WWW.RCYC.CO.ZA

Local &international sailing

Improve your IRC rating

Cruise the Cape

Royal Capers abroad

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2009/2010 Racing SeasonAll the excitement from this season’s top regattas

SAIL ROYAL CAPE YACHT CLUB

C A P E T O W N , S O U T H A F R I C A

SAIL

Cover_RCYC_FINAL.indd 1 6/16/10 12:30:57 PM

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S A I LR C Y CW E L C O M E

PUBLISHER Ingrid Hale MANAGING EDITOR Kim Richter

ART DIRECTOR Piers Buckle (Fresh Identity)ADVERTISING SALES Jeanne van Rooyen, Shirley Roos

(Jeanne van Rooyen PR and Special Events)

CONTRIBUTORSTrevor Wilkins (cover photograph), Brenton Geach, Hylton Hale,

Marcus Reuters, Di Meek, Gordon Kling, Harry Brehm, John Martin, Katie Beney, Admiral Koos Louw, Dr Peter Goldman, Nicholas Mace, Rick Tomlinson, Matthew Thomas, Peter Bazlinton, Alex Petersen,

Trygve Roberts, Matthew Sheahan, Bjorn Geiger, Ray Matthews, Dale Kushner, Howard Minnie, Richard Crockett, Carlo Borlenghi, Robert Hale, Peter Mumford, Dave Hudson, Kirsten Veenstra, Mark Covell, Sally Collison

SPECIAL THANKS Michela Byrnes; Harriet Symons; Mariette Roodt-Koffman; the commodore, John Martin, and his general committee and fl ag offi cers; Yachting World;

The Cape Odyssey and Colin Farlam

CONTACT RCYC Tel: +27 21 421 1354 | Fax: +27 21 421 6028

Email: info@rcyc.co.za | www.rcyc.co.za

FOR LETTERS AND ENQUIRIES, CONTACT:Ingrid Hale

Tel: +27 83 309 3895 | Email: sailrcyc@live.com

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.

Welcome to the fi rst edition of Sail, Royal Cape Yacht Club’s

showcase of the season’s fi nest sailing on the Table Bay

circuit. RCYC has a proud tradition of producing some of the

best yachtsman in the world and so we’ve also given

exposure to important milestones like the Shosholoza campaign, which

defi ne the club and its remarkable sailing heritage.

Sail brings you all the excitement around the different events in

Cape waters. You’ll also read about the successes of the RCYC sailors

at regattas in and around South Africa – for example the domination of

our Royal Capers at MSC Week in Durban. In addition we’ll bring you

the latest news on our members’ achievements on other shores, for

example the dominance shown by Mark Sadler and his team at the

China Cup.

RCYC has the largest active racing keelboat fl eet in South Africa

and we want to promote this to yacht clubs around the world. To this

end, Sail will be distributed to 50 yacht clubs locally and internation-

ally, including Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Fremantle Sailing Club, San

Francisco Yacht Club and the Royal Thames.

With the continued support of our many enthusiastic advertisers,

we aim to produce this magazine annually. Enjoy the read.

Yours in sailing,

The Sail Team

3 Commodore’s letter

5 Mayor’s letter

6 International and local sailing round-up The global and local races that get our pulses racing

28 Sholsholoza Proudly South African – the campaign of a lifetime

30 Royal Capers abroad Follow the achievements of Royal Cape club members

sailing among professionals internationally

34 Youth development sailing How Royal Cape Yacht Club plays its role in uplifting

South African youngsters

36 Improve your IRC rating Here’s how to improve your boat’s performance using

little more than a tape measure and a pen

41 Smoke on the water The contentious IRC system is alive and well at RCYC. Enter the fray if you dare

46 Club class action For serious competition and some real drama, look no

further than club class racing

48 Destination anywhere From Lamberts Bay to Knysna, cruising in the Western

Cape offers sailors some memorable experiences

51 Social scene Royal Capers know how to kick back and relax on and

off the water

52 The committee Meet the people steering the club

54 Engine room It’s all about service at Royal Cape Yacht Club

58 Future’s so bright Enough with the speculation, here are the facts about

the club’s relocation

60 RCYC events calendar All the fi xtures from July 2010 to June 2011

62 Membership form Thinking about joining? Look no further

64 From the stern Fascinating facts on the history of RCYC and sailing

in the Cape

ContentsAhoy there!

SAILT 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

SAIL

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7434 R&C Advert_paths.indd 1 2010/04/16 11:02 AM

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s t o r y r u n n e r

3

It is an honour for me

to write the forward

to this newly

established annual

magazine. I am exceptionally

proud and honoured to be the

commodore of this presti-

gious yacht club and in so

doing, provide a “Tavern of

the Seas” for visiting yachts-

men and -women, whether

they be racing, cruising or

sailing single-handed around

the world.

The committee and staff

work tirelessly at creating a

facility where our treasured

members can sail competi-

tively, at their leisure or

simply socialise and meet

friends both local and foreign.

Highlights have been the

revival of Royal Cape Yacht

Club as a host for interna-

tional events. We were

honoured, among others, by

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, a

long-standing friend, and his

Clipper Round the World

yacht race (see p8), the

Portimão Global Ocean Race

(p10) and of course our own

South Atlantic Race (p12) to

Brazil (formerly the Cape-to-

Rio), where we had 56 entries

from 10 nations participating.

The youth development

training that we undertake

must never be underestimat-

ed, along with the Izivungu-

vungu School in Simon’s

Town to which we contribute

handsomely in funds,

mentorship and skills. Then

there are also our own junior

members who have grown

tremendously as keelboat

sailors of considerable note.

These programmes must

continue and grow with time

and money.

Much has been written

about what yachting brings

to Cape Town: prestige,

tourism, development and

skills training, growth of the

industry and a huge contribu-

tion to the country’s image in

producing world-class

competitors who can, and do,

win honours for South Africa.

This is not a sales pitch or a

cap-in-hand approach, they

are the facts, which have been

quantified over and over again.

Club sailing, which is

our core business, is going

extremely well, thanks in no

small measure to our many

sponsors. From me person-

ally a huge thank you – we

have all become friends. We

have established a market-

able product and will strive

to maintain our own high

standard of professionalism

in our approach.

For the future, I look

forward to contributing for

another year, during which

time the biggies are defend-

ing the Lipton Cup Challenge

and the South Atlantic Race,

which will see racing

multihulls participating

in their own class and, of

course, our highly competitive

IRC fleet.

John MartinCommodore RCYC 2009/10

“ We have established a marketable product and will strive to maintain our own high standard of professionalism in our approach”

Letter from the commodore

The Lipton Cup circa 1964

s a I Lr c y c

03_CommodoreLetter.indd 1 6/14/10 5:17:34 PM

Issued by HSBC Bank International, a trading name of HSBC Bank International Limited, HSBC House, Esplanade, St Helier, Jersey JE1 1HS. HSBC Bank International is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission for Banking, General Insurance Mediation, Investment and Fund Services Businesses. HSBC Bank International Limited is a member of the Depositors Compensation Scheme as set out in the Banking (depositors Compensation) (Jersey) Regulations 2009. HSBC Bank International Limited, Representative Office South Africa, which is an Authorised Financial Services Provider. Copies of latest audited accounts are available on request. To help us to continually improve our service, and in the interest of security, we may monitor and/or record your communications with us. © HSBC Bank International Limited 2010. All Rights Reserved. MC8237/SJ/2206320/CG

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22883 SA RYachtClb 105x297 0610.indd 1 30/4/10 09:41:04

It’s a privilege to write a message for Sail, the new Royal Cape Yacht Club maga-zine. Sailing is arguably one of the best ways to appreciate our beautiful city, and

we’re grateful for the work of RCYC in promoting the full use of our priceless natural resources.

This historic club, established in 1905, is still attracting the best sailors from all over the country to our city, while also making sailing open and accessible to all who are interested.On behalf of the City of Cape Town, I wish to thank RCYC for its investment in Cape Town and for the important role it has played in our sporting and tourism industries. Your work has made Cape Town a better place to live in and a better place to visit, and this benefits everyone.

I am sure that the long tradition of yachting will continue to be nurtured and cultivated in your hands.

Alderman Dan Plato Executive Mayor of the City of Cape Town

Letter from the mayor

S A I LR C Y C

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www. r c yc . c o . z a6

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With unparalleled scenery, and weather and sea conditions that can change in an instant, the Cape offers thrilling sailing, and one of the most anticipated stopovers in international racing. At the centre of it all is Royal Cape Yacht Club. For all the excitement and adventure of the round-the-world races and best local regattas, read on.

International The Clipper Round the

World Yacht Race Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race Portimão Global Ocean Race The Volvo Ocean Race The South Atlantic Race Jules Verne Round the

World RecordPages 8–13

Local The Audi Twilight Race Series MSC Week The Lipton Challenge Cup Spring Regatta The Double Cape Crocs Summer Regatta Mykonos Offshore Cape Town Sailing WeekPages 14–25

DangerzoneDangerzoneDanger

S a I Lr c y cI N T E r N a T I o N a L & L o c a L

PHOTOGRAPH

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www. r c yc . c o . z a8

In November 2009 the 10 ocean racing yachts competing in the

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and their combined 180

skippers and crew arrived at Royal Cape Yacht Club at the start

of the Cape Town stopover.

From the moment the bell rang from the clubhouse to signal the first

team’s arrival to the final farewell as the race organisers left at the end of

the stopover, the club and members could not have been more welcoming.

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is the only one of its kind

in the world where non-professional sailors compete on board 10

identical stripped down 68ft ocean racing yachts. More than 430 people

are taking part in the 09-10 edition of the race. They represent more

than 30 nationalities, including South African, and their professions

range from student, taxi driver, CEO and housewife to management

consultant, lawyer and even an archdeacon. Crew, whose ages range

from 18 upwards (there is no upper age limit), can sign up to take part

in a single leg, multiple legs or the whole circumnavigation.

The event, now in its fourteenth year, was established by Sir Robin

Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo, non-stop, around the world in

1968 and ’69. An old friend of Commodore John Martin and regular

visitor to RCYC, Sir Robin had no hesitation in asking the club to host the

South African stopover of the Clipper 09-10 Race.

“Cape Town is rightly known around the world in maritime circles

as the Tavern of the Seas, and nowhere is more hospitable than RCYC.

Since my first visit in 1966 up to my most recent in 2009, it has

always provided a warm welcome and a chance to relax and wind

down after a voyage around the Cape or in from the Atlantic,” says

Sir Robin. “But it’s not just the members who make the club such

a fascinating visit, it’s the crews from other world-girdling yachts who

have inevitably called to sightsee, arrange repairs or re-fits, and

re-provision. Having contributed to South Africa’s economy, we all

leave vowing to return some day. The recent Clipper Race stopover is

a typical example, with more than 200 crew enjoying, what is for most

of them, their first taste of Africa. They loved it and RCYC was their

home for the duration of their stay in port.”

RCYC’s facilities are greatly suited to the needs of the Clipper

Race. The Regatta Centre doubled as the perfect loft for crew to work

on their sails and organise victualling – bagging up supplies of food for

each day they would spend on board during the race through the

Southern Ocean to Geraldton, Western Australia. With up to 18 hungry

mouths on board needing three decent meals a day, and more than

three weeks at sea – not to mention all the energy-giving snacks

between meals – there are a lot of provisions to organise! For the

maintenance team, having the expertise of the boatyard and a

re-fuelling facility on site was a great bonus.

On the water, Ron Keytel and the racing team at RCYC provided

first-class support to the Clipper Race committee in overseeing the race

CirCumnavigatingthe globe The Clipper Round the World crew revel in

the hospitality of Royal Cape – the first stop-over on the trip of a lifetime. By Katie Beney

Route

The Humber, UK

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

(via La Rochelle, France)

Cape Town, South Africa

Geraldton-Greenough,

Australia

Qingdao, China(via Singapore)

San Francisco, USA

Jamaica, Caribbean(via Panama)

The Humber, UK (via New York, USA; Cape Breton Island,

Nova Scotia; Cork, Ireland)

5 620nm31-35 days

3 385nm18-20 days

4 743nm21-25 days

4 828nm37-40 days

5 680nm30-34 days

3 920nm26-27 days

5 159nm31-37 days

Leg 1 Leg 2 Leg 3 Leg 4 Leg 5 Leg 6 Leg 7

08-13_SailingRU_Intl.indd 1 6/14/10 5:26:13 PM

9www. r c yc . c o . z a

Royal Cape Yacht Club has enthusiastically supported initial

proposals for an Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race in 2012 that

would be the first ever yacht race to link the Middle East, Africa,

Australia and Asia and the first of its kind in the Indian Ocean.

This follows a high-profile 10-day visit to Cape Town in March this

year by the A100 Majan – the first of a new breed of Arabian racing

multihulls from the Sultanate of Oman in the Middle East – while

tracing an inaugural route for the new race.

Majan’s 4am arrival on Tuesday 2 March followed a dramatic

rounding of Cape Point under bright moonlight and south-easterly winds

gusting up to 50 knots (kn), which brought her screaming down the

Peninsula at speeds topping 35kn into a wild Table Bay.

At the helm was Paul Standbridge, former sailing manager for

South Africa’s 2007 America’s Cup Team Shosholoza and now skipper

of Majan, which forms part of an ambitious Omani sail training project

that aims to re-ignite the country’s rich maritime heritage. Also on the

crew for the exploratory dash to Cape Town was top South African

sailor and former Team Shosholoza trimmer Michael Giles.

A presentation of the Oman Sail campaign had the club buzzing with

excitement and the popular Standbridge – a regular competitor in club

events when he’s in the city – held a huge crowd of over 600 members

utterly captivated as he told of Majan’s voyage to Cape Town. Majan’s

crew were overwhelmed by the warm welcome given them by the club.

The Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race will feature city start lines in

Muscat (the capital of Oman), Cape Town, Fremantle (Australia) and

Singapore, and five “Cape” finish lines – Cape Ras Al Hadd off Oman;

Cape Agulhas, the most southerly point of Africa; Cape Leeuwin on South

West Australia; Cape Piai, the southernmost point of mainland Asia, just

west of Singapore; and Cape Comorin on the southern tip of India.

“The locals we met certainly love the idea of the Indian Ocean 5

Capes Race and look forward to welcoming Oman Sail back again. We

have made a lot of friends in the port of Cape Town. Thank you for your

wonderful hospitality,” said media crew Mark Covell after the presenta-

tion at RCYC.

E www.majan-a100.com, www.omansail.com or www.indianocean-5capesrace.com

S a I Lr c y cI n t e r n at I o n a L

Fly like a bird… RCYC supports the new Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race, following a visit by the A100 tri-maran Majan – one of the world’s biggest and fastest multihulls. By Di Meek

finish from Rio and the re-start to Western Australia and also assisting

with the customs and immigration procedures.

No mention of the stopover at RCYC would be complete without

a huge thank you to Marcus Reuter and the office staff, and Riaan

Bezuidenhoudt and the catering team, all of whom pulled out all the

stops to make sure the Clipper team, skippers and crews were fed,

watered, laundered and entertained.

E www.clipperroundtheworld.com

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age: 71

Nationality: British

Career highlights: At the age of 28, he was

the first person to sail single-handed and

non-stop around the world. He did this on

his 32ft teak ketch, Suhaili, taking 312 days

between 14 June 1968 and 22 April 1969.

Other credentials: Winner of the double-handed Round Britain Race

in 1970 and 1974; line honours in 1971 Cape to Rio Race; won the

Jules Verne Trophy in 1994 with fellow sailor Peter Blake for fastest

circumnavigation in 74 days, 22 hours, 18 minutes and 22 seconds!

He was knighted in 1995 and has uniquely been the UK’s Yachtsman

of the Year three times. In 2006, he was one of the first six

inductees for the International Sailing Federations’s Hall of Fame.

Interesting history: He has never been a fan of participating in

team sports and went to sea in the Merchant Navy in 1957 as a Deck

Officer with the British India Steam Navigation Company.

Read his book A World of my Own on his first solo circumnavigation

(R170 from www.kalahari.net).

PROFILE Sir Robin Knox-Johnston

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Clipper 09-10 fleet and Table Mountain at the start of Leg 3 from Cape Town to

Geraldton-Greenough, Australia.

The giant A100 trimaran Majan in Table Bay.

08-13_SailingRU_Intl.indd 2 6/14/10 5:26:14 PM

1 0

A RACE FOR ALL Sailors finally have the opportunity to race

around the world in affordable 40ft boats in the Portimão Global Ocean Race.

By Admiral Koos Louw

For the fledgling Portimão Global Ocean Race, turning the

dream of an affordable and attainable around-the-world race

aboard fast, safe and competitive 40ft boats was a tough journey

as race organisers sought the sponsorship required to launch a

brand new event. In Portimão they found a city with real drive and

ambition, and a hotel and marina with a race centre specifically designed

for international races, making the town the perfect starting point.

There was a lot of excitement around the departure of the tiny

fleet of six boats from Portimão on 12 October 2009. Speed boats with

professional film crew accompanied the single- and double-handed

yachts to the first mark of the 30 000 nautical mile course – a

compulsory gate one mile south of the stunning cape of Sagres on

Portugal’s Algarve coast. It was clear from the start that the Chilean

boat was probably the fastest of the boats, but the quiet confidence of

the two young Germans, Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme, on Beluga Racer created a formidable impression.

The first leg to Cape Town went well, with the Germans winning

comfortably. The boats had a wonderful stay at Royal Cape Yacht Club,

with crew spending serious money in Cape Town. False Bay Yacht Club

also played its role, treating participants to smoked snoek and sambuca

prawns washed down with good South African wine. The city hosted a

memorable prize-giving event with the Izivunguvungu Youth Band

playing themselves right into the hearts of those in attendance.

Leaving Cape Town for Wellington, New Zealand, on the second

and longest leg of the race, the boats got off to a good start, but

unfortunately one of the double-handed boats, Kazimir Partners of the

South African brothers, Lenjohn and Peter van der Wel, was forced to

return to Cape Town with mast damage. After sustaining significant

keel damage, 70-year-old Dutch single-hander Nico Budel had to

abandon his boat Hayai. Budel was rescued by a commercial ship, CSK Radiance, and also returned safely to Cape Town.

Four boats completed the race to Portimão. “I believe that this

race has proven the capabilities of a 40ft boat to race safely and very

competitively in an around-the-world event. Furthermore, the average

speeds that the boats have shown are exceptional,” said one of the race

founders, Josh Hall, on the completion of the event.

This wonderful around-the-world race on a poor man’s budget

looks set to live on, with entries for 2011/12 already signing up. We’re

excited – the concept is too good to die and, best of all, it’ll stop over

at Cape Town again.

E www.portimaoglobaloceanrace.com

TEsT OF sTREngTh

www. r c yc . c o . z a

Route

Portimão, Portugal

Cape Town, South Africa

Wellington, New Zealand

Ilhabela, Brazil

Charleston, USA

Portimão, Portugal

6 900nm41 days

7 500nm42 days

7 100nm40 days

5 000nm30 days

3 500nm21 days

Leg 1 Leg 2 Leg 3 Leg 4 Leg 5

Lenjohn and Peter van der Wel arrive in Cape Town.

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www. r c yc . c o . z a 1 1

S a I Lr c y cI n t e r n at I o n a L

Since the inception of around-the-world yacht racing, Royal Cape

Yacht Club and the City of Cape Town have been key players in

ocean racing. Started as the Whitbread Round the World Ocean

Race in 1973, the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) makes Cape Town its

first stopover after its start in Europe and a long ocean dash.

