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SAIL+LEISURE 

FREE VS SCUBA 

DIVE FIJI – NOT JUST TURQUOISE WATER, 

PALM TREES AND VOLCANIC ROCKS 

VOLVO OCEAN RACE 

ALICANTE TO CAPE TOWN – 

NOT SMOOTH SAILING 

CAPE TO RIO 2017 

THE DIGITAL RACE 

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WWW.SAILANDLEISURE.CO.ZA 

ISSUE 01 RXX

CONTENTS 

UPFRONT 

06 Eds letter 

09 From the Foredeck 

Gotta get it: Upfront news – 

the latest new gadgets and gear 

from the world of sailing. 

Tech Specs: 4 ways to reduce 

your rating 

Spotlight on….. Q&A with the 

top sailors in the world: Jan 

Dekker 

Sun savvy: Tested and rated: 

serious sun blocks 

SAIL 

SA VIEW 

The best of the rest 

15 IRC Summer Circuit 

Spring regatta, Crocs regatta. 

Midsummer Fling, Mykonos 

Offshore, IRC Nationals 

16 Academy sailing 

The news, whose making it on 

the academy circuit 

18 Lipton cup 

The showdown 

WORLD VIEW 

The best of the rest 

23 International circuit 

Med cuircuit: Rolex Middle Sea; 

Porto Cervo; Mini Maxi World 

Cup – Porto Cervo; Voile de St 

Tropez; Audi Med Cup, TP52 

circuit 

25 NYYC 

Dennis Connor Invitational 

29 Sailing the Solent 

Cowes Week, IRC Nationals, 

Commodores Cup 

31 Volvo Ocean Race 

The best of the race 

LEISURE 

37 Follow the regattas 

Travel stories: how to get there, 

where to stay 

43 Pacific cruising 

Not just turquoise waters palm 

trees and cocktails 

48 Mediteranean cruising 


trees and cocktails 

52 The other Cape Town 

Our insider’s guide to the best 

spots the Cape has to offer 

59 Dive Fiji 


trees and volcanic rocks 

62 The world’s your oyster 

Irresistible cruising options 

around the world 

74 A turkish cruising delight 

Irresistible cruising options 

around the world 

SAIL+LEISURE 1

SAIL 

+LEISURE FROM THE FOREDECK 

FROM THE FOREDECK 

News and views from around the blue planet 

CAUGHT 

ON FILM 

Don’t miss a minute with the new 

GoPro range of HD cameras 

Um, si ommolor emperae net et lit as 

voloressi alitat qui nobis quia sed magnatus 

voloremporis apit ra cus modi rerferspiti 

officab oratque re quaeptam volorrum 

audam il molorep eriame nimus. 

Erferi te solore ra aut ad que nihitas rae. 

Edio eribus minimusa vel in peliquia aut pa 

arum adit ped quat. 

Tessiminctas eum quas dionest audam 

qui volorum dolupta ssinci blabore, illiquias 

ium, conem aspelic te eatatempores aut ex 

et dolescit que volupta spellab inistis rerum 

vel magnim cum eum vellut voles eosaperia 

volupta tatemquatem venis esequi deligni 

squodit la veriatu rionet aperatur rest odis 

et mod estrum ullam, ut fuga. Magnat ut 

odis rerum alitaquam et facepudae. Nequo 

ium velendelit, corum faccaes elentiae 

volorio nessit liquisitis re sundi quibus et 

exceatem faccus alissunt, optatquundis es 

WHAT’S ’SUP? 

A new sport that looks to last 

beyond the usual ‘fad’ of Sandit expe 

doluptiist omnia necus quiatum 

alique que acessitas min 






Erferi te solore ra aut ad que nihitas rae. 

Edio eribus minimusa vel in peliquia aut pa 


Tessiminctas eum quas dionest audam 

qui volorum dolupta ssinci blabore, illiquias 

ium, conem aspelic te eatatempores aut ex 

et dolescit que volupta spellab inistis rerum 

vel magnim cum eum vellut voles eosaperia 

2 

SAIL+LEISURE

QUICK FIX 

Head to page 16 for our our insider’s guide to 

New York for the S+L approved hot spots. 

SUN 

SAFETY 

Here are our pick of this season’s 

best blocks... 

