Race/ IRC Nationals Twilight racing bridge Twilight racing bridge/IRC Nationals Twilight racing bridge Twilight racing bridge/IRC Nationals Twilight racing bridge/Round Robben Island Twilight racing bridge/mark laying Double-handed bridge/IRC Nationals Double-handed & Club bridge Double-handed bridge & other bridge duties Double-handed bridge & other bridge duties

Race chairman, Inter-professional/Ladies Regatta/twilight racing Race Officer, Youth Regatta/Volvo Bridge Assistant, Midsummer Fling & Cape to Rio Race chairman, Midsummer Fling Race chairman, Mykonos Regatta Race chairman, Seniors’ Race /Italian Ambassador’s/bridge/mark laying Race chairman, Portugal Day Race chairman, Summer Regatta Race chairman, RiskSA Regatta Seniors’ Race Race officer, IRC Nationals Race officer, Mykonos Mykonos bridge Race chairman, Overnight Race Supply and management of Volvo committee boat Driving & mark laying, Seniors’ Race/ Midsummer Fling Driving & mark laying, Midsummer Fling Driving & mark laying, Youth Regatta Mark laying Photographer Photographer Race chairman, Youth Regatta

CLUB CHAMPS RESULTS March ’15 February ’15

Mike Hayton, sailor of the month (Nitro, Mykonos).

Robert van Rooyen on A-L for winning the IRC Cape Summer Yacht Racing Series January ’15 No meeting, no allocation December ’14 No meeting, no allocation November ’14 Hylton Hale and Johnny Cullum on Vulcan for winning IRC 0 at IRC Nationals October ’14 James Blakemore on Music for his sailing achievements overseas September ’14 Kenwyn Daniels for his achievements building up to the team win at the Lipton Cup August ’14 Duncan Matthews for his achievements with successful campaigns and his team win in New York July ’14 Daniel Agulhas for his role as skipper for RCYC in the L26 Nationals in MSC Week June ’14 No allocation May ’14 Dave Rae, Guido Verhovert and Trevor Spilhaus for their win of the J22 Worlds April ’14 John Connor for his services to RCYC sailing and his win of the Seniors’ Race (over 80s) PLEASE NOTE: These results were up to date at the time of going to press – they are not final. There is still one more race to count – on Saturday, 9 May (the Glacier by Sanlam Summer Series).

PHOTOGRAPHS DAVE MABIN

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Learning the ropes Harry Brehm, manager of the RCYC Sailing Academy, on how they’re getting more young people into yachting and showing them how sailing can become a way of life

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This was by no means an easy task, but after the four-month programme, they’d learnt the basics. Since we have to teach these basics to the novices, the other students don’t always have the best chances of improving their sailing skills further. It puts strain on our instructor-skippers and impacts the students’ progress. So, to cater for all the sailing levels of our students, the Academy committee decided to fund a start-up dinghy-training course for the absolute newbies to do before they get integrated into our academy programme. A certain level of skills will help them enter the programme, and also ease the pressure on our skippers when we take students out to sea.

Unfortunately, our feeder programme from the Zeekoevlei training centre didn’t work that well during the last 12 months. They’re struggling for funding and don’t have a clear plan for the future. To keep the Zeekoevlei Sailing Centre (ZVSC) functional, we’ve offered the funding to get 25 new students into sailing and, possibly, filter through 10 students into the RCYC programme. We’ll monitor our partnership with ZVSC closely to ensure that our funds are used in the right places.

Event highlights Our students compete in all the major regattas, either using Academy boats or crewing on bigger boats. After a jam-packed regatta season, most boat-owners take it easy during the Cape’s winter. With the Lipton Challenge sail-off in May, the Youth Regatta in June and the Lipton Cup Challenge in July, there’s hardly time to slack off. There’s a solid build-up to the Lipton Challenge 2015, and since all these events will be held on our doorstep, at the RCYC, it makes student participation manageable.

During the last Lipton Cup, our students received the highest praise of all competing teams and nothing less than three standing ovations at the prizegiving. I’ve never experienced anything like it, and I’m sure our students will remember it for a long time. To get our academy team ready to compete with the best teams in 2015 again, we started our Lipton selection process in January. We also have have a long-term training programme in place, and we will promote a girls’ team for Lipton 2015, if they aquire the needed racing skills.

Apart from the fantastic runner-up position our team placed in Lipton 2014, our students enjoyed other highlights. Three of our

PHOTOGRAPHS TREVOR WILKINS; DAVE MABIN TBC XXX

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e started with 20 students in 2012. That doubled in 2013 − and then again in 2014. At the moment, we have over 80 students on our database. Last year, we said our aim was to get more students from disadvantaged backgrounds involved, so I’m pleased to report that at least 40 of our students come from such backgrounds. We had eight youngsters join us from The Homestead shelter project for street children as absolute sailing novices, without any support from their families. We do our utmost to give these students an even chance to excel in our sport.

We’ve seen a lot of young sailors joining the sail-training workshops to improve their sailing skills through our skills-building programme. Our goal for the coming year is to get at least another 40 students in the programme. We care that our students come from mixed social and racial backgrounds – it gives all youngsters an even chance to get into sailing.

Where do you even start to describe a year of your life when it comes to sailing? It was very, very busy. Compare it to family life.

Parents with one child can’t imagine how busy larger families must be. Well, with over 80 young members between 14 and 25, we were certainly kept entertained! Taking the diversity of our students into consideration, it’s a miracle that our patchwork family works so well.

But most of the students show a maturity level that leaves me speechless. When a 14-year-old challenges your opinion − and soon wins the argument? Mind-blowing! Enough to make any parent proud.

To organise the weekly sailing training, determining factors are the social diversity of the students, their level of competence and future sailing goals. The programme can’t be too challenging for the younger kids, nor too boring for the older guys. We’ve been asked by boat-owners to forward the more skilful students to the bigger racing boats, meaning the most experienced youngsters clearly meet the desired skill level to race. We currently only have 10 senior students that meet those standards. The less-experienced students need a lot more time to get to that level. Students need at least two years of sail training before we can move them to the more competitive IRC racing boats.

Inviting youngsters from The Homestead to join us was a great initiative, and we have successfully managed to integrate them.

SAIL RCYC SAILING ACADEMY RCYC

students were lucky enough to be invited to compete in the Vasco da Gama Ocean Race, starting from Maputo, last year. Soon after, we sent a team to Durban to compete in the MSC Regatta. After one week of sailing, they managed a close second.

Our involvement in the Volvo Ocean Race Cape Town stopover in November was also something special. Being part of the In-Port programme, and being invited to meet the all-women Team SCA in person, was a sure highlight. One of our girl students joined Team SCA in the In-Port Race, which they won in style. It was a life-changing experience for Daphne, and all the youngsters still wear their SCA shirts proudly.

The Academy teams also took part in the IRC Nationals and had a good chance of winning their class after three days of racing. They came third, but missed first place by only one point. One of our teams won their class in the RCYC Summer Regatta a month later. In the Fling Regatta, which attracted a high-class racing fleet, our teams came second and third in their class.

We see the racing as serious as is necessary, without losing the fun factor. There is so much more to sailing than winning trophies.

Our sailing programme also provides youngsters with useful life lessons: The social skills learnt through teamwork prepare them for possible careers in the corporate world; the boat-preparation could be useful for a later career in the boating industry; and, lastly, the interactions our students have in the Academy are a stepping stone for a smooth social integration into our diverse society.

One of the long-term goals of our students is to take part in the Cape to Rio Race 2017. We would like to enter a team of senior students.

Since it’s a time-consuming, expensive exercise, we will depend on outside funding for such an ambitious campaign. That said, our sailing programme received a lot of support from RCYC members and other sponsors, namely: Lotto, SAORT, JML, Crocs, the Ozinsky Family Trust, Yacht and Power Sales, HRecruiting, RiskSA Magazine and the Italian Embassy. The biggest cash contribution came from a kindly club member who would like to remain anonymous. Because of these generous contributions, we are able to improve our sailing equipment and the standard of our training. Thank you for your support!

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Big picture, blue sky...

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he 2014/2015 sailing season has shown positive consolidation and further growth in sailing at Royal Cape Yacht Club. There is still room for improvement, but it’s well worth seeing a snapshot of the past sailing season, as it nears its conclusion, to appreciate the progress made…

If anyone still doubted the ability of Royal Capers to pull together, both on and off the water, the sailors have certainly answered those doubts over the last year or two: We have all the power to have fun, and we’ve exercised that power!

I’m deeply moved by the sense of common purpose and spirit among so many members, often evidenced in the most unexpected ways: That impromptu celebratory Madiba Cruise to Robben Island on 15 December 2013; the annual Oldies’ Race; the Portugal Day Race…

These events define the heart and soul of the club, where cheerful camaraderie heavily outweighs aspirations for silverware or recognition − without in any way diluting intent.

From the club cruisers to the club racers across numerous divisions, and on to a resurgence of higher-performance sailing in the form of the IRC Class, we’re putting it out there, together. Whether sailing for you is about ‘a jolly in the bay’, regular club-level racing, or serious racing, no one deserves more recognition for this resurgence than you, the sailors of the RCYC. Here are some numbers to warm you up (at the time of writing in March 2015): • The new coastal cruising division had built a fleet of 20-something yachts, enjoying regular monthly weekend cruises. The Cruising Raids to Saldanha Bay, Hout Bay, False Bay, Robben Island and Dassen Island have fast established themselves on the annual

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sailing calendar, and are building camaraderie between the clubs.

There is massive room for growth here. The cruisers have also (rightly) taken ownership of the Opening and Closing Cruises, and the Women’s Day Cruise.

The new Cool Cat & Cruisers Division in the Lufthansa Twilight Series attracted a fleet of 16 in its first season. While there is a competitive side to this, it is more about enjoying the bay as part of a greater whole than about hardcore racing. Some may argue that this is a return to what twilight sailing should be about. However, there have been plenty of on-course sides in this fleet, possibly because the guilty skipper in each case is too busy turning the wors!

In the 2014/5 Club Championships, 106 yachts have participated, with two rounds of the Summer Series remaining. This is phenomenal, especially when you consider what’s happening in club sailing regionally, nationally and internationally. We must nurture this healthy participation, and the organising side should be open to learning, change and careful adaptation to keep this momentum going.

In the IRC Cape Summer Series, comprising of the five premier regional regattas, we saw 29 yachts race, with 10 yachts competing in all events. Importantly, the local IRC class has established a credible independence within the region and nationally. It is no longer a Royal Cape clique. This should encourage broader participation in higher-performance sailing in future. The club’s invitation and incentive to cover the cost of IRC certification in the last season helped attract new yachts to this class.

Among our membership, we have provincial, national and world champions, as well as Olympic sailors. We also have a number of

PHOTOGRAPHS DAVE MABIN

The annual Sail magazine gives us an opportunity to catch our breath, look up and reflect on the year’s club-sailing activities. By Luke Scott, rear commodore of sailing

SAIL CLUB RCYC

Volvo Ocean Race participants (sadly, none actually racing this time around). There are many senior members with very successful sailing careers (some of whom practically sailed out the womb...).

Their willingness to mentor and share their knowledge is key to the future success of our club’s sailing.

An encouraging thing to see, from my side, is the improved execution of sailing events across the board − race management, processing of results, jury panels − and a shift in attitude towards the mantra that sailing is always on! There was a tendency in the past to cancel events too easily, which erodes confidence in participation.

Everyone must know that sailing is always on, and that every attempt will be made to ensure it is offered at a decent level.

While the focus on racing often turns to the high-performance IRC fleet, the core of sailing at Royal Cape is not ‘rock-star sailing’ – it is the club’s ‘weekend warriors’ living out our dreams through a recreational, competitive pastime, under the majestic mountain in our wonderful bay.

Capturing the imagination and buy-in of the core of the club boosts participation, improves competence and grows club membership.

Attracting younger members to become boat-owners, whether as individuals or in partnerships, is a sure way to grow our club, whether it be as cruisers or club racers. This is also a logical feeder to higher-performance racing.

Arguably, with six of the top IRC yachts moored in V&A and Granger Bay, together with their crews of 60-plus sailors, there is a shift in the way that the club functions as a gathering of members with an interest in sailing. This presents an opportunity towards the growth of the ‘weekend warrior’. There’s nothing wrong with this, and members of

higher-performance fleets have shown an active interest in sharing knowledge, and maintaining their ties and membership with the club.

This is seen in the Winter Talk Series, in member involvement in the Sailing Academy, and in the fact that many top sailors readily offer their advice and support.

Something I have tried to do since taking over the reins as the rear commodore of sailing has been to write as much as possible about our sailing events – to communicate regularly with all sailors in an accurate, fun, accessible way. Thank you to those who have commented, complimented and contributed in this regard. I had a great deal of fun doing this. The upside of the articles – over 100 of them – is that they boost familiarity among sailors. Knowing people’s stories builds the vibe and expectation of what’s to come.

I view the full club-racing offering in four ‘compartments’: • The regional premier regattas run by the RCYC − the Summer Regatta, Midsummer Fling and the Mykonos Offshore Regatta. Add to these the IRC National Championships, run out of the V&A, and the Intasure FBYC Spring Regatta.

• The RCYC Club Championship, comprising six series: the Glacier by Sanlam Summer Series, the Club Winter Series, the Harken Round Robben Island Races, the Lufthansa Twilight Series and the Novamarine Rob Meek Overnight Race.

• The promotional events, such as RiskSA Regatta, the Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy Charity Regatta, the Portugal Day Race and Inter Professional Challenge.

• Interest-group racing: The Double-Handed Series, youth and ladies’ sailing, the Seniors’ Race and the high-performance W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

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class. We have set out a couple of strong target areas for the development of interest-group sailing. These include women’s sailing, youth sailing, double-handed sailing, offshore overnight sailing and growing the IRC.

The opportunity for growth in women’s sailing included a more diversified offering to appeal to a greater cross-section of women club members, or the partners/friends/family of male members. The calendar now includes the annual Women’s Day Cruise, which is less of a race than an opportunity to introduce women to sailing and to Table Bay, to build bridges – and, quite frankly, to acknowledge and treat a large number of important people who put up with their sailing partners indulging in a time-consuming sport for the remaining 364 days of the year! There’s also a pair of key position twilight races bracketing the October to December Lufthansa Twilight Series, where women sailors in key positions onboard compete in the popular twilight setting. There is now also the One Eighty X-Chromosome Regatta, offering the unique opportunity for a competitive offshore yachting regatta for women only. This has a more serious aspect to it, in a three-race spinnaker fleet offering, but it still retains the more fun-oriented non-spinnaker single-bay race for those that so choose.

Club member Janet Cotton, and her company One Eighty, has been an inspiration and support in all these offerings. Thank you to all the women sailors at RCYC – you’re in a powerful position to grow this club!

The Youth Regatta continues to showcase fantastic sailing, and also shows such great potential for growth. The one-design aspect of this regatta, with all efforts focused on having a fleet of competitive L26s on the water and young sailors at clubs from around the country, schools and universities, makes this a special event. It has surpassed my expectations, and it improves annually. Toni Mainprize has a special interest in making this one happen. She’s done so on a shoestring, presenting a quality regatta weekend of substance, including talks and peripheral activities. Our Sailing Academy has a real chance to shine at this one as the charming hosts! The 2015 version is especially relevant, with the Lipton Challenge Cup being held at RCYC shortly thereafter, in which the academy are aiming to enter three teams.

On growing the IRC fleet: I’ve never understood the hype about IRC per se: It’s just a rating system − an outdated rating system that’s completely flawed, just like any single-number rating system (ask any sailor with knowledge of ratings and they’d probably agree!). What I can grasp is high-performance sailing, as this has specific intent well above the club-sailing offering. There is something special there… excellence.

But IRC is a rating system recognised by the International Sailing Federation, warts and all. The club committed to supporting newcomers to the IRC fleet by covering the cost of their certificate.

This is a miniscule cost to go towards a high-performance campaign – the cost of boat preparation for a regatta is much more. What’s happening in the high-performance fleet in Cape Town is the beginning of something that hasn’t existed locally for some time. It’s the basis for a high-performance fleet of sailors that will be able to bank their skills at any international regatta. RCYC is proud to be part of that.