Over the years, the boats have changed from IOR-rated maxis of

80ft to extremely modern carbon-fibre racing machines capable of 600

miles per day and bursts of speed over 35 knots. As the race has evolved,

the level of sailing has increased dramatically and today all the crews are

professional sailors, making the VOR extremely competitive and very

exciting to follow. As the event has grown, so has its needs. It has

become an awe-inspiring spectacle in each of the 10 ports. While the fleet

is no longer moored at RCYC, Royal Cape is still a place that the crew can

slip away to, to get out of the public eye and relax with other sailors.

In the 2008/09 race, Puma’s Il Mostro was adopted by RCYC,

which was a unique experience for club members as it allowed them

access to the entire team. The crew gave a fascinating first-hand

account of sailing in the VOR in a presentation at the club. Much to the

delight of members, a number of the Il

Mostro crew were keen to join in one of

the Wednesday night races and were

allocated local boats to sail. Unfortu-

nately the black southeaster scuppered

the chance for local yachtsmen to sail

with the world-class sailors.

During the stopover, young apprentices

from the Izivunguvungu Development

School were allowed to spend a day at the

Puma shore base where they worked with

some of the world’s top sailmakers and

boat builders. Puma’s strategy of making

sailing accessible to as many people as

possible meant anyone who was not afraid

of a little hard work was able to be part of

this amazing race.

The 37 000 mile journey that is the VOR took the eight-boat fleet

to 10 different countries around the world, racing in and surviving the

world’s harshest climates. Puma Ocean Racing and their Volvo Open

70 Il Mostro finished second overall in the nine-month long adventure.

Looking back over the years, many of the boats competing in the

Volvo Ocean Race have arrived in Cape Town in need of urgent repair. With

a well established boat-building and repair industry in Cape

Town, many Royal Cape members have

been involved in the repair of the various

boats. Not only have members been

involved in the repair of the boats, but

many members have raced over the years.

In 1985 RCYC had its own entry in the

Whitbread race. Built in Cape Town by local

boat builders, Atlantic Privateer was

conceived and put together by Padda

Kuttel and Ludde Ingvall for the race.

For the 2011/12 Volvo Ocean Race,

Puma has announced it will again participate under the leadership of

skipper Ken Read, with Puma being the official supplier of all VOR

merchandise. Cape Town has also been confirmed as the first stopover

for the race, which starts in Alicante, Spain, in October 2011. We hope

that RCYC will once more be involved with this stopover. There are

many sailors from RCYC that are trying to get a spot on board one

of the Volvo teams. Watch this space!

E www.volvooceanrace.com

With the most coveted trophy in endurance sailing at stake, Cape Town proves a welcome stopover to the Volvo Ocean Race. By Matthew Thomas

TEsT OF sTREngTh

Route

Alicante, Spain

Cape Town Cochin, India

Singapore Qingdao, China

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Boston, USA

Galway, Ireland

Marstrand, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden

St Petersburg, Russia

6 500nm21 days

5 000nm19 days

1 950nm10 days

2 500nm11 days

12 300nm40 days

4 900nm15 days

2 550nm7 days

1 250nm4 days

525nm33 hours

400nm1 day

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

age: 49

Nationality: American

Career highlights: Ken Read has

twice been at the helm of Dennis

Conner’s America’s Cup pro-

grammes (2000 and 2003). He

was named “United States Rolex Yachtsman of the Year”

twice and has 46 World, North American and National

Championships to his credit in a variety of classes. Puma

has once again tagged Read as the man to lead the

charge in the 2011/12 Volvo Ocean Race.

PROFILE Ken Read Skipper-CEO, Puma Ocean Racing

RCYC adopted Puma’s Il Mostro.

08-13_SailingRU_Intl.indd 4 6/14/10 5:26:23 PM

www. r c yc . c o . z a1 2

The iconic South Atlantic Race from Cape Town to South

America, begun nearly 40 years ago to encourage South African

sailors to attempt ocean passages, has long excited huge local

and international interest, and 2009 was no different.

It’s a tactical race, demanding both seamanship and weather savvy.

Best known as the Cape to Rio Race, the race has headed mainly for Rio,

but at times to other South American venues, including Punta del Este

in Uruguay and more recently Salvador, the picturesque capital of the

Brazilian state of Bahia. The 2009 edition, the Heineken Cape to Bahia Race,

saw two great sailing craft, ICAP Leopard from London and Rambler from

New York respectively, take the line-honours and handicap trophy.

The 100ft ICAP Leopard inevitably set a new record for the course,

just over 10 days, slicing six days off the time set by the 37ft Windsong,

while Rambler crossed the line the next day to secure the handicap

trophy. Also crossing was the venerable Voortrekker – a key player in

the start of ocean racing as we know it today, when in 1968 it placed

second in the Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, the event

that heralded the birth of modern ocean racing. On her return to Cape

Town after a season of racing in Europe, Voortrekker’s owners, the

South Africa Ocean Racing Trust, handed her over for

use by the South African Navy. It was at the handover

that the vice admiral suggested that South Africa

should have its own ocean race. This started the ball

rolling, the debate at first being whether it should be

to Australia or South America.

South America, in particular Rio de Janeiro, won

the vote. As a pleasing “downwind” race, it would

encourage the small South African sailing community

to cross an ocean. It also, fortuitously, linked to the

intrepid voyages of Diaz and Da Gama and the shared history of

exploration the two countries shared.

The race has been a success from the start. The first race

attracted an amazing international entry of 69 boats, whose skippers

included Robin Knox-Johnston, Eric Tabarly, Kees Bruynzeel and

Lieutenant Commander Maximo Reveiro Kelly on the fleet that left

Table Bay in January 1971. By 1976 Rio fever had become a pandemic.

The Cape to Rio formed one leg of the Gauloises Triangle Race, the first

leg being from St Malo, in France, to Cape Town, the second leg to Rio

de Janeiro, and the third on to Portsmouth in the UK. As a result, the

Cape to Rio race attracted a massive fleet of 126 boats from 19

different countries. The race was also becoming faster. The 17 days and

five hours taken by Huey Long’s maxi Ondine sliced a big chunk off

previous times, while the prized handicap trophy went to Carlo di

Mottola Balestra of Costa Rica, whose 38ft yacht Chica Tica took

21 days and 12 hours to complete the course. Once again the iconic

Voortrekker was one of the fleet, skippered by navy man Bertie Reed.

Political clouds hampered the race for nearly two decades, when

there were two races to Punta del Este in Uruguay, and only in 1993 did

the fleet sail to Rio de Janeiro once again. But it was

a surprisingly large fleet of 83 yachts on the start line,

when two locally-built maxis, Parker Pen designed by

Angelo Lavranos, and Broomstick, designed by Alex

Simonis, led the fleet out into the bay. The handicap

trophy went to the high-tech 46ft racing machine,

Morning Glory skippered by SAP computer software

executive Hasso Plattner, sailing with a professional

crew including an experienced weather router, and

signalling the growing professionalism in ocean racing

that has now become commonplace.

With the growing popularity of multihulls, the

2003 race introduced these craft into the race. The

racing trimaran Nicator, sailed by Klas Nylof and crew,

and Brazilian Georg Ehrensperger’s racing catamaran

Adrenalina Pura offered a rather uneven competition

to Plattner’s latest monohull.

The 2006 race set a new course to Salvador. This

avoided the calms often met on the course after Ihla

Trinidade. The inevitable controversy of pitting monohulls against

multihulls was addressed by assigning multihulls to the cruising class.

Nevertheless Ehrensperger’s big Nigel Irons-designed catamaran,

Adrenalina Pura, lived up to its name with an incredible crossing time of

10 days, eight hours and two minutes, and a fabulous welcome in the

owner’s home port. Just as exciting was the performance of Windsong,

a Reichel Pugh 37-footer, skippered by Rob Meek. On occasions notching

Set course for South America, across the wild ocean, in the legendary South Atlantic Race.

By Alex Petersen

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RouteCape Town, South africa – South americaApproximately 3 600 miles across the Atlantic Ocean(After leaving Cape Town, participants head north-west towards the island of Ilha Trindade, and south-west from there towards South America. As they near the coast, skippers need to decide whether to take the longer route with stronger winds, or a more direct route with the chance for lighter winds.)

The super maxi ICAP Leopard set a new record for the 2009 South Atlantic Race.

Privateer sails out of Cape Town in the 2009 Heineken Cape to Bahia Race.

PH

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08-13_SailingRU_Intl.indd 5 6/14/10 5:26:27 PM

S a I Lr c y cI n t e r n at I o n a L

Uber-Quattro

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A sports car developed with the aim of creating a pure driving machine. Authentic and emotional. Invested with the genes of a thoroughbred, it is

made to set standards. The design is fascinating and powerful. Its lines are timeless, but enhanced with typical RS muscle.

The 2.5 litre 5 cylinder turbo engine blasts out 250 kW and 450 Nm of torque. It will propel you from 0 to 100km/h in just 4.6 seconds and has a top

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Franck Cammas and his men on Groupama 3 arrived in Cape Town

to have repairs done to one of the out-riggers while attempting to

break the Jules Verne Round the World record. They then

discovered that the generator had to be replaced too. Royal

Capers Manuel Mendez and Uwe Jappersen were involved in the repair,

which took three weeks to complete. Royal Capers Nick Leggatt and

Michael Giles sailed Groupama 3 back to NY. Groupama arrived in Port de

Chateau on 21 March having beaten the Jules Verne Round the World

record in a time of 48 days, seven hours, 44 minutes and 52 seconds!

Sadebo, another trimaran sailing around the world, arrived in Cape

Town early in 2009 to have damage to the false bow of one of her

floaters repaired.

PLAin sAiLing By Ingrid Hale

up daily runs of nearly 300 miles, Windsong set a time of 16 days, two

hours and 46 minutes, to take both line honours and the handicap

trophy for the racing class.

In the 2009 race, local yachts fared less well. Of the local boats, by day

four Vineta and Pontry Leisure had both suffered mast damage and retired.

For the future, the organising committee face a tough task. While

Salvador is an attractive venue, many sailors would still like to see Rio de

Janeiro as the finish – and for the 2011 race at least, Rio will once again

be the final destination. The growing presence of racing multihulls also

presents a problem. But despite these issues, the undoubted success of

the event has assured the future of ocean racing in South Africa.

E www.heinekencapetobahia.co.za

The South Atlantic Race fleet depart Cape Town.

Groupama 3 and another picture perfect day in Cape Town.

08-13_SailingRU_Intl.indd 6 6/14/10 5:26:30 PM

WWW. R C YC . C o . Z A1 4

If parked vehicles extending a hundred metres and more in either

direction from the entrance of Royal Cape Yacht Club are

anything to go by, then Wednesday evenings are the club’s

busiest time by far.

The reason is Wednesday night’s sailing, which, for the past two

seasons, has seen an incredible increase in popularity. In part the result

of a policy to encourage newcomers to sailing, the number of yachts out

sailing for the regular mid-week racing around the buoys has exceeded

all expectations. The response of would-be sailors has been strong,

notes RCYC general manager Marcus Reuter. “At

times numbers have been so great that it’s been

diffi cult to fi nd places on boats.”

With generous sponsorship from Audi, the

Audi Twilight Race Series has been an undoubt-

ed success. While the traditional approach to

Wednesday sailing has nominally been that of

fun racing, the competitive element has clearly

been ratcheted up more that a couple of

notches, with some really keen racing through-

out a growing fl eet.

Wednesday night racing was initiated two

decades ago by Geoff Meek and David Abro-

mowitz. “We had taken part in the Admirals Cup

in Cowes,” recalls Abromowitz. “Wednesday

night racing was hugely popular there, so Geoff

and I decided to initiate it here.” While the

longer British summer evenings clearly invite the practice, even just

over an hour or so of racing on Table Bay proved a great drawcard, and

the idea soon took off.

Rob Meek sees it not only as an attraction for newcomers to

sailing, but also as an excellent device for training. “I think it has helped

a number of new people learn to sail, and to get some idea of the

excitement of sailing in an easy and friendly manner. But it has also

achieved a lot more than that, since it’s an ideal opportunity to improve

crew work, to fi ne tune it and get it really slick,” he says. With crew in

demand, rather than just hoping that skilled sailors will be available,

skippers have found it worthwhile to hang on to a modest team and

hone their skills and teamwork. Finding crew

willing to regularly give up weekends may be

problematic, but a couple of hours midweek is

usually more manageable, and surprisingly

effective.

Brief as they may be, organising the races

can be demanding, and the dedication of people

like Ron Keytel has proved invaluable. Marcus

Reuter says the club would like to see more

members taking on the duties of race offi cer,

while Michela Byrnes (who’s taken over the

duties of sailing manager) says that volunteers

for bridge duties are invariably welcome. She

notes too that the racing has been increasingly competitive.“There have

been a higher number of collisions of late, which probably refl ects that,

but it is something that worries the Safety at Sea committee.”

More craft on the water obviously increases the odds, but the stiff

breezes on Table Bay can make things tricky. Witness the lamentable

damage to two Clipper yachts when that race restarted, the resultant delay

for repairs upset the plans of some high-paying crew members. Having

crew who can quickly read a tricky situation makes a big difference.

But all in all, the surging popularity of twilight racing is very positive

news for the club. And as Abromowitz sensibly notes: “Since people come

ashore quite thirsty, it also adds a useful boost to the club coffers.”

Thetwilight crazeIf you’re looking for fun sailing or serious competition, there’s only one place to be on a Wednesday night. By Alex Petersen

PHOTOGRAPHS

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IRC Class:1st New Balance Gumption

(Mark Sadler/Nicolas Mace)

2nd 8 Seconds (Harry Brehm)

3rd Windpower (Rick Nankin/Phil Gutsche)

Club Class 1:1st Benba.co.za (Dale Kushner)

2nd Maestro (Ankie Roux/Paul van Ass)

3rd Me2Me (Derick Shuttleworth)

Club Class 2:1st Reaction (Thinus Groenewald)

2nd Far Med (Vitor Medina)

3rd FTI Flyer (Keith Mattison)

Results

Shadowed by tankers in Table Bay, boats compete in a typical Cape southeaster.

14-25_SailingRU_Local.indd 1 6/14/10 5:28:30 PM

WWW. R C YC . C o . Z A 1 5

S A I LR C Y CL o C A L

Captain Sarno and the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)

showed their confi dence in Durban’s premier regatta by once

again investing a substantial sponsorship in this champagne

event. The July 2009 regatta was also the platform for the

J22 and IRC National Championships, attracting 16 Js and 19 IRC

boats split into two classes.

On the J22s, no team could match the supremacy of RCYC’s Mark

Sadler and his well drilled team, who took fi ve fi rsts, discarding a third.

Some of their fi rsts were won by massive margins, showing up a

yawning gap between our fl eet racing teams. The only challenge came

from another RCYC team in Ryan Avery on RCYC Eikos and the Witbank

Yacht Club team of C Emery on Jambalaya. Ultimately, the fi nal tally

for our Cape teams was fi rst Sadler on Orion and fourth Avery on Eikos.

The IRC class had an interesting mix of Fast 42s, Pacer 27 sport boats

and a mix of other sport boats, including Prodigy IV and RCYC’s Puma Unleashed with a Hylton Hale/Paul Willcox skipper combination. The

testing light airs over the fi rst few days challenged the Puma team with

Chris Frost’s lightly displaced Prodigy ghosting

speedily around the course. The fi ght for IRC

National Champ went down to the wire with Frost

having a narrow lead going into the last day.

However the fi nal day’s wind played right into the

Puma team’s hands, with a blustery south-westerly

peaking at 30kn. Puma’s well-drilled team took two

fi rsts, elevating them to the top of the pile.

To compete and take a crew

of 12 to Durban for a four-day

regatta has its challenges.

The priority was to have an

all Royal Cape team competing

on Puma Unleashed in Durban.

Twelve air tickets were duly

booked with Mango (defi nitely the

cheapest airline in SA – fl y with

them and see if you can walk

when you get off at the other

end). Then three apartments in

the vicinity of Point Yacht Club

were booked. All set? Hang on

what about the boat?

As part of their

sponsorship, MSC

offers free shipping

to the regatta, but

they can’t ship

masts as the

container ships do

not have the

facilities for

offl oading. After

much deliberation,

the team arranged

for the fragile

carbon mast to go

up with MACS

Shipping, on a boat

that needed to

stop in East London to offl oad

goods. The mast was well

insulated but the thought of it

lying on a deck somewhere with

offl oading happening all around

was hugely stressful.

As with all things of the sea,

there is no real programme –

there are too many variables. But

two of Puma’s crew headed up to

Durban a week before MSC Week,

to supervise offl oading, and to

dress and step the mast so that

when the rest of the team arrived

the boat would be ready to sail.

However, instead of being able to

ready the boat, the guys spent the

week listening to colourful

explanations on why the boat and

mast were not in Durban.

Finally, at 10am the day

before the fi rst race, the boat

arrives. The container ship is at

a terminal that has extreme

security and no one can get

clearance on such short notice.

At 5pm, the mast arrives.

However the crane operator

can’t guarantee his availability

the next morning. So three of

the crew spend the night

dressing the mast using a

bakkie’s headlights.

At 5am on the day of the

start, the crane operator lifts and

steps the mast without any

incident. In the meantime, the

crew, all dressed up with

nowhere to sail, are at Point

Yacht Club putting battens in

sails and waiting for the boat.

Finally, at 9am, the boat

arrives from the other side of

Durban harbour, with just two

hours left to the start. She is in

a fi lthy state after being on the

back of a ship for nearly two

weeks. Job one: clean boat, all

hands. Job two: fi t the boom.

Job three to 20: load sails, pull

halyards, set up sheets...

With 45 minutes to the start,

we are off, but the rig is not

properly set up. So up goes the

lightest team member with Allen

key, spanner and main sail. With

fi ve minutes to the start, the

mast man comes down and

Puma Unleashed is ready to sail.

This close shave was certainly

character building and gave the

crew a unique team spirit that

was rewarded by our winning

the IRC Nationals.

MSC Week from the deck of Puma Unleashed

IRC 1 Division:1st Puma Unleashed (Hylton

Hale/Paul Willcox)

2nd Prodigy IV (Chris Frost)

3rd Music (G Nottingham)

IRC 2 Division:1st Donna Mia (G Smith)

2nd Stoked (S Campbell)

3rd Tantrum (T Cockerell)

J22 Division:1st Orion (Mark Sadler)

2nd Wild Card (R Winderbolt)

3rd Us n J (G Baker)

Results

Durban in JulyRoyal Capers crash Point Yacht Club’s MSC Week party. By Hylton Hale

PHOTOGRAPH

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Unleashed in the cradle in Cape Town.

14-25_SailingRU_Local.indd 2 6/14/10 5:28:33 PM

WWW. R C YC . C o . Z A1 6

In 1908, the renowned tea magnate Sir Thomas Lipton of

London agreed to donate a trophy to the Table Bay Yacht Club

(TBYC), predecessor of the Royal Cape Yacht Club, “for the

purpose of encouraging yachting in South Africa”. Soon after,

a large, highly ornate, solid silver cup arrived in Cape Town together

with a signed copy of the Deed of Gift.

The Deed of Gift defi ned that the contests should be between

“recognised southern

African yacht clubs” on an

annual basis, one yacht

representing each club.