+ 

BEST FOR 

Tessiminctas eum 

quas dionest audam 

ssinci blabore, illiquias 

ium, te eatatempores 

aut ex et dolescit. 

+ 

BEST FOR 



qui volorum dolupta 




+ 

BEST FOR 






+ 

BEST FOR 







+ 

BEST FOR 







NEW YORK INVITATIONAL 

Um, si ommolor emperae net et lit as voloressi alitat qui nobis quia sed magnatus 

voloremporis apit ra cus modi rerferspiti officab oratque re quaeptam volorrum audam il 

molorep eriame nimus. 

Erferi te solore ra aut ad que nihitas rae. Edio eribus minimusa vel in peliquia aut pa 


Tessiminctas eum quas dionest audam qui volorum dolupta ssinci blabore, illiquias ium, 

conem aspelic te eatatempores aut ex et dolescit que volupta spellab inistis rerum vel 

magnim cum eum vellut voles eosaperia volupta tatemquatem venis esequi deligni squodit la 

veriatu rionet aperatur rest odis et mod estrum ullam, ut fuga. Magnat ut odis rerum 

alitaquam et facepudae. Nequo ium velendelit, corum faccaes elentiae volorio nessit 

liquisitis re sundi quibus et exceatem faccus alissunt, optatquundis es rerum repudit 

porunde lendis es plitaquam eatet vitis que eictendes voluptionse nihil imodia sita dolorum 

numquunt, cusae provide por soluptae ne voluptae. Puda dollab ipid quam qui cuptasp idipic 

te quia doluptatquam dolore pos eicaboris quo optatibus debissi ut reprem quatiam, corerro 

SAIL+LEISURE 3

SAIL 

+LEISURE FROM THE FOREDECK 

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 Office? Did you present specific data for your 

boat, or was the data taken from the Rating Office’s database or another source? 

MAINSAIL – IS IT REALLY THAT BIG? 

1 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. 

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 Office 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. 

Some owners choose to re-rate their boats with smaller headsails, a move that will 

usually reduce the handicap. 

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. 

WEIGHT AND DISPLACEMENT 

4 “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 specification, 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 

Mainsail 

Seven-eights 

leech point 

Three-quarter 

leech point 

Half 

leech point 

Headsail 

Half leech 

point 

Spinnaker 

Half leech 

point 

Measurement of mainsail widths 

Upper width 

(MUW) 

Three-quarter width 

(MTW) 

Half width (MHW) 

Headsail top width (HHB) 

Three-quarter width (MTW) 

Half width (HHW) 

Less than 75% of LP 

Luff 

perpendicular 

(LP) 

Half width (SHW) 

Greather than 75% of foot 

Half luff 

point 

Foot (SF) 

4 

SAIL+LEISURE

SAIL+ 

LEISURE 

SAIL 

XX. Volvo Ocean Race 

Dolest arionsedita quae 

arionsedita quae. 

By Roger Daltrey 

XX. Crocs Regatta 




XX. Mykonos Offshore 




XX. Academy Sailing 




XX. IRC Nationals 




SAIL+LEISURE 5

SAIL 

+LEISURE LOCAL RACING 

CAPE 

SUMMER 

SERIES 

The experia volum fugiti tecabo. Tatquiae non 

re providignist rehenime es et rate senia volorru 

exerupt atiorro. Derek Shuttleworth 

Ugit volorun tianihit vere pa 

volessincias nemporeheni omnis alis aut 

aborrup tatias eossint usaperestius 

doluptur? 

Caeperiam iligend igentur, simillautem. 

Consequo molo et qui cusdaerum harum 

reped mincienest reicili quoditem diatiunt 

voluptas am fugianis dolo iusdant voluptae 

dolor aditatem est eosseque secus sit dus 

eaquid maxim fugit maiorepre evellesedi 

sum eostian tiantem et magnatis venis et od 

qui od que ventem dis que pliatur, ius abo. 

Nem alis magniet in net adigent magnatem 

imin re as magnis sapid molorem poreper 

uptiassum hiciis sus. 