Another focus area is offshore overnight sailing, which is proving to be a challenge. There is a lot of bravado-speak around it, but little active participation. The last Double Cape Race was sailed in 2009, with a fleet of about 10 starters (better than no starters). The recent Novamarine Rob Meek Overnight Race attracted just two Club Division 1 yachts (one of which retired not long after the start) and a total fleet of 15. There is a lot of bar-talk of Double Cape, of Vasco, of Mossel Bay, of Walvis… But action speaks louder than words! A start line with yachts 20

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on it – no matter how few − with the sole goal of finishing is the only way to get the offshore distance racing back onto the calendar. A look at the names on the many various Double Cape trophies in the cabinets tells a proud story of a past that has no reason not to be continued.

The last special focus is the sailing equivalent of the unplugged music scene: the double-handers. This is an honest form of racing, as there’s nowhere to hide. It favours the smaller yachts in terms of ease of boat handling, but bigger yachts do compete. It is a real crash course in competence and safety, well supported by a brother- and sisterhood of sailors. I dream of a fleet of one-design yachts competing in this series, with club members – not necessarily yacht-owners – stepping up to the plate. The L26 fleet at RCYC is not a bad start.

There’s been a focus on the training of race officers and judges, sanctioned by South Africa Sailing, and the club now has a number of members who now are, or soon will, qualify as national race officers and national judges. The most valuable thing about these courses, for me, has been a greater understanding of the racing rules. Attending one of these courses is worthwhile for that aspect alone.

It is also worth noting that the club is a major contributor to SAS Western Cape and National, and that we enjoy a productive working relationship with SAS. The team of volunteers who make racing and sailing happen needs to be praised for the commitment they make.

Bridge crew, mark layers, course setter, handicappers, scorers et al do a wonderful, carefully co-ordinated job, often under pressure and with limited resources. While on resources, we are incredibly appreciative of Irvine Laidlaw’s generous donation of a new committee boat for the club. Royal Cape Lass ticks many boxes – it’s a powerful, comfortable, well-equipped base from which to direct operations in the bay.

In conclusion, the above synopsis can really only skim the surface of developments, but sailing at RCYC has had a great year. Long may it be a marker for the future.

PHOTOGRAPHS DAVE MABIN

Focus areas

SAIL CLUB RCYC

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SAIL RCYC CLUB

Cruising on

The Cruising Raids encourage fellowship and friendship between yacht clubs, says Alan Haefele

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ruising is happily becoming a greater part of sailing life at the Royal Cape Yacht Club. The main aim of these Cruising Raids is to have fun, improve relationships between sailing clubs and make new sailing buddies.

And, of course, great cruising grounds, safe anchorages – and destination sailing – are fundamental to cruising. To this end, we’ve collaborated with other local yacht clubs to organise annual cruises, such as the North Bay Cruise and the Saldanha Bay Yacht Club (SBYC) Raid (a week after the Mykonos Offshore Regatta); the Hout Bay Raid (in May); and Port Owen Yacht Club’s West Coast Cruise (in December).

The idea? We embark on an organised weekend cruise to their clubs, sometimes anchoring nearby on the way. After disembarking, we spend the night and enjoy their fantastic hospitality, or support their restaurants and, most importantly, we ‘raid’ their bar, buying the hosts more drinks than they can handle!

It’s great to see that both SBYC and the Hout Bay Yacht Club have established cruising committees. We look forward to being raided by them soon…

At RCYC, we’re working hard at achieving the right mix of organised events and casual weekend cruises. Besides the recent monthly cruising events − such as the Seaport Fishing Cruise, the Lighthouse Cruise, the Dassen Island Easter Cruise, the Moonstruck and Women’s Day Cruises − we now also have a Cruising & Cool Cats Division in the Lufthansa Twilight Series, as well as in most of the year’s scheduled race events.

The RCYC cruising committee hopes to recruit the many ‘underused’ yachts in our marina for these raids, and we encourage you all to join in on the fun as often as possible.

As always, all inputs are appreciated, so if you have any ideas for us to consider, please email RCYC’s Sailing Events Manager, Toni Mainprize at sailing@rcyc.co.za

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The Hout Bay Raid, the second organised annual visit to Hout Bay, proved how successful the raids can be.

After all participating boats picked up their two bottles of wine, compliments of RCYC, the sail to Hout Bay was a bit of a challenge, with a southeasterly gusting to 35 knots. But we all arrived by 5.30pm without incident − many thanks to marina manager Alan Batley and Wilbert of the Hout Bay Yacht Club (HBYC), who received the mooring lines of every RCYC yacht within two hours.

HBYC once again put on a great spread for us: hot fires, magnificent braai packs, great salads, a full bar, friendly fellow sailors creating a great atmosphere, along with a DJ. What a show! Thanks, HBYC − we hope the few rounds bought by the RCYC cruising committee went some way to show our appreciation. Special thanks must go to HBYC Commodore Keith Gemmell and Taffy Bowen, with his wife, Shirley, for welcoming us (also to Grant Saunders and the RCYC sailing office).

After our lovely supper, many drinks, much laughter and two quick speeches later, the dancing started, led by the combined HBYC and RCYC ‘Macarena Dance Troupe’. We even had a few ‘drive-in’ RCYC visitors, which should perhaps be encouraged in the future – well done, Luke and Ray. On Sunday morning, with many pounding heads and much black coffee, we enjoyed a great breakfast served by friendly, smiling faces at the HBYC. The race had been organised around Vulcan Rock, with a start of 11am, so that HBYC could sail some of the way back with us. It was a great gesture and a special spectacle. Thanks, Richard.

The start line was near the beach. Some were a bit worried we’d take forever to get out of the bay, but it was plain sailing past Vulcan Rock all the way to Clifton in about 25 knots south-east. We parked and waited for the others, but should probably have anchored at Fourth Beach for a late lunch – next time!

After a short motor-sail through Clifton – once again with flat, flat seas – most boats were back by 5pm to tie up, pack up, and share a drink at our club before thinking about work on Monday.

The RCYC cruising committee sent HBYC a formal ‘thank you’, as well as an invitation for us to reciprocate.

PHOTOGRAPHS PAUL MORRIS

Heading to Hout Bay

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Downwind Dash

After a slow start, the 2015 Mykonos Offshore Regatta saw some spectacular broaches and epic speeds, says Derek Shuttleworth

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he 26th annual Mykonos Offshore Regatta, which took place on 20−21 February, saw an excellent entry of 90 yachts of various classes.The fleet split supported the IRC entry list, which made up one of the largest classes, along with a Division 1, 2 and 3 club handicap fleet, which, as always, remained extremely competitive.

The skippers’ briefing took place the night before the race, and 50 yachts were issued with TracTrac devices so that the armchair sailors and families could follow the yacht progress in live-time display.

With sailing instructions and mooring allocations conveyed to all skippers, and a brisk SE forecast for Friday, we were set for a good race.

On Friday at 6.30am, the Race Officer decided on a bridge-hut start to the Paarden Island buoy for the first leg. There was a very light southeaster on the start line, but a strengthening wind as the mark was approached gave the fleet a good chance to get set for a long run to the gate at Dassen Island and on to Club Mykonos. This proved to be a thrilling spinnaker run, with yachts recording fast times on all of the legs of the race (the top speed was 25.5 knots onboard Vulcan), and 90 percent of the fleet arrived at Mykonos in daylight. There were some spectacular broaches as yachts rounded South Head and were met with a 30-knot southeaster for their approach across the bay. The more prudent skippers had their spinnakers down before passing Jutten Island − but not all!

Saturday’s pursuit race was shortened because of the proliferation of sea-farming ventures in and around our usual sailing grounds, but at 19-plus miles, it was still long enough to offer some great racing. The top IRC vessels created much excitement as they completed the final W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

leg in speeds of over 20 knots. After a fantastic two days of sailing, the prizegiving was well supported and organised, with emcee Deon Bing conducting a speedy resolution to the weekend’s activities.

Lessons and notes from the weekend •

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Despite the skippers being allocated mooring berths as a reward for their early entry, some took the liberty of occupying moorings that they should not have been in – to the annoyance of the yachts that arrived later, only to find their berth occupied. Next year, the mooring allocation will form part of the sailing instructions − enough said!

The Mykonos Marina has confirmed that the harbour will be dredged in January next year to prevent yachts with longer keels from grounding, as happened this year with the low tide, which meant some yachts could not make the start on time.

Some of the larger, faster yachts were at risk because of the position of the finish line for the Pursuit Race. The finish will be controlled from a new position and a bridge boat next year so that we don’t risk having yachts run out of sea room.

Likewise, the position of the finish line for the distance race will be relocated, so yachts can finish on a west-to-east course to comply with the finish having to be on the course side of the line, and removing what has been an error for a number of years. It will also give more sea room for yachts to stow sails after finishing.

TracTrac proved to be popular. The screen was constantly surrounded by skippers and crews analysing how they’d fared compared to others during the event. It looks certain to be a requirement for next year.

SAIL LOCAL RCYC

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As race chair, it only remains for me to say how enjoyable it was to work with our incredible behind-the-scenes staff, who put so much into ensuring the smooth running of this annual event. Until you’ve been involved in organising a regatta of this nature, there’s little concept of the enormity of paperwork required. Thanks to Toni and her team (and I include in that the hard-area personnel), and Josh and his staff for assisting all and sundry to get their yachts shipshape.

Finally, I must thank the sponsors who unfailingly support this event − our title sponsor, Club Mykonos, Harken, Rocket Signs, The Moorings, and Atlantic Yachting. Thank you all. I hope we can count on your support for this most popular RCYC event again next year.

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A TRIBUTE WITH A DIFFERENCE Racing in honour of the late Rob Meek, one of South Africa’s top skippers and navigators. By Di Meek and David Booth

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he 2014 Yachtport SA Overnight race held on 27 and 28 November 2014, which went from Table Bay via virtual offshore waypoints to the finish in Saldanha Bay, was the first to be named after Rob Meek.

Rob’s passing – he was fatally shot in the first few minutes of 2014 during an attempted armed robbery while holidaying with family and friends at a beach cottage on the Eastern Cape Wild Coast − led to the decision to reintroduce overnight offshore coastal racing.

Around the dinner table that fatal New Year’s eve, Rob named the 2013 race as the highlight of his year. He recalled the magic of racing up the West Coast in gentle breezes under a full moon and a myriad stars he knew so well, and the contrasting exhilaration of the dark return beat to Cape Town, crashing into a galeforce southeasterly in a wild sea.

As one of the country’s top skippers and navigators, Rob thrived on the navigational challenges of night sailing. He often spoke of how, despite hi-tech instrumentation, he loved that it demanded using all of one’s senses to ensure the boat and crew could maximise each little fluctuation of the wind, waves, current and ocean surges.

Rob felt that the reintroduction of local offshore overnight racing would provide safe, controlled opportunities for young sailors, those new to sailing and those embarking on transatlantic and Indian Ocean races needing the experience to truly enjoy the adventure and camaraderie of sailing the ocean at night.

This season’s overnight race was appropriately named in memory of Rob Meek in light of his advocation of a return to more offshore

overnight racing on the RCYC sailing calendar, as overnight racing had stopped due to lack of support.

The foundations of this year’s race were built around building competence, night sailing, safety, navigation and, of course, fun. There was much discussion about the direction of the course and of sailing up the West Coast with the use of virtual waypoints, which had been tried with limited acceptance in previous years. The use of current technology and virtual waypoints allow for the flexibility of course setting to a desired finishing time within the forecast weather conditions.

Using the Royal Yachting Association/ Royal Ocean Racing Club rules for waypoint courses, thereby enhancing the previous formats and sailing instructions, the 15-strong fleet sailed to waypoints beyond Dassen Island, returning on the Saturday morning to the RCYC. The yachts took their own finishing times, but were met on docking by David Booth, the race officer, and Robbie van Rooyen, who checked each yacht’s record on their waypoint rounding and finishing times. This verification ensured compliance and avoided the inevitable (and destructive) bar talk around using waypoint marks.

Shadowfax was the first yacht home in the early hours, after a smooth spinnaker reach out to the waypoint and back to Robben Island before sailing into the inevitable hole. The L26 Hors d’Oeuvre was next to finish, followed by ELS FarMed and Cabaray.

The other finishers came in throughout the morning.

With the generous support of NovaMarine, the prizegiving was held the next Saturday, with many remembrances and much festivity!

“This season’s overnight race was appropriately named in memory of Rob Meek in light of his advocation of a return to more offshore overnight racing on the RCYC sailing calendar.”

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SIMPLY THE BEST

The fifth RCYC Midsummer Fling, in February, was in many ways the most successful of all five events to date, says Rick Nankin

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t all started in 2010, when Lord Irvine Laidlaw − an internationally experienced yacht racer, owner of countless beautiful yachts named ‘Highland Fling’ and an annual summer resident in the Cape − decided it was time to finally bring a racing yacht to the Cape to sample the local IRC racing season.

Thus, Irvine’s Cape Fling was introduced to the racing scene.

Along with the new boat, Irvine chose an experienced crew featuring many well-known sailors from abroad and others from the local talent pool. The RCYC fleet had gained its most formidable and professional racing competitor. Instantly, one sensed that a switch had been flipped: A new dawn beckoned.

Seas of change Now, five years on, we can confirm that there has, indeed, been a transformation of the local racing scene, with the fleet benefitting from a sharp rise in participation and quality. The standard of almost everything in the fleet of keen racing yachts at RCYC has seen an escalation. Boat preparation, gear and sails have been vamped up throughout, and sailing and crew skills have been honed to a higher level. Event organisation and race management also took a big step-up.

A massive factor aiding this growth has been Irvine Laidlaw’s input, on many fronts. He wanted to see slick management and organisation; clear decisions and a minimum of time wastage; to treat the sailors with accurate courses and a high standard of course and race management on the water – and provide some good get-togethers off the water.

A hallmark of the five Fling regattas held to date has been the use of extremely competent, top-class, internationally recognised race officers. For 2015’s event, held in Table Bay from 6–8 February, Irvine invited Dick Neville and his wife, Barbara, from Annapolis, USA, to run the Midsummer races. Their impact on the event was significant.

Gifted with fantastic sailing weather, Dick put it all together with great courses, clear communications, slick on-the-water course management and almost no time wastage.

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Socially, the RCYC was active every evening after racing. On Saturday night, the owners were again treated to dinner at Lord Irvine and Lady Christine Laidlaw’s beautiful home on the De Goede Hoop Estate in Noordhoek.

On the water The starts were tight − and the finishes even closer, with races won and lost by seconds in most classes. Racing started late Friday at 5pm, followed by 10am starts on Saturday and Sunday.

It was Dick’s first visit to Cape Town. To help with the local conditions, we provided him with a spreadsheet and write-up describing and documenting the typical Table Bay winds, what to expect in certain cycles of a weather window, and possible mark placements and wind angles for likely course legs. The ‘Signal Boat’, as Dick called the bridge boat, was David Abromowitz’ beautiful Princess 57. We asked Dave to provide Dick with local knowledge on Table Bay sailing – few know the bay better.

We set out to have two short races each day, followed by some kind of ‘bay race’ around the harbour buoys and other marks – courses with a difference, giving a mix of beats, runs and reaches.

Dick and his team did a marvellous job on Friday and Dick proved that he had grasped the vagaries of Table Bay quickly. He chose an excellent course that criss-crossed the bay and challenged crews, providing fast, exciting, interesting and hard sailing. We were served up with tough windward work, mixed with super-fast reaches and enjoyable runs down the bay, finishing the race in two hours.

Saturday dawned with light airs predicted from the north-west to west. Racing had been delayed ashore to wait for wind. Finally, when a breeze started to fill in, it was confined to the area closest to the Green Point coast, where the wind is bent and accelerated along the shore by the proximity of the land and Signal Hill just a short distance away.