TBYC, although custodian

of the cup, was restricted

from making any autocratic

amendments to the terms

of the deed. This was intended to eliminate the possibility of TBYC

repeating the highly questionable and autocratic dictates of the New York

Yacht Club that Sir Thomas faced during his fi ve challenges for the

America’s Cup.

The fi rst contest was sailed in Table Bay in 1911 between Tess,

sailing for Point Yacht Club (PYC) in Durban, and Patricia sailing for TBYC

– the only two yachts in South Africa meeting the specifi ed measurement

rules of the day. Tess won. Because only a few yachts met the rules,

contests were only held from 1912 to 1914 and again in 1922 and 1923.

No further contests were sailed between 1924 and 1951. Following an

amendment agreed in 1952, the contests were sailed in “yachts conform-

ing to the thirty square metre rules” annually from 1952 to 1973.

Constructed of wood, these yachts had, by then, deteriorated to the point

of being uncompetitive and perhaps even unseaworthy. In the absence of

an obvious alternative class, the contests lapsed again from 1974 to 1981.

The deed was amended again in 1981 to compete in “IOR ¼ ton

measurement yachts” of which a small fl eet of the locally designed and

built Sweet Pea existed. However for the 1982 contest, PYC and RCYC each

entered specially designed “one-off” yachts that met the rule but at huge

expense. These proved highly competitive and the Sweet Pea design was

no match for them. By late 1982, a considerable fl eet of the Lavranos-

designed L26 Class yachts had been built and the rules were changed

again for the 1984 contest. As a result, the size of fl eets increased

dramatically, reaching a peak of 34 clubs in 2001. The L26 Class is still

going strong after 26 years

with no obvious contender

on the horizon.

During the past 10 to

15 years, considerable

emphasis has been placed

on development sailing and

clubs have entered yachts

with young crews with surprising success against the more experienced

sailors. This is exactly in keeping with the intent of Sir Thomas’ gift.

The contest in 2009 was hosted by RCYC on behalf of Theewater

Sports Club, defenders from the previous year. The cup was won for

RCYC by Greg Davis (his eighth win as skipper – an all-time record) with

his crew David Rae, Hein de Jamaer, Ian Wolmarans and Mike Giles,

sailing Daly’s Insurance. RCYC will defend the trophy in Table Bay from

20 to 27 August 2010.

While there are many good aspects

to the current challenge, including

consistency, good organisation and

a healthy fl eet size, the cup has

developed a Cape bias, which

makes it extremely diffi cult for

non-Cape clubs to challenge. This

is not a healthy situation.

LEVEL PLAYING FIELDIt is undeniable that certain L26s

are “better” than others. This is

contrary to the “fair sailing”

requirement of the Deed of Gift.

The persistent unsubstantiated

accusations and rumours of

tampering need to be eliminated

with facts. As a short-term

solution, the L26 Class rules need

to be more exacting.

NEW CLASS OF BOAT The L26 is not an exciting boat. An

alternative, more challenging class

is needed in the medium term.

Ideally, it would be an affordable

sport boat with a sizeable interna-

tional fl eet, strict one-design rules

and a strong class association. A

lifting keel and being easily

transportable between venues

would encourage growth country-

wide. However, it should also be

seaworthy in 25 to 30 knots and

allow for a maximum crew weight

similar to the L26. The fi rst step to

achieving this is boat selection – a

task for South Africa’s top sailors.

SUFFICIENT FUNDINGWith the right will, most sailing

clubs could secure a sponsor and

raise funds to purchase and operate

their own Lipton Class boat. With

suffi cient numbers of club boats,

inter-club competition would lead to

a regatta series beyond Lipton,

individuals purchasing their own

Lipton Class boats, and expanded

coverage for the sponsors.

The Lipton Challenge needs to

up its game too. Besides the funds

required to run the regatta, the

sponsorship amount should be

suffi cient to assist the winning

team’s entry to the Class Worlds.

The winning team would have

trained on an identical boat, could

take their own sails and represent

South Africa – with National

colours being awarded.

Without a plan and a common

goal, sailing in South Africa will

continue to stagnate. SAS, our

governing body, is not taking the

lead in promoting keelboat racing.

The sailing community is awash

with strong, successful, resource-

ful leaders, yet few have thrown

their weight behind the sport. The

Lipton Cup and the Lipton Class

could be the catalyst for change.

Time for change? By Nicholas Mace, Lipton trustee

Position Club Boat Skipper1st Royal Cape Yacht Club Daly’s Insurance Greg Davis

2nd Royal Natal Yacht Club Orion Challenge Mark Sadler

3rd Fish Hoek Beach Sailing Club Intasure Insurance Brokers Andrea Giovanini

Results

PHOTOGRAPHS

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Sir Thomas’s giftThe fascinating history of the Lipton Challenge Cup gives some idea of the huge prestige around this annual racing event. By Peter Bazlinton

RCYC crew celebrate their victory.

14-25_SailingRU_Local.indd 3 6/14/10 5:28:36 PM

WWW. R C YC . C o . Z A 1 7

The annual Intasure

Spring Regatta held out

of Simon’s Town’s False

Bay Yacht Club, saw a

glut of highly competitive IRC and

club handicapped yachts from

RCYC. Included in the IRC mix

was Nick Maces’s New Balance Gumption, Gordon Kling’s Lobelia,

Hylton Hale’s Puma Unleashed

and the new IRC generation,

Windpower, skippered by Phil

Gutsche and Rick Nankin.

Day one didn’t start well for

Windpower; they fi nished sixth in

the fi rst race when a plastic bag

entangled on their rudder slowed

them down. But after fi nding the

problem, the team sailed an

impressive regatta with four

fi rsts and one sixth.

Says Nankin after their

emphatic victory, “Our tactician,

Shosholoza sailor Michael Giles,

put the whole thing together. The

last time I was sailing with Giles,

about 10 years ago, we won it, so

it was quite amazing to do it again.

It was really close between us

and Gumption. Overall, there was

tight, competitive racing and it

was a very good regatta.”

The 2007 winners, New Balance Gumption, held the lead

at the end of day one after

fi nishing fi rst and second in the

fi rst two races of the event. But

they trailed Windpower for the

rest of the event and fi nished in

second place overall with seven

points. The last podium position

had two yachts, Lobelia and Puma Unleashed on equal points, with

the tie successfully broken by

Lobelia – as a result of their better

discard position (Lobelia discarded

a seventh and Puma an eighth).

Hout Bay Yacht Club entry

Mega Freight, skippered by Jendo

Oceanasek, topped Division 1

with fi ve points, while David

Shilton, aboard Bertha’s Restaurant was victorious in

Division 2 with seven points.

Garmin Fiesta, co-skippered

by Richard Gie and Mike Clark,

dominated Division 3 with four

points, while Harald Rogowski

sailed Leonotis to victory in the

Cruising Division.

IRC Class:1st Windpower (Phil Gutsche/

Rick Nankin)

2nd New Balance Gumption

(Nicholas Mace/Mark Sadler)

3rd Lobelia (Gordon Kling/Rob

Meek)

Club Class 1:1st Mega Freight (Jendo

Oceanasek)

2nd Fascination Umoya Omusha (Dave Herman)

3rd Raging Bull (Tom Brown)

Club Class 2:1st Far Med (Vitor Medina)

2nd Race Ahead (Marlon Jones/

Asenat Jim)

3rd Bertha’s Restaurant (David

Shilton)

Results

S A I LR C Y CL o C A L

Royal Cape Yacht Club’s Rick Nankin and Algoa Bay Yacht Club’s Phil Gutsche power to Spring Regatta victory on Windpower. By Hylton Hale

Smooth sailing

PHOTOGRAPHS

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A selection of pictures showing the competitive yachts in the Spring Regatta.

14-25_SailingRU_Local.indd 4 6/14/10 5:29:03 PM

WWW. R C YC . C o . Z A1 8

The Double Cape can be one of the most challenging races on the

Cape circuit. Starting in Clifton’s calm waters, it goes onto the

fi ckle conditions off Hout Bay, around the notorious Cape Point

and into sheltered Simon’s Town, with a sprint across False Bay

and then back to Cape Town; a distance of about 125 miles.

Only 10 boats from Royal Cape Yacht Club made the start line with

entrants from the other three yacht clubs pulling out. This was disappoint-

ing but did not detract from the fi erce rivalry between Phil Gutsche’s

Landmark 43 Windpower and Hylton Hale’s Puma Unleashed. Also in the

mix was Greg Davies on his Scape 39 catamaran Set Sea. The other dark horse was the favourably

IRC-rated Farr 40 Majimoto II, skippered by Lindsay

Birch and Paul Mare.

The race started in a light westerly, which

eventually settled into the predicted 10 knot (kn)

south-westerly. The fi rst point of call was a CSRI mark

four miles off Kommetjie; with the leading boats having

a difference of opinion on which way to go. Puma opted

for the inshore course with Set Sea and Windpower

taking the offshore option. The convergence at the

mark saw Windpower with a healthy lead over Puma and Set Sea.

Unfortunately with the shifting wind, Puma had to put in a tack to make the

mark and Windpower carried on without rounding. Their error was quickly

noticed and rectifi ed with a return sail to the mark; placing Puma in the

lead. The wind continued to blow between 10 and 12kn from the south-

west with the yachts sailing in a south-easterly direction, prompting some

to hoist powerful Code Zeroes, which further elevated the frontrunners

from the rest of the pack. At Cape Point, the wind actually died off and

some of the yachts sat idle under the Cape Point lighthouse. Puma and Set Sea escaped the light patch and excelled in the building southerly with a

pleasant kite run to the Roman Rock Lighthouse. Set Sea rounded Roman Rock about 10 minutes behind

Puma and quickly reeled her in, with the cat enjoying

the reaching conditions to Gordons Bay.

From Gordons Bay it was homeward bound. With the sun set and no

moon, the sea was radiant with bright phosphorescence, giving the dolphins

an eerie green glow while playing alongside the yachts. With the wind on

the nose, Puma then overtook Set Sea sailing on one tack to Cape Point.

After Cape Point, with noses turned downhill for the 35-mile sprint to

the fi nish, Puma and Set Sea revelled in the surfi ng conditions with reports

19kn surfs. Puma grabbed line honours from Set Sea at 2am with a total

race time of 15 hours 59 minutes. Third over the line was Windpower

followed by Majimoto II.

L o C A LS A I LR C Y C

The Double Cape is a test of endurance, tactics and teamwork.

By Hylton Hale

Classic challenge

This race is essentially a 170nm race

around the Cape Peninsula, with all

types of wind abnormalities.

Initially the race was started

simultaneously from Royal Cape,

Hout Bay, False Bay and Gordons

Bay yacht clubs, and fi nished at the

same starting place, the winner

being calculated on total elapsed

time. This well-supported event

brought sailors from all over the

peninsula closer. However over the

years, with some really calm

conditions, interest waned. Various

formats were tried to improve the

wind shadow areas. Certain starting

points and marks of the course were

dropped. This had some merits, but

cut the length of the course and the

resultant time at sea.

The recent revival of the event,

with starts in Cape Town and

Simon’s Town with participation

from HBYC and GBYC, and turning

marks out of wind shadow areas at

GB and HB, is a winning formula.

Apart from the hard racing there

is so much beauty en route.

From an experience point of

view, the navigational skills required

are of the highest order, the

younger helmsman get a chance to

steer in all weather conditions. It’s

a long race where endurance,

leadership, skill and compatibility

are tested to the full with a bigger

vision of producing ocean racers of

the calibre of years gone by.

I remember racing an L26 in a

Double Cape when we encountered

gale force plus winds off Cape

Point. We were all young and

enthusiastic. We popped the kite off

Cape Point and caught a wave that

seemed to last to Slangkop, surfi ng

at unbelievable speeds during the

night. That particular race had

about 50 entries. With the weather

deteriorating I was told at the HB

mark that we were the only entry

still sailing, with wind at Cape Point

gusting 45kn, so we retired, only to

fi nd another L26 skippered by Rick

Nankin was surfi ng down to his

fi nish in Cape Town and obviously

took the table of prizes home. Even

the disappointment of not being on

the podium was easily overcome by

the nonsensical attempt of Cape

Point in 45kn.

History of the Double Cape By John Martin, RCYC commodore and world-renowned solo round-the-world sailor

Winner Club 1:1st Puma Unleashed (Hylton Hale)

Winner Club 2: 1st FTI Flyer (Keith Mattison)

IRC Class 1:1st Puma Unleashed (Hylton Hale)

IRC Class 2:1st Flyer (Joe van der Westhuizen)

Results

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Hylton Hale at the helm of Unleashed on the way to victory.

An iconic image of majestic Cape Point as seen from the water.

14-25_SailingRU_Local.indd 5 6/14/10 5:29:20 PM

CONGRATULATIONS TOTEAM PUMA UNLEASHED

2009 IRC, Class 1 National Champions

For stockist info call:Puma on 021 551 0832

pumaoceanracing.com

WWW. R C YC . C o . Z A2 0

On Saturday 12 December 2009, the weekend of the Crocs

Summer Regatta, a violent south-easterly howled across the

Cape peninsula. It started gently at 20 knots (kn), but three

hours later had doubled in strength to 40kn. Twenty-four hours

later gusts were being recorded at several stations between 60 and 80kn.

Thirty-fi ve entries had been received, with the rapidly growing IRC

division having the largest entry, followed by the smaller boats in Club

Class 2, and Club Class 1 with the smallest. The concept behind the Crocs

Regatta is that it is loosely based on Antigua Week, where the parties and

the racing compete with each other in terms of how hot they get. Royal

Cape Yacht Club had everything in place for a huge party, but the

devastating southeaster completely put paid to all shore-based activities.

Race offi cer Matthew Thomas set a 34-mile course along the

beach past Milnerton and down to Blouberg for the

fi rst race, which started in a 20kn breeze. In the

hotly contested IRC fl eet there was action aplenty.

Barely fi ve minutes after the start there was a port/

starboard collision between Addis in Cape (skippered

by Alexander Monet) and A-L (Robbie van Rooyen).

A-L ended up with a sizeable hole in her port quarter,

forcing them to retire from racing for the day. To their

credit they had the boat repaired and relaunched the

next morning. Addis did a penalty turn and continued

to race, only retiring later when racing was fi nished.

Crocs (Mark Sadler) led the fl eet on the long downwind run. The

smallest boat in the IRC fl eet, the Pacer 27 Sport Regent Express (Trygve

Roberts) came from behind and displayed outstanding downwind speed,

carving her way through most of the big boats, rounding the bottom mark

with Windpower (Rick Nankin) and Puma Unleashed (Hylton Hale). Further

back in the fl eet, Dave Hudson skippering the Mumm 36 Ballyhoo Too

managed a spectacular gybe after a neat spinnaker peel that left them on

their side for several minutes and close to the shore in just three metres of

depth. At that stage, the breeze had cranked up to around 26kn. By the time

the last of the IRC boats crossed the fi nish line the wind was already

gusting 35kn.

Race one was won by Windpower. In the Club Class 1 fl eet, Flyer,

a Beneteau FC10 (Joe van der Westhuizen), won from Spectrum L34

(Andy James). There were only six entries in this

category. But in Class 2 the competition was stiff with

Vitor Medina in his Muira Far Med revelling in the heavy

conditions and taking fi rst place from Ray Matthews in

his V/D Stadt 34 Cabaray and third place being taken

by Thinus Groenewald in his RCOD Reaction.

The fl eet was ushered towards Granger Bay

where there was mercifully hardly any wind and

where crew spent an hour easing aching muscles

and drying wet gear.

The wind was up to 35kn for the start of race

two. Many of the fl eet, particularly the smaller boats,

retired before reaching the second mark. Only seven

of the 14 entries managed to complete race two with

Windpower once again taking fi rst place. In Class 2

only fi ve yachts completed the race, with victory

again taken by Far Med.

Back at the small craft basin it was all hands on

deck, securing boats in the howling southeaster,

which had reached 50kn by 6pm. The race committee cancelled racing

on Sunday and asked competitors to return for the fi nal day’s racing on

Wednesday, 16 December.

A-L lodged a protest against Addis in Cape for the port/starboard

incident, but Addis had already retired from the race on their return. A-L

also lodged a second protest against Addis for changing their mainsail

between race one and two. Addis was disqualifi ed from race two for

this. A-L applied for redress and was given average points for the

IRC Class:1st A-L (Robbie van Rooyen)

2nd Windpower (Rick Nankin)

3rd New Balance Gumption

(Nicholas Mace)

Club Class 1:1st Flyer (Joe van der Westhui-

zen)

2nd Sheshisa (Lood Rabie)

3rd Spectrum (Andy James)

Club Class 2:1st Far Med (Vitor Medina)

2nd Reaction (Thinus Groe-

newald)

3rd Apricot (Bat Tromp)

Results

A howling southeaster made for some extreme racing in the 2009 Crocs Summer Regatta. By Trygve Roberts

Gale-force competition

PHOTOGRAPHS

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Sailor’s raft up for a lunch-time braai shadowed by the new stadium.

14-25_SailingRU_Local.indd 6 6/14/10 5:29:39 PM

S A I LR C Y CL o C A L

regatta. Later this would turn the event on its head, as they won both

the races on the Wednesday, leaving them with two firsts and another

two firsts on the redress issue.

Wednesday dawned with a perfect 10kn westerly that strengthened to

18kn by mid-afternoon. It was steady in direction and provided fair racing.

Race three started near Milnerton beach with a long windward leg up

to the number two channel marker and a dead downwind leg back to

Milnerton. The course offered very little opportunity to make gains.

The race was won by A-L. In Class 1, victory went to Flyer. In Class

2 a pattern was developing with Far Med once again taking first place.

A fairly long course was set for the final afternoon race. Crocs led

the fleet around the course, but it was not enough of a lead to prevent the

Farr 38 Benba to snatch first place, with A-L in second and Windpower in

third place.

A break from sailing and the wind at Granger Bay.

Perfect conditions for sailing with spinnakers.

14-25_SailingRU_Local.indd 7 6/14/10 5:29:43 PM

022 707 7000

info@clubmykonos.co.za www.clubmykonos.co.za

NSRI Station 4 operates from

our marina & they are always ready to

assist you.

Travel lift service for boat maintenance.

For yacht owners we offer a

valet service.

The potential for the Mykonos Offshore to become a national

super-regatta is ripe. The 2010 entry list topped out at 108 of

which 104 fi nally competed. The Pacer crews raved about the

weather and superb racing. As things turned out, the Pacer

27s had a fi eld day on the Friday, sweeping all opposition before them

with their stellar downwind performance, scooping up the top four spots

in the IRC division. These 27ft sports boats revelled in the rough

conditions and strong breeze, with Regent Express logging a maximum

downwind speed of 22.8 knots (kn).

This year, the weather gods provided a stiff southeaster of 40kn

at the Table Bay start, making for some spectacular broaches. After a

short windward leg, the fl eet took off for a very long, fast downwind run

to Club Mykonos in Langebaan. The breeze moderated down to 10kn

near Bok Point and backed around to the south, picking back up to 25kn

towards the end of the race.

There were two incidents – one of which prompted a medical

evacuation when the skipper of the 34ft L34 Morgenster took a knock

to the head after a gybe, leaving her unconscious for 10 minutes. The

NSRI were called out to help the boat back to port in the gale-force

winds. Further into the race, a crewmember was separated from his

craft when a Hobie Tiger capsized, but he too received quick and able

assistance from a well run shore-based rescue operation.