Dandam volum dolorum, explamu scipit 

optaecus reste most, nim volore labor 

sinctatque cor a dolupti dolor aria net 

audam, voluptas invel modit lam qui 

dolorem fuga. Secum comnia voluptas 

rerferu ntiorem. Itamet qui occum nobit 

essinveles dis conem aceperro ipit lit, as 

dolorporia id qui sendae earunt optatus, adit 

hitate que enem aliatem porepudis in nos 

eribus et quo blabore ptibus, alicias quam 

estion cuptati imus ea nistis dus qui to 

tempedici officipiciis autem. Ugia 

consequam, sum quam, simin pratis ullita 

aut volorisit escilis delias natem aut expliciis 

magnam faccus, to dolorero volorem 

reperfercium nosaperiore sitaquo estenem 

rerumquas as es eat. 

Non rerem quis et apient. 

Nia cus et autent pedit alibus ullo 

exerum fuga. Ut earum si namus ere pliciae 

dus modist, volectate volorrum fuga. Itae 

magnatqui dus dolut quae exerum il et velit, 

ut aribus et lant, iusa quias sitias aut volestor 

sum es quo exped utae reprem verferum nos 

doluptam adis mosam simus quosam 

diorupiet voluptam esector ibusandus apid 

mollani etusdae que nist, omniandiam 

facestrum suntius cimporit quo tem quia vel 

eni occabor ionsequias modi accuscimusam 

eaquid uta non eaturenim aut debit et id ene 

numque dolenis cimolupta autes as acilles 

equistet landio blabore icipitincid quibusam 

etur rehento ma velenienimin estem diatur, 

nobitam nonem nossus escite rae explam 

est, et iligenis el incte viti dolorerat is nis 

erunto beatianimi, nit aut andis moditat ad 

que nos di istiis sunt remporis et odi bero 

molent ipiet hiliquam ditem vel imet quod 

quate plandis nisquatur aperunt usanditias 

6 

SAIL+LEISURE

“Pull quote 

style Henestis 

as 

et, si officiatest, 

im 

aut aliam 

sequate” 

SAIL+LEISURE 7

SAIL 

+LEISURE LOCAL RACING 

8 

SAIL+LEISURE

N E W O F F T H E S H E L F 

INTRODUCING THE CAPE 31 

Blurb in hereRessinim porrorum volut archil exeraepudit et et facium vent dolor rernam facculpa 

volupta dolest arionsedita quae. By Roger Daltrey 

For some time I have noticed that the number of young 

people sailing from the RCYC is too few. It would almost appear that 

you have be grey haired before gaining entry into the clubhouse! So 

while returning from the Caribbean 600 on my plane with a number 

of crew, we started discussing this problem, with the essential help 

of one, well, maybe two bottles of wine. 

One of the reasons identified was, with some honourable 

exceptions, that most of the boats in the fleet are old and do not 

plane downwind. Frankly, they aren’t exciting enough to retain 

young sailors within the keel boat fleet. They are also sailing under a 

handicap system so on the water it is hard to know how well your 

boat is doing. 

Quite apart from losing young people, there are other, highly 

competent sailors who have given up as it is too much hassle to 

recruit large numbers of crew, and for whom the racing had become 

repetitive and dull. 

Our solution was that the sailing scene needed an exciting boat 

around 30 feet which would be easy to sail, stable (for oldies like 

myself ), fast, low cost, easy maintenance and require not too many 

crew. With that rather broad definition I undertook to have a boat 

designed that was suitable for Cape Town, and build as many as 

required to start a fleet. I thought that it would need five boats to 

have a one design class operating. 

Our other objectives were to provide a keelboat for 

disadvantaged young people, to support boat building in Cape Town, 

and attract experienced international sailors to visit Cape Town, sail 

alongside locals and hopefully raise their sailing knowledge. 

My first stop was with Mark Mills. I have commissioned boats 

from Farr, Frers, Dubois, Reichel/Pugh, Ker and others but had 

never worked with Mark before. I had admired his work on two 

Alegre mini-maxis for Andy Soriano, and knew that he was the 

designer of the successful C&C 30. 

What a good choice. Mark immediately understood what we 

needed and drew a faster and more stable boat than the C&C 30. 

This was done by making no compromises to cruising, but focusing 

on a day racer, able to do coastal events, but not be somewhere you 

might want to spend a night on (unless after a very heavy evening at 

the Yacht Club!). 