Ashore on Saturday evening, the talk was all about the close finishes in many of the races and the excellent job done by the

SAIL LOCAL RCYC

race-management team led by Dick. Three races in a short day meant he had to end racing early, so the owners could get to Noordhoek for their dinner. Sailors and owners were all smiles after a great day for sailing. We thank Irvine and Christine Laidlaw for their great hospitality on Saturday evening.

Unfortunately, Irvine had to sit the racing out as he had flu. His team, however, did the job with great aplomb, led by the real international trio of Xavier McCoy as skipper, Geoff Meek on helm and Peter Holmberg, the Olympic medallist and famous America’s Cup sailor, as tactician.

We look forward to another episode of the Fling next year, when Dick will be back to run the racing, and we all look to step things up to an even higher level.

Lord Irvine Laidlaw on founding the fling…

Six years ago, when my wife, Christine, persuaded me to purchase a boat to race in Cape Town (not that I needed much persuading), there was only one competitive boat in the IRC Class 1 fleet – Windpower. There was also a big gap in the regatta schedule, with nothing (apart from the Twilight Series) between the then-Crocs Regatta and Mykonos.

So, wanting to have more racing, the only thing to do was to sponsor a new regatta – and the Midsummer Fling event was born.

Now in its fifth year, it was the first year that my boat won its class!

Having been disappointed by the quality of the race organising on the water, I brought in Peter Craig from Premiere Racing to be PRO. This year we had Dick and Barbara Neville, who did an outstanding job. I hope that the local PROs have been able to learn from Dick’s talk and the increased communication from the bridge boat. Other innovations were: a greater variety of races, including one owner- or lady-helm race; prizes for everyone who participated; and a dinner for boat-owners at our home.

Has this worked? Judging by the smiles on the faces of owners and crew, I’d say it has been a great success, and I will continue to sponsor the Fling. – Irvine Laidlaw W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

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A LEGACY OF SUMMER FUN Celebrating the Summer Regatta’s splendid 40-year history

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SAIL LOCAL RCYC

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ast year saw RCYC run a Summer Regatta for the 40th year.

The 2014 regatta comprised a coastal fleet, much the same as our friends at the False By Yacht Club have at their outstanding Spring Regatta. There were also two club divisions and IRC divisions. The emphasis was on a fun end-of-year wind-down, with excellent sailing, but also great events off the water.

Registration took place on Friday, 12 December. A WhatsApp group was set up to feed information to the fleet regarding courses, times, changes to the noticeboard and the results. This was a very effective tool – it helped tremendously in keeping the competition informed at all times.

Saturday started with coffee and a buffet breakfast served in the RCYC Galley from 7.30am, and racing began at 10am. The starts were run as on-water committee-boat starts, with two races planned for most fleets. Competitors enjoyed a relaxed stopover at Granger Bay for lunch in between the two competitive races.

After a great day of intense racing, RCYC provided competitors with delicious prego roll ‘n chips, in preparation for the Mount Gay Barbados Beach party, featuring live music from Slow Jack.

Sunday the 14th saw one medium-distance race, but the non-compulsory, fun twilight race planned for Monday, 15 December, had to be cancelled due to too few entries (it was a normal week day, after all).

Tuesday, the final day of the regatta, saw two races in very strong winds –after which Champagne and beer was enjoyed at the prizegiving.

It was a wonderful end to a very busy sailing season!

Sailors remember summer sailing gone by…

PHOTOGRAPHS DAVE MABIN

The inaugural RCYC Summer Regatta – Rothmans Week, back in 1974 – was memorable for many reasons. As a large, well-organised offshore regatta, it attracted entries and sailors from across the country and broke new ground in South African sailing. The racing was tight, the social programme was festive, and we saw it as a kind of trial for crews aiming to be in the 1975 Admiral’s Cup team.

That first year, I was fortunate to have been asked to co-helm the newly built Natal Sparkman & Stephens 41-footer Golden Fleece, in partnership with the owner, Gordon Neil. The racing was close, but a win in the medium-distance race (to Slangkop and back) gave us the overall trophy.

It was a humbling experience to be back on the Summer Regatta podium 40 years later with the Nitro team in 2014.

Throughout its four-decade history − and with its various names over the years − the Summer Regatta has remained a highlight of keelboat racing in South Africa. − Dave Hudson Rothmans Week was just magnificent, from the first one in ’74 to the final one in ’94 (which was followed by the Table Bay Weeks from 1994 to 2005).

Sailors from around the country flocked to sail in the regatta, towing boats from what was then Natal and Transvaal, and shipping them from Port Elizabeth, East London and Durban. Overseas travellers arrived back home for Christmas in time to race. The racing was uncompromising and long, with a 125-mile ocean race to end it all off.

And, of course, the parties were huge.

In those days, sailing on both dinghies and small keelboats was popular countrywide, so people were very active in club, provincial and national sailing. When Rothmans came around, all and sundry jumped on a boat. Top, young and old sailors alike tried to get a campaign together, often at the last moment. Unlike today, where owners build up

“We had great tussles with Greg Davis. I think we had about 22 wins over the years.

Some overnights with northerly gales were epic.” − Geoff Meek teams who sail most regattas together on the same boat, the Rothmans Week regattas saw a lot of skippers racing different boats every year.

There were regular teams, but these were related to the skipper, more than the boat.

It was a time of growth in the boating industry and new racing boats were launched in great numbers. Owners would secure the services of the top skippers of the day. Sailors such as Dave Abromowitz, Bobby Bongers, Ted Kuttell, Dania Baikoff, Geoff Meek, Keith Bellamy, Chris King, Rob Meek, Etienne Van Cuyck, Nigel Clack, John Martin, Ian Martin, Greg Davis, Jan Reuvers, Rick Nankin, JJ Provoyeur, Pete Shaw, Craig Middleton, Paul Thompson, Sandy Ord and Ziggy Rogotzki from Joburg, Ernie Shaw, Peter Morgenrood, Dave Cox and Gordon Neill from Durban, Bill Lee and Malcolm Bradford from PE were in the fleet almost every year.

The organising chairman, usually someone very experienced, wore a jacket and tie − as did the Race Officer (often Paul Anstee-Bennett in the first 10 years and, later, Viv James did some sterling work).

The racing − one race per day, never shorter than three to 3.5 hours − was featured daily on the front page of the Cape Times and Cape Argus, plus on a number of sports pages further back. The final race was the offshore race, a spectacle of hard overnight racing, scoring double points and thoroughly enjoyed by all. It was the highlight for many, and every year the result hung on the finish of this race.

In early years, we raced directly to Saldanha Bay around a mark, or Jutten Island and back to Cape Town, then out north again to a buoy just short of Dassen Island and, finally, back to RCYC. Later this changed to a race around the corner from Brittania Bay, past Shelley Point to Sandy Point and back to Table Bay. In the last few Rothmans W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

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Weeks, they sent us to a mark at 290 degrees from Cape Town, way offshore of Hout Bay, to a buoy at Kommetjie, then Saldanha and back to RCYC. These were exciting courses on which to cut one’s offshore teeth and experience brilliant racing in ideal summer conditions.

The prizegivings were legendary − sit-down dinners at the Mount Nelson, the City Hall or similar. Prizes were of real silverware or cut glass, with lots of Rothmans medals − all to keep.

Rothmans Week was the most difficult regatta to win in South Africa by a long way. You had to find the right boat, and a good experienced racing crew who knew about offshore and night sailing.

You had to put it together, day after day, and then sign off with a perfect 10 on the two days at sea offshore.

There were perennial winners and podium finishers, but it was invariably Geoff Meek who reigned supreme − steering the winning boat, usually a different one each year, almost every year for 20 years.

I can only think of another five or so helmsmen who won in those years.

It made the regatta even more special, as we all tried our utmost to knock Geoff off the top each year. The racing was serious at the top − fantastic!

At the end of the week the parties inevitably got everyone together again, especially after finishing the offshore race, in the RCYC men’s bar in the early hours of the morning – bleary eyed, having been sailing for up to 48 hours.

When Rothmans withdrew their sponsorship, the RCYC tried hard to keep the standard high with their Table Bay Weeks, which attracted a steady flow of one- or two-, maybe three-time sponsors.

The sailors started laying down their own opinions… that the overnight races should be shorter, discardable, and many other ‘complications’ of modern democratic life drifted in. The tail wagged the dog and the event, though still providing excellent sailing, had diminished to a fraction of what the Rothmans Week regatta had stood for.

Sadly, the toughness and adventure waned. Everyone became softer over the years, until the people who were in power at RCYC in the mid 2000s decided that racing in December was not a good idea − the winds were just too strong. Despite the general RCYC membership voting to continue with the mid-December timing for the major regatta anyway, the Committee dropped it and tried to reinvent the regatta in May, then April, then March – all of which failed to muster real interest from the sailors.

In the meantime, Rob Meek and Ralph Thomas grabbed the same mid-December weekend to run their idea of a Caribbean fun regatta.

This became the annual Crocs Regatta, now the Summer Regatta.

Every one of these has been a major success. Racing has been fun, as it should be, but also hard and uncompromising. If you ask me, it’s similar to the old Rothmans Week − ‘off steroids’, but still good.

Well done to Ralph, and dear Robbie!

– Rick Nankin

SAIL LOCAL RCYC

Bringing the cup home Thanks to the determined efforts of the RCYC Lipton Cup team, the 2014 trophy is ours again. Team manager Dave Hudson reports back…

PHOTOGRAPHS DAVE MABIN & TREVOR WILKINS

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outh Africa is home to some long-standing sporting contests.

In rowing, there’s the annual Buffalo Regatta in East London, started in 1879, which has hardly missed a beat − the 128th event was held earlier this year. Rugby’s Currie Cup was first won in 1892, and Golf’s South African Open Championship, one of the oldest in the golfing world, was established in 1903. Sailing’s own Holy Grail, the Lipton Cup, is in good company − and the Cup itself is one of the oldest and most valued sporting trophies on the continent!

The Lipton Cup has a rich history of epic sea battles between many of our country’s top sailors, and it remains the one South African trophy that young sailors say that they’d most like to win. The Lipton Cup trustees take the responsibility of building upon both past history and present enthusiasm seriously.

With RCYC last having won the Cup in 2010, we were determined to ‘bring the Cup home’ in 2014. On hearing that the race-ready L26 Coordination was on the market in Durban, RCYC Commodore Ray Matthews moved swiftly to secure her for the club. The 2014 J22 World Champions David Rae, Guido Verhovert and Trevor Spilhaus then joined forces with Lipton super-veteran Greg Davis and the carefully chosen Number five, Kenwyn Daniels. Kenny was one of the standout helmsmen in the Race Ahead programme in 2009, and was the helm selected as sparring partner for Asenathi Jim and Ashwynn Daniels in their preparations for the 2010 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships. On paper, the RCYC team looked unbeatable. On the water, they lived up to their promise – the Cup is ours once again!

An exciting aspect of the 2014 challenge was the performance of the top two youth teams. They beat False Bay Yacht Club’s highly experienced defending crew to take second and third place, respectively. Sailing for Zeekoevlei Sailing Centre (under the leadership of helm Sieraj Jacobs), RCYC Academy sailors Daniel Agulhas, Shane Hendrickse, Nic Faraday, Mike Hardy and Ryno Lawson put on a remarkable show, beating the defenders easily. As the only team to

put RCYC under real pressure on the water, they were noteworthy runners-up.

The Royal Natal Yacht Club also entered a very young team (led by Brennan Robinson): their average age was just 21. In finishing on the podium, they also shone as a sign of things to come. You only had to be on the water in False Bay to sense the vibrancy coming from the many young teams…

No doubt, the Lipton challenge would attract even more of SA’s top sailors if we had a fleet of more modern boats than the L26. We don’t have that luxury at this stage, so until we do, the L26 will continue to be the trusty workhorse that makes this historic national interclub challenge possible. Thankfully, the dream that Sir Thomas Lipton had when he donated the Cup in 1909 − to provide a competitive and spirited platform for sailors − is alive and well today.

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Sirens at sea

Ladies had a bumper year at sea, debunking the old myth that sailing is a man’s sport.

By Dr Janet Cotton

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ast year, after I took over the sponsorship of competitive and non-competitive women’s sailing events at RCYC, Sail magazine reported on the One Eighty sponsor goal of promoting ladies’ sailing at RCYC. Well, we delivered, and the 2014 sailing calendar was marked with a Women’s Day Cruise, held on 9 August, two Ladies’ Key Position Twilight Races, for which there was one prizegiving, and the main event – the Ladies’ Day Regatta, held on 22 November.

We wanted ladies’ sailing to feature in more than one format, on more than one occasion. The purpose of the Women’s Day Cruise was to introduce women who might never have been on a boat before to sailing in a relaxed way. What better way than with a leisurely cruise? We wanted to feature in twilight racing, encouraging women to take key positions in mixed crews. These events were created to increase the number of women participating in yachting at RCYC across the board, whether in mixed or all-women teams.

Together with the sailing committee, we refreshed and repackaged the racing events as the X-Chromosome Regattas, rather than ‘Ladies’ Races’. The new terminology has stuck and I think it has done a lot to energise the events. In short, we now have a spectrum of events geared towards promoting women in yachting, debunking the myth that yachting is only for men.

The Women’s Day Cruise This event was extremely successful. Numerous boat-owners offered up their boats, which clearly shows great support. The day started with a light finger lunch and talk by South African Vasti Geldenhuys who, with her partner, adventurer Riaan Manser, rowed across the ocean from Morocco to New York on a 133-day quest in 2014. Her inspiring story really showed us all what you can do when you set your mind to it.

The flotilla of yachts left at around 2pm for the cruise with a total of about 100 women participating. The weather, unfortunately, did not come to the party and we were met with heavy fog. Still, it was a wonderful day, which ended with bubbly in the main hall.

This event certainly will be repeated this year.

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The Twilight Races The first Ladies Key Position Twilight Race, held on 8 October, was well supported. Conditions were favourable, with a light southeasterly that remained constant throughout the race. The second event, in December, was unfortunately blown out, with the southeasterly reaching 30 knots earlier in the day. Nurthr Witch scored first place, followed by Scarlet Sun in second place and One Eighty in third. We look forward to a bigger fleet in 2015 – and, hopefully, the wind will be on our side.

The X-Chromosome Regatta Together with the sailing committee, we remodelled this main race from a one-race event with a 2pm start to a three-race event. There were two classes in the event: the spinnaker division, which started at 10am with two round-the-can races; and the non-spinnaker division, which started at 2pm on a course similar to a twilight race. We did this in order to accommodate both the competitive women as well as those not yet comfortable racing at this level, who preferred the traditional race.

Both divisions completed the course, with racing finishing at around 4pm − a very good day on the water.

The conditions on the day certainly tested the seamanship and sportsmanship of the participants. The first two races were sailed with a light southeasterly and the race committee set up a windward leeward course for both races. During the first race, conditions became extremely light, testing the tactical expertise of the competitors. By 2pm, when the non-spinnaker division joined the regatta, the southeasterly turned up the heat. Quick decisions had to be made about sail changes as they were critical to the outcome of positions gained during the first two races.

After an exciting start, and rounding of the first weather mark, the wind became fresher. Some of the boats in the spinnaker fleet decided not to hoist their spinnakers on the downwind leg. With further freshening of the southeaster − by the end of the day gusting close to 30 knots at the Harken mark − the women’s strength and tenacity was tested. Kudos to Lapwing, skippered by Jennifer Burger, who hoisted their spinnaker on every downwind leg, regardless of how challenging conditions became. It paid off – Lapwing won first place. It was

SAIL LOCAL RCYC

inspiring to all of us to see what we can do even if we feel at times challenged by the physical strength needed for yachting and good seamanship.

Boats were entered into either the spinnaker or non-spinnaker division. We believe that this racing format is a good one, so it will be repeated in 2015. The event was featured on SABC 2 on Women in Sport − a great achievement. We believe this goes a long way in growing interest in the exciting sport of yachting in South Africa. We would like to thank all the boat-owners who gave up their boats for the day and we look forward to a bigger fleet in both divisions this year.

