Letter from the Commodore

As I refl ect on the last two years, I would never have thought we’d have to close the Club due to an airborne disease called Covid-19. It is incredible to look back at the changes and restrictions Covid-19 brought to our Club and to sailing. Once the lockdown rules were announced, we had three days to secure the Club and the marina. Our restaurant fridges needed to be emptied and members had to check their boats were properly secured as lockdown loomed. When an easing of the restrictions was announced, limited access to the Club became possible and the sale of takeaways was allowed. Members were permitted to go sailing under specifi c conditions, which had everybody scrambling to obtain SAS sailing permits. But almost all sailing events remained cancelled or postponed. Eventually, we were allowed to go sailing and racing, but with a limit on crew numbers. We were allowed to open the Club with limited numbers, strict social distancing and masks were mandatory. Then, fi nally, in June this year, we were able to resume all activities with no restrictions. Despite the lockdown and sanctions on activities, we have seen a quick recovery to preCovid-19 levels with growth in membership and the purchasing of boats. Also of interest was the number of students enrolled in sailing schools and the number of catamarans being built in the Western Cape, mostly for overseas buyers. The Club has a strong emphasis on improving transformation and diversity among our membership, which has grown steadily in the last 12 months. Female members increased by 31.5% and members of colour by 48.8%. We have also seen an increase in entries and participation in all our sailing events. A good example was the recent Portugal Day Race with 57 boats entered. This has been good not only for our Club and facilities, but also for the service providers that operate from within our Club. As one of the top sailing Clubs in the country, we are proud to offer a full year’s sailing calendar comprising a variety of top-end cruising and racing events. Racing is perhaps our most important offering as we draw the largest fl eets and the greatest number of participants, but we have recently seen the cruising events growing as well. It’s also worth noting that the strong camaraderie and friendships often forged at these events make our Club such an amazing place to be. The Mykonos Offshore Regatta has been going for 36 years now and still draws big fl eets. The Round Robben Island Race, Portugal Day Race, Seniors Pursuit Race, Ladies Regatta, the Italian Ambassador’s Perennial Trophy and our Twilight Series are all very well-supported and well-managed events. The GIMCO Regatta, a new addition to the calendar, was also well supported. Our sailing department took the initiative to run a winter Twilight Series this year, which has proved very popular. As a Club we will continue to run these events at the highest level possible, using race offi cers who set fair and correct courses and with results that are usually available before the boats return to the dock. In January 2023, we will be celebrating 50 years of the Cape to Rio Race. The 2023 edition already has 20 confi rmed entries and there are a few still pending. An announcement will be made shortly regarding the Cape to St Helena Race, with a possible start date of 29 December. A major breakthrough in 2020, was the establishment of the Ocean Sailing Association of Southern Africa (OSASA), which is a registered discipline of South African Sailing. OSASA has been instrumental in working with government bodies and writing policy documents that will secure and give tenure to all coastal yacht clubs that occupy space in harbours at sustainable rentals. OSASA has made the government aware of the sector and the crucial role it plays in the South African Oceans Economy. The RCYC Sailing Academy goes from strength to strength. It is currently funded by the Club and the Transport Education Training Authority (TETA). The TETA funding, delivered over a two-year period, will allow 30 students to attend the academy programmes. The Club is funding a further 12 students. For the fi rst time, we have also received private funding for three students, with one student funded by a Club member, and two others by Hollard Insurance. This brings the number of academy students to 45. A permanent fully-fl edged academy in our Club will continue to provide opportunities to marginalized communities and bring us closer and closer to the reality of a membership that is fully representative of our country. Hence I am delighted by the recent news of a partnership between Alexforbes and the RCYC Sailing Academy. The Club’s fi nancial report refl ects a strong recovery after Covid-19, specifi cally in the second half of the fi nancial year. By year end, operational revenues had recovered to just over 81% of pre-pandemic levels. In conclusion, we are all looking forward to a very busy sailing season in our newly renovated Club facilities.

Neil Gregory Commodore Royal Cape Yacht Club

Contents

3 Letter from the Commodore 6 News and views 14 The RCYC Academy 22 Racing overview 28 The Lipton Challenge: a potted history 34 Travelling is better by sailboat 36 RCYC cruising 42 Ladies Day Regatta 2022 49 Cape to Rio 87 Royal Capers abroad

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SAIL

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB PUBLISHING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ingrid Hale (BBM) ART DIRECTOR Piers Buckle (Fresh Identity) EDITOR RCYC Toni Mainprize COPY EDITOR Wendy Maritz CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Richard Crockett

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Mayor’s message

It goes without saying that the Royal Cape Yacht Club is one of the most illustrious institutions in our country. As Mayor, I am proud not only of your 117 years of sailing excellence in our great maritime city, but also of my offi ce’s long and close relationship with the Club. I have been a great admirer of all kinds of watercraft since boyhood. As a child, I watched my father meticulously construct intricate models of some of history’s most notable ships and sailboats. I loved going down to the port to watch ships, yachts and other vessels enter and leave. One of the things that has most impressed me since childhood though – and which continues to inspire me today – is one of your Club’s premier events, the Cape to Rio Race, an epic journey between our Mother City and another of the world’s most iconic and diverse cities. As the longest continent-to-continent yachting event in our half of the world, the race represents the staggering bravery of the best among us, and reminds us of the potentially unlimited determination and resolve of the human spirit. The race – and, indeed, your Club – is a reminder to celebrate and aspire to excellence. While this is a view that some may have tried to make unfashionable of late, I believe that it is good and desirable not only to do one’s best but also to be the best. When we lose the drive towards excellence, we fall into mediocrity. Sadly, this explains so much of the political, economic and societal malaise present in South Africa at the moment. In Cape Town, however, we are unashamedly determined to cement our city’s status as one of the world’s greatest, most distinguished, and most excellent. Bolstered by the culture of exceptionalism kept alive by institutions such as yours, and helped along by hardworking residents with a deep desire for more (this includes those in our vibrant shipbuilding industry), we are well on our way to permanently becoming Africa’s greatest city. I very much hope to join you all on 2 January as you see off 2023’s Cape to Rio competitors in Cape Town, and look forward to many more years of friendship between the Royal Cape Yacht Club and the Mayor’s Offi ce.

Geordin Hill-Lewis Mayor, City of Cape Town