Because I wanted to use a female mold, needing a large CNC 

machine, we had to go to the US for this. To save time and get the 

first boat in the water as soon as possible I opted to build the first 

boat in the US and ship to Cape Town. What was a sensible decision 

turned out to be almost a disaster as the release agent used between 

the mold and the hull didn’t do its job. It took an additional month to 

separate the two, and required the mold to be rebuilt. 

So we were almost two months late in putting Flame, hull 00 in 

the water. But then everything speeded up and just two weeks later 

by end February 2017 we had orders for no less than nine boats. Add 

the two that I will have and Cape Town has a fleet of 11 of the most 

exciting boats, outside foiling catamarans, that you can sail. 

So the first part of the mission was accomplished in drawing back 

old timers. We still have to attract and retain more young people on 

the boat, but I am sure that this will happen with the encouragement 

of all owners. From hull 01 all boats are being expertly built in 

Cape Town by Uwe Jasperson, under the watchful eye of Mike Giles, 

so another tick in the box. 

That leaves attracting international sailors to Cape Town. I’m 

attempting this through a regatta and holiday package including 2 ½ 

days of racing plus the usual Cape Town activities (drinking and 

eating not excluded). Dates are in January and February 2018, and 

with helpful cooperation from the RCYC, we will have great racing, 

SAIL+LEISURE 9

SAIL 

+LEISURE INTERNATIONAL 

N 40.712784 | E -74.005941 

Maserati 

Cape Town 

Race Week 

2016 

Maserati Cape Town Race Week 

took another big step forward in 

this, its second edition. Hosted 

from the 15-20 December 2016 

it was a fitting end to a great 

domestic sailing calendar but 

was also the precursor event for 

the Cape2Rio Race, presented 

by Maserati. Simon Borchert 

reports on this spectacular 

event. 

It has always been my intention to throw my hat in the ring and promote 

Cape Town as a primary sailing destination the world over and to capitalise on the already 

fine international reputation we have with many international sailing events and sailors. Our 

port city is spectacular and with growing partnerships throughout the city, and with the 

continued support of a major international brand in Maserati, we will be able to establish the 

event as a must-attend regatta for crews the world over. Already, in only its second year, 

crews from all over South Africa ventured down to the Cape in December to participate. We 

welcomed CFM2 from Durban, and joining them were two crews from the Cape2Rio Race, 

Wow, the British catamaran and Mercenario 4, the Soto40 from Argentina. The crews across 

the fleet included many foreign nationals and a host of professional sailors. Let’s work hard 

together to see this trend grow over the coming years so that Maserati Cape Town Race 

Week truly becomes an event that all South African sailors can be proud of. I urge all Cape 

Town sailors to open their arms to those who make the trek to Cape Town and shower all 

inbound sailors and crews with a welcome that is befitting of the Tavern of the Seas! 

Several changes were made to the event and regatta format in 2016 and all delivered an 

elevated experience for the sailors, sponsors and indeed the public. The most notable change 

was the location of the race village which was constructed on Jetty 2 in the V&A Waterfront. 

The V&A Waterfront joined the event as hosts, alongside Royal Cape Yacht Club. Although 

challenging for sailors and crews, the location of the V&A Waterfront is important for the 

return on investment for sponsors, but also to maximise the exposure of our great sport and 

club to the broader public. This worked extremely well – our title sponsor Maserati 

launched their new SUV, the Maserati Levante, at the event to great acclaim. The venue also 

provided us with the footprint for a successful partnership with Franschoek Motor Museum 

who presented the Maserati Classiche, a collection of some of the finest and rarest Maserati 

vehicles in South Africa, with some dating back to the 1940’s. This, along with the race 

pavilion, provided an enviable platform where sponsors, the public and sailors were able to 

mingle in a world-class facility. With sponsors Heineken, GH Mumm champagne, 

Pleymouth Gin and Spier wines, the pavilion was extremely popular and played host to 

many well attended social events, ensuring the event on land was as hot as the racing on the 

water! The media center and media team were exceptional and we welcomed over 65 

journalists to the race village – all of whom left with a real sense of our sport and what the 

event was about, and provided an unprecedented level of media exposure for the regatta. 

