The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race will stop over in Cape Town for the 11th time, arriving from 6 November 2023, the race organisers have confirmed.
The 40 000nm endurance challenge sees people from all walks of life compete in 70ft yachts, and several of the competitors are South African. “On this race edition eleven South African crew members will be joining the adventure of a lifetime,” the organizing team said in a press release. “Two of the Race Skippers and five Race Crew will get to experience sailing into their country, and five crew members will depart Cape Town to sail across the Roaring Forties to Western Australia.”
Many the of this year’s Race Crew, as in previous years, have no prior sailing experience and will have come through an intensive compulsory four-stage training programme prior to the start of the Race. This is required to prepare them for some of the toughest sailing conditions on the planet. The fleet of eleven yachts will set off from Portsmouth on September 3 and is expected to reach Cape Town about 50 days later after 10 000NM. After a few days rest they will set up on the ‘Roaring Forties’ Leg 3 to Western Australia.
David Green, CEO of V&A Waterfront said: “We’re very pleased and look forward to welcoming the Clipper Race community back to the city and the Waterfront, bringing as it does attention to the potential for growing the city’s ocean economy, be that through tourism, education, hospitality and the many other critical services and logistics of hosting this event. Our extraordinary location places the oceans at the heart of the V&A Waterfront’s vision and sharing this resource with the world is key to our purpose.”
Clipper Ventures Deputy Race Director, South African Dale Smyth, said: “It’s fantastic that the fleet will once again be visiting my home country of South Africa and taking a stopover at this bustling port in Cape Town. The teams will have faced some grueling days of sailing prior to their arrival – having crossed the unpredictable South Atlantic – but berthing at the V&A Waterfront will be the perfect opportunity to unwind and enjoy the breathtaking scenery the city has to offer,” said Smyth, himself a previous Race Skipper in the 2017-18 edition.