PHOTOGRAPHS DAVE MABIN

Concluding thoughts Yachting is a great sport for anyone. It offers a great way to meet interesting people, network and socialise. There’s great camaraderie between team mates who frequently sail together, and the sea is a great leveller − being on the water is a chance to get to know people you may never have met in any other circumstance.

Yachting is a sport of strategy, which tests your strength, fitness, tenacity, endurance and adaptability. But it’s also a great way to switch off from the stress of daily life. You truly have to stay mindful in the present moment, because what worked two seconds ago in terms of sail trim becomes invalid in the next two seconds. You have to remain mindful of the conditions, wind shifts, sea state, your crew and the boat to constantly point higher and go faster. While staying in the present, you also have to consider your tactics, and act fast to take an opportunity in a wind shift that suits you. Or compensate for not doing so.

In my opinion, the practice of yachting is good for life-skills development. As women, we have to work on our physical strength to complete the manoeuvres on the boat as fast as men can, possibly more easily at their first attempt. Some women find this intimidating, but from what I’ve seen at the RCYC women’s events, they are surprised that, with a bit of practice, it’s not all that difficult to get through the moves with the strength they probably didn’t know they had. I’ve sailed on a few different boats and know that it’s possible to gain the strength and fitness required to compete on the same level as men. This, in itself, can be very empowering for women – a tonic for the soul that is exciting and social at the same time.

We plan to double the support of these events from women both experienced and inexperienced in the coming year. Again, you can expect to see the Women’s Day Cruise, the Twilight Races and the main event, the X-Chromosome Regatta.

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Pic by Trevor Wilkins

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Mere seconds Hylton Hale, IRC SA chairman, reports on the 2014/15 IRC racing season

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few milestones were achieved in the last IRC season.

It was the first time that a recognisable circuit was established in many years, the first time IRC broke through the 20-boat barrier that had eluded our association for many years, and it was refreshing to see a greater acceptance and better understanding of IRC among our sailors in general.

In addition, the crew-dispensation chart was introduced satisfactorily, but we look forward to seeing women and youth sailors becoming more actively involved in the core functions within their respective teams in future.

It’s encouraging to see the number of IRC boats regularly racing out of the Royal Cape Yacht Club, in spite of the increased number of IRC events added to the calendar. This new enthusiasm in our grand-prix-style yacht racing is largely due to the support and investment of our boat-owners and skippers, who’ve really upped their games in terms of crew and boat preparation.

PHOTOGRAPH TREVOR WILKINS

IRC Cape Summer Series The 2014/15 season saw the launch of the IRC Cape Summer Series, a points-gathering system that functions irrespective of which division a boat sails in at the various series regattas. The highlight of the series is the Mykonos Offshore Regatta – the final, medal-type race, where the IRC fleet is not split and teams have it all to play for in terms of protecting or grabbing podium positions.

The series kicked off with the extremely popular Intasure Spring Regatta, at the False Bay Yacht Club, with a total of 16 IRC boats making the start line. The fleet was split into two highly competitive divisions: IRC 1 and IRC 2. Having only seven boats in the IRC 1 fleet didn’t detract from the fierce rivalry and competition between Phil Gutsche’s Windpower (Landmark 43), Mike Hayton’s Nitro (Corby 49), and Hylton Hale and Johnny Cullum’s Vulcan (GP 42). After five races, Nitro took first blood from Vulcan with a one-point difference.

“It’s encouraging to see the number of IRC boats regularly racing…”

(Incidentally, Nitro won race three from Vulcan by a mere seven seconds, which, with the adverse result, would have given Vulcan the overall regatta − a classic example of how close IRC racing is.)

Equally, the eight boats in IRC 2 experienced competitive racing, too, in spite of the dominance from Robbie van Rooyen and his team on Mount Gay Rum A-L (Farr 38), who achieved five firsts. It would have been a different picture if Dale Kushner and his team on Yolo (Sunfast 3200) hadn’t made a few vital mistakes – they certainly looked the part.

Round two of the Cape Summer Series was the GAC Laser IRC Nationals, held out of the Volvo Ocean Race Village at the V&A Waterfront. With 23 teams entered, the fleet was split into three divisions. Newcomers to the series included Irvine Laidlaw’s Cape Fling II (Reichel Pugh 52); the return of Dwayne Assis and his team on Pants on Fire (J105); Dave Garrard’s Nuthr Witch (L34); the welcome return of Joe van der Westhuizen’s Silky (Reichel Pugh 37); and then the newcomers to IRC − Peter Hill and Hill Billy (J27); Ian Slatem and Nick Munday’s Tam Tam (Simonis 35); Jannie de Goede and his team on First Lady (Beneteau First 34.5); and Stefan Hundt on Iechyd Da (Miura). Apart from Windpower, the majority of the IRC 0 boats were sport-type boats with asymmetrical spinnakers, with the cruiser racers featuring in IRC 1 and 2.

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SAIL RCYC LOCAL

IRC Numbers, Western Cape

50 40

42

48 37

30 20 10 0

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splitting their results by one second on more than one occasion. In IRC 1 (previously 0), Cape Fling II took first, with Nitro in second place, and equal points to Cape Fling and Vulcan in third. In IRC 2, A-L again took the honours − but if it weren’t for a miscued disqualification of Yolo, A-L could have found themselves in second. The last place on the podium was taken up by Dave Arnott’s ever-improving First 40.

The last of the regattas was the Mykonos Offshore, which was a sort of ‘medal race’, because all the IRC boats sailed as one fleet.

This meant A-L had to make sure that they didn’t ‘drop the ball’ with a poor result. Anything above fifth position would’ve made them vulnerable to the boats in second to fourth place on the points table.

Vulcan won Friday’s race to Mykonos, with JJ Provoyeur on Ballyhoo Too taking second and Nitro coming third. Saturday dawned, windy, with three teams in with a chance of winning the series. Nitro needed four points between her and A-L, and Vulcan had the slimmer chance of a seven-point gap. At that stage, Vulcan was first, with Nitro third and A-L at sixth. In the end, Nitro won, while Vulcan slipped to third after being disqualified from race four. A-L was in fourth, which was enough to hand Robbie van Rooyen and his team the IRC Cape Summer Series title.

42 36

23

19

16

14

14

14

2009–2010

2010–2011

2011–2012

2012–2013

2013–2014

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

44

2014–2015

TOTAL IRC YACHTS AVERAGE RACING AT RCYC

PHOTOGRAPHS DAVE MABIN & GREG BEADLE

Again, racing was extremely close, with Vulcan winning IRC 0 from Windpower by a mere two points, and Nitro in third place one point behind. In IRC 1, A-L dominated proceedings – but they didn’t have it all go their way… Under the guidance of Ryan Avery, the young team on Corum (Briand 43) put up a good fight with one third, three second places and one first, finishing four points behind A-L. In IRC 2, a fierce battle raged between Dale Kushner’s Xtra-Link Yolo and Dwayne Assis’s Pants on Fire, with both teams ending on equal points. But Dwayne and his team took top spot as a result of having more firsts. After two rounds, the three-fleet split at the IRC Nationals made for an interesting points log in the IRC Cape Summer Series: A-L was in first with two points; Vulcan was second with three points; and Nitro and Yolo tied for third with four points.

For round three of the series, the RCYC Summer Regatta (previously the Crocs Summer Regatta), the numbers dropped slightly, with only 13 IRC boats making the start line. (It’s often said that skippers and crews eager to get away for the Christmas shutdown affect the numbers in general at this time.) Some of our IRC teams chose the cruising division and sailed the bay races. But limited numbers didn’t lessen the level of intensity of racing, and there were more tight finishes.

Honours went to Nitro in IRC 0, with Mount Gay A-L taking IRC 1.

The last of the ‘round the cans’ racing in the series was the Midsummer Fling, which saw the return of the bulk of the IRC fleet.

In near-perfect conditions, the sailing was also near perfect, with teams

Cape Summer Yacht Racing Series

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Yacht Name

Design

TCC

Al Nitro Vulcan Xtra-Link Yolo First 40 Corum Windpower Morning Glory Mwah Tenacity 2 Cape Fling 2 Cardiac Arrest Regardless One-Eighty Yachtport SA Faraway Pants On Fire Nuthr Witch Silky Jacana Bally Hoo Too Hill Billy Tam Tam First Lady After You Iechy Da Crystal Spray Privateer Rocket

Farr 38 Corby 49 GP 42 Sunfast 3200 First 40 PB 43 Landmark 43 Farr 40 J-111 J-111 RP 53 RP 37 Simonis 35 Fast 42 Fast 42 Farr 38 J105 L34 RP 37 J133 Mum 36 J27 Simonis 35 First 34.5 L40 Muira Farr 38 Class 40 Simonis 54

1.013 1.300 1.242 0.997 1.064 1.110 1.160 1.172 1.095 1.094 1.394 1.164 1.041 1.104 1.108 1.029 1.006 0.964 1.164 1.109 1.084 0.937 1.029 0.923 1.126 0.862 1.011 1.259 1.229

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Intasure GAC Laser Crocs Mid-Summer Spring Regatta IRC Nationals Summer Regatta Fling Regatta Points Points Points Points

1 1 2 2 3 4 3 5 7 9 30 6 4 5 6 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 7 30 8 30 30

1 3 1 2 5 2 2 5 3 6 4 6 3 8 7 30 1 4 7 30 4 5 6 7 30 8 30 30 30

1 1 5 5 3 2 3 4 4 6 2 6 30 30 30 7 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30

1 2 3 2 3 6 4 5 10 7 1 6 6 8 30 9 4 5 9 7 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30

Round 5 Mykonos Offshore Points

Overall Points

Overall Position

4 1 3 7 5 12 15 9 11 8 6 30 30 30 16 13 30 30 30 10 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 14 17

8 8 14 18 19 26 27 28 35 36 43 54 73 81 89 89 95 99 106 107 124 125 126 127 127 128 128 134 137

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

THE RACE OF CHAMPIONS Tough, competitive, high-profile… these are terms synonymous with the Volvo Ocean Race. It was fitting, then, that as the VOR rolled into Cape Town, the IRC fleet held their annual GAC Laser National Championships – in what proved to be a tough, competitive and high-profile event.

Hosted by the V&A Waterfont in conjunction with the RCYC, the IRC Class hosted their nationals in a ‘first of its kind’ event for South Africa.

The competing yachts were moored in the Race Village – where the Volvo 65s would’ve been, had they not been out of the water for maintenance. The boats were in full view of the general public. It was something spectacular to see, which no doubt raised the profile of our illustrious sport.

A great welcoming function was held on the Sailor’s Terrace.

It was well attended and many crews caught up with friends who’d arrived to compete in what was anticipated to be the regatta of the year.

Even the professional Volvo sailors were interested in what this small class was doing…

There were 23 entries across three classes, from a J27 to a Reichel Pugh 53-footer − this was a fleet with a serious mix. The large number made fleet-sensible splits possible − meaning the RP53 wasn’t competing against the J27, so everyone had a fair shot at victory in their division. The IRC handicap system is the only ISAF-recognised system, and thus the only one to use for colours points. With some high-level names involved, such as Peter Holmberg, Mike Giles, Jan Dekker and David Rae, racing was sure to be fierce!

Friday saw a light westerly breeze blowing across the bay. After a short briefing at the terrace, the fleet departed for a start scheduled for 11am. Unfortunately, the prevailing winds were rather light, so a postponement was inevitable. When racing did get underway,

Knut Frostad, CEO of the VOR opens the GAC Laser IRC Nationals with Hylton Hale, Chairman, IRC South Africa W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

39

SAIL RCYC LOCAL

there was some understandable confusion from the fleets as to how, exactly, the race would work. Through much radio chatter, issues were eventually resolved and the racing got underway. The three fleets had separate starts, with the slower boats sailing a slightly shorter course to try get all boats to finish close to each other.

The second race was tricky, with the westerly shifting all over the place before a big hole was caused by the southerly wind pushing down the course. The tacticians’ brains were taxed rather substantially… Eventually, the southerly breeze won the battle and all boats managed to finish.

It was late in the day and the race officer, Di Hutton-Squire, decided it was time to head for the dock. Some boats needed to do a few repairs; others were racing home for the cold beer! The evening’s entertainment was a Q@A with Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad.

This was well attended and it was also great hearing that Cape Town has committed to hosting two more stopovers in coming years.

Saturday was scheduled to be the Medium-Distance race. The race officer had a choice of four different courses, which would take the fleet to various parts of Table Bay. The course to be sailed was almost 45 miles in length − a long day on the water for some of the smaller boats. After a short delay, the race set off from the vicinity of Sunset Beach, with a tricky beat up to a mark off Clifton. This was where the navigators needed to work hard, as the tacticians were desperate to go as close to the shore as possible to take advantage of the wind bend. One or two navigators were really pushing the limits, but that’s yacht racing… – William Crockett, Sailing magazine

Winners of the IRC 0 Class, Vulcan Sailing Team

IRC Overall Results IRC 0 Division Sailed: 6, Discards: 1, To count: 5, Rating system: TCF, Entries: 7, Scoring system: Appendix A Design

Sail No

Skipper

IRC

R1

R2

R3

R4

R5

R6

Total

1st

Rank Division Boat Name IRC 0

Vulcan

GP 42

SA 4372

Hylton Hale/John Cullum

1.242

4

-5

1

1

1

3

15

10

2nd

IRC 0

Windpower

Landmark 43

SA 3737

Phil Gutsche/Rick Nankin

1.160

1

3

3

3

-5

2

17

12

3rd

IRC 0

Nitro

Corby 49

2008

Mike Hayton

1.300

5

2

2

2

2

(8.0 RET) 21

13

4th

IRC 0

Cape Fling II RP 52

888

Irvine Laidlaw

1.394

3

-4

4

4

3

1

15

5th

IRC 0

Morning Glory Farr 40

GER 40126 Tina Plattner

1.172

2

1

-6

6

4

4

23

17

6th

IRC 0

Cardiac Arrest Windsong 37 mk 2

SA 4337

Nigel Clack

1.164

-6

6

5

5

6

5

33

27

7th

IRC 0

Silky

SA 4339

Joe van der Westhuizen

1.164

-7

7

7

7

7

6

41

34

IRC

R1

R2

R3

R4

R5

R6

Total

Nett

Windsong 37 mk 2

19

Nett

IRC 1 Division Rank Division Boat Name

Design

Sail No

Skipper

1st

IRC 1

A-L

Farr 38

SA 630

Robert van Rooyen

1.013

1

-3

1

1

2

1

9

6

2nd

IRC 1

Corum

Briand

SA 969

Ryan Avery

1.110

3

2

2

2

1

-3.5

13.5

10

3rd

IRC 1

Mwah

J111

SA 4382

Gordon Kling/Steve Meek

1.095

2

1

-5

5

4

5

22

17

4th

IRC 1

Bally Hoo Too Mumm 36

SA 3600

Brenan Robinson

1.084

4

4

3

3

5

-7

26

19

5th

IRC 1

First 40

Beneteau First 40 CR SA 4425

Dave Arnott/Pete Howarth

1.064

-6

6

4

4

3

3.5

26.5

20.5

6th

IRC 1

Tenacity

J111

SA 4242

Errol Stern

1.094

5

5

6

6

7

(9.0 RET) 38

29

7th

IRC 1

Yachtport

Fast 42

SA 1994

Dave Herman

1.108

7

7

-8

8

6

2

38

30

8th

IRC 1

One Eighty

Fast 42

SA 4353

Andrew Edwards

1.104

-8

8

7

7

8

6

44

36

Nett

IRC 2 Division Sailed: 6, Discards: 1, To count: 5, Rating system: TCF, Entries: 8, Scoring system: Appendix A Rank Division Boat Name

40

Design

Sail No

Skipper

R1

R2

R3

R4

R5

R6

Total

1st

IRC 2

Pants on Fire

J105

SA 3786

Dwayne Assis/Paul Thompson 1.006

IRC

-6

5

1

1

3

1

17

11

2nd

IRC 2

X-tra-Link

Sunfast 3200

SA 6130

Dale Kushner

0.997

1

3

2

2

-4

3

15

11

3rd

IRC 2

Regardless

Simonis 35

SA 505

William Brooks

1.041

3

1

3

3

-5

2

17

12

4th

IRC 2

Nuthr Witch

L34

14

Dave Garrard

0.964

2

2

-5

5

1

4

19

14

5th

IRC 2

Hill Billy

J27

SA 198

Peter Hill/Joep Schoef

0.937

5

-6

4

4

2

6

27

21

6th

IRC 2

Tam Tam

Simonis 35

SA 3810

Nick Munday/Ian Slatem

1.029

4

4

7

7

(9.0 RET) 5

36

27

7th

IRC 2

First Lady

Beneteau First 345

SA 734

Jannie de Goede/Lars Kessel

0.923

(9.0 RET) 7

6

6

6

8

42

33

8th

IRC 2

Iechyd Da

Miura

SA 797

Stefan Hundt

0.862

7

9.0 RET

7

7

48

39

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

(9.0 RET) 9.0 RET

PHOTOGRAPHS DAVE MABIN & TREVOR WILKINS

Sailed: 6, Discards: 1, To count: 5, Rating system: TCF, Entries: 8, Scoring system: Appendix A

T (SA): 0861 819 219 | T (INT): +27 11 591 3500 A/H: 082 568 9344 | F: 086 245 8685 www.clubmarinesa.com Club Marine is an Authorised Financial Services Provider (AFSP4430) All Rights Reserved | Terms & Conditions Apply

SAIL V O LV O O C E A N R AC E R C YC

NO HOLDS BARRED The Volvo Ocean Race swept into Cape Town late 2014, bringing fanfare, excitement – and a major boost to the CT economy.