Maserati launched the new Maserati of SUVs, the Levante, to the South African market 

during the event period. The display area and merchandising stores at the race village went a 

long way in introducing the vehicle to an eager market and also provided an enviable 

platform to engage media and journalists on the new model. It is fitting that the name 

10 

SAIL+LEISURE

Levante is from a Spanish wind of the same name, famous for going from gentle breeze to 

howling gale, echoing the vehicles performance but perhaps also an indication of what many 

of us know as a typical day of racing in Table Bay! 

The changes weren’t only on land. Changes on the water saw only one race per day, and 

not starting before noon. These longer bay races were expertly adjudicated by acclaimed 

international race officer, Stuart Childerley from the United Kingdom who brought 

world-class race management to supplement the already very competent and experienced 

Royal Cape Yacht Club team out on the water. Furthermore, we welcomed international 

judges Pat Healy and Lynne Beal all the way from Canada who kindly joined an already 

impressive protest committee. The result was slick race management that ensured 

professional, but very enjoyable sailing in what proved to be predominantly champagne 

sailing conditions. The weather really was exceptional and we were fortunate to get 19 of the 

20 races scheduled across four divisions completed without the usual December south 

easterlies hampering the event too much. 

Race One saw the regatta start with a twilight race. The divisions all started in a healthy 

16 knot south westerly heading out of the start area in Granger Bay towards Barker Rock 

before returning to the bay via Landfall. The usual transition zone grew as the south easter 

began to fill in, causing the race office to shorten all courses for all divisions. 

Race Two saw the south easter, that began filling in the night before, picking up even 

more resulting in the postponement of racing until after 14h00. The very shifty conditions 

saw the first attempt to race abandoned. Race officer Stuart Childerley then diverted from 

the longer bay race format and opted for shorter windward leeward loops, successfully 

managing to get a race in on a tough day. 

Race Three saw the gusty conditions continue from the south east pushing the racing 

back to Paarden Island, Milnerton areas where several windward/leeward loops saw all 

divisions enjoying some tough close racing. 

Race Four saw a great reaching start in a steady 12 knots from the west. The course took 

the crews as far east as the Woodbridge mark before heading west to Barkers Rock as the 

weather mark. The westerly faded quickly towards the end and it was disappointing for the 

division 2 guys to experience the only incomplete race of the regatta after some great sailing. 

Race Five on the last day saw the fleets return after a lay day during which the sponsors 

took the opportunity to invite the media and RCYC officers to Spier wine estate where the 

handover of the new Maserati Cape Town Race Week floating trophy was presented to 

RCYC commodore Vitor Medina. 

The regatta culminated in an exquisite race in another steady westerly of some 16 knots. 

The early windward leeward legs gave way to longer reaches as the fleet started in the east 

of the bay again, but steadily moved west towards the harbor channel. 

Scarlet Sun’s Ian Lomberg skippered them to a strong victory in Club Division 2. Stella, 

the Fast42 owned and skippered by Andrew Edwards, secured a great victory in Club 

Division 1. IRC 2 saw Hollard Jacana securing the win and back to back Maserati Cape Town 

Race Week victories for skipper, Patrick Holloway. Similarly Nitro, the Corby 49, defended 

their crown in IRC1 and also went on to win the regatta overall. 

Looking forward to 2017 

2017 looks set to be another great step forward for the event. I remain committed to learning 

and applying these lessons to the future editions of this regatta. With input taken from many, 

the following are decisions we have taken to ensure the continued growth and development 

of this fine regatta: 

The regatta format will remain as one longer bay race per day. 

The lay day will be removed from the line-up, allowing us to consolidate the event over 

four days of racing and shore side festivities. 

Stuart Childerley and the Royal Cape Yacht Club team will again ensure the very highest 

standards of race management on the water 

The race village will remain in the V&A Waterfront, but provision is being made to 

Stuart Childerley, a well-respected and 

experienced race official associated with the 

Fast 40+ circuit in the Solent, was the race 

officer for Maserati Cape Town Race Week. 