On the distance race, line honours on the

keelboats went to New Balance Gumption, followed by

Pacer27 Felix The Cat and Pacer42 Puma Unleashed,

all in under six hours. However, the real winner over

the line was Duncan Ross and Inge Schabort on a

Hobie Tiger, in four hours and 41 minutes.

In the pursuit race, the back half of the fl eet was

given a solid slap in the face when a huge oil tanker

entered Saldanha Bay and anchored right across the

path of the course. The local pilot boat aggressively

sounded his claxon demanding that yachts clear the

area immediately, which resulted in a signifi cant

number of retirements.

The regatta attracted about 2 000 guests to Club

Mykonos, the main sponsor – making the whole

exercise a win-win for all. Well done to Hylton Hale

and his team for organising a truly well run event.

IRC Class:1st Felix the Cat (Ant Went-

worth)

2nd Unruly (Davy James)

3rd Regent Express (Trygve

Roberts)

Club Class 1:1st Always Well (Lance Burger)

2nd Amoya Omusha (D Herman)

3rd Lapwing (Alan Keen)

Club Class 2:1st Reaction (Thinus Groe-

newald)

2nd Pure Magic (Alan Taylor)

3rd Welsh Witch (Dave Garrard)

Results

The Mykonos Offshore has a certain magnetic

appeal to all sailors – from diminutive

Hobie Tigers to majestic 65ft yachts.

By Trygve Roberts

Downwinddash

PHOTOGRAPHS

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WWW. R C YC . C o . Z A 2 3

S A I LR C Y CL o C A L

Windpower blasts off in the direction of Club Mykonos after a very light start.

A helicopter provides a bird’s-eye view of the fl eet.

High-speed excitement on the Mykonos Offshore.

14-25_SailingRU_Local.indd 8 6/14/10 5:29:47 PM

WWW. R C YC . C o . Z A2 4

Cape Town Sailing Week took place over two weekends in late

March this year. The fi rst weekend is hosted by the Royal

Cape Yacht Club in Table Bay. During the second weekend,

competitors head for Hout Bay in a pursuit race that links the

two clubs.The event incorporates the Western Cape IRC nationals with

a mixture of buoy, distance and bay racing.

This year, 33 yachts entered. The fi rst race on Saturday was delayed

until a light westerly of about seven knots set in, allowing race offi cer Doug

Alison to set a good length course. Although the IRC fl eet was slightly

down with some noticeable absentees this year, three Pacer 27s bolstered

the IRC boats to a total of 13. Two back-to-back races were completed

with the ever-present Farr 38 A-L winning race one and Rick Nankin in the

Landmark 43 Windpower winning race two. Billy Leisegang owned the

Class 1 results in his Simonis 35 Our Diane, while in Class 2 Rodney Tanner

was taking the bullets in the L26 Team Escape Eko Energy SA.

Sunday promised more of the same style of racing, with a westerly

wind reaching 12kn later in the afternoon. Windpower, New Balance Gumption, A-L and Addis in Cape dominated the three races of the day.

Monday saw yachts heading off on a 30 nautical mile (nm) medium

distance race from Table Bay to Noordhoek beach. With a strong

southeaster forecast and a rhumb line routing taking the fl eet through

the wind shadow of Sea Point and Clifton, this was always going to be a

lottery-style race. The race began with a short beat to Paarden Island,

followed by another short reach in a stiff south-easterly, which petered

out after Green Point. Those who sailed inshore parked for a while,

while those who ventured offshore enjoyed a good breeze. That group

included Tenacity, Lobelia, Addis in Cape and Regent Express. It would

cost them dearly as the day wore on. The inshore group managed to get

ahead by a mile or so until they ended up in Clifton with no wind. New Balance Gumption tacked far off to close in with the shore, while

Windpower, Puma Unleashed and Felix the Cat tracked down the

middle. After that, the leaders’ advantages multiplied. The southeaster

hit a solid 25kn, with Windpower taking the gun from New Balance Gumption and Puma Unleashed.

Crews then had four days to recover tired bodies in preparation for

the fi nal weekend’s racing, which came with low scudding, dark clouds,

grey lumpy seas and intermittent rain.

The start in Hout Bay on Saturday was delayed due to the

extremely deep water, which makes it diffi cult to lay marks. Many boats

had seasick crews. Some of the boats high tailed it back to the club

Highadventure The combination of RCYC’s Cape Town Sailing Week and the Hout Bay Yacht Club’s Admiral’s Regatta into one prestigious event shows huge potential for growth. By Bjorn Geiger

PHOTOGRAPHS

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A Pacer 27 runs along the dramatic Chapman’s Peak pass.

Windpower takes the lead.

Addis in Cape starts at Table Bay.

14-25_SailingRU_Local.indd 9 6/14/10 5:29:51 PM

The fleet runs down to Hout Bay.

A-L at the start.

S A I LR C Y CL o C A L

before the race even got underway. Conditions were difficult in short

steep seas that seemed to loom from every direction. A long windward/

leeward course was set with a 2.5nm weather leg. The usual ding-dong

battle ensued between Windpower and New Balance Gumption with Rick Nankin driving

Windpower to victory. The finish presented

some fresh problems for skippers and

navigators. The bridge boat was nowhere

to be seen and just the mark layer was in

attendance, lying very close to the pin, flying

a red/white flag. The bridge boat’s anchor rope

had snapped, followed by engine trouble and a

hasty retreat back to the club – leaving the

mark layer to finish the fleet, but only after

hastily transferring the recorders (in itself quite

a feat of seamanship).

Sunday was a calm day. The fleet

waited off the beach for almost an hour while

the race committee waited for the breeze to

fill. Eventually the fleet went under starter’s

orders, but there was too much starboard

bias on the line with the entire IRC fleet

wanting to hug the committee boat. The race official blew the three

hooters, reset the line and started the countdown once more.

The successful Cape Town Sailing Week came to a perfect end, and

thanks must go to the D&A group for their support and sponsorship in

this massively successful regatta.

IRC Class:1st Windpower (Rick Nankin/Phil

Gutsche)

2nd A-L (Robbie van Rooyen)

3rd New Balance Gumption

(Mark Sadler/Nicholas Mace)

Club Class 1:1st Our Diane (Billy Leisegang)

2nd Touch & Go (David Smith)

3rd Nandi (Nick Fairley)

Club Class 2:1st Far Med (Vitor Medina)

2nd Team Escape Eko Energy SA

(Rodney Tanner)

3rd JML 3 (Theo Yon)

Results

Vitor Medina’s Far Med against the backdrop of the beautiful Twelve Apostles.

14-25_SailingRU_Local.indd 10 6/14/10 5:29:54 PM

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2 8 www. r c yc . c o . z a

Royal Cape Yacht Club, represented by Team Shosholoza, is the

first yacht club on the African continent to mount a challenge

for the America’s Cup – the oldest trophy in international sport

and the pinnacle of competitive sailing since 1851.

Founded and led with extraordinary vision and determination by

Durban’s Captain Salvatore Sarno, the ground-breaking campaign

endorsed RCYC as South Africa’s leading yacht club and positioned it

among the top 12 clubs from 10 countries across five continents

challenging for the 2007 America’s Cup. Few could imagine the spin-off

the campaign would have for the entire country. Only with hindsight

would the enormity and courageousness of South Africa’s debut

challenge for the thirty-second edition of the America’s Cup in Valencia,

Spain, be fully appreciated.

Captain Sarno’s vision for Shosholoza was a representative team

that would transcend sport to showcase South Africa’s 10-year-old

democracy, its unique human resources, skills and world-class

technology. Everything from the name, Shosholoza, to the campaign

yacht’s dramatic wave pattern inspired by Ndebele, Zulu and Xhosa

beadwork and boldly rendered in the colours of the South African flag

– was deliberately designed to evoke Africa.

Team Shosholoza started with a core group of young club sailors,

a second-hand America’s Cup class yacht specially imported from Italy

and personally bonded by Sarno, and backing from Mediterranean

Shipping Company (MSC).

The crew had to learn to sail the huge 82ft high-tech racing

machine, renamed Shosholoza RSA 48, and even learn the rules of

match racing – the format of the America’s Cup, but a discipline seldom

practised locally. After just 45 days of training in Table Bay under the

expertise of Paul Standbridge, one of the world’s best with two British

America’s Cup campaigns behind him, the team made it to the opening

event of the thirty-second America’s Cup in Marseille, France. It was the

start of 13 qualifying Louis Vuitton “Acts” or regattas contested in match

and fleet racing across Europe and culminating in the 2007 Louis Vuitton

Cup – the challenger selection series to decide a winner to race against

Cup defenders, the Swiss Team Alinghi, for the America’s Cup itself.

Team Shosholoza didn’t win a race in Marseille but their “can do”

attitude attracted T-Systems, a division of Deutsche Telekom, who

came onboard as a chief sponsor with a ¤7.5 million injection for the

three-year period. It was one of the biggest foreign investments in a

South African sports team at the time and a lifeline to Shosholoza –

even though it still fell short of other team budgets ranging from ¤40

to well over ¤100-million. America’s Cup campaigns are as much a

technological race as a sailing event and are therefore hugely costly

affairs. The Deed of Gift also requires the campaign yacht be designed

and built in the team’s home country.

Team Shosholoza was one of the smallest teams with 80 people

operating in three sections: the Sailing Team (which ultimately also

included professional international sailors) and its development wing,

the Izivunguvungu MSC Foundation for Youth; the Design and Build

Team; and the Shore Team. Research and development was ongoing

as designers, boat builders and sailors worked until the last race to

optimise performance. Super-human commitment, strength and fitness

were demanded of the crew.

British naval architect Jason Ker led a largely South African Design

Team in designing the new yacht Shosholoza RSA 83 – a state-of-the-

art campaign yacht unveiled for the first time at RCYC in 2005, while

New Zealander Tony Evans headed a team of local boat builders to

create her in a Somerset West shed.

RAISING THE STAKESTeam Shosholoza takes Royal Cape to the America’s Cup.By Di Meek

28-29_Shosholoza.indd 1 6/14/10 5:33:01 PM

S a I Lr c y cS h o S h o L o z a

2 9www. r c yc . c o . z a

The Shore Team, comprising sailmakers, weather specialists,

a fitness trainer, chef, marketing, media and administration personnel,

provided 24-hour support to ensure the sailing team made the start-

line every day and returned to shore a winner.

Shosholoza RSA 83 was the first of the new generation America’s

Cup Class Version 5 yachts to be launched, and expectations ran high

for her June debut in the Louis Vuitton Acts 4 and 5 in Valencia.

Instead, it was a disastrous period for the team. There was no

time for testing the new yacht. The hydraulics failed, the mast was

faulty and finally crashed into the sea. Survival entailed simply starting

and finishing every race. But a turning point came with a historic first

match race win against the Swedish Victory Challenge in August 2005

in the Louis Vuitton Act 6 in Sweden. It was Shosholoza’s first win

after 25 starts.

In September’s Louis Vuitton Acts 7 and 8 in Sicily, the team

regularly won races and at one point lay third on the leaderboard.

By 2006 the team had worked their way up to seventh overall. Shosholoza’s

gutsy, ever-improving performance had captured the

imagination of a global television audience of four

billion people. They had become the darlings of the

international media, hailed as the spectator’s favourite,

and had earned respect as serious contenders from

their opponents. But to stay competitive for a top spot

in the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup, their two-year-old

campaign yacht needed updating.

An eleventh hour sponsorship deal by MSC

Crociere, the cruise line division of MSC, allowed the

modification of up to 40 percent of Shosholoza RSA 83’s hull shape, stepping a new mast, building new

racing sails, adding a new keel and appendages. The

“new” Shosholoza RSA 83, unveiled in Valencia just

weeks before racing started, gave the team the chance

to wrap up their campaign honourably.

After three-and-a-half years of intensive training

and racing, the novice team surprised the world with

a seventh place in the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup – finish-

ing ahead of the French, German, Italian +39 and

China teams. Team Shosholoza had helped change

international perceptions about South Africa. They had

popularised sailing at home by reflecting transforma-

tion and raised the profile of South African sailing and

boat building abroad.

Awards and accolades included the Golden Sail

Award from the yacht club of San Marino, one of the

world’s oldest democracies, which said Shosholoza

revealed a deeply human ethic and social conscience

that “reflects the traditions of freedom, peace and

respect for human rights.” At home Team Shosholoza

had the support of former President Nelson Mandela

and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. Archbishop

Tutu, the team’s patron, told them: “I have had one or

two honours in my life but to be associated with you is

one of my biggest honours. You are a wonderful

example of what our country can do.”

Team Shosholoza was given national status by

South Africa’s Parliamentary Sports and Recreation

Committee in 2005. They were voted the 2005 Sports

Team of the Year. Captain Sarno was awarded South

African Sailing Federation colours and the City of

Cape Town honoured the team at a special function

in 2007. Some sailors were given Celebrity and

Sportsman of the Year Awards by their hometowns.

Team Shosholoza was given honourary membership

of Royal Cape Yacht Club for the duration of the

America’s Cup.

In 2007 Captain Sarno submitted a second

South African challenge for the thirty-third America’s

Cup but an almost three-year dispute between

America’s BMW/Oracle Racing Team and the Swiss

defender Team Alinghi kept the event on hold. When

finally contested in February this year, it was a

one-on-one Deed of Gift match between Alinghi and

BMW Oracle. Racing spectacular 90ft-multihull

yachts, it was won by BMW Oracle.

Details of the thirty-fourth America’s Cup are

still to be announced. The question is: will Team

Shosholoza be there?

Clockwise from left: America’s Cup debut, Louis Vuitton (LV)Act 1 fleet racing, Marseille, France 2004; Team Shosholoza versus America’s BMW Oracle Racing, LV Cup, Valencia, Spain, 2007; Team Shosholoza in full flight; Shosholoza patron, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu with Captain Sarno, Mrs Leah Tutu and the crew aboard Shosholoza RSA 83 in Valencia; Team Shosholoza wows the world at the opening sail past of the LV Cup, Valencia, 2007.

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Captain Salvatore Sarno (founder

and managing director)

Ian Ainslie

Marcello Burricks

Solomon Dipeere

Moctar Fall

Nicholas Fuller

Michael Giles

Joe Heywood

Sieraj Jacobs

Richard Kohler

Marc Lagesse

Golden Mgedeza

Geoff Meek (skipper 2004/5)

Charles Nankin

Shaun Pammenter

David Rae

Reinhardt Rauscher

Alex Runciman

Mark Sadler (skipper 2006/7)

Ashton Sampson

Davey Smith

Johann Spilhaus

Paul Standbridge

Ken Venn

Guido Verhovert

Camron Wills

Shosholoza Sailing Team(SA citizens and residents only)

28-29_Shosholoza.indd 2 6/14/10 5:33:02 PM

Throughout the history of Royal Cape Yacht Club, members

have proudly fl own its burgee at international events and

regattas. Not only have teams represented the club, but

individual sailors have also participated in single-handed

events like the BOC Challenge and the Vendée Globe. It’s extremely

common to fi nd RCYC sailors on the top boats as they are known as

hard workers who are used to heavy-weather sailing. Plus they’re

normally fun to have onboard! Not only have members raced, but many

of the boats, like Gwaap and Gumption (formerly Orion Express) in the

marina have represented RCYC around the world.

RCYC was the club chosen by the Shosholoza campaign as its club,

and for the fi rst time in South African sailing history, a challenge was

issued for the thirty-second America’s Cup that was sailed in Valencia.

With the eyes and hearts of local sailors supporting them, Team

Shosholoza were the fi rst African team to enter the America’s Cup

and were the fi rst and only team with a multi-racial crew. With the

America’s Cup over, many of the crew returned to Cape Town and

have contributed immensely to the quality of racing at RCYC.

With RCYC as the starting point of the fi rst Cape to Rio Race in

1971, many members have competed in this race. Over the years the

race has gone to numerous ports on the South American coast and

today is simply know as the South Atlantic Race, which starts in Cape

Town (the next race, hosted in 2011 will once again end in Rio de

Janeiro). Traditionally hosted every four years, this race has attracted

some of the biggest and best racing boats in the world, and in 2008 saw

ICAP Leopard and Rambler arrive from the UK to compete in the race.

Over the years, RCYC has also been involved with the then

Whitbread Round the World Race and now the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR)

in many capacities. The clubs’ members have also been active in sailing

on board these impressive boats or have been involved in the teams in

other ways. Royal Capers involved in the 2008/2009 VOR include:

Anthony Spillebeen – shore manager for Team Ericsson

Ray van der Linde – shore team for Telefonica

Tony Norris – involved in build team for Telefonica based in New Zealand

Paul Willcox – shore team for Team Russia

Over the past year, there have been a number of owners and crew

that have represented RCYC internationally including Felix Scheder-

Bieschin and his crew, after an eventful South Atlantic Race, on the

Marten 49, Vineta, where they were forced to retire after losing their

mast. With their hopes dashed, they built a jury rig and sailed Vineta

to Walvis Bay. After securing the boat and having her cradle shipped

to Walvis Bay, they loaded Vineta onto a freighter and had her shipped

NEW WATERS

Follow the successes of our members sailing among professionals internationally.

By Matthew Thomas

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Top: Winning Team Sheraton sailing at the China Cup.

Bottom: Team Izivunguvungu and the Race Ahead

programme in action.

S a I Lr c y cr o y a L c a p e r S a b r o a d

3 1w w w. r c y c . c o . z a

31-33_RoyalCapers.indd 1 6/14/10 5:33:57 PM

Vineta proudly represents SA at the start of Cowes Week.

C DYNAMICSFOR ALL YOUR ELECTRICAL POWER SOLUTIONS

C Dynamics, Cape Town, South Africa - Tel +27 21 5553232 / Fax +27 21 5553230 - www.c-dynamics.co.za

back to Cape Town for repairs. They decided to tackle another

prestigious race, the Rolex Fastnet Race. Vineta was shipped to Vigo

in Spain and then sailed to Hamble where she was made ready. With

Cowes Week taking place just before the Rolex Fastnet Race, it was

used to prepare for the dash across the Irish Sea. With a downwind start,

Vineta led her class out of the Solent under her huge South African flag

spinnaker, which made such a great impression that the on-the-water

commentator mentioned it in his broadcast. This time, there were no

major problems and Vineta finished a very credible fourteenth.

Another great sailor from RCYC is the venerable Dave Hudson.

Together with his son, Roger, he has set up the Race Ahead programme,

which trains promising young sailors in modern boats, including Melges

24s and SB3s. Working closely with Team Izivunguvungu, they have

coached a group of previously disadvantaged sailors who they have

taken to race in the European regattas. After winning Cork Week, they

went on be a force to be reckoned with at Cowes Week as well as the

SB3 Worlds. Consistent sailing and hard work has seen this two-boat

campaign rise to the top of international sailing. With Europe in the

clutches of a severe winter, they are currently back in Cape Town and

training hard for the next season.