RCYC, the local host club, raised the burgee high

THE ROYAL CAPE’S STOPOVER SUPPORT R

CYC Sailcom committed to assist the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) Cape Town stopover by providing race management and marshalling for all on-the-water race activities.

On the marshalling side, Saths Moodley and Andre Wollheim rounded up an enthusiastic team of volunteers on powerboats of various shapes and sizes from local yachts clubs, RCYC and False Bay Yacht Club (FBYC), as well as motor boaters from Oceana Power Boat Club (OPBC) and the V&A Waterfront.

From the race-management side, RCYC provided the local race officer, Doug Alison (assisted by Judy Alison), Toni Mainprize, Adrian Spencer-Jones, Liz and Ray Matthews, Di Hutton-Squire and Luke Scott.

RCYC also arranged the race-committee boat, the impressive Damen Sea Axe 25, a 52-metre fast crew-patrol boat, helmed by renowned solo sailor John Martin. A special thank you must go to Damen for the use of this spectacular craft.

Together with a small team under VOR’s principal race officer, cheerful Irishman Bill O’Hara, we were responsible for delivering the entire on-the-water racing programme, including the In-Port race, Pro-Am Races, practice races and the Leg 2 start from CT to Abu Dhabi.

The In-Port Race started in a good breeze, which initially built nicely, but died down quickly towards the end. The Wednesday-night Leg 2 start was held in a strong southeasterly. The start was positioned just on the edge of the wind shadow off Granger Bay, allowing for a light wind start and reasonable on-water spectator viewing. A great experience! – Ray Matthews

50

LOCAL CHARTER BOATS FOR IN-SHORE AND RACE RESTART

ECONOMIC BOOST

G

lobal sports events equal big business, and few have greater impact than the Volvo Ocean Race, which spans nine months and 11 countries.

The round-the-world event’s recent stopover in Cape Town provided a huge boost to local tourism and trade at the host venue, the V&A Waterfront. Much of that was down to the fact that the delivery partner, events-management company Worldsport, understands the race, as well as that the joint venture with the V&A was hugely successful.

Worldsport has an extensive sailing resumé. Since 1996 the company’s innovative and effective project-management systems, marketing concepts and commercial strategies have established the company as a global leader in race stopover management. We’re also responsible for the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Abu Dhabi, via our Arabia office.

The Race Village at Quay 6, which took 28 000 man-hours to build, was the centre around which the magnificent 65-foot racing yachts were moored and hauled out for repairs to damages sustained during the gruelling three-and-half week journey, as well as for necessary adjustments. Seven specialist boat-building companies assisted the race syndicates in the Volvo Ocean Race boatyard, which not only served as ‘home base’ for the 19-day stopover, but became a festival-type arena for welcoming the public and the teams.

“The Volvo Ocean Race provided an opportunity to showcase the V&A and Cape Town on the international stage,” says David Green, CEO of the V&A Waterfront. “This stopover saw great events and activations, which brought an added level of activity to this 150-year-old harbour.”

With the delivery partner’s stopover-hosting expertise, an iconic and historic host venue and a global travelling media roadshow, the Volvo Ocean Race presented the City of Cape Town with numerous strategic destination-marketing opportunities.

“The City of Cape Town is a proud host and supporter of the Volvo Ocean Race. The event holds enormous benefits for the city and its residents. The direct economic impact, through visitor and organiser spend, is estimated at over R540 million. Our support for the Volvo Ocean Race is part of our strategy to attract big events to the city and to position Cape Town as the events capital of Africa,” says the city’s mayoral committee member for tourism, events and economic development, Councillor Bloor.

Bloor says it’s exciting for us to host such events. They “speak directly to our tourism potential and our positioning as a premier events destination in Africa. These large events that attract well-heeled participants, together with associated services, contributes significantly to our economic growth. Not only do such events affirm the city’s status as a destination of choice, but they create sustainable employment for around 34 500 permanent and 15 000 temporary workers.” − Bruce Parker Forsythe, CEO Worldsport 44

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

TOTAL EST.

ECONOMIC IMPACT WITH

MULTIPLIER

R540

GLOBAL

MEDIA

EXPOSURE

MILLION

SAIL V O LV O O C E A N R AC E R C YC

32 500

2 800

BED NIGHTS

VISITORS

R180M

MAN-HOURS

SPEND

RACE

UNIQUE

28 000

DIRECT

TO BUILD

DIRECT

JOB

VILLAGE

CREATION

7

SPECIALIST BOAT-BUILDING COMPANIES ASSISTING VOR BOATYARD W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

45

ALL HANDS ON DECK

C

ape Town provided the first stopover for the 2014/15 Volvo Ocean Race. The yachts started arriving after 25 days at sea, having sailed 6 487 nautical miles, the first leg of an epic 38 739-nautical-mile global journey. While the yachts were fighting it out on the ocean, a massive logistical exercise was taking place behind the scenes.

With two identical race villages due to leapfrog each other across the globe, the first cargo started arriving in Cape Town in early October for the opening of the Race Village at the V&A Waterfront on the 1 November 2014.

The cargo handling involved some 117 40-foot containers, 81 airfreight shipments and the delivery of yacht spares and all the materials handling the equipment required for the build-up of the pavilions and hospitality infrastructures. With limited space at the quayside, tight deadlines and restricted building times on account of noise control, meticulous planning and co-ordination was required.

Despite the significant and varied challenges, GAC Laser – the local logistics partner for GAC Pindar (the official global logistics provider for the Volvo Ocean Race) – the global GAC Pindar team and all the third-party providers rose to the occasion to deliver a very successful and smooth maiden stopover.

As the racing teams departed on the next leg bound for Abu Dhabi, the pack-up and ‘bump-out’ began. With timelines shorter than the inbound leg, efficient co-ordination of container carriers to the port in Port Elizabeth was crucial. Here, the cargo would have a race of its own – to Sanya in China in time for the third stopover. Again, the teams performed exceptionally. As the close-out of the logistics operations ended, there was much praise given from all those involved – the VOR, GAC Pindar, the V&A Waterfront and Worldsport – on the great success of the Cape Town stopover.

– Simon Hayes, CEO GAC Laser International Logistics

46

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

SAIL V O LV O O C E A N R AC E R C YC

TEAM AND BOAT PROFILES

The VOR fleet raced into Cape Town late October 2014 after a tough leg from Alicante, Spain. In order of arrival, the teams give their account of the leg and their stay in Cape Town

1

ADOR, ABU DHABI

PHOTOGRAPHS AINHOA SANCHEZ/VOLVO OCEAN RACE

Abu Dhabi seemed determined to be first into Cape Town, when they sailed in as RCYC members enjoyed a Wednesdaynight race. A tight tussle between Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (ADOR), on Azzam, and Dongfeng added to the excitement.

When Azzam arrived, the RCYC fleet gave a warm welcome.

Their luck followed them, as they won the In-Port race.

“What an amazing adrenaline rush,” said former SA rugby captain Francois Pienaar, who joined the ADOR sailors to the final inshore marker. “Those guys are amazingly fit. The things that impressed me were the teamwork and the way everyone stayed so calm. Ian [Walker] is clearly a strong leader.”

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

47

2

DONGFENG, CHINA

They came in second behind leg winner (and pre-race favourites) Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. It was a tense wait in Cape Town as the final moments of Leg 1 played out, before an overriding pride as the determined men of Dongfeng crossed the finish. Exceeding expectations, the crew shared their joy with loved ones and the shore team. Their best 24-hour run was 541nm at 1440 UTC 3.11.14 Charles Caudrelier, Dongfeng race team skipper, said: “The other teams are very good. It has been a fight. But we are here to write the story of Chinese sailing. We have finished second: It is fantastic for the Chinese people and sailors. I am very proud of what we have done.”

As reporter Yann Riou described in a tweet from onboard Dongfeng just 30 minutes after the start of Leg 2: “0 to 40 knots before we’ve even left Cape Town”. It was a full-on, nerve-racking (and potentially boat-wrecking) start to the second leg of the VOR. Table Mountain and its unstable winds, which have developed a reputation for causing havoc for the racing sailors that tackle it, didn’t disappoint.

3

TEAM BRUNEL, NETHERLANDS

“Cape Town was a great stopover. Nice people, lovely food and a good sailing vibe. Everthing was well organised. We loved the beautiful views of Table Mountain, while drinking a good glass of wine. We really want to come back next time,” said Team Brunel director, three-time Whitbread Round the World Cup Race veteran, Gideon Messink.

48

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

SAIL V O LV O O C E A N R AC E R C YC

4

TEAM VESTAS WIND, AUSTRALIA

5

Skipper Chris Nicholson had this to say about the Cape Town stopover: “Cape Town has always been a favourite destination. TVW received a fantastic welcome, but we were also really well received for the entire stop. The Race Village is quite unique, with the layout of the harbour and everything being on display for the public.

“Leg 1 is a great leg for many reasons. Its long and tactical, but one of the best parts is finishing in Cape Town. Table Mountain is spectacular and the welcome from the public is one of the best in the world. I couldn’t imagine doing a round-the-world race without stopping in Cape Town.”

PHOTOGRAPHS AINHOA SANCHEZ/VOLVO OCEAN RACE, AMORY ROSS/TEAM ALVIMEDICA

ALVIMEDICA, AMERICAN/TURKISH

“It was an emotional departure from Cape Town. The people here are so friendly, so welcoming, and we’ve had some incredible experiences while staying in this beautiful city. We attended a service at St George’s Cathedral, which was run by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. As he is for so many people, Tutu is a hero to us – for his courage to face up to some of the great injustices in the world, yet always with such a gentle demeanor, with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. He asked us to tell the congregation where we were from, and what had brought us to Cape Town. He then wished us well on our adventures, and said: ‘May the wind always be at your back, or wherever you’d like the wind to come from!’ Well, who wouldn’t want that kind of blessing!” – Skipper Charlie Enright

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

49

SAIL R C YC V O LV O O C E A N R AC E

6

TEAM SCA SWEDEN

7

Skipper Sam Davies said. “It means a huge amount to the whole crew that we weren’t the last boat in to Cape Town, and I can’t imagine what it would have been like if it was the opposite way around for us who had been 200 miles behind. To be so far away, and then come in to redeem ourselves. It was so different to how we felt a week before.

Then we have had a good stopover in Cape Town as well, finishing third in the In-Port race, which boosted the team even more. That really helped, going into the next leg.”

For Sara Hastreiter, who only started sailing four years previously, the finish into Cape Town rates as one of the high points of her life: “No matter what else I do in the future, this will be right up there.”

Sailor Stacey Jackson said during the event: “It’s been a very fast stopover. It’s a bit of a different feeling as it is a late start − and it’s blowing dogs off chains out there! The In-Port and the Pro-Am races have been windy, so that has set our mind-set to sailing in a big breeze. I think we will do just fine, but we will have a few hard days ahead of us.”

MAPFRE, SPAIN

PHOTOGRAPHS AINHOA SANCHEZ/VOLVO OCEAN RACE

The approach to the finish line was, for the Spanish team, the longest stretch of the whole leg. They had practically no wind and were stuck, while Team SCA kept sailing past with more wind, finally crossing the finish line ahead of Iker Martínez’s crew.

“There was an exclusion zone by the cargo ships and we had to go either through one side or the other. We knew that if we went to one side, the women would go the other way − and that is what happened. We both ran out of wind, but in the end, Team SCA had more wind, enough to pass us. We failed by making that choice, and we lost a point,” said skipper Iker Martínez onshore, visibly tired after 27 days at sea. Brazilian André Fonseca, when focused on the second leg, said: “We don’t have much time to prepare for the next leg. So we have to make the most of this time onshore to get in better shape.”

50

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

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COAST TO COAST A round-up of the year’s Royal Caper adventures abroad

R

oyal Cape was invited to send a team to the sixth Dennis Conner Invitational Yacht Cup Challenge, an amateur event for yacht clubs around the world. There is some exclusivity to it, as it is done on an invitational basis only, and on a first-come, first-served basis.

South Africa has never been invited before, but due to some enthusiastic work done by the Hale family on a holiday to New York, they convinced the commodore of the Manhattan Yacht Club to invite a team from Africa.

A year later, a formal invite arrived and the RCYC general committee set about choosing a team to go. Since the Vulcan Sailing Team was the current Lipton Cup winner, it made sense to send them to participate on the J24 one-design boats, as they’re similar to the L26 boats we sail in the Lipton Cup – but, in reality, they’re quite different.

The Vulcan team partnered with Choose Life High Performance Sailing, and with RCYC covering the entry and boat-charter costs, the team of Andrea Giovannini, Markus Progli, Henry Daniels, Shane Elliot and Duncan Matthews were on their way to NY. The regatta is promoted as amateur, but that’s a loose term according to the notice of race. The wording is such that no participant can be paid to participate in the DC Invitational, so the competitors are a mix of a star-studded line-up of J24 national champs from Brazil, Ecuador and Australia, as well as European champions and ex-Olympic sailors. Competitors included a French team who are on the TP52 circuit, as well as amateurs in the true sense of the word − a couple of club sailors who got together to have a holiday in the Big Apple.

I’d put South Africa somewhere in the middle of the skills set: We didn’t have any J24 experience, and the first time we sailed was two days before the event. In our practice race, we finished stone-cold last, and were disqualified anyway for starting prematurely.

Finishing last in the pre-race had a sobering effect on the team.

Just getting invited and getting the required sponsorship was the least of it. By the time we had the entry approved, the event had already been 52

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“Sailing has the beautiful art of making the world a much smaller place.” fully booked − all 20 spots taken. But we were the first on the waiting list. We eagerly waited for a team to pull out, all the while trying to arrange the finances to get five guys to NYC. We had organised to stay on a boat in New York, and had the funding for the entry and boat charter. Flights were our only problem.

We received an email with a ‘good news’ and ‘bad news’ scenario.

Good news? A team from China had pulled out. We had 24 hours to commit to attending and pay, or the spot would be offered to the next team in line. The bad news? Our accommodation had decided to set sail to Miami... No worries. We took the spot anyway – reasoning we could always just camp for the nine days that we were there.

Until, after paying for flights and entry fees, we found out that campsites are not an option in New York. Who’d have known? We now faced trying to rent a flat in one of the most expensive cities in the world, with the South African rand not getting us far. Luckily, at the eleventh hour, nine RCYC sailing teams chipped in for the sponsorship that we were short.

So, back finishing last in the pre-race: it was not just our sponsors, Vulcan Racing and Choose Life, that we were letting down, but also our fellow yachtsmen who’d stood behind us and wanted to see how we would do in this prestigious event.

