Iconic Race taking shape as Covid-19 recedes
With just 14 months to go till the starting gun the 2023 Cape to Rio the Race organisers have confirmed nine entries and a further three currently processing paperwork. An additional six ‘maybes’ take the tally up to almost twenty, suggesting next year’s edition could hark back to the Race’s glory days.
Race Admin manager Simone Balman believes the enthusiastic response from competitors thus far is linked to a new ‘must do’ approach engendered by the Coronavirus pandemic. “We’ve got a lot of energy and excitement around the Race at the moment and I think it’s as a consequence of everybody having been locked down,” Balman said. “People are actually realising that they’ve got to get on with my life now and do the bucket list stuff. There seems to be that sort of attitude.”
She said it was the same buoyant mood that has positively impacted South Africa’s boatbuilding sector, with most top yards reporting healthy order books as international buyers seek to action their deferred dreams. “I think that too is a direct result of lockdown,” Balman said.
The latest confirmed entry is Audaz, a 16-meter aluminum monohull designed by Finot and owned by Francisco Julio Galvão Lucchesi.
Race director Anthony Spillebeen said he hoped to see more entries as the Race neared the one-year horizon. “We encourage all persons familiar with the Race to encourage friends and associated globally to join us,” Spillebeen said.
The Race, previously known as the South Atlantic Yacht Race, began 50 years ago with the intention of bolstering ocean sailing in South Africa. Cape Town has always been the starting point. “Even though it is best known as the Cape to Rio Race, the race has indeed headed mainly for Rio, but at times to other South American venues, including Punta del Este in Uruguay, and more recently Salvador, the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia,” the Race Organisers say on the official Race Website.
“The first race set off from Table Bay in 1971 and from the start attracted huge international interest. It is a fascinating and tactical race, demanding both seamanship and weather-savvy, being the longest continent-to-continent yacht race in the southern hemisphere. The use of different ports for the finish has seen the race distance vary between 3 400 and 4 500 nautical miles.”
“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.”
“Prizes are awarded to the first competitor across the line, new records being set, as well as the first three across the line in 3 handicap classes,” the Website says.
Visit www.cape2riorace.com for more information.