Another event that saw a deluge of RCYC sailors was the China

Cup. Sailed in 30 identical Beneteau 40.7s supplied by the event

organisers, Royal Cape had two teams represented. Team Sheraton,

who won the event, included: helm – Mark Sadler; skipper – Ellion

Perch, tactition/downwind trim – Paul Willcox; main sheet trim – Martin

Lambrecht; trim – Andy Mitchell; navigator – Robbie Dove; pit – Nicho-

las Mace; mast – Gary Sindler; bowman – Hein de Jamaer. Team iKapa,

skippered by Errol Stern and Dale Kushner, was placed a commendable

sixth in this highly competitive regatta. As the first South African entry

in the event, Team iKapa were asked to perform at the closing

ceremony where they treated fellow competitors to their own rendition

Race Ahead Campaign: SB3 Worlds in Cais Cais, Portugal

Roger Hudson and his crew: Spirit of Cape Town – second

Dave Hudson and his crew: City of Cape Town – third

Alan Keen: Laser Master World Championships in Halifax, Nova

Scotia – third

Roger Hudson: RS200 National Championships, Looe Sailing Club,

UK – fifth

Graeme Willcox and Tiffany Baring-Gould: 505 Inland Champion-

ships, Burton Sailing Club, UK – sixth

Graeme Willcox: UK IRC Champs – first in the Ker 46 Tonnerre de Dreshkens. Willcox, along with his brother Paul as main sheet

trimmer, helmed Tonnerre to an impressive third at Cowes Week.

Additional achievements for Willcox include eighth position in the

Rolex Fastnet Race and first in the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s

offshore sailing series.

Mike Bartholomew, along with his son Dave and brother-in-law Rick

Nankin, had a very good season on a Mark Mills 40, Tokoloshe,

based in the UK. Impressive results for Mike Bartholomew

include: first position in the Redfunnel Regatta; second in the UK’s

IRC national champs; second position at Cowes Week.

Fellow Cape sailors who deserve a mention include:

Bruce Keen: Musto Skiff Europeans, Lake Garda, Italy – sixth

Cameron Wills: sailed on Team Russia VOR 2008/9

Jan Dekker: bowman for ABN Amro Volvo 70 VOR 2008/9 – first;

bowman for Alinghi – America’s Cup 2010

Jonathan Heathcote and Simon Eatwell: 49er National Champion-

ships, Hayling Island, UK – eighth

Jonathan Swain: sailed on Telefonica Blue VOR 2008/9

Mike Joubert: sailed on Team Russia VOR 2008/9

Winning waysRecent international achievements by Royal Capers

www. r c yc . c o . z a3 2

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of a traditional gum boot dance – a highlight of the closing ceremony.

Not only were RCYC sailors involved in crewed events, but 2010 sees

the launch of Team Phesheya. Taken from the Zulu word for “overseas”, this

campaign aims to create a winning national team to compete in Class 40

and other offshore racing events with the ultimate objective of winning a

round the world race in 2011/12. This adventure is headed up by Nick

Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire. Both of these sailors have completed

numerous ocean crossings and Leggat was part of the record-breaking

Playstation campaign. Working together with the Izivunguvungu Founda-

tion, Team Phesheya will be taking promising young South African sailors

around the world with them in their quest to win. As part of their training

programme, Leggatt and Hutton-Squire have entered Phesheya-Racing in

the upcoming Double-Handed Shetland Round Britain Race. They are

currently in the UK getting their boat ready for this gruelling race where

they will be following in the footsteps of two other South African greats,

the late Bertie Reed and RCYC commodore, John Martin, who have both

previously competed in this race.

Race Ahead gives promising young sailors the chance to compete internationally.P

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C DYNAMICSFOR ALL YOUR ELECTRICAL POWER SOLUTIONS

C Dynamics, Cape Town, South Africa - Tel +27 21 5553232 / Fax +27 21 5553230 - www.c-dynamics.co.za

S a I Lr c y cr o y a L c a p e r S a b r o a dTeam Sheraton receive the trophy for first place flanked by Team iKapa,

the second RCYC/SA team that competed in the China Cup.

31-33_RoyalCapers.indd 3 6/14/10 5:34:03 PM

3 4 www. R C YC . C o . z A

As in any sphere of life, the development of the youth is vital to

the success of the sport, or industry. Sailing has its own set

of idiosyncrasies and challenges: not all waters are ideally

suited to learners; the sport is exceptionally small in

numbers when compared to others; and then there’s the cost involved.

Royal Cape Yacht Club, by virtue of its location, does not suit

grass-roots training in dinghies, but rather in keelboats from small

to large ocean sailing vessels. As an alternative solution, we support

children on inland waters and the calmer Simon’s Town area.

Izivunguvungu Sailing School is a development centre where

previously disadvantaged children have been given a lifeline by being

introduced to sailing at a young age. This initiative was made possible

by two important captains of industry, namely: Captain Salvatore Sarno,

CEO of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) South Africa, who

provided the cash sponsorship; and Admiral Koos Louw of Simon’s Town

who, through the chief of the navy, made space and equipment available

for this school to develop. Of course no school can survive without top

instructors and to this end Olympian Ian Ainsley laid a solid platform

for others to build on.

INTO THE

BLUERCYC plays its role in uplifting

South African youngsters.By John Martin

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In conjunction with the City of Cape Town, RCYC provides a substantial

donation for Izivunguvungu pupils to compete in regattas nationally, as

well as providing achievement-driven bursaries for deserving candidates

to further their keelboat sailing careers.

RCYC also supports two other youth development initiatives. The

club provides Olympian and Springbok Dave Hudson the use of two

Melges, owned by Nicholas Mace and John Martin, for his advanced

Race Ahead programme, where small boat sailors are taken to

international level (including a large number from Izivunguvungu). Then

there’s an initiative started by another of RCYC’s members, Andrea

Giovanini – himself an accomplished sailor. He starts by training school

children in the basics of sailing, coaching them to a level where they are

able to race against each other at Zeekoevlei in a single school term.

These students are drawn from schools that accept sailing as one of

their sports. RCYC’s contribution is to those scholars’ parents who are

financially challenged.

The greatest success story to date lays the standard for the future:

in Class 1 of the last South Atlantic Race, RCYC entered Voortrekker, a

world-famous 40-year-old yacht, with skippers and crew comprising

only Izivunguvungu students and instructors. The yacht was co-skippered

by Marcello Burricks and Kader Williams and Voortrekker finished as the

second South African boat home. They then sailed back to South Africa

with the same crew. Both skippers were jointly awarded one of the

country’s most prestigious yachting awards, the Gordon Burn Wood

Trophy. Of this same crew, another three day skippers qualified, one of

whom has gone on to earn a living from sailing (in deliveries, sailmaking

and instructing). Other students have campaigned and achieved podium

status internationally. Skills training in this country is a massive issue

and this is just one example of that.

The club has also nurtured its own junior members, particularly

Gerry Heggie (Jr) and Robbie van Rooyen who have achieved notable

victories, including competing in the South Atlantic Race, fulfilling many

deliveries and participating in just about every local offshore event. Both

Heggie and Van Rooyen have Yachtmaster Offshore Certificates and are

only 24 years old.

With this outstanding foundation now laid, we can only look to the

future with great excitement and continue to improve.

Clockwise from left: ICAP Leopard shadows Voortrekker at the start of the South Atlantic Race; practising in home waters at Cape Point; Izivunguvungu pupils; Wandisile Xayimpi (Wadi) looking for wind at the start of the Lipton Cup; sailing at international level with the Race Ahead programme.

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3 6 www. R C YC . C o . z A

Rubbing down the hull,

profi ling the keel fi n

and fairing all the skin

fi ttings seemed like a

good idea when you were on the

edge of greatness during the

summer racing season. The

trouble is now the boat’s out of

the water and ready to be worked

on, there’s more darkness than

light and the temperature

struggles to make double fi gures.

Suddenly it’s more diffi cult

to rally your crew for a weekend

spent elbow deep in buckets of

cloudy cold water as they rub

the fi ngerprints off while chilly

streams of water dribble up their

sleeves. Not even the bribe of

free beer for the weekend seems

to do the trick.

But there might be a simpler

way to improve your performance

next season. How about checking

your IRC rating? Take a close

look at what you can do to

improve your performance

without spending weekends

smoothing your bottom –

although that will always help.

“The easiest way to improve

your rating is to check the data

you’ve given us,” says the UK’s

Rating Offi ce technical director

Mike Urwin. “My guess is that

more than 50 percent of the IRC

fl eet worldwide is rated for sail

area they don’t actually have.

People spend hours rubbing

IMPROVE YOUR IRC RATING

What do the numbers mean on your IRC certifi cate and what do they tell you about your boat and that of your competition? Here’s how to improve your boat’s performance

using little more than a tape measure and a pen. By Matthew Sheahan

Story courtesy of Yachting World

down the bottom of their boat

to get a perfect fi nish, which is

all well and good, but often a

quicker and more effective way

to improve performance is to

make sure, for instance, that the

black bands are in the right

place on the mast and boom.”

“Garbage in, garbage out”

– never has an expression been

truer than for an IRC certifi cate.

The UNCL Centre de Calcul in

Paris and the Royal Ocean

Racing Club’s Rating Offi ce, the

IRC administrators, deal with

over 7 000 certifi cates from

more than 40 countries and see

a number of recurrent issues.

The trouble is that many owners

and crews do not know how to

interpret the data on the

certifi cate or how to assess

whether they are throwing away

performance needlessly. After

all, who, other than designers

and sailmakers, really knows

what factors like “MUW” and

“HHW” mean and whether they

are costing you valuable

seconds on the water? Is “P” a

realistic fi gure for your rig and

does “BO” say more about the

state of your crew, or your boat?

Ironically, the two main

original criticisms of IRC,

namely the secrecy of the

formula and the simplicity of the

user-declared input, have

actually turned out to be major

factors in the success of a rule

that started out as a simple

means of handicapping

cruiser-racers. However, the

secretive nature of the rule has

led some to believe that there is

little they can do to improve

their rating. But this is often not

the case. You just need to know

how to present your boat in its

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Too high a rating? Checking that the boat you are racing has the same dimensions as the one

you are rated for is at the heart of a good handicap. And while it may sound

too simple to be true, Urwin reckons that in a typical IRC handicap fl eet,

his team could usually spot a good number of boats that are paying an

unnecessary price for their handicap just by the way they look on the water.

Another way to crosscheck your data is to take a look at your close

competitors. Owners can buy copy certifi cates via the Rating Offi ce

website at £10 each, but there are limits to how many you can get.

However, you can also check the basic data of all IRC certifi cates online

for free by clicking on “race-organisation” and selecting “on-line-tcc-

listings”. Finally, if you have an Endorsed certifi cate, owner measure-

ment will remove this status unless any remeasurement is done by a

measurer or, in the case of sails, an approved sailmaker. This could be

the start of a new lease of life for your boat.

RACING UNDER IRCTips from your local measurer, Harry Brehm, skipper 8 Seconds

Yes, we all like to race and, of course, win some races. But how

is it possible that some boats are very successful and other

boats struggle to sail to their ratings? We all know that the

rating is only one factor to race a boat successfully. The other

more important factor is the preparation of your boat and of course the

crew selection and management of your crew. Bring all the factors

together and your racing will go to next level.

Optimise your boat rating It’s up to the boat owner to ensure that the right measurements are

used on your certifi cate. Make sure you have double-checked your hull,

rig and sail measurements. There can be mistakes, which, once

corrected, could bring your rating up.

Re-measure your sails at least once a year. Most people think sails

stretch but sails actually shrink once used. A spinnaker can shrink more

than two centimetres on all measurements in the fi rst season. Your

main sail or genoa can also shrink up to two centimetres on certain

measurements.

There is a fi ne line in getting your sail size optimised for IRC. A

fractional headsail with a larger main sail area usually rates quite well.

Downwind sails are not getting penalised that heavily, so it might pay

for you to increase your spinnaker size. Find boats of similar design and

see what they rate with, you will fi nd out quite quickly if it’ll work for

your boat. Your sailmaker can also help there. You’re allowed to make

changes to your rudder and keel, but you should not change the hull or

your rating will be penalised.

Prepare your boat It all starts with a smooth, clean hull. Make sure your antifouling is

sprayed on (rather than rolled) and get your boat dived once a month, to

keep the slime and growth off your hull and foils. Next time your boat is

on the hard, have a closer look at your keel and rudder. Here are some

pointers you need to check:

Are the foils smooth and evenly profi led on both sides? If not, your

foils have to be faired in.

Is there a big gap between your rudder and your hull? If the gap is

bigger than fi ve millimetres, your rudder will create turbulence, which

will also lead to early rudder cavitations. If your rudder still spins out

easily after that, you might have to lengthen your rudder.

4 WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR RATING

Here are four key ways to reduce your rating, all of which stem from the same basic principle – what did you declare to the Rating Offi ce? Did you present specifi c data for your boat, or was the data taken from the Rating Offi ce’s database or another source?

Two typical rating certifi cates, for two very different boats. Above: Ran 2 is a Judel Vrolijk grand-prix racer and Incognito (below) a Bénéteau First 40.7.

36-40_IRC_Rating.indd 3 6/14/10 5:35:40 PM

3 9w w w. R C Y C . C o . z A

S A I LR C Y CI R C R A t I n g

1 Mainsail – is it really that big? Sails shrink: fact. So when was the last time you checked your mainsail against the black bands

on the mast and the boom? If the sail doesn’t reach the bands, you will be paying for more sail

area than you’ve actually got. To check the measurement, hoist the mainsail to its normal max

position. Move the black bands to suit, then measure “P” and “E”. Don’t be tempted to measure the

luff and foot of the mainsail, it’s not the same thing and you will most likely end up with the wrong

dimension. “P” and “E” are spar measurements. Also check the mainsail width measurements, MHW,

MTW and MUW. MHW is measured from the half height point on the leech (fold the head to the clew

and mark the fold) to the nearest point on the luff. MTW and MUW are measured from the three-

quarter and seven-eighths leech points (keep folding the sail). If they are smaller than those on

your certifi cate, you may be in for a reduction.

Note The defaults for these three values are 22 percent, 38 percent and 65 percent of “E”. They will

never be taken as less than 12.5 percent, 25 percent and 50 percent of “E” by the Rating Offi ce, so

work this out before you get excited!

2 Headsail The same applies to headsails, although there is less chance of overpaying on handicap by

accident (except quite often luff length LL), as jibs are usually triangular and don’t have

roaches. First, did you tell the Rating Offi ce the dimensions of the sail or have they used standard

information? It is always worth remeasuring headsails as they will shrink. And it is particularly

important to measure the luff of the sail.

Note HHW will never be less than 50 percent of LP; HTW will never be less than 25 per cent of LP.

Some owners choose to re-rate their boats with smaller headsails, a move that will usually

reduce the handicap. If you are sure you will be sailing in strong enough breezes that you won’t

need your No 1 overlapping headsail, this approach may work out. But be aware that if the breeze

goes light and the sea state builds, particularly if your boat is on the heavy side, you may fi nd

yourself struggling for power and pace, beyond the credit that your new, lower handicap provides.

3 Spinnakers These sails don’t shrink to the same degree as mainsails and headsails, but they do move

and change shape. Again, it is worthwhile having the sail remeasured and when it is, make

sure it is absolutely dry. A damp sail is a big sail.

4 Weight and displacement “Our experience is that a typical production 40-footer can vary in weight by up to a tonne,”

says Urwin. “Naturally that’s an extreme, but a 15 percent variation is not uncommon, so it’s

well worth getting your boat weighed. If you don’t want to go to the expense of weighing, it’s still

worth looking at whether your boat has any extras beyond those listed on the standard specifi cation,

or perhaps you’ve added items of your own.”

Extra batteries, heating, hot water, a genset, a charger for your VHF, a set of rope bags in the

cockpit and fi tting a chartplotter are examples of small items that could add up to a signifi cant weight.

“Tell us with evidence of the weights. We will normally add an allowance to the boat weight.

But please be reasonable – two kilograms is not going to make any difference, 50kg probably will.”

A word of warning here – the Rating Offi ce has a good feel for what items really weigh! Boats are

often 100kg heavier on the water than when they fi rst came out of their shrink wrap and if your boat

was only weighed when it was new, weighing it a season or two down the line could provide a

pleasant surprise on the handicap. Note: if you are having your boat weighed, make sure it is in a fi t

state for weighing before the measurer turns up. He or she won’t take kindly to having to empty your

boat for you and could well charge.

The “Empty Weight”, now termed simply “Boat Weight” from 2010, excludes all the kit that

might usually be aboard the boat and that wouldn’t normally be screwed to it. Think of it as turning

the boat upside-down and shaking all the loose items out. For example, fl ares would come out, but

any brackets that hold them would stay.

IRC Displacement is a Rating Offi ce-calculated value that represents a fi gure close to that of

the sailing displacement and therefore includes crew and their gear.

Seven-eights leech point Upper width

(MUW)

Headsail top width (HHB)

Three-quarter width (MTW)

Three-quarter width (MTW)

Half width (MHW)

Half width (HHW)Less than 75% of LP

Luffperpendicular(LP)

Measurement of mainsail widths

Mainsail

Headsail

Spinnaker

Three-quarter leech point

Half leech point

Half leech point

Half leech point

Half luff point

Foot (SF)

Half width (SHW)Greather than 75% of foot

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S A I LR C Y C I R C R A t I n g

Are your through-hull fittings sticking out of the hull? This will act like

a hand brake. Grind them down or at least fair them in.

Is your rig set up straight and is the mast bent set up for your main sail? If your boat sails higher on one tack, there’s a good chance that

your rig is not set up properly. The mast must be straight, with even ten-

sion on upper and lower shrouds on both sides. Some people get a new

main sail without checking the existing mast bend, or adjust the mast

bend to the new sail. Ask your sailmaker or rigger for some advice.

Do you have all halyards and trim controls accessible from the cockpit? If not, reroute halyards to the cockpit and possibly add cleats.

Your kicker should be accessible from the weather rail on both sides.

Can you adjust your backstay easily? Your backstay is the most

important device to adjust forestay tension and mast bent. Backstay

tension must be adjusted constantly – it will help your boat to stay in

the groove in shifty conditions.

Do you have a non-overlapping jib? If so, it will help to add an inboard

hauler for the jib sheet to reduce the sheeting angle of your foresail.

When last did you check your jib car and main traveller? For a proper

sail trim, the jib car and main traveller must be adjusted all the time.

Make sure they run smoothly with reduced friction.

Do all your halyards have low friction and can they be cleated properly? Nothing is more frustrating than a perfectly trimmed sail

loosing its shape because of a slipping halyard.

Is your boat as light as possible? When your boat gets weighed for

IRC it has to be empty. This is the right time to get rid of items you

might not need. Go through everything and if you haven’t used it in the

last six month, take it off your boat. A lighter boat is always faster.

Selecting and managing your crew Ensure your crew is interacting optimally with each other. Who is capable

and willing to fill every position on your boat, is the most important

question you have to ask. Yes, we all want to helm – this can be the most

enjoyable position if everything’s running smoothly. On the other hand, if

the boat is falling off its pace, if you’re lower than the whole fleet or if

your boat is broaching, it’ll be hard to find a helmsman who doesn’t raise

his voice out of sheer frustration, or even fear. Make sure your helmsman

has what it takes to keep things under control when the going gets tough.

The other positions on a boat are equally important. Sail trimmer,

pit, mast, foredeck and tactician have to be up to the game level at

which you want to play. Only if your crew is interacting properly will you

be successful on the race course.

Let’s assume your IRC rating is updated, your boat is prepared

properly and your crew is willing, but you’re still not sailing to your rating.

We’re all quick to blame our boat rating again. Be patient, there’s a good

chance you’ll improve your boat’s performance over the next couple of

months and you’ll sail your boat closer and closer to your given rating.