We had one serious debrief. We looked at our weaknesses and at what we could turn around overnight. We decided to stop sailing the boats like J24s and sail them how we knew, like L26s. Instead of hoisting out the back hatch, we decided to hoist the kite out the front hatch, and we changed to cross-sheeting the headsail. This made our two training days irrelevant, but we had to stick to our strengths.

PHOTOGRAPHS NYC/SCOT SURBECK

RCYC wins the Dennis Conner Invitational

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Race ahead By Roger Hudson

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The other massive gain we worked out in the tune-up race is that we were incredibly slow. Since the J24 European Champion was there, we made it our goal to be able to hang in with him. With his intimate knowledge and experience in this class, we figured he’d be the fastest on the water. The problem we faced with regards to our speed was that the rig is pre-set and you are not allowed to adjust it, including the backstay. So we had this issue with this floppy forestay in the pressure, which doesn’t bode well for speed. Usually, you would just pull on the backstay and that would straighten your forestay, allowing the boat to truck along. However, with non-adjustable backstays, we had to think outside the box to get the boat to go fast. We decided that instead of playing the mainsheet, we would crank on the mainsheet and, in puffs or when we were overpowered, instead of easing the mainsheet, we would drop the traveller. The mainsheet then held the forestay tight, and by playing the jib sheet and traveller together, we could keep the boat flat and keep going fast. This, of course, was just a theory, but in the first race, we lined up next to the European champion and just blew him away in the first beat.

The last issue we were concerned with was the current. We made it our mission to understand the river and its tidal movements. Every day we would have a brief on exactly what the current would do at what time.

We began to understand that sailing in current is easy − it’s predictable compared to wind. When you know how the game works, things get a bit simpler.

In the first race, we started with a sixth position. From there, we built a consistent score line to win the event with a race to spare.

Interestingly enough, the Danish, who finished second, were also not J24 sailors. They came eighth at the Melges 24 Europeans and also won the Yngling Worlds in 2014. The only J24 sailing they have done was the DC Invitational, where they’ve finished runner-up for three years in a row.

The mission statement of the regatta was to build international bonds through competitive sailing. We have certainly felt the power of sport in this regard. We have had two sets of guests who we met in New York sail with us in Cape Town on Vulcan. During the Volvo stopover, I bumped into the Danish trimmer who was part of the shore crew for Team Vestas Wind. RCYC has also recently been offered reciprocity with the Manhattan Yacht Club.

Thanks to Royal Cape Yacht Club and the nine RCYC members who made this possible, as well as Team Vulcan Racing powered by Choose Life High Performance Sailing. − Andrea Giovannini

ver the past year, RaceAhead has continued to focus on developing the best young sailing talents in South Africa with a special emphasis on providing opportunities and financial support for the underprivileged sailors within this group. Over this period, RaceAhead has competed in 12 international regattas and six local regattas, and concluded 52 training days in South Africa involving 18 promising young sailors.

The international Olympic team of Asenathi Jim and Roger Hudson have continued to make ground on the Olympic circuit, with highlight results being their Gold Medal at the 2014 Delta Lloyd (Netherlands), Olympic regatta (South Africa’s first win on the Olympic circuit in 10 years) and their eighth place at the Miami World Cup in January 2015, in a field comprising 26 of the world’s top 30. The team has improved their ISAF world ranking from 24th to 17th over the past year and has also maintained their status on SASCOC’s Operation Excellence programme, which they were first selected for in April 2013.

In Olympic youth development, RaceAhead selected promising squad member Alex Burger (18) to partner with Asenathi Jim (with Roger Hudson as coach) and compete at Germany’s historical Olympic regatta, Kiel Week, in June 2014. The team achieved an outstanding result, finishing fifth out of 23 in a field comprising several top Olympic sailors, which bodes well for the future. RaceAhead has also undertaken a mentorship and advisory role with young South African Laser sailor Stefano Marcia as he bids to qualify for Rio Olympics 2016, assisting with campaign planning and advice, training partnerships, Sports Science support and housing. Stefano’s ISAF ranking has risen from 221 to 101 over the past six months as he continues progressing his Olympic career.

In South Africa, RaceAhead has funded and organised five teams to compete in the 470 class at the Southern Charter Grand Slam events in Hermanus, Mossel Bay, ZVYC Club Champs and Spring Open. RaceAhead has also sailed the Sonnet Class, at the Theewaters Grand Slam and the Sonnet National Champs in December 2014, entering three RaceAhead teams and claiming the gold and bronze medals in a field of 33 teams.

RaceAhead training days have continued strongly over the past year, utilising training venues at ZVYC, Simon’s Town, Hermanus and Mossel Bay, as well as the new addition, Granger Bay, which has been a fantastic success. The highlight of RaceAhead training over the past year has been the two-week training camp held in February 2014 at Granger Bay involving international Olympic 470 teams from Canada and Sweden, and 10 promising young South African sailors.

Behind all of these efforts, activities and achievements has been the hard work of Roger Hudson, Asenathi Jim, David Hudson and Sibu Sizatu.

RaceAhead is enormously grateful to sponsors, product supporters and contributors: Southern Charter Wealth Management, Open Box Software, Synergy Income Fund, SASCOC, SAS, Amtec, Macsteel, Musto, Southern Ropes, North Sails Japan & MACS Shipping.

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Setting the record

Boat Swish Event Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race he 2014 race was sailed in uniquely challenging conditions as the remnants of Hurricane Bertha passed over Northern Europe.

The race committee took some radical decisions in view of the forecast conditions and, at the last minute, changed the course from clockwise to anticlockwise around Britain and Ireland. They also postponed the scheduled start time by 18 hours to let the worst of the weather blow through.

I was invited to compete as navigator aboard the Class 40, Swish.

The rest of the crew were made up of the owner/skipper, Rod Knowles, and the highly experienced Ian Munslow and Paul Peggs.

We started the race conservatively. This very quickly paid off as all of our competitors in Class 40 retired within 24 hours, owing to damage of some sort or another. Even in conservative mode, we managed to cover in excess of 257 miles in the first 24 hours. By then, with no competitors in our class, it was clear that our objective should be to try and break the record for Class 40. But the rough conditions at the start took their toll on Swish, too, and early on we lost our communication abilities, as well as some of our essential instruments. We were reduced to watching the barometer and the clouds to try and forecast the next shift in the breeze.

Nonetheless, after three-and-a-half days, we rounded Muckle Flugga, the northernmost point of the course, and started to head south again. Off Scotland’s Sula Sgeir, we battled another front, this time on the nose. But around Ireland the wind turned in our favour, allowing for a fast finish. With a final elapsed time of eight days, 19 hours, six minutes and 49 seconds, we smashed nearly a day off the existing world record for the course on a yacht 40 feet or under! − Nick Leggatt

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Up again, round again

Boat Highland Fling & Cape Fling Event Cowes Week n 2011, I commissioned Reichel/Pugh to design an IRC 52 with twin rudders with an emphasis on heavy-weather performance, particularly reaching. We built this boat at McConaghy Boats, China, with the first (and not very successful) event being the Quantum Key West Race Week. The boat then went to the Caribbean for the St. Thomas International Regatta, where we distinguished ourselves by losing the mast at the end of the first leg of the first race.

Feeling rather fed up, I left the boat on the hard for a year to give myself time to think about her future. After a new spar was delivered from Hall, we completed unfinished business in the Caribbean by competing in the St Thomas International and BVI Regattas. Against a competitive fleet, we did reasonably well, but were consistently beaten by the Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens.

At Cowes 2014, we were up against Tonnerre (again!) and Mike Bartholomew’s much-modified GP42, Tokoloshe II, in IRC Class 0.

We were a bit disappointed that no TP52s entered, so we were racing on our own for most of the week.

For reasons that I don’t understand, Tonnerre couldn’t find her Caribbean form, while we were getting to grips with sailing Fling.

(Some excellent new sails didn’t hurt, either.) The main competition came from Tokoloshe II, with the fight going into the last day. When racing was cancelled, Fling came out on top. Two SA boats at the top of Class 0 – where were the Brits?

Apart from the Round the Island race on Wednesday, when Ben Ainslie took the helm on Fling, winds were light, not showing Fling at her best. Racing on the Solent is very different to Cape Town, with big tides to dodge, and shallows everywhere to keep the navigator busy.

We touched the bottom once, but an emergency gybe prevented us from going aground. Other differences? The winds are lighter, the water is more protected, the race organisation was not as good as I had expected, and the courses were too much up and down the Solent.

I think that I’ll stick to racing in Table Bay! − Irvine Laidlaw

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Caribbean dreams…

Boat Music Event Mediterranean Season 2014 t the end of the Rolex Middle Sea Race in 2013, I decided to sail Music to Montenegro and leave her there for the winter. The reason was two-fold. First, it was to take her out the water for the winter and most of 2014, as she wouldn’t be racing until August that year. Second, I’d heard so much about Montenegro’s beauty and facilities.

Originally, our race agenda was to compete in the bi-annual Rolex Swan Cup in Porto Cervo, Sardinia, and then the Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez at the end of September. However, I learnt that there was a race from Palermo, Sicily, to Monte Carlo in mid-August, which suited us perfectly as the boat had to virtually pass Palermo on the way back to France to prepare for the Rolex Swan Cup. The crew arrived in Montenegro a good week before leaving for Palermo and spent the time preparing the boat. Palermo was well organised – a most enjoyable place to start a race. The Monaco Yacht Club and the Palermo Yacht Club were the joint organisers of the race.

An inshore preparation race was held and we finished third − six seconds from the winner and one second behind second place! The race to Monte Carlo started in mild conditions with an 8–10k breeze. We pursued a westerly course to get as close to Sardinia as possible. The only course mark is a compulsory gate off Porto Cervo Harbour, which contestants have to sail through. After that they’re free to choose whether to leave Corsica to port or starboard. Just before we got to Porto Cervo, the wind changed direction and soon we had a full-blown mistral on our bow. We really started rumbling and catching some of the smaller boats that had got ahead of us. The mistral lasted for a good 24 hours until the wind dropped. We were challenging for first (on the excellent Yellowbrick Tracker), but with the lighter breeze we just managed to hold onto third. Finishing at the newly built Monaco Yacht Club was wonderful, with excellent hospitality (well-deserved rosé wine), even though we crossed the line at 1.30am!

The Rolex Swan Cup in Porto Cervo in early September started in very light conditions, but we managed a credible fourth place against 21 competitors in our class. The second race got underway with breezier conditions and we got first place, and a second on the third day placed Music second overall against Yukihiro Ishida’s newly outfitted boat, the Swan 56, Yasha. A first place on the final day left us with eight points against Yasha’s seven, with three seconds and one first!

Next up was the popular Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, which we’d won in 2013. They were not the best conditions for us, but it was an enjoyable regatta in a special place. A very competitive week, with a final second place in our class, finished our season.

Considering that I had reasonably low expectations for the season’s three regattas, three podium positions ended another successful campaign. My thanks must go out to my crew, with special mention to my boat captain, Gerry Hegie; crew boss and tactician, Mike Giles; and Bradley Robinson on the foredeck. Next, we’re off to the Caribbean for the RORC 600 and the Rolex Swan Caribbean* as well as a visit to the East Coast of the USA for some regattas. − James Blakemore *News just in (at time of print): Music won the Rolex Swan Caribbean!

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A season of firsts

Boat Tokoloshe II Events UK IRC Championships, Cowes Week, Dartmouth Royal Regatta Sailing Week, British 420 Spring Championships, MDL Hamble Big Boat Championships, RORC Easter Challenge owards the end of 2014, encouraged by the move towards light-displacement boats and a sail on Hylton Hale’s Vulcan, Team Tokoloshe acquired a GP42 previously named Caser Madrid.

We set about optimising the boat for IRC competition and numerous modifications were carried out, including changing the mainsail configuration, fitting running backstays, adding a 2.5-metre bowsprit, increasing the spinnaker area by 20 square metres, increasing the size of the rudder, fitting a new keel fin to increase the draft from 2.6 metres to three metres and installing twin-wheel steering. We renamed her Tokoloshe II. The season was sailed largely in experimental mode. We achieved second places in the UK IRC Championships, Cowes Week and Dartmouth week. Firsts were scored in the Spring Championships and the Winter Big Boat Champs, both sailed in the Solent.

Cowes Week was a ding-dong tussle between Irvine Laidlaw’s Cape Fling, Tonnerre of the Netherlands and Tokoloshe II. Unfortunately, Tonnerre and Tokoloshe II had a collision on day one, causing both boats to retire. Cape Fling led from day one and although we closed the gap, we couldn’t catch her. She deservedly won the class. We were happy, though, to have beaten our old adversary, Tonnerre. During the week, Tokoloshe II did succeed in winning both the Britannia Cup and the New York Yacht Club Challenge Cup, the former for the second time.

The 2015 season started with the Royal Ocean Racing Club Easter Challenge in April. In addition to several inshore events, Tokoloshe II also has an offshore programme planned, culminating in the Rolex Fastnet Race in August. − Mike Bartholomew

PHOTOGRAPHS RICK TOMLINSON, IAIN MCLUCKIE

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Lessons from the Vaal

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Besides sailing with Phil Gutsche’s RCYC team in the llhabella Race Week, Mark Sadler has a busy schedule planned for the 2015 season.

It began in January at the Antigua Superyacht Challenge, on the 182ft Schooner, Adela, followed by the Caribbean 600, on the Carkeek 47, Black Pearl III. March saw him compete in the St Barths Bucket Regatta on the Baltic 108, Win Win and in the St. Thomas Regatta on Black Pearl III. His plans for the Northern Hemisphere summer include the Loro Piana, Porto Cervo, and the Palma Superyacht Cup on Win Win, plus the Falmouth J Class Regatta on Lionheart. He is also scheduled to sail on Black Pearl III in the Fastnet Race.

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A great start

Boat Vulcan Racing Event J22 World Championships he 2014 J22 Worlds were hosted by Manten Marina and Lake Deneys Yacht Club in Deneysville, on the Vaal Dam, from 26 April to 3 May. The 43 boats entered including entries from the Cayman Islands, the States and Germany. The regatta was preceded by the South African National Champs − a valuable opportunity to finalise preparations for J22 – which was won by Rampant III, helmed by Markus Progli and his crew (Andrea Giovannini, James Largier and Duncan Matthews). The favourite entry to win the World Champs was Harken, helmed by Dave Rae, with his all-America’s Cup crew, Guido Verhovert and Trevor Spilhaus. The Vulcan team comprised myself, being a junior sailor from Gauteng (helming); Andrea (tactician); James (trimming); and Duncan on the foredeck. My campaign to join the J22 World Championship started through my first association with Andrea, in 2010, when I started sailing an Optimist. The coach/pupil relationship that developed was a sailing friendship that taught me far more than helming.

In 2013 I was fortunate to crew on Voodoo, with Rob Wilcox, in the South African Nationals on the Vaal. Andrea won that regatta. Shortly

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PHOTOGRAPHS MARK SADDLER, MARCOS MENDEZ

Boat Susie Too Event 2014 J22 World Championship have sailed J22s on and off for the last 25 years − it is the boat that got me going in the sport of sailing.

I sailed my first J22 Worlds when I was 17, on Lake Michigan in the States, with 80 boats. We managed a 14. I still own a J22 that’s been in the family for two-and-a-half decades. I grew up sailing on the Vaal Dam, so when I heard that the Worlds would be there, I convinced Guido Verhoevert and Trevor Spilhaus it would be a fantastic regatta to do. (I didn’t tell them the average wind speed would be five knots…)

We used the J22 Nationals as a practice regatta. This put us in good shape as we learnt a lot about the Vaal and the other sailors.

The J22 has a weight limit of 275kg. Some people sail four-up, some sail three-up, but we had no choice as we were 280kg. We needed to lose 5kg before we could think about doing the regatta. And the race was going to be tricky, as the wind was always switching between 20 to 30 degrees. We came up with some ideas of how we could win, and we were on the way.

