Cape Town – The Cape2Rio yacht race is set to return to Cape Town in December with a thrilling line-up and a new presenting sponsor in Maserati.
The race gets under way on December 26 with the first start, while the larger Racing fleet start is on January 1.
An entry to watch is Gryphon, a crew that celebrates the diversity and depth of sailing skill that Cape Town has to offer. Cape Town continues to produce some of the very best sailors and marine artisans in the world, and this team is a testament to that.
A group of friends from communities on the Cape Flats, an area not usually associated with global yacht racing, have defied the odds and prepared a world class campaign.
Reuniting in Cape Town from as far afield as Dubai, the team will compete in the 2017 edition of the race.
Skilled, determined and professionally managed, Gryphon is certain to be the crowd favourite come the start on January 1.
Aiming for handicap honours will be the likes of Vulcan and the Black Pearl. Vulcan is a GP 42 and is skippered and owned by South African sailor Hylton Hale who has been preparing the boat meticulously for the race.
Designed by fellow South African Shaun Carkeek, Vulcan has undergone an extensive refit in preparation for the offshore conditions and is a real contender for the overall winner’s trophy.
Their battle with the Black Pearl, a German entrant, could shape up as the most potentially thrilling battle of the event.
Having started in 1971, the race will go into its 46th year in 2017. From the very beginning the Cape2Rio, the longest transatlantic ocean race at 3 500 nautical miles (5 500km), has attracted interest from around the world and enticed some of the planet’s most celebrated sailors and yachts to its start line.
Tactical and testing, the race demands the finest seamanship of its participants. This latest edition is no different, with the best on show from 10 different countries ready to set sail from Cape Town.
The 2017 entrants include crews from South Africa, Angola, Australia, Argentina, US, Germany, the UK and Brazil.
The largest monohull entry is the 70ft Andrews 70 from San Diego, while the smallest is the 31ft Beneteau from Cape Town.
Race crews include veterans from America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, multiple national champions, Lipton Cup, Sydney-Hobart, and the Caribbean 600.
In the 12-edition history of the race, the race for line honours, or first over the finish line, has fallen 10 times.
“There remains much room to better this record and with the global proliferation of trimaran and multihull offshore racing machines, the record is definitely under threat,” says Simon Borchert, Cape2Rio event director.
– ANA