The new IRC rating website (www.ircrating.org) offers plenty of

useful links and information, in particular:

Measurement manual: Provides info on how to take measurements.

PDF Portfolio: This downloadable document provides hyperlinks

between IRC Rule definitions and the equipment rules of sailing.

For online links, see www.yachtingworld.com/performance-world.

Want more info?

36-40_IRC_Rating.indd 5 6/14/10 5:35:42 PM

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

S A I LR C Y C

4 1

I R C R O U N D - U P

The contentious IRC system is alive and well at Royal Cape Yacht Club. Enter the fray if you dare. By Gordon Kling

SMOKE ON THE WATER

Two hot new boats have enlivened the top echelon of racing in

the Cape... and poured more fuel on the fl ames of controversy

that have long raged over the IRC rating system.

“We sail far better than Windpower but we can’t beat

them,” says New Balance Gumption owner and skipper Nicholas Mace.

His boat dominated the podium until the arrival last year of Windpower,

one of the two new hotties based at Royal Cape Yacht Club. Mace fumes

at her performance under IRC. He’s not the only one.

The contentious A-L, a Farr 38, is a good example of a boat that is

better prepared than her rating. A-L’s crew are absolutely meticulous

with preparation and take full advantage of their age allowance on a

boat that was designed ahead of its time (it’s a design that is over 30

years old). As a result A-L still keeps up with, and beats, modern boats.

Yet perfection is not an option when it comes to the complexities

and, at times some maintain, subjectivity of rating sailboats and

monohull yachts according to a handicap system intended to provide

a level playing field for serious competitors. To IRC or not to IRC, how-

ever, is no longer the question. Consensus is that the IRC system is

superior to its better known predecessors: including IMS and IRR.

It is the accepted standard in South Africa and pretty much every-

where else. The latest American IRC handbook notes that in only

five years IRC racing in the US has matured from a virtually unknown

handicap rule imported from overseas to the rule of choice for serious

handicap racing sailors.

The rule takes into account the most signifi cant factors affecting

a boat’s speed including type and size of boat, sails, rig, keel and ballast.

It is reviewed each year and Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) welcomes

input from users. Considerations are numerous. For example, the

prevalence of light air in downwind distance races has reportedly

become an issue since IRC ratings are considered by some to have

accuracy defi ciencies in such conditions.

IRC permits owners to do the necessary measurements them-

selves for a standard certifi cate. However, clubs often require endorsed

certifi cates and this entails measurement by appointed measurers. PHOTOGRAPHS

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There are several at RCYC. A measurement manual and everything else

you need to know is available at www.rorc.org.

As one would expect, the sub-prime induced global economic

slump has hit IRC growth just about everywhere. In the US, for

example, there was a 27 percent drop in certifi cation in the eight

months from January to August 2009. The story is similar for “mature”

fl eets in Europe and the UK, although the small, emerging fl eet in Japan

is proving to be an exception to the slump. IRC registrations in SA grew

from 57 in August 2008 to 74 last May. All ratings expired at the end of

May, resulting in a drop to 42 last August before picking up to 58 in

February this year. The IRC administrator for South Africa, Donald

Whitaker, expects the advent of the Vasco, Inhaca, Cape to Rio and

Mauritius races to boost numbers further.

Cost and hassle are generally cited as the main reasons for boat

owners not going IRC. The former in relation to the cost of yacht racing

probably wouldn’t be much of an issue were it not for club handicaps

being virtually free. Expect to pay about R1 600 for the initial validation of

a 36ft yacht and about R1 000 a year for revalidation. On the hassle front,

it is frankly negligible after the initial certifi cation, which usually means

emptying the yacht and weighing, along with a host of measurements.

Concerns at RCYC focus on evident anomalies in the system but

also provide some re-assuring outcomes.The owner/skipper of Mafuta

(a Bavaria 36), Matthys Lourens, says: “I have to admit that I obtained

an IRC rating mostly to double check how Mafuta would rate against an

L34 under IRC, as the club handicaps are basically the same. Certain

members in the club complained I was cheating as they were of the

opinion that Mafuta is much faster than an L34.”

The outcome? Mafuta’s IRC = 0.962; Sensation (L34) 0.963.

“So that proves my innocence!” says Matthys who says IRC sailing

is much more enjoyable and tactical. However, until more Class 2 IRC

boats (IRC under 1.000) join, Matthys thinks it will be rather lonely at

the back as Mafuta will never surf or plane the way the bigger boats do.

LobeliaBoat type: IMX40

Size: 40ft

Skipper: Gordon Kling/Rob Meek

New Balance GumptionBoat type: Simonis Fast 42

Size: 42ft

Skipper: Mark Sadler/Nicholas Mace

8 SecondsBoat type: Leisure 42

Size: 42ft

Skipper: Harry Brehm

Addis in CapeBoat type: A35

Size: 35ft

Skipper: Alex Monat

The top 8 IRC boats Profi led in alphabetical order

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41-45_IRC_RoundUp.indd 2 6/15/10 11:56:22 AM

WWW. R C YC . C O . Z A 4 3

S A I LR C Y CI R C

He hopes for at least 10 new IRC boats in the class.

Owner/skipper of the immaculately presented Puma Unleashed,

Hylton Hale, notes that on average there are about 17 boats competing

actively on the club IRC circuit. “If you take an average of 10 crew per

boat that’s 170 competitors from Royal Cape,” he says. Hale maintains,

and few would disagree, that the latest generation yachts (read:

Windpower) have been designed with a large amount of knowledge on

how to manipulate things to suit the rating. “This has resulted in some

frustrations on the part of owners of older racy yachts that have sparse

interiors, great speeds at reaching or off the wind angles, but not good for

upwind performance.”

The real concern over money is based on the fact that the more

expensive, newer boats appear to have the advantage. Just as boats like

Lobelia (IMX 40), which is owned by Gordon Kling and usually skippered

by Springbok Rob Meek, was optimised for the old IMS, builders now look

to getting the most out of IRC. Just look at Windpower’s performance!

On the other hand, Corum who is back in the water at RCYC is a

classic example of “old” not being out of contention when it comes to

IRC. Skipper Tony Strutt reports that she was a top Phillippe Brand IOR

Puma UnleashedBoat type: Pacer 42

Size: 42ft

Skipper: Hylton Hale

WindpowerBoat type: Landmark

Size: 43ft

Skipper: Phil Gutsche/Rick Nankin

A-LBoat type: Farr 38

Size: 38ft

Skipper: Rob van Rooyen

CorumBoat type: IOR 45

Size: 45ft

Skipper: Jannie Reuvers

The IRC fl eet rallying for position on the start line.

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WWW. R C YC . C O . Z A4 4 PBO ZYLON ® • VECTRAN ® • DYNEEMA ® • TECHNORA ® • TWARON

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design built by Beneteau for the French Admiral’s Cup team in

collaboration with Chris O’Nial, an international expert in making boats

out of composite materials (fi bre glass, carbon fi bre and Nomex). She

was launched in 1987 and featured prominently – the Best French

Admiral’s Cupper in ’87 and ’88, and in racing in general in the Med and

Fastnet – before being purchased by Andrew Louw in 1989. Jan Reuvers

skippered her from then until 1992 with numerous achievements,

including fi rst in the Agulhas Race (1990), fi rst in the Double Cape

(1990) and fi rst in the Mykonos Race (1991).

Surprisingly, the boat was mothballed in ’95 and spent 13 years

languishing in a shed before being given to some of her former sailors.

The original plan was to do a quick repaint, touch up some soft spots

and fi t a new engine to go sailing. But the renovation project grew to a

full-on rebuild. Eventually, only the hull and rudder remained the same.

A new carbon mast (750mm shorter) and carbon boom were installed

along with a new interior and keel transverse fl oor and girders

structure, and a new keel. The mast was moved aft to increase the

J measurement, and a new engine and instruments were installed.

A full set of state-of-the-art racing sails were made by Quantum Sails

in collaboration with its international design team. All the headsails and

the main sail are Quantum Fusion M membrane sails built in their

high-tech Cape Town plant. The fi bre layout is carbon, Technora and

Twaron laminated in a Mylar skin. A basic interior was fi tted but they

are thinking of adding more interior modules. Du Toit Yacht Design was

commissioned to do all the naval architectural designs and modifi ca-

tions. The project lasted about two years but given that this is a

20-year-old grand boat, incredibly the rating has not been much

affected. Tony believes it would be in the interests of IRC management

to examine their calculations closely in order to encourage more sailors

to undertake the conversion of old IOR boats to IRC.

Windpower’s skipper, Rick Nankin, says the reason sailors

worldwide are using IRC quite extensively is that almost all the rating

“ Races should be designed to feature different angles of downwind sailing so boats have an opportunity to use their own particular strength at some point in the event”– Rick Nankin

Corum passes Tenacity in Table Bay.

41-45_IRC_RoundUp.indd 4 6/15/10 11:56:30 AM

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systems of the past have had major fl aws after a few years of operation.

The IOR and IMS were great for a while and then rule-makers clamped

down on every loophole that designers and sailors explored until we

were left with a crop of boats that had morphed into weird shapes in an

effort to beat the rule. Boats became slower and less enjoyable to sail.

Systems became more expensive and owners became exasperated that

their new racing boats would be uncompetitive in a year or two.

Windpower’s owner Phil Gutsche notes that IRC depends on the

integrity of the boat owner to submit all modifi cations that could affect

performance. His boat was launched in Cape Town in February 2009

and moors at The Water Club marina at Granger Bay. She is a Landmark

43 designed by Mark Mills who is responsible for a host of the top

performing boats worldwide. Her builder is Premier Composites, Dubai.

Spars are carbon spars from Southern Spars Cape Town and her sails

are by North Sails. “Upwind sails” are the club racing sails – black

coloured carbon-aramid panelled sails built in Cape Town – while for

serious racing a set of 3DL carbon-aramid sails are used. With their

many unique features, the 3DL sails are the same as those used

exclusively by the entire America’s Cup and Volvo fl eets.

Windpower prefers to race with 14 crew, who are chosen from a

revolving squad of 20, says Nankin. “The Landmark 43 is quite typical of

many of the modern IRC cruiser-racing boats one sees in the 38 to 45ft

range. As much of the racing worldwide is set on windward-leeward

courses, in eight to 14 knots of true wind speed, the modern IRC boats

are designed to sail very effi ciently. The emphasis is on light and medium

airs and all round ability together with upwind speed in all conditions.”

Another factor seen in this size of IRC boat is that they are fairly

heavy as many of them will be production boats. “The interiors have to

be well fi tted to get maximum rating factors from the IRC rule so

Windpower has a beautifully fi tted interior, similar to any Beneteau or

X-boat. To overcome the weight issue, the designers have to be smart

and they put huge emphasis on a slippery hull shape. As a result you

can see that the modern boats are quite narrow at the waterline and

feature a box-like shape to enhance the stability. As the boat heels,

more volume makes the boat stiffer and able to handle more sail. This,

together with huge bulbs on a very slender yet forgiving keel shape, pro-

vides a platform for an upwind express train,” says Nankin.

Of course there are negatives that are accentuated by the Cape

weather. These boats do not get up and plane downwind as most of us

Capetonians aspire to in a strong southeaster. Windpower plods along

on the heavy air downwind legs, rarely sailing over 12 knots. However,

her windward ability and lighter air capability often win back enough

time to win races even on the days when the “Cape Doctor” is howling.

Nankin believes races should be designed to feature different

angles of downwind sailing so boats have an opportunity to use their

own particular strength at some point in the event. This infl uences

results almost more than anything else. For example, a year ago RCYC

offered windward-leeward courses 95 percent of the time. This

favoured boats like Windpower and Lobelia as they are strong on those

points. This Wednesday night season, the choice of course has swung to

little running where one has to gybe. That’s a big swing in vision! The

lighter, faster boats are now having their day and loving it. Nankin’s

recommendation is to mix it up. He feels the good old triangle sausage

works well as it gives everyone a chance.

41-45_IRC_RoundUp.indd 5 6/15/10 11:56:31 AM

W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A4 6

CLASS ACTIONFor serious competition and some real drama, look no further than club class racing. By Dale Kushner and Ray Matthews

Class 2 Although the diverse fl eet of Class 2 boats makes setting realistic

cutoff times tricky, this division is well represented at RCYC.

E The Audi Twilight Race Series (January to March 2010)Twenty-six boats competed in seven races in the Twilight Series. As

always the racing was very competitive and vocal, but there were no

surprises when Thinus Groenewald on his RCOD Reaction, closely

followed by Vitor Medina on his very quick fi xed-prop Muira, Far Med,

and Jackie Brand on Impact won the fi rst race. This pattern was to be

repeated regularly on the podium for most of the series, with the rest

of the fl eet battling for the minor places.

Keith Mattison on his Charger 33 has had one of his best series and

was always challenging, ultimately edging Impact off the podium to

fi nishing a creditable third overall in the series. Alan Taylor on his J27 Pure Magic did not sail the full series but would have knocked someone off the

top rung if he’d sailed more often. It was great to see Russel Volmer in

Chen back on the water after a few years off. Rumour has it his boat has

Class 1 Class 1, sailing under the club handicap rating system, encompasses all

boats with a rating of scratch (1 000) and above. In lay terms, boats

such as L34s and larger typically fall into this category. The club

handicap class is generally sailed by the “cruiser/racer” yachtsperson.

At the popular Wednesday night racing, up to 30 Class 1 boats (of sizes

up to 50ft) race without spinnakers, allowing them to be more

competitive if they are short of competent crew. After a season of high

rivalry, the top three positions in Wednesday evenings’ Audi Twilight

Race Series went to:

1st Benba.co.za Dale Kushner

2nd Maestro Ankie Roux/Paul van Ass

3rd Me2Me Derick Shuttleworth

For club racing, Class 1 sails with spinnakers. In addition, the club

also uses the club rating system for it’s bigger club races such as the

popular pursuit and Robben Island races.

In Class 1 at RCYC, top racing yachtsmen compete alongside those

who are still learning to sail. Better results every season refl ect the

improvements of the crew and boats. The fi rst-time racer can quickly fi nd

his place in this fl eet and use it as a benchmark to improve his results.

The medium distance events are always very popular. This year

Always Well won the Mykonos race, followed by Umoya Omusha, with

Lapwing coming in third. The round Robben Island races also prove to

be a favourite among RCYC’s Class 1 sailors – AL won the most recent

race, with Freedom in second and Naledi in third place.

The Crocs Summer Regatta has a great turn out of Class 1 boats –

it’s well timed, so has the potential for an even bigger Class 1 fl eet. This

season, Flyer took fi rst place, with Sheshisa second and Spectrum third.

It’s refreshing to see boats like the L34, when well sailed, are

always in the results. The purpose of club ratings is to include the

yachtsmen and women who are not into hardcore racing. Often these

are the sailors that are club regulars. Boats like Touch and Go, Me2Me

and 8 Seconds have hardly missed a club racing event over the season.

Class 1 continues to grow at RCYC. Perhaps more should partake

in the regular club racing on Saturday afternoons – the courses are

longish, the atmosphere relaxed. It offers a great day’s sailing in the

bay, followed by the camaraderie of the prizegiving afterwards. This is

a great opportunity to improve your sailing skills, meet fellow sailors

and discuss the day’s sailing. Notably, the boats that sail regularly

maintain a crew, improve their performance and ultimately make their

sailing a real pleasure.

The new season promises to offer more, so if you aren’t currently

competing in the club racing days, or are not a frequent participant,

consider putting a regular crew together and committing to sailing all

of the club events. It really is a lot of fun.

PHOTOGRAPH

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Fast-paced action among the Class 1 and 2 fl eets.

C L U B H A N D I C A P R A C I N GS A I L

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46-47_CruisingClass.indd 1 6/14/10 5:44:38 PM

been stripped out and is ready to take on Far Med. We now have four

regular Muiras – with one more they could have their own class.

E Round Robben Island (16 January)Not much can be said of this race for Class 2 except for Peter Bam on

his L26 Hors d’ Oeuvre, who came in sixth overall, and Bat Tromp on his

Muira Apricot who came eighteenth overall. The rest of our fleet retired

in the fickle wind. The difficulty in setting realistic cutoff times in such

a diverse fleet was to dog Class 2 again.

E Classic Bay Race (23 January)What a novel idea – for every decade old your boat was, your handicap

was reduced by one percent. The race was well supported by Class 2

– 12 of the 18 boats were Class 2s, which is hardly surprising as most of

the older boats are in this fleet. For the 30-year-old L26s and L34s, it

was time to shine, with Peter Bam beating Rodney Tanner and the rest

of the fleet following. The oldest boats of the day were the 52-year-old

Maraquita (Dave Elcock), and the 35-year-olds, Impact (Jackie Brand)

and The Mighty Lemon Drop (Jannie De Goede).

E Double-handed Race (31 January)Class 2 had eight boats in the fleet of 12. Warlock, an L26 sailed by Ian

Slatem, took the honours. Lechyd Da sailed by Stefaan Hundt, took a

notable second place – this Muira has serious potential.

E Mykonos Offshore (19 and 20 February)Thirty-one Class 2 boats set off on the Friday morning’s downwind dash.

Most set spinnakers after the windward mark and the fleet split up.

Within a few hours the fleet was spread out widely, but was converging

for the gate at Dassen Island. The order set through the gate was

maintained to the end, although the second half was faster. With Reaction

(Thinus Greonewald) once again showing the fleet how it should be done.

The J27 Pure Magic (Alan Taylor) and the L26 Welsh Witch (Dave Garrad)

were placed second and third.

The following morning’s pursuit race was delayed to give the fleet

a better crack at getting some wind (which normally increases with the

day). The cut-off time was extended from 4pm to 5pm but even so, only

three boats finished – Alan Taylor’s J27, Dave Garrard’s L26 and Rodney

Tanner’s L26. The final results? Reaction, Pure Magic and Welsh Witch.

E Double-handed Race (27 February)Most of the boats were still at Mykonos so only five boats took part in a

strong southeaster – three of them represented Class 2: Touch Wood

(Gerry Heggie Jr), Impact (Jackie Brand) and Warlock (Ian Slatem).

E KPMG Day (6 March)This is a fun day on the calendar when the skippers offer their boats to

be used to promote sailing, in this case to accounting students. Class 2

fielded 11 of the 22 boats. These events are fantastic as they often turn

up some promising, potential new crew.

E Cape Town Sailing Week (end March)Part 1 – Table Bay: The first two days sailed in a westerly off Granger

Bay were an excellent test of Class 2’s light wind sailing capabilities. At

the end of three races, Rodney Tanner on the L26 Escape was leading

the 14 entries. It was good to have visiting yachts, notably Raging Bull (Tom Brown) and Beowolf 3 (Vic Smit), come to Table Bay to race.

Part 2 – Hout Bay: After a clean sweep in Cape Town, Rodney Tanner

lost the regatta by one point to Vitor Medina on Far Med. In the medium

distance race to Hout Bay, Tanner crossed the line first but was forced

to retire on discovering that he had not left Vulcan Rock to port. His

crew mistook Vulcan for a whale. This meant that he only needed to

come fourth in the last race but in very calm conditions only managed

an eighth. Mention must be made of the second last race when the

finish boat drifted and made the finish line difficult to decipher. The

whole fleet initially scored DNF, but sanity prevailed and the scores

were counted. International case 82 supports this decision.