We sailed a fantastic regatta, discarding on eleventh and a fifth to finish with a score line showing eight finishes in the top three. We finished 15 points ahead of second place. I really think if anyone in the Cape wants to learn to sail well in light winds, go and spend some time sailing on the Vaal. − David Rae

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thereafter, in a casual discussion, he mentioned the possibility of doing a J22 with me sometime in the future. This thought never left me, so when Rampant III, owned by Phillip Baum, came onto the market, so did the opportunity to launch a serious campaign for the 2014 J22 World Championships. I was delighted that Andrea managed to persuade James and Duncan to join in the campaign with a novice like me. Over a period of months, Andrea, in his inimitable manner, taught me how to helm a J22, and how to sail it optimally. In the process, I developed a vast vocabulary of four-letter words, which Andrea used in any number of combinations to explain the finer points of helming…

As the campaign took shape, Vulcan Team Sailing came to the fore and Rampant III was entered in the J22 World Championship as Vulcan Sailing Team. I was made aware of the quality of the competition from boats like Harken, Mike Farrington from the Cayman Islands, Stefano Marcia, Rob Wilcox, Marcus Progli and the German entry. I really didn’t want to let the team down − the pressure was enormous. While preparing for the regatta, James spent much energy on preparing the boat. His expertise proved invaluable.

The effervescent Rob Wilcox on Voodoo, Stefano Marcia on Abcon Jalapeno, sponsored by Amtec, and Marcus Progli, on Tokoloshe, were the other main contenders from South Africa for a podium position.

The international entry from the Cayman Islands, headed by Mike and Simon Farrington, also proved to be very competitive. Shortly before the commencement of the regatta, the Farrington brothers recruited Iliana Boura, also a junior sailor from Gauteng, to do foredeck. As it turned out, Harken won the regatta over Vulcun Team Sailing by a 15-point margin, having won four of the 11 races. Vulcan won the last two races and finished in the top 10 in six of the races. The Cayman Islands, who led the regatta after the second race, came third after Vulcan.

On a personal level, it was a fantastic experience to be part of such a team and in the company of such accomplished sailors, who were always prepared to give advice and guidance − and who managed to hide their frustration in dealing with my steep learning curve. My desire to win the regatta was maybe over-ambitious. But given the experience of the crew and the quality of boat, I believed that we should be competitive. Though it proved to be a bridge too far, I’m very proud of the two firsts and am most grateful for the opportunity offered to me by Andrea, and the fact that James and Duncan were prepared to throw their lot in with a novice like me. A word of thanks must go to my father, who blew the growing budget for this campaign on more than one occasion, and to my mother, Nikola, who served delicious meals whenever the Capetonians came to Joburg to train. Overall, the J22 World Championship campaign was a success. I trust that Vulcan Team Sailing was done proud by our efforts! − Henry Daniels

Plain sailing

Boat Tonnerre Events Key West, RORC Caribbean ey West was our first regatta on the new boat with the same crew we had on the last boat. We had good, variable conditions covering all the ranges and sailed against some solid competition. Still, we managed to win our class by a considerable margin in the end − some of the races came down to seconds.

The RORC Caribbean 600 was the first offshore in the new boat.

We were up against some serious competition again − mini-maxi 72s and fully-pro teams on TP 52s, Cookson 50s and so on.

We managed a third in class and a fourth overall. It was a quick race with fun sailing, warm water and very consistent wind. It’s a must for any offshore enthusiast. − Paul Willcox

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DUE SOUTH

The team that took part in the 2014 Rolex Illhabela Race Week 2014, Team Windpower, report on their time spent in Brazil’s beautiful sailing capital

From the planning side

Phil Gutsche has been a stalwart racing boat-owner and sailor on the local and international sailing scene for over 20 years, from when he first bought the Baltic 42, Witchdoctor and entered the ’93 Rio race.

Locally, he has seldom missed a big event, with either his lovely 63-foot Simonis-designed Warrior or the Mills-designed Landmark 43, Windpower. International sojourns have seen his team competing in three Cape to Rio races, Antigua Race Week, Mauritius to Durban Race, Cowes Week and Commodores Cup. Ilhabela is the Cowe’s Week for Brazilian sailors. About 150 to 200 boats compete, a mix of handicap racing and one design. It’s a great venue and it’s very popular.

The Soto 40 is not at all like Windpower. They are light 40-foot dinghy-style keelboats that fly downwind, similar in concept and appearance to Vulcan, the GP42 that races at RCYC. Used to racing heavier boats, we needed to be sure that our team was beefed up with a few sailors who could help our team learn to sail these craft and be reasonably competitive in double-quick time: We would only have three days to practise before the regatta once we took delivery of the boat we’d chartered.

First, we needed a professional tactician, coach and leader. Number one on our list was Mark Sadler, now living in Palma, Majorca, Spain.

Mark is highly respected and is involved in many exciting sailing projects, including the Black Pearl Soto 40 campaign, where he was tactician in the last European season. With Mark onboard, we started piecing a crew together. There was a distinct Shosholoza feel to the crew we settled on, and all had sailed with our team quite recently.

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big guys and there would be no chance of including them, which was really sad.

Ilhabela Week was held immediately after the Worlds in Europe.

With finances tight in Argentina, particularly at this time, only five boats entered, which was disappointing. But the quality of the sailors and boats was fantastic. The fleet included World Champs, Olympic, America’s Cup and Volvo sailors.

We paced against the others the day before racing started, and our speed was pretty good from the outset. We knew we could at least ‘race’ against these boats.

Ilhabela Island is Brazil’s largest island, situated close to the land with a narrow, deep channel between the mountainous mainland and the steep-sided island shore. Currents are wind generated and quickly pick up to as much as four knots. Common speeds would be one knot in five knots of wind, three knots in a 15-knot breeze.

The first race was a planned 60-mile offshore to an island around 20 miles out to sea with challenges like exiting the channel, the open sea and the return into the channel at night.

We then experienced two days of brilliant close racing on courses set to the north of the island, sailing in north-easterley winds between eight and 14 knots.

Some boats, using the latest North asymmetric design, appeared to have a tiny margin on the runs against us and Torben Grael’s team.

The tight finish of the last race saw all five boats finish within 90 seconds, after over four hours of racing.

So, after 10 days of amazing sailing and racing, we ended up fifth, just two points adrift of Grael − a very respectable performance. The winners were the professional crew on Pajero Mitsubishi, owned by ‘Mr Mitsubishi’ in Brazil, Eduardo de Souza Ramos, who also campaigns the TP52 Phoenix with the same basic crew in Europe and USA with great success.

Looking back, we came away fairly happy to have raced pretty competitively alongside semi- and fully-professional teams that race these boats all the time. Mark’s input in every department was immense. Phil Gutsche was also pivotal in helping us race at this level. Thanks Phil! We look forward to the next time, wherever that may take us… − Rick Nankin

A look at logistics When considering doing a regatta abroad, we first evaluated what we would gain by going to the cold and dreary Northern Hemisphere, standing around in smoke-filled tents while it drizzles outside, versus getting to know a really pleasant location, with good sailing conditions and high-quality competition. The choice was easy.

Ilhabela Sailing Week has many divisions, including ORC and a performance handicap division, RGS. But we decided a one-design fleet experience held greater value.

The Ilhabela event is important for the island and there are many holiday rentals set up for this purpose. We managed to get one within walking distance of the club and the old town centre, which made a huge difference to everybody having a good time. We were also lucky to find a house that could take all 19 of us, and a local woman to pitch in with our food preparation.

Arrangements like this take time, so thanks to those who helped us prepare, especially Phil’s amazing assistant, Carol, who helped to create a truly special 10 days of yachting in paradise. − Chris Nankin 58

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PHOTOGRAPHS MARCOS MENDEZ

From the course side The event is held off the Ilhabela (‘Beautiful Island’) archipelago, 210km east of São Paulo. Phil Gutsche invited to me to join Team Windpower from the 19 to 26 July 2014, and Charles Nankin had sourced the charter of a Soto 40 − a high-performance one-design 40-footer that has its origin in South America.

The team, led by Phil, also included Viv Gutsche, Rick Nankin, Charles Nankin, Hein De Jamaer, Nick Baigrie, Ken Venn, Golden Mgedeza and James Largier. The team had never stepped foot on a Soto 40 before – it being a light displacement yacht makes it quite different to Windpower – so they needed a helping hand in getting out of the starting blocks against some formidable competition. This is where I came in.

I had a season racing Soto 40s with the Black Pearl Racing team in Europe. The week before heading to Brazil to join Team WindPower, I’d assisted the Soto 40 Team Alegre in training for the Soto 40 World Championships in Europe. The set-up of these boats, and the crew positions and manoeuvres to help the guys settle in to the boat, were fresh in my mind.

We started each day with a briefing on the weather and other factors. Ken would download predicted wind high res gribs, along with the commander’s weather forecast. We got a pretty good picture of what to expect, and this helped us at least approach the day with the right mast rake and jack pressure, needing only to make small adjustments on the water to suit rig tune. Then we covered the job list, which James and Nic were in charge of.

Going upwind, I’d do tactics from the runner position, with Phil helping me on the off-side and port runner in the pre-start, while Viv did the starboard-side pre-start. Charles was trimming main, Hein did upwind trim, and James did downwind trim with Rick steering. It was important to establish the trim-loop (or speed-loop) communication.

In performance boats that have a fleet with a high skill level, a port-tack line-up is generally the safest way to place the boat in the preceding 1.30 to the start, then all boats tack onto starboard. The pre-start jostle actually happens on port, rather than starboard – you’ve either won or lost your spot by the time you’re starboard. It took some time for everyone to get used to this style of starting, but we got a few good ones, holding a lane nicely off the line. We held speed and gage in general, sailing to our target speeds upwind.

It took the team a while to understand the crossover between the wing-on-wing gybe in under 14 knots and the conventional gybe in over 14 knots. The other trick is to leave the jib up to act as a spinnaker

staysail in over 10 knots. This makes the top-end wing-on-wing gybe tricky: This is when you gybe the spinnaker first and then the mainsail, the advantage being carrying more speed at a better VMG through the gybe. It took a little practice, but we got it, with Golden, Nick and Viv being instrumental in this process.

We put together some great races during the regatta, but we were let down a little by the older-generation spinnakers we got with the boat (usually the case when it’s not your own boat). But the amount of talent that Cape Town sailing produces always blows me away. The boat was steered beautifully and trimmed well, and everyone was eager to learn and move forward throughout the event.

With international sailing events, it takes more than one event to dial into a class – I’d say three consecutive events with the same people in the same class – then the results will come for sure.

We all enjoyed ourselves immensely, and I think the skills and knowledge learned will put to good use back home. A big thank you to Phil, Viv, Rick and Charles for pulling this off. I look forward to the next exciting adventure from Team Windpower. − Mark Sadler

From the campaign side Sailing and participating in a Brazilian regatta has been on my bucket list for some years. To get there, I hitched a lift in a helicopter from one of my Brazilian partners from Rio de Janeiro to Ilhabela, the day after the FIFA finals. We flew south over some of the world’s most beautiful coastline.

Rick, Helen and Joshua Nankin, Charles Nankin and his wife, Flavia, and their two children, my daughter, Vivienne, and grandchildren, Madison and Marshall, my eldest daughter, Janine, plus my trusted crew comprising of Ken Venn, Hein De Jamaer, Nic Baigrie, Golden Mgedeza and Mark Sadler, all enjoyed a wonderful week.

The level of sailing was certainly higher than we expected.

Although we sailed well, we were not familiar with the local conditions.

The locals’ knowledge was an advantage. In the end, the competition was fierce but very professional.

Highlights of the regatta were the close racing in a fleet of one-design yachts, having my two daughters and two grandchildren with us, and a great crew with much camaraderie shared. It was one of my year’s highlights. The only subsequent surprise was the weakening of the Brazil real by 12 percent versus to the rand… − Phil Gutsche W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