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46-47_CruisingClass.indd 2 6/14/10 5:44:39 PM

www. r c yc . c o . z a4 8

Destination anywhereFrom Lamberts Bay to Knysna, cruising in the Western Cape offers sailors some memorable experiences. By Howard Minnie

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The definition of cruising, as taken from the Pocket Oxford Dictionary, is to “travel by sea for pleasure, calling at ports”

or “to travel at a relaxed or economical speed”. As the weather

seldom allows for either of these, perhaps we should only ever

talk about sailing, rather than cruising, in the Western Cape. In Cape

Town, most of us are used to setting out on a calm, beautiful morning

only to be battling a 30 knot southeaster by midday.

The sea conditions and winds in the Cape are largely determined

by the effects of the low- and high-pressure systems moving from west

to east. These systems produce the dominant winds of the southeaster

in summer and the northwester in winter, with the southwester filling

in-between. The winds modify the common southwester swell with its

long Atlantic fetch, helping to form winter’s large waves. On the east

coast the formidable Agulhas current, which speeds up in winter and

produces abnormal waves seaward of the 200m contour, makes for

particularly spectacular sailing at times and, on this side of the

continent, it’s best to prepare for an exciting ride. Thank goodness for

reliable weather forecasts from Windguru (www.windguru.com) and

Windfinder (www.windfinder.com).

East coast coolIt’s essential you respect the stretch of ocean up the east coast – espe-

cially when the southwester starts to blow. Always seek out local

knowledge before preparing a voyage along this coastline. There are

good descriptions of ports and anchorages in Tom Morgan’s South African Nautical Almanac, Tony Herrick’s Cruising Connections and the

government publications South African Sailing Directions Vol II and Vol III. One of the compensations, especially between April and July, is the

start of the sardine run in the cool waters of the Agulhas bank, which

stretches 160 miles southwards from Cape Agulhas. It’s a spectacular

sight of sea and air creatures that feed off the shoals, which can stretch

over seven kilometres long and one-and-half kilometres wide. In terms

of biomass, the sardine run is comparable to the great migration of

wildebeest across East Africa’s plains.

If navigated in the UK, the distance between Cape Town and Knysna

would have hundreds of anchorages to define a cruise, but here there are

far less safe or comfortable spots to duck into when the wind starts to

blow. Ideally you should set off to round Cape Point in a westerly or

north-westerly. There are many tales of harrowing roundings with crew

standing on the foredeck able to hear Bellows Rock but, in the spray and

chaotic chop, unsure of their position.

False Bay is a good destination to cruise in winter, providing flat

seas with the northwester and two good moorings in Simon’s Town and

at the friendly Gordons Bay Yacht Club. After Gordons Bay, there are

places to anchor that are well documented in the Almanac and SA Sailing Directions, but generally the next stop would be Mossel Bay and

then Knysna. In-between you have Struisbaai, Stilbaai and the Breede

River mouth, which can be used when the southwester is blowing but

become dangerous in a southeaster.

Entry through the Knysna Heads should only be attempted when

48-50_CruisingDest.indd 1 6/14/10 5:47:13 PM

conditions are good during daylight, an hour or so before high water.

Lives have been lost at this entrance so seek local knowledge, read

Tony Herrick and Tom Morgan, and take no chances if waves are

breaking in the entrance. Knysna is a wonderful destination to explore for

a few days with moorings at the waterfront and the Knysna Yacht Club.

Day trippingFor a fantastic day cruise from RCYC, head to Clifton, which is within

easy sailing distance and provides good shelter in a southeaster. Caution

with the southeaster does however need to be maintained. A friend, who

had just bought his boat, had little sailing experience and an even less

experienced crew went down to Clifton for the day. Enjoying his day so

much, he ignored the telltale clouds over the Twelve Apostles. He left

his return until too late to avoid some serious breeze. Because he hadn’t

done this trip before, he sailed out of the calm bay with full sails across

the line of wind. He then tried to anchor in Granger Bay – another good

bolt hole from the southeaster – but his anchor dragged and he ran his

batteries down trying to get his engines started. What should have been

a fabulous day on the water turned into a potentially dangerous

situation. The point of listening to local knowledge cannot be over

emphasised when sailing in Cape waters.

West coast wonderThe closest you get to cruising in the Cape is if you head up the West

Coast. There’s actually something called the West Coast Cruise, which

happens annually after Christmas and attracts a sizeable fleet. If you

prefer to do it on your own, choose a southerly wind and head for Dassen

Island, 35 miles from Cape Town. It’s an idyllic place to spend some

time, especially in crayfish season. House Bay provides the perfect

anchorage (even in a southeaster gale) but should be left as soon as the

wind shifts to the north-west. It’s a popular spot and is a good halfway

stop on the way to Langebaan.

Rule no. 1: Don’t go if a south- or north-westerly wind is blowing.

It’s only paradise in a southeaster.

Rule no. 2: Ensure you have a strong engine for the southeaster

on your return trip up Cape Town harbour.

Don’t forget: An onboard braai, well-stocked cooler box, bikini-clad

girls and sunblock.

Anchoring at Clifton

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safe anchorages: Oudepos, Kraal Bay (for shallow draft boats,

maximum two metres) and the lee shore of Schaapeiland. You’ll

need a permit from the West Coast National Park.

Contact: +27 22 772 2144/5

Walk-on moorings: Club Mykonos (facilities available: showers,

restaurants, water, diesel)

Contact: Anchen Stemmet +27 22 707 7600

Cruising Langebaan

Spectacular Oudepos in the Langebaan lagoon.

4 9www. r c yc . c o . z a

Just another day in Clifton.

48-50_CruisingDest.indd 2 6/14/10 5:47:16 PM

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From here, if you’re returning to Cape Town, it’s better to do it when the

wind shifts to the north- or south-west. Many sailors have interesting stories

of how they got back in a howling southeaster – most of them vowing never

to repeat the experience (although they’ve probably done it many times). This

is simply the nature of Cape cruising. If you see cloud over the Franschhoek

Mountains, “the Table” (Table Mountain) is still clear and you are about half

way home, by the time you get to Table Bay the “cloth” will be on the

mountain and you’ll be battling your way back to the club. Know that the

weather forecaster at the airport is generally reliable regarding the wind,

sometimes even telling you what time the wind direction will change.

Going further up the West Coast is best done in summer where most

of the anchorages up to Lamberts Bay are protected from the southeast-

er and the sea is relatively flat. These can become dangerous when the

northwester blows. Typically, you would then turn around and go to Port

Owen, Saldanha, Club Mykonos or back to Cape Town.

Langebaan is well suited to cruising, providing flat sailing even if the

wind is blowing. And there are plenty of great places to spend the night.

Kraal Bay requires you to be tide conscious, unless you draw very little,

but is a really beautiful, calm location to spend a couple of days. Then

there’s Oudepos, reputed to be the first Southern African trading post of

the Dutch East India Company; and Rietbaai behind Skaapeiland, which is

unique as there are seldom more than one or two other boats at a time.

This means the sea- and birdlife is abundant (in fact, from Dassen Island

to Lamberts Bay the birds are always impressive). Thousands of gannets,

cormorants, petrels, seagulls and even pelicans make for spectacular

scenes both visually and vocally. The colours of the sea and the

contrasting sand and rock coastline bleached by the harshness so typical

of the West Coast makes this a special place to visit. If you’re looking for

something more social, you can also find moorings at Club Mykonos with

its typical Greek atmosphere. It provides easy access to water, fuel and

a hot shower before you head further up the coast. Or head for Saldanha

Bay to find a decent anchorage in most conditions.

The South African Nautical Almanac gives a good description of

the journey northwards and, because this part of the coast is full of dan-

gers, it’s particularly important to have reliable charts for careful

navigation. Paternoster Bay is a memorable stop and a cautious arrival

is advised. But once you’ve anchored, it’s worth going ashore to eat at

some of the excellent local eateries. If you prefer to relax on your boat,

fishermen will row out to you with offers of crayfish and fish. With the

sun setting, a layer of cray on the braai and a bottle of chilled Chardon-

nay, there’s very little else you could wish for.

Further north are the important fishing areas of Stompneus Bay,

Slipper Bay and Sandy Point Harbour – all three providing places to

anchor away from the southeaster, although it’s advisable to stay clear

of the fishing boat activity. Then it’s on to Port Owen on the Berg River

where you’ll find a welcoming club for restocking before going to more

remote places like Elands Bay with its famous surf spots. Then finally

onto Lamberts Bay, which is a busy fishing harbour and is normally the

last South African port of call for the trip across the Atlantic.

Now having done this in southerly winds, which will have given you

the best anchorages on the way up the coast, you now have to beat your

way back to Cape Town. Or you could take it easy and go in a big circle

past Saint Helena. It’s a longer way home but it is downwind – that’s

another story for another day.

c r u I S I n gS a I Lr c y c

48-50_CruisingDest.indd 3 6/14/10 5:47:17 PM

S A I LR C Y CS O C I A L S C E N E

Royal Capers know how to kick back and relax on and off the water.

SEEN AT SEA

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5 1W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A

1. Mighty Jannie on Mighty Lemon Drop. 2. Ray Alexander’s Picasso. 3. Water bombs on board Diel at the opening cruise. 4. Team Izivunguvungu. 5. Left to right: RCYC general manager Marcus Reuter, Jeanne van Rooyen-Martin, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Deidre Mace, Commodore John Martin. 6. Aladdin racing. 7. A-L’s crew with crayfi sh on Dassen Island cruise. 8. Rhett Goldswain and crew aboard Thunderchild. 9. Ankie Roux and team on Maestro at Mykonos Bay Race. 10. Mike Peper’s Storm. 11. Thunderchild cruisers at Clifton. 12. Team New Balance Gumption, winners Audi Summer twilight series, IRC Class. 13. Chris Joubert checks the rig on Puma Unleashed.

PHOTOGRAPHS

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, KIR

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, RIC

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OC

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IS

51_SeenAtSea.indd 1 6/14/10 5:51:34 PM

WWW. R C YC . C O . Z A5 2

John Martin

CommodoreMy focus… As commodore, my objective is

to maintain the high standards and the good

standing of Royal Cape Yacht Club, both

locally and internationally. I also aim to

encourage youth development and interna-

tional keelboat sailing.

The highlight of my sailing career… Winning

the fi rst leg of the BOC Single-handed Race

for RCYC in Cape Town in 1986.

I would never leave shore without… The

traditional farewell surprise pack from my

wife. [Note: neither the commodore nor his

wife would divulge what is in this pack, except

to say that it is always a personal and

traditional surprise!]

Tony Blackwell

Rear commodore outside houseMy focus… To ensure that the club members’

interests are constantly considered and that

the focus remains fi rmly on sailing.

The highlight of my sailing career… Diffi cult

question to answer – but perhaps it was

spending eight days at sea and then fi nding

the Walvis Bay lighthouse was exactly where

I thought it was!

I would never leave shore without… Diesel.

I may have a sailing yacht, but it’s most

inconvenient to run out of diesel.

Dale Kushner

General: DisciplineMy focus… I would like to see a club of

like-minded people, building good camarade-

rie and making it a great place to frequent.

The club must be fair to all, uphold its

constitution and ensure professionalism at all

times to live up to our international reputa-

tion of one of the top yacht clubs in the world.

At the same time we need to look after the

interests of all our sailors, including those

that simply enjoy the pleasure of sailing, not

necessarily racing.

The highlight of my sailing career…Competing in the South Star Race, a shorthand-

ed race from Hout Bay to St Helena Island.

I would never leave shore without… I am

serious about my sailing and the safety side

and therefore I’m not comfortable unless

I’m well prepared to go offshore, whether it’s

a trip in the bay or sailing across the Atlantic.

Gary Sindler

GeneralMy focus… To get the youth socialising and

racing at the club. This has been partially

achieved by including them as part of our

regular crew for various races and regattas.

The highlight of my sailing career… Winning

the J22 Worlds for the second time with Mark

Sadler in Durban (and winning for our sponsor

Ellian Perch who’s been supporting us for a

number of years).

I would never leave shore without… My

collection of Gill Gear, which includes the new

lightweight Kevlar boots.

Harry Brehm

General: Safety at seaMy focus… That the club will stay what it is:

a sailing cub. All our intentions should be

focused on getting our members on the water

as often as possible. For racing, cruising or just

for fun – it doesn’t matter as long as people

use their boats on a regular basis and make

use of the club facilities. Another goal is to

integrate younger sailors in to our club.

The highlight of my sailing career… When

I won my fi rst windsurfi ng competition in

1982. The fi rst time is always the best!

I would never leave shore without… My

Leatherman, something always needs to be

fi xed when you’re sailing.

THE COMMITTEE

Meet the people steering the club

52-53_RCYCCommittee.indd 1 6/14/10 5:53:11 PM

W W W. R C Y C . C O . Z A 5 3

S A I LR C Y CT H E C L U B

Vitor Medina

Rear commodore inside houseMy focus… To create an environment where

all club members enjoy coming to their club.

It’s a simple back-to-basics attitude where

the focus is on friendship and the common

denominator of the wonderful pastime and

sport called sailing.

The highlight of my sailing career… To

campaign my Muira, Far Med, in the 1996

Cape to Rio. My three best friends and I set

off on an incredible adventure where we

experienced sailing and nature beyond our

wildest imagination.

I would never leave shore without… A

bottle of Captain Morgan rum. There’s nothing

nicer than a sundowner with your crew to chill

and discuss the progress of your voyage. (The

rule is only one drink per day though, much to

the disappointment of my crew.)

Greg Davis

Rear commodore sailingMy focus… To give the sailors of the club

quality sailing and to encourage junior sailing.

The highlight of my sailing career… After

being out of international competition myself

for years (“only coaching Ian Ainslie at the

Olympics”), I went to the Finn Masters Cham-

pionships in France and fi nished second out of

160 boats.

I would never leave shore without… My

tactic compass and a crew member with

better eyesight than me to constantly call the

heading. (If I start a regatta well, I tend to

not want to break the good luck and always

keep one item of clothing I was wearing for

the following day. I hope I am remembered

as the chap who won the regatta and not the

chap that smells!)

Mike Peper

Honorary treasurerMy focus… To ensure RCYC enhances its

status, at every level, as the southern African

yacht club of choice when international

yachties and race organisers plan major sailing

events or choose stopover destinations.

The highlight of my sailing career… Participating in the 2007 Cowes Week

Regatta. Or maybe it’s that brief moment of

ecstasy and freedom you experience between

selling one boat and buying the next!

I would never leave shore without… A pair

of socks given to me by my daughters – one

green (starboard) and the other red (port).

Just before you bellow at a crew member to

bear away to port – you can surreptitiously

check your feet for confi rmation of the

direction! Of course this only works if you

are facing forward.

Hylton Hale

GeneralMy focus… I am very passionate about sailing,

not only as a sport, but all the disciplines and

camaraderie it brings out in people. This has

encouraged me to get more involved in the

organisation of our sailing circuit, ensuring its

success. I want to make the sport attractive

to youngsters, bringing in the “cool” factor, and

growing the numbers of active young sailors.

The task is challenging because we must

continue to cater for the needs of our

traditional sailors too.

The highlight of my sailing career… Making

the top 10 at the Hobie Tiger World Champi-

onships, mixing it up with Olympic sailors

such as Mitch Booth, Darren Bundock and

Caroline Bouwer.

I would never leave shore without… My

cellphone, and once I’m out of range, I would

take great glee in chucking it into the ocean.

Kirsten Veenstra

General: Communications/MembershipMy focus…To market RCYC – if we can make

sure we run top-class sailing, have a

top-class facility, and host top-class events,

people will want to sail at RCYC.

The highlight of my sailing career… The

main ones are my L26 partner Judy

Provoyeur and my 2007 and 2009 ladies’

Lipton Cup Campaigns, Cowes Week in 2007

and Regattes Royal in St Tropez in 2007.

I would never leave shore without… My

cameras! A happy snap Olympus, which fi ts in

a pocket, and a Canon 1000D with a serious

zoom lens. You get great pics while sailing

past slower yachts on distance races, and

there’s always lots of action at marks.

Mark Sadler

GeneralMy focus…To learn how the processes work

in the club so that in the future I am

well-equipped to make the right contribution

to the club in the right way. Often my wealth

of sailing experience helps with some of the

sailing-related issues.

The highlight of my sailing career… The

America’s Cup, Louis Vuitton victory against

Prada.

I would never leave shore without… The

sailing instructions – even with them it’s

possible to get the course wrong.

PH

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52-53_RCYCCommittee.indd 2 6/14/10 5:53:11 PM

It’s all about service at Royal Cape Yacht ClubBy Marcus Reuter, general manager

It’s all about service at Royal Cape Yacht Club

The Engine Room

WE ARE AGENTS FOR: DEAN CATS, ELAN YACHTS AND ADMIRAL CATS

INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED

• Chris: 083 444 3630 • Mike: 073 220 1553www.cape.iyb.co.za

100m Past Royal Cape Yacht Club • P O Box 608, Paarden Eiland 7420Tel: (021) 447 4185 • Fax: (021) 447 2753 • E-mail: iybcape@iafrica.com

www.cape.iyb.co.za

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54-57_EngineRoom.indd 1 6/14/10 5:54:03 PM

S A I lR c Y ct h e c l u b

As it would be iniquitous to highlight the successful endeavours

of any one staff member over another, I can only thank

everyone for their efforts in redefi ning their respective levels of

service towards Royal Cape Yacht Club boat owners, members

and guests. We have focused on getting the basics right, and from there

we’ve built more robust frameworks to provide greater levels of service.

Although we faced many challenges this year, none has been more

daunting than the club’s decision to wholly take over the complex

restaurant and galley operations from our previous service providers. We

are extremely proud of the food and beverage team, through who’s efforts

the patrons have enjoyed the much improved levels of cleanliness, service

and food presentation – not to mention taste!

On the hard and moorage front, the marina manager and his team

continue to ensure that the moorings provide vessel owners with safe

moorage. Having said this, it must be pointed out that guaranteeing fair

moorage will become more challenging as a result of the increasing

requirement for routine and corrective maintenance (which the framed

chain and block mooring system demand). However, the marina manager

remains attentive to these realities and has an energetic team under his

direction. The hard/maintenance area remains as frenetic as ever, with an

overall marked increase in the total tonnage of vessels manoeuvred by the

crane. This is a direct result of the club’s focus in ensuring all vessels are

race or cruising ready, effi ciently utilising maximum berthage at RCYC.

Lastly, the administration staff: teamwork and an enduring positive

outlook have strengthened our service levels. Newly introduced electronic

and IT systems also mean more effi cient and focused attention within the

various sub-departments.

Decked out Are you taking full advantage of everything the club has to offer?

The bar and restaurantsRoyal Cape Yacht Club offers tasty local cuisine at very affordable

prices (members get discounted prices). The wine list offers a great

selection for all palates, from house to boutique wines.

The Galley offers a private dining area – an area tucked away from

the hustle of the club – while the more casual Terrace Restaurant and

deck are open to the comings and goings of a typical clubhouse. The

restaurant trades seven days a week. It’s open from 8am to 10pm

Monday to Saturday, but only trades until 6pm on a Sunday.

The constantly changing menu is well balanced and caters for

a wide variety of choices, with Chef Marco providing delectable daily

specials, as well as Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evening specials.

Members fl ock to enjoy the recently introduced Sunday roast too.