59

RCYC RACING CALENDAR 2015/2016 Main regattas – Western Cape circuit

DAY

Offshore events

JULY

Club championships RCYC rating/IRC

AUGUST

Twilight Series

SEPTEMBER

Fun PR events

OCTOBER

Short-handed series

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

SUN MON TUE

60

1

1

WED

1

2

THU

2

3

1

2 Lufthansa Twilight 8 & Prizegiving 3

FRI

3 L26 Nationals

4 Gaul Regatta

2

4

SAT

4 L26 Nationals

1 Double-Handed Race 1

3 Double-Handed Race 3

5 Double-Handed Race 4

SUN

5 L26 Nationals

2

5 Double-Handed Race 2 Gaul Regatta 6 Gaul Regatta

4

1

6

MON

6

3

7

5

2

7

TUE

7

4

8

6

3

8

WED

8 Club Winter Talk

5

9 Club Winter Talk

7 Ladies’ Key Position Race

4 Lufthansa Twilight 4

9 Ladies Key Position Race

THU

9

6

10

8

5

10

9 Cape Town Boat Show

6 GAC Laser IRC Nationals 7 GAC Laser IRC Nationals 8 GAC Laser IRC Nationals 9

11

FRI

10 Lipton Cup

7

11

SAT

11 Lipton Cup

8

12 Club Winter Series 3

SUN

12 Lipton Cup

9 Women’s Day

13 Addis Family Day/Sail

10 Opening Cruise Cape Town Boat Show 11 Cape Town Boat Show

MON

13 Lipton Cup

10 Women’s Day Cruise

14

12

TUE

14 Lipton Cup

11

15

13

10

15

WED

15 Lipton Cup

12 Club Winter Talk

16

14 Lufthansa Twilight 1

11 Lufthansa Twilight 5

16 Day of Reconciliation

THU

16 Lipton Cup

13

17

15

12

17

FRI

17 Lipton Cup

14

16

13

18 RCYC Summer Regatta

SAT

18

15 Club Winter Series 2

17 Harken RRI

19 Seaport Fishing Cruise

16

18

14 Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy 15

19 RCYC Summer Regatta

SUN

18 Novamarine Overnight Race 19 Novamarine Overnight Race 20

20 RCYC Summer Regatta

MON

20

17

21

19

16

21

TUE

21

18

22

20 Clipper boats due to arrive

17

22

WED

22 Club Winter Talk

19

23

21 Lufthansa Twilight 2

18 Lufthansa Twilight 6

23

THU

23

20

22

19

24

FRI

24

21

23

20

25 Christmas Day

SAT

25 Club Winter Series 1

22

24 FBYC Spring Regatta Heritage Day 25 Pinto Russell Moonlight Race 26 FBYC Spring Regatta

24 RiskSA Regatta

21

26 Day of Goodwill

SUN

26

23

27 FBYC Spring Regatta

25

22

27

MON

27

24

28

26

23

28

TUE

28

25

29

27

24

29

WED

29

26

30

28 Lufthansa Twilight 3

25 Lufthansa Twilight 7

30

THU

30

27

29

26

31

FRI

31

28

30 Clipper boats due to leave 31 Club Series 4

27

SAT

29

SUN

30

28 One Eighty X-Chromosome Regatta 29

MON

31

30

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

12 13 14

SAIL CALENDAR RCYC

DAY

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

SUN

PHOTOGRAPH DAVE MABIN

MON TUE

1

WED

2 Lufthansa Twilight 8

1

THU

3

2

FRI

1 New Year’s Day

4

1 Lipton entries close

3

SAT

2

5 Double-Handed Race 1

2 Seniors’ Race

4 Portugal Day Race

SUN

3

6

3

1

5 RCYC AGM

MON

4

1

7

4

2 Workers’ Day

6

TUE

5

2

8

5

3 Workers’ Day observed

7

WED

6

3 Lufthansa Twilight 4

6

4

8

THU

7

4

9 Flag Officers’ Race & prizegiving 10

7

5

9

FRI

8

5

11

8

6

10

SAT

9

6 Double-Handed Race 1

12

7 Club Summer Series Race 4

11

SUN

10

7

13

10

8

12

MON

11

8

14

11

9

13

TUE

12

9

15

12

10

14

WED

13 Lufthansa Twilight 1

10 Lufthansa Twilight 5

16

13

11

15

THU

14

11

17

14

12

16 Youth Day

FRI

15

12

18

15

13

17

SAT

16 Harken RRI

16 Club Summer Series Race 3 17

18

17

19 Club Summer Series Race 2 20

14 Double-Handed Race 1

SUN

13 Club Summer Series Race 1 14

15

19

MON

18

15

21 Human Rights Day

18

16

20

TUE

19

16

22

19

17

21

WED

20 Lufthansa Twilight 2

17 Lufthansa Twilight 6

23

20

18

22

THU

21

18

24

21

19

23

FRI

22

19 Mykonos Offshore

25 Good Friday

22

20

24

SAT

23

20 Mykonos Offshore

26

23

21 Inter-Professional Race

25 Youth Regatta

SUN

24

21

27 Easter Sunday

24

22 Saldanha Bay Raid

26 Youth Regatta

MON

25

22

28 Family Day

25

23

27

TUE

26

23

29

26

24

28

WED

27 Lufthansa Twilight 3

24 Lufthansa Twilight 7

30

27 Freedom Day

25

29

THU

28

25

31

28

26

30

FRI

29 Midsummer Fling Regatta 30 Midsummer Fling Regatta 31 Midsummer Fling Regatta

26

29

27

27 Saldanha Bay Raid

30

28 Club Champs prizegiving

SAT SUN MON TUE

9 Double-Handed Race 1

28

29

29

30 31

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

61

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SAIL R E S U LT S R C Y C

RCYC RACE RESULTS Club Winter Series Jul–Aug 2014 DIVISION 1 1 2 3

Jacana Mwah Tenacity

IRC 0 J133 J111 J111

Patrick Holloway/Niel Gregory Gordon Kling Anthony Cassar

1 2 3

Simonis 35 L34 Simonis 35

William Brooks Dave Garrard Luke Scott

1 2 3

L26 Muira Charger 33

Peter Bam Vitor Medina Barnaby Steynor

1 2 3

DIVISION 2 1 2 3

Regardless Nuthr Witch Scarlet Sun Hors d’Oeuvre ELS FarMed FTI Flyer

DIVISION 1 Mwah Nuthr Witch Scarlet Sun

J111 L34 Simonis 35

Gordon Kling/Steve Meek Dave Garrard/Steve Garrard Luke Scott/Gideon Scott

Astove 30 L26 Charger 33

John Waller/S. Holland Ian Slatem/Ian Watkins Barnaby Steynor/Oliver Steynor

DIVISION 2 1 2 3

Humdinger Warlock FTI Flyer

Harken Round Robben Island Race Oct 2014 OVERALL 1 2 3

2 Nuthr Witch 1 A-L 3 Far Med

L34 Farr 38 Miura

Dave Garrard Robbie van Rooyen Vitor Medina

Farr 38 J133 MG 30

Robbie van Rooyen David Munro/Patrick Holloway Rodney Tanner

L34 Simonis 35 Simonis 35

Dave Garrard Luke Scott William Brooks

Miura Astove 30 Miura

Vitor Medina John Waller Stefan Hundt

DIVISION 1 1 2 3

A-L Jacana Bad Habit

DIVISION 2 1 2 3

Nuthr Witch Scarlet Sun Regardless

DIVISION 3 1 2 3

ELS FarMed Humdinger Iechyd Da

Novamarine Rob Meek Overnight Race Nov 2014 DIVISION 1 1 2

Silky Jacana

RP 37 J133

Joe van der Westhuizen Patrick Holloway

DIVISION 2 1 2 3

Regardless Tam Tam Scarlet Sun

Simonis 35 Simonis 35 Simonis 35

William Brooks Ian Slatem/Nick Munday Luke Scott

DIVISION 3

PHOTOGRAPH DAVE MABIN

1 2 3

Shadowfax ELS FarMed Hors d’Oeuvre

Charger 33 Miura L26

Bernard Farmer Vitor Medina Peter Bam

X-Chromosome Regatta Nov 2014 SPINNAKER 1 2 3

Lapwing L34 One Eighty Degrees Fast 42 Nuthr Witch L34

Jennifer Burger Janet Cotton Belinda Hayward

NON-SPINNAKER 1 2 3

Corby 49 RP 52 Landmark 43

Mike Hayton Irvine Laidlaw Phil Gutsche/Rick Nankin

A-L Corum First 40

Farr 38 Briand 43 Custom First 40

Robbie van Rooyen Ryan Avery/Paul Vivian Dave Arnott

J133 Simonis 35 Fast 42

Patrick Holloway Luke Scott Ankie Roux/Paul van Ass

L26 Miura Miura

Daniel Agulhas Vitor Medina Keith Gemmel

Charger 33 RP 37 Montevido 43

Barnaby Steynor Joe van der Westhuizen Alan Haefele

DIVISION 1

Kling Wines Double-Handed Race Jul–Dec 2014 1 2 3

Nitro Cape Fling II Windpower

IRC 1

DIVISION 3 1 2 3

Summer Regatta Dec 2014

First 40 First 40 Naledi J120 Zenith Thunderchild L52

Jacana Scarlet Sun Maestro

DIVISION 2 1 2 3

Escape ELS FarMed Savannah

COASTAL 1 2 3

FTI Flyer Silky Derbigum

Harken Round Robben Island Jan 2015 OVERALL 1 2 3

Div. 1 Jacana Div. 1 Silky Div. 1 Vulcan

J133 RP 37 GP 42

Patrick Holloway Joe van der Westhuizen Hylton Hale/John Cullum

J 133 RP 37 GP 42

Patrick Holloway Joe van der Westhuizen Hylton Hale/John Cullum

DIVISION 1 1 2 3

Jacana Silky Vulcan

DIVISION 2 1 2 3

Scarlet Sun Touch n Go Celine IV

Simonis 35 Luke Scott Oyster Lightwave 395 Dave Smith Comfortina 39 Volker Vierhaus

DIVISION 3 1 2 3

Hors d’Oeuvre FTI Flyer First Lady

L26 Charger 33 Beneteau First 345

Peter Bam Barnaby Steynor Jannie de Goede

Mykonos Offshore Regatta Feb 2015 IRC RESULTS 1 2 3

Corby 49 Mumm 36 GP 42

Nitro Bally Hoo Too Vulcan

Mike Hayton JJ Provoyeur H. Hale/J. Cullum

DIVISION 1 1 2 3

Mount Gay 30 Swede 55 Fast 42

Bad Habit/AE Electrical Rodney Tanner Spilhaus Teddy Kuttel Nemesis Tony and Sigi Bailes

DIVISION 2 1 2 3

Pacer 27 Beneteau First 7.5 Simonis 35

Felix the Cat Always Well Regardless

Ant Wentworth/Alan Lawrence Lance Burger/Ralph Thomas William Brooks

ELS FarMed Anastasia Shadowfax

Vitor Medina Hans Meyer Bernard Farmer

Set Sea Banjo Tulliana

Greg Davis Kevin Webb Scott Kelly

DIVISION 3 1 2 3

Miura L39 Charger 33

MULTIHULLS 1 2 3

Scape 39 Farrier F9A Tri Leopard 46

Mary-Ann Sharwood Dicky Mendes Jules McKenna W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

63

SAIL R C Y C R E S U LT S

SAIL WELCOME RCYC

T RACE RESULTS 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.)

In January, RCYC members were knocked by the news of the senseless death of their stalwart fellow member and friend, Rob Meek. pay tribute to this highly respected sailor of our seas on page 60.

IRCFriends 1 TheIIworld-renowned Cape to RioIrvine race was effectively and 1 Cape Fling RP 52 Laidlaw successfully hosted by49 RCYC, with theMike helpHayton of a hardworking 2 Nitro Corby committee led byGP Ray chairman. you look 3 Vulcan 42 Matthews, the race Hylton Hale/JohnWhen Cullum IRCat 2 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, 1 A-L Farr 38 Robbie van Rooyen that sailing from Cape Town to Rio is on many people’s ‘bucket lists’!

2 Yolo Sunfast 3200 Dale Kushner From the Formula One-style racers aiming to break records to the 3 First 40 First 40 Dave Arnott cruising-boat crew who see this is as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, DIVISION 1 this race hooks all who have sailing at heart. A full account of this 1 Scarlet Sun 35 Luke Scott fantastic race canSimonis be seen in Sail’s first-ever Cape to Rio special section, 2 Bad Habit/AE Electrical MG30 Rodney Tanner brought to you by First National Bank – a great addition to this, the fifth 3 Majimoto II Farr 38 mod Paul Mare edition of Sail.

DIVISION 2 Sail magazine bids farewell to RCYC Commodore Dale Kushner, 1 Hors d’Oeuvre L26 so well for the past 44 two years. We thank Peteryou Bamfor who served the club 2 Escape L26and your appreciation 43 of the value of a Daniel Agulhas your support of Sail dedicated 3 Mac a Tini L26creates pride in belonging 69 Knobel magazine: One that to a club ofKC like-minded people who prioritise enjoying the one thing they love the most – sailing.

Midsummer Fling Feb 2015

2

Over 60 Regardless

3

Over 80 RCYC Academy Escape

1

OVER 80 RCYC Academy Escape

2

Touch n Go

3

Spilhaus

Mwah

3

Naledi

OVER 60

SAIL John Connor

Trygve Roberts

Flag Officers’ Race

Triton, Freedom, Hill Billy

23

Div 3

Apricot, CONTACTCabaray, RCYC Tel: +27 Anastacia 21 421 1354 | Fax: +27 21 9421 6028 41 Email: info@rcyc.co.za | www.rcyc.co.za 3rd REAR COMMODORE OUTSIDE HOUSE (DEREK SHUTTLEWORTH’S TEAM)

Div 1 PHOTOGRAPH DAVE MABIN

Div 2

Tenacity, Sheshisa Big Blue Media – Ingrid 17 FOR LETTERS ANDJacana, ENQUIRIES Hale Cathy R,3895 Ebb Tide 20 Tel: Yolo, +27 83 309 | Email: bigblu@iafrica.com

Div 3

Wings, Fti Flyer, Bandit BIG B LUE ME DIA C R E AT E

C O L L A B O R AT E

30

67

CO NNEC T

1.1

Patrick Holloway/Niel Gregory

1.19

3

Bad Habit

Mount Gay 30

Rodney Tanner

1.11

1

Nuthr Witch

L34

Dave Garrard

1.015

2

Scarlet Sun

Simonis 35

Luke Scott

1.09

3

Ebb Tide

L34

Thinus Groenewald

1.015

1

Vortex

L34

Mike Atkins

2

Regardless

Simonis 35

William Brooks

3

Freedom

Far 38

CP van der Merwe

1 2 3

3HorsLetter fromL26the Commodore d’Oeuvre Peter Bam

FLyer 33 4FTI Welcome toCharger Cape Town Shadowfax Charger 33

Barnaby Steynor/Andrew Collins Bernard Farmer

and views

ELS FarMed

Miura

3

Impact

Impact

1

MaluLani

2

Tulliana

3

Albacore

Miura 12Ava Local sailing round-up

Vitor Medina Colin Horton/Ken Botwood Tommy Walker Junior

Mauritius 45 Grant Saunders 16 RCYC Sailing Academy Leopard 46 Dave Gough 11M 18 ReportCorrida on IRC racingDenzel Giffin

22 Ladies’Landmark Day Race 43

1

Windpower

2

Morning Glory

3

First 40

Farr 40

24 Lipton Beneteau Cup First 40.7

Rick Nankin/Phil Gutsche Kristina Plattner David Arnott/Peter Howarth

DIVISION 1 – Non-spinnaker 27 Midsummer Fling 1

A-L

2

Jacana

3

Bad Habit/AE Electrical MG30

Farr 38

32 Yachtport DIVISION 2 – SpinnakerOvernight

1 2 3

Robbie Van Rooyen

J133Offshore Regatta Patrick Holloway/Niel Gregory 30 Mykonos Rodney Tanner

Race

Witch L34 Dave Garrard 33Nuthr The Royal Cape Yacht Club’s Cape to Rio race Scarlet Sun Simonis 35 Luke Scott Tide L34 52Ebb Sea the world

Thinus Groenewald

DIVISION 2 – Non-spinnaker 1 2 3

Reporting on Royal Capers abroad

Vortex

L34

Mike Atkins

35 56Regardless RCYC race Simonis results Yolo

Sun Fast 3200

William Brooks Dale Kushner

58 RCYC calendar DIVISION 3 –sailing Spinnaker 1

HorsEvents d’Oeuvrefrom July L26

2

FTI FLyer

2014 to June Peter 2015Bam

1

Tributes Apricot

2

ELS FarMed

Miura

Vitor Medina

3

Impact

Impact

Jacqui Brand

Charger 33

60 Remembering Rob Meek DIVISION 3 – Non-spinnaker

Barnaby Steynor/Andrew Collins

to the sailing stalwart Klaus Wiswedel Miura

DIVISION 4 - Cool Cats and Cruisers PRINTING Paarl Media Paarl

1

MaluLani

Mauritius 45

Grant Saunders

©Royal Cape Yacht Club. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

2

Wings

Charger 33

Mike Cave

3

Derbygum

Montevideo 43

AlanW Haefele W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A 1

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.

64

Robbie Van Rooyen

J133

DIVISION 1 – Spinnaker

CONTRIBUTORS Penny Alison, Nick Baigrie, Mike Bartholomew, 2 Hors d’Oeurve Peter Bam James Blakemore, Harry Brehm, Grant Chapman, Stephan Claassen, 3 Humdinger John Waller 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, 1st REAR COMMODORE SAILING (LUKE SCOTT’S TEAM) Toni Corum, Mainprize, Ray Matthews, Keith Mattison, Di Meek, Div 1 Judith MacGregor, Vulcan, First40 7 Plattner, JJ Proveyeur, Markus Reuter, Div 2 Rick Nankin, Kristina Scarlet Sun, Scatterling, Lapwing 6 Gill Robinson, Luke Scott, Derek Shuttleworth, Gary Sindler, Adrian Spencer Jones, Div 3 Hors d’Oeurve, Impact, Escape 3 16 Tony Strutt, Robert Van Rooyen, Polla Wasserfall, Trevor Wilkins, Paul Willcox 2nd COMMODORE(RAY MATTHEWS’ TEAM) SPECIAL THANKS Toni Mainprize, Marcus Reuter, Tiffany Swann, Div 1 A-L, Mwah, One Eighty 9 all the marina, bar and catering staff.

Div 2

Farr 38

Jacana

Lufthansa Twilight 20 Crocs RegattaSeries Oct–Dec 2014

Ernie Chicken

PUBLISHING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ingrid Hale Gordon King ART DIRECTOR Piers Buckle (Fresh Identity) Dicky Mendes COPY EDITOR Deidre Donnelly ADVERTISING SALES Shirley Roos

Regardless

A-L

2

12 Club racing DIVISION 4 – Cool Cats & Cruisers

ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB

2

1

2014/05/21 3:03 PM

Teddy Kuttel

Nuthr Witch

1

W W W. R C YC . C O. Z A

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

OVER 70

Hylton Hale/Johnny Cullum

2

CAPE TO RIO SPECIAL EDITION

David Smith/June Hyman

1

GP 42

1

Hans Schipper

1

Vulcan

DIVISION 3 8 News

00_Cover_RCYC.indd 1

Carousel

Rick Nankin/Phil Gutsche

3

DIVISION 3 – Spinnaker

2013/14 Racing Season

VOL NO 5 | 2013/2014

Ingrid OVER 100 Hale and the Sail team

Kristina Plattner

Landmark 43

DIVISION 2 – Non-spinnaker

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 Trygve Roberts www.issuu.com/sailrcyc John Connor

Farr 40

Windpower

DIVISION 2 – Spinnaker

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Ernie Chicken

Morning Glory

2

DIVISION 1 – Non-spinnaker

ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB

Over 70 Nuthr Witch

1

PHOTOGRAPH DAVE MABIN

OVERALL 1

DIVISION 1 – Spinnaker

SAIL

SAIL

Seniors’ Race April 2015

Contents

Lufthansa Twilight Series Jan–Mar 2015

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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