The yacht club has two main bars: the traditional men’s bar is

a smoking bar and is decorated with fascinating memorabilia from

yesteryear. The ladies bar is situated on the waterside of the club and

overlooks the marina for a tranquil setting. The bars trade until 11pm

but have a reputation of stretching time when the club really (and

regularly) gets in to full swing!

With live entertainment every Friday night – ranging from one-man

to six-piece bands, including the clubs house band “The Rockers” on the

last Friday of every month, members are certain to enjoy a festive time.

For more information, contact the food and beverage manager at

riaan@rcyc.co.za or 021 421 1354.

WE ARE AGENTS FOR: DEAN CATS, ELAN YACHTS AND ADMIRAL CATS

INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED

• Chris: 083 444 3630 • Mike: 073 220 1553www.cape.iyb.co.za

100m Past Royal Cape Yacht Club • P O Box 608, Paarden Eiland 7420Tel: (021) 447 4185 • Fax: (021) 447 2753 • E-mail: iybcape@iafrica.com

www.cape.iyb.co.za

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54-57_EngineRoom.indd 2 6/14/10 5:54:03 PM

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C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

41 SECTION STREET, PAARDEN EILAND 7405, PO BOX 386, PAARDEN EILAND 7420TELEPHONE: (021) 511 0262 • FAX: (021) 511 4987 • EMAIL: ros@jedelect.co.za

JedelectCABLE SPECIALIST

• COMPUTER CABLES• TRAILING CABLES• PVC FLEXIBLE CABLES• SILICONE• MARINE AND TEFLON CABLES• DOUBLE GLASS NICKLE

• MULTI-CORE SCREENED &UNSCREENED CABLES

• MICROPHONE &COAXIAL CABLES

• DOMESTIC FLEX AND WIRE• FIBRE-OPTIC CABLES

OFFERS YOU

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF:

SecurityVisitors and yacht owners can enjoy the confidence of the club’s 24/7

security team who are vigilant and will gladly assist in any security-

related query. In addition, the club provides ample secure parking for

both members and visitors.

Contact the club manager on gm@rcyc.co.za or 021 421 1354.

MooringsRCYC provides 400 block and chain moorings to both members and

visitors. All moorings are fitted with a fresh water supply, lighting and

220V electrical supply. Vessels in excess of LOA of 65’ or draft of 3m

need to advise the club prior to arrival. Book in advance.

Contact the marina manager on marina@rcyc.co.za.

Boat repairs and chandleryThe club offers an 18-tonne lift capability, complimented by a hard area

that accommodates both long- and short-term repair areas. A

chandlery is conveniently positioned within the hard/lay-up area and

offers both equipment sales and contractual maintenance assistance.

In addition to the crane facilities, a 40-tonne slipway is available to

larger vessels if required.

For all bookings please contact the marina manager on

marina@rcyc.co.za or 021 421 1354.

Ship chandlery (Action Yachting) can be contacted on

actyot@iafrica.com or 021 419 4835.

Laundry A range of industrial washing and drying machines are available for

members and visiting guests at a nominal fee. If you’d prefer, the club

can also arrange a professional laundry.

LibraryA 106-year-old yacht club certainly is able to boast a well-stocked

library of reference and sailing-related fictional titles. If you’d like

access to the library, please ask at the club reception.

54-57_EngineRoom.indd 3 6/14/10 5:54:05 PM

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C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

41 SECTION STREET, PAARDEN EILAND 7405, PO BOX 386, PAARDEN EILAND 7420TELEPHONE: (021) 511 0262 • FAX: (021) 511 4987 • EMAIL: ros@jedelect.co.za

JedelectCABLE SPECIALIST

• COMPUTER CABLES• TRAILING CABLES• PVC FLEXIBLE CABLES• SILICONE• MARINE AND TEFLON CABLES• DOUBLE GLASS NICKLE

• MULTI-CORE SCREENED &UNSCREENED CABLES

• MICROPHONE &COAXIAL CABLES

• DOMESTIC FLEX AND WIRE• FIBRE-OPTIC CABLES

OFFERS YOU

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF:

Internet and administrationThe RCYC offers a 24-hour wireless internet facility throughout the

clubhouse (coverage in the marina is limited). Staff will be happy to

assist with any administrative requirement.

Function and venue hireRCYC boasts a range of function venues for hire to members and

non-members. The venues are appropriate for everything from small,

intimate parties to large-scale events. The club has a variety of cocktail,

set and buffet menus but unique menus can also be created to suite any

taste and budget.

The Chartroom is situated on the second storey of the yacht club

and, from its balcony, offers a wonderful view of the yacht basin and

the surrounding harbour. The venue is ideal for smaller conferences

and meetings for 20 to 50 people.

The Visitor’s Lounge is situated next to the chartroom and is suitable

for small cocktail parties, accommodating up to 50 people. This

venue has a small bar area and two balconies with great views. By

simply sliding back the concertina doors between the Chartroom

and the Visitor’s Lounge, the club can create a function space for up

to 90 guests (60 guests, if a small dance area is required; 80 guests

if the function is a sit-down dinner). The upstairs bar makes it a

totally private venue.

The Main Hall boasts the impressive trophy cabinet, the pride of

RCYC’s sailing achievements. The venue is perfect for conferences

(cinema-style seating for 150 guests). The terrace can also be

cleared for dancing, which has made this a choice option for many

weddings and parties for up to 120 guests.

The Regatta Centre has been left as a “shell” so that it can cater

for a wide variety of functions ranging from exhibitions, auctions,

workshops and more daring events. The venue can accommodate

400 guests for a large party (or 250 guests seated at tables). The

venue boasts glass sliding doors that open up onto the waters edge.

The Galley is a private dining area tucked away from the hustle of

the club. It has large glass sliding doors leading on to the deck and

an amazing view of the yachts. The Galley can accommodate 50

guests for a private breakfast, lunch or dinner.

For further info or bookings, contact the functions co-ordinator on

brigette@rcyc.co.za or 021 421 1354.

t h e c l u bS A I lR c Y c

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5 8 www. r c yc . c o . z a

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Royal Cape Yacht Club’s current 30-year lease with Portnet

expires on 31 December 2023. Although RCYC has the right of

first refusal for a further 20 years, it’s subject to Portnet not

requiring the use of the premises, and the terms, conditions and

rental being agreed upon between the parties. Unfortunately, Portnet has

indicated that this 20-year option will not be available to RCYC for the

following reasons:

• Planned port expansion to meet predicted economic growth.

• Compliance with International Ship and Port Facility Security Code

(ISPS), which requires strictly controlled and screened personnel

access only.

• Planned conversion to ship repair and petrochemical operations, as per

the 10-year plan of the National Provincial Administration (NPA), with

zero provision for leisure craft activities.

Even if the above points could be overcome, Portnet’s policy of

maximising returns on its assets (particularly to “elitist” organisations)

would increase our rental from R475 000 to R20-million per annum –

resulting in annual membership fees of about R18 000 (at today’s prices).

The Oceana Power Boat Club (OPBC) situated in the Victoria and

Alfred (V&A) at Granger Bay has an even more tenuous hold on its club

premises, with no lease and just a 30-day notice period. What this

means is that Cape Town is inevitably moving towards a situation where

its leisure-craft users will be denied access to Table Bay.

So, that’s the bad news. What are the pros?

Firstly, our current lease is rock solid and lasts for another

thirteen-and-a-half years. Given the target dates for the NPA’s plan,

construction would need to commence within the next five to six years.

Our current lease therefore gives us some leverage – provided we act

sooner rather than later.

Secondly, RCYC and OPBC have agreed to work together with the

aim of securing both land and water tenure to create a single facility

that would cater to the boating needs of all Capetonians and visitors to

Cape Town. In other words, this is an initiative for Capetonians, not just

RCYC. High-ranking officials in both the city and the province have

expressed dismay that the “Tavern of the Seas” is being diluted. They

approve of the alliance between RCYC and OPBC, and have undertaken

to support our cause.

Finally, RCYC’s current site is situated in an industrial area, cannot

accommodate visiting fleets or large yachts, and the premises and

marinas need considerable refurbishment. This is an opportunity to

start afresh and build a world-class facility that we can be proud of and

will attract new members. Under-utilised land and water areas are

available in the V&A to accommodate the proposed facility.

In consideration of the club’s future, RCYC’s Planning Committee

is focusing on the following priorities:

• Long-term lease (or freehold) on both land and water

• Land and water facilities in close proximity

• Clubhouse and offices must be made available for social and

administrative aspects

• Protected marina to accommodate home, visitors and racing fleets

• Slipways and crane to facilitate the launching of dry storage vessels

• Storage space for boats and trailers

• Large function venue for boat shows and similar events

The numerous “nice-to-have” facilities, including parking and yacht

repair areas, will be pursued if feasible, but not at the risk of failing to

achieve the priority objectives listed above.

Looking to the future, the plan is to curtail all capital spending

at the current premises (RCYC will spend on maintenance only). We’ll

negotiate long-term land and water rights with the V&A and Portnet

at reasonable rental. We aim to forge closer links with OPBC, the City of

Cape Town and the Western Cape province, and hope to seek financial

assistance from the City of Cape Town, provincial government and

Portnet for relocation. We’ll also be rolling out a media awareness

campaign to Capetonians.

The future of Royal Cape Yacht Club is in our hands. We must

stand together and act now!

So you’ve heard talk that the club’s moving? Enough with the speculation, here are the facts about the relocation of RCYC. By Nicholas Mace

Future’s so bright

58-59_FuturePlans.indd 1 6/14/10 6:35:13 PM

S a I Lr c y cT H E c L U B

5 9w w w. r c y c . c o . z a

142

Containers

43

Break bulk/MPT

19

Liquid bulk

6

Dry bulk

36

Ship repair

4

Fishing

47

Com. logistics

5

Maritime commercial

9

Open space

42

TNPA other

353

Total hectares

Future layout

Water areas shown in blue are the

equivalent size to the current small craft

basin, while possible clubhouse positions

are shown in green.

The V&A: a real possibility

58-59_FuturePlans.indd 2 6/14/10 6:35:25 PM

www. r c yc . c o . z a6 0

DAY JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBERMON 1

TUE 2

WED 1 3 Audi Twilight Series 1 Audi Twilight Series

THU 1 2 4 2

FRI 2 3 Mauritius/Durban Race 1 5 3

SAT 3 Club Winter Series A1 4 Club Winter Series B3 & IRC Cans 6

2 Lion Of Africa Ladies Day

6 Bay Race 4 Flag Officer’s Team Race

SUN 4 MSC Week 1 5 3 7 5

MON 5 MSC Week 2 6 4 8 6

TUE 6 MSC Week 3 7 5 9 7

WED 7 MSC Week 4 8 Mossel Bay Race MBYC

6 Audi Twilight Series 10 Audi Twilight Series 8 Audi Twilight Series

THU 8 MSC Week 5 9 Mossel Bay Race MBYC

7 11 9

FRI 9 MSC Week 6 10 Mossel Bay Race MBYC

8 12 10

SAT 10 MSC Week 7 11 Mossel Bay Race MBYC

9 Opening Cruise 13 Dassen Island Cruise 11

SUN 11 Fifa Soccer World Cup – Final

8 12 10 14 12

MON 12 9 13 11 15 13

TUE 13 10 14 12 16 14

WED 14 11 15 13 Audi Twilight Series 17 Audi Twilight Series 15 Crocs Summer Twilight Race

THU 15 12 16 14 18 16 Crocs Summer

FRI 16 13 17 15 19 17

SAT 17 Club Winter Series A2 14 SAS L26 Provincials 18 16 Round Robben Island 20 Double Cape 18 Crocs Summer

SUN 18 15 SAS L26 Provincials 19 Cape Point Challenge FBYC

17 21 Double Cape 19 Crocs Summer

MON 19 16 20 18 22 20

TUE 20 17 21 19 23 21

WED 21 18 22 20 Audi Twilight Series 24 Audi Twilight Series 22

THU 22 19 23 21 25 23

FRI 23 20 24 Spring Regatta FBYC 22 26 24

SAT 24 Club Winter Series A3 21 Lipton Cup 25 Spring Regatta FBYC 23 Short-handed to HBYC 1

27 Lexis Nexis Legal Eagles

25

SUN 25 22 Lipton Cup 26 Spring Regatta FBYC 24 Short-handed from HBYC 2

28 26

MON 26 23 Lipton Cup 27 25 29 27 RCYC Langebaan Cruise

TUE 27 24 Lipton Cup 28 26 30 28 RCYC Langebaan Cruise

WED 28 25 Lipton Cup 29 27 Audi Twilight Series 29 RCYC Langebaan Cruise

THU 29 26 Lipton Cup 30 28 30 RCYC Langebaan Cruise

FRI 30 27 Lipton Cup 29 31

SAT 31 Club Winter Series B1 28 Club Winter Series B2 30 Match Racing (J22s)

SUN 29 31 Match Racing

MON 30

TUE 31

Main regattas – Western Cape circuit

Offshore events Club championships RCYC rating/IRC

Match Racing Fun PR events Short-handed series

RCYC RaCing CalendaR 2010/2011

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S a I Lr c y cc a L e n da r

DAY JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNEMON

TUE 1 1

WED 2 Audi Twilight Series 2 Audi Twilight Series 1

THU 3 3 2

FRI 4 4 1 3

SAT 1 New Year’s Day 5 Double-handed Racing 4

5 Double-handed Racing 5

2 Senior’s Race 4 IRC Cans Series 3 & Club Autumn 1

SUN 2 6 6 3 1 5

MON 3 7 7 4 2 6

TUE 4 8 8 5 3 7

WED 5 9 Audi Twilight Series 9 Audi Twilight Series 6 4 8

THU 6 10 10 7 5 9

FRI 7 11 11 8 6 10

SAT 8 12 12 KPMG Race Day 9 Esprit de Corps 7 IRC Cans Series 2 & Club Autumn 1

11 Portugal Day Bay Race

SUN 9 13 Rotary Club’s Racing 13 Pick n Pay Argus Cycle Tour

10 8 12

MON 10 14 14 11 9 13

TUE 11 15 15 12 10 14

WED 12 Audi Twilight Series 16 Audi Twilight Series 16 13 11 15

THU 13 17 17 14 12 16

FRI 14 18 Mykonos Offshore 18 15 13 17

SAT 15 Cape to Rio Start 1 19 Mykonos Offshore 19 CTSW Hout Bay 16 IRC Cans Series 1 & Club Autumn 1

14 Sanlam IP Challenge 18

SUN 16 20 20 CTSW Hout Bay 17 15 19

MON 17 21 21 CTSW Hout Bay 18 16 20

TUE 18 22 22 19 17 21

WED 19 Audi Twilight Series 23 Audi Twilight Series & Ladies Helm

23 20 18 22

THU 20 24 24 21 19 23

FRI 21 25 25 22 SAS WC Dinghy Saldanha Bay

20 24

SAT 22 Cape to Rio Start 2 26 26 CTSW Table Bay 23 SAS WC Dinghy Saldanha Bay

21 Double-handed Racing 7

25 IRC Cans Series 4 & Club Autumn 1

SUN 23 27 27 CTSW Table Bay 24 SAS WC Dinghy Saldanha Bay

22 26

MON 24 28 28 25 SAS WC Dinghy Saldanha Bay

23 27

TUE 25 29 26 24 28

WED 26 Audi Twilight Series 30 27 25 29

THU 27 31 28 26 30

FRI 28 29 27

SAT 29 Double-handed Racing 3

30 Double-handed Racing 6

28 Simon’s Town Dinghy

SUN 30 29 Simon’s Town Dinghy

MON 31 30

TUES 31PHOTOGRAPH

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This calendar is available to download from www.rcyc.com.

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I would like to join the Royal Cape Yacht Club.

Personal details

Surname First name

ID or passport number

Nationality Date of birth

Email address

Cellphone number

Home telephone number Work telephone number

Residential address

Postal address

Membership type Requested Annually* Monthly debit order*

Ordinary R3 320 R310

Absentee local R1 540 R150

Absentee foreign R1 232 R120

Family R660 R65

Junior: 16 years and older R660 R65

Cadet: up to 18 years R235 R25

Intermediate: 18 to 28 years R1 635 R160

*The above fees will increase from early July 2010. Please see www.rcyc.co.za for revised fees.

Thank you for completing this form. Royal Cape Yacht Club will contact you for more details.

Please sign the constitution section below and have the proposer and seconder section completed.

Royal Cape Yacht Club constitution

I hereby confirm that I have read, understood and agree to abide by those rules and regulations

contained within the Royal Cape Yacht Club constitution and bylaws (available at www.rcyc.co.za).

Signature of candidate

RCYC APPlICATION FOR mEmbERSHIP

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Declaration by proposer and seconder

We, proposer and seconder of the above candidate, declare that he/she has been personally known

to us socially for _____ years and _____ years respectively, and that in our opinion he/she is a fit

and proper person to become a member of the club.

Full name of proposer

Signature of proposer

membership number Date

Full name of seconder

Signature of seconder

membership number Date

Royal Cape Yacht Club, PO box 772, Cape Town, 8000

Tel: 021 421 1354 Fax: 021 421 6028

Email: info@rcyc.co.za | www.rcyc.co.za

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

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F R O M T H E S T E R N

Fascinating facts on the history of the RCYC and sailing in the Cape

OVERBOARDHAPPY BIRTHDAY!

RCYC celebrated turning

105 on 7 April this year. In 1905, everyone who owned a boat in Cape Town – a grand total of nine – founded the original Table Bay Yacht Club. WATER SAFETY

South Africa joined the UK, US and Australia as a country that held offshore racing for ocean-going yachts when RCYC introduced a race from Simon’s Town to Mossel Bay in 1955. At the time, radios for short-range communications were not accessible for small craft so the three

lighthouse keepers on the route were enlisted to notify RCYC every time they spotted a yacht. Sailors had to use lamps to report their positions to the lighthouses.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

1939 saw the RCYC move from a room in the Clock Tower back to the Victoria basin. This is the same year members enlist for war.

FIRST ROUND THE WORLD

In 1948, The Cariad was the fi rst South African yacht to circumnavi-gate the world. At 103ft, she was too large to get into the RCYC basin and had to moor in the Duncan Dock. Alan Flitton, who owned and skippered her at the time, claimed a glass of fi ne Champagne was the best cure for seasickness.

HOME SWEET HOME

The present clubhouse was opened in 1950. It was added to when the local yachting boom – started by the fi rst transatlantic race from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro in 1971 – took off and changed RCYC from a small membership of around 300 to the present fi gure of over 1 950. The fi rst home of RCYC, when it was still called Table Bay Yacht Club in 1905, was a waterside boatshed at the foot of Loop Street.

ROYAL STANDING

In 1914, Commodore H Warrington Smyth successfully obtained the Royal Charter for the club, whereby King George V

approved the use of the title “Royal” in the name the Royal Cape Yacht Club.

CHAMPION’S CUPThe Lipton Cup holds three bottles of Champagne. Traditionally the whole assemblage sips from the contents of the cup! Rick Nankin holds the record of sailing on the winning boat 11 times. Chris King is the most successful helmsman, having won seven Lipton Cups.

EXPENSIVE SPORT

The yacht club introduced a one-design class to the fl eet to stimulate racing in 1911. The 14ft sailing dinghies were known as

Redwingsand could be purchased by club members for £40 on the Redwingsand could be purchased by club members for £40 on the Redwings condition that on resale the club had fi rst refusal.

PHOTOGRAPHS

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