He shares his experiences: 

“Working from the basic principle that a 

race officer is there for the sailors is a good 

starting point. We are in fact sailing the 

same race as all the competitors, but in a 

different capacity. Our decision-making 

process and due consideration for courses is 

very similar to those decisions required to 

sail the boat around the course. However, 

we do have to provide consistency, fairness 

and be able to score the race correctly 

having run the race within the rules. Table 

Bay has proven to be a difficult race area, 

making us all look silly from time to time! A 

key ingredient for the race officer is 

communicating intentions and providing 

some insight to our thinking. So, when, not 

if, it goes wrong the sailors may understand 

why; whether it’s right or wrong! There’s a 

broad range of boats and objectives within 

the typical racing fleet in Table Bay. It is 

sometimes hard to appease everyone and 

have each team heading back to port with 

smiles, cementing a sense of satisfaction and 

enjoyment. The entry list profile makes 

determining the class splits difficult as well 

- wide rating bands with greater class 

numbers or tighter rating bands which 

produce closer racing for fewer boats. All 

said and done the race official works closely 

with the organising authority to create a 

successful event. Clearly there is a lot of 

energy being expended in trying to 

introduce more boats and make better 

racing against the back drop of those who 

simply are enjoying sailing around the 

course in a much loved 30-year old vessel. 

From my own sailing experiences, I have 

found sailing races where you have choices 

and challenges more satisfying than simply 

doing a sterile windward/leeward type of 

race and seeing the biggest boats stretch. 

SAIL+LEISURE 11

SAIL 


N 40.712784 | E -74.005941 

A 

VISUAL 

FEAST 

Andrew Collins describes the 

exciting sailing seen at the 2017 

Mykonos Offshore Regatta. 

The number of boats entered, 94, 

alone is evidence of the popularity of the 

annual Mykonos Offshore Regatta. It is also 

evidence of the glass half-full spirit of South 

African sailors, who know it is only a matter 

of time before Aeolus sends Eurus* to test 

their downwind skills again. 

It was very pleasing to have SAS present 

at the registration and skipper’s briefing. 

Bev le Seur, the Western Cape chairperson, 

also arranged for a motor launch to take 

various stakeholders in Western Cape sport 

out to watch the start. It is vital we keep our 

sport top of mind with these key players. 

Our race officer, Neville Norton, set a 

start line for the 27th edition of the race just 

off Granger Bay to make sure the boats all 

got off to a good start in the light 

north-westerly. 

The forecasts showed the breeze would 

back round to the south-west around lunch 

time. Cape Fling, Nitro, Warrior and Lion of 

Africa Vulcan all headed well off-shore to set 

themselves up for this shift. Amongst the 

smaller boats, Scarlet Sun, Yolo, Tin Tin and 

Al had the same strategy. You would have 

thought that with this many rock stars 

agreeing on the same tactic, it would have 

paid off… 

About two-thirds of the fleet chose a 

more direct line to the gate at Dassen Island 

with the Smart Tri 40 and Hollard Jacana 

leading this pack and staying close to the 

shore. One lone boat, Cathy R, took a 

completely different view of things, avoiding 

the long beat north by turning south and 

heading to False Bay for the weekend. 

Cape Fling was first through the Dassen 

Gate followed by Warrior, Nitro and 

Morning Glory. Hollard Jacana however, 

won this leg on handicap, showing the 

rhumb line to have been the better choice. 

The SmartTri40 was the first multi-hull to 

Dassen and Chinook led division 2 through 

the gate. The boats that had headed out to 

sea after the start paid the price for trusting 

the normally accurate PredictWind and 

were well behind. Nuthr Witch took 1st 

place in division 2 for Race One. 

Bodytec Flyer led division 3 through the 

gate just ahead of Derbigum. Both boats, 

which had sailed the more direct course, 

were pleasantly surprised to find themselves 

ahead of much faster division 2 boats such 

as Yolo, Tin Tin and Scarlet Sun. 

The multihull fleet had Danie Colyn’s 

Smart Tri 40 in the lead at Dassen Island, 

but Kevin Webb on Banjo and Greg Davis on 

Set Sea did far better on the second leg to 

Mykonos, so that Banjo was lying first with 

Set Sea second and Andrew Dolloway’s 

Ladybird in third. 

In previous years when the conditions 

have been light, many boats have not 

managed to finish the second leg of the 

course. This year, uncharacteristically flat 

seas and a constant breeze meant most of 

the division 1 and 2 fleets were able to get a 

result for all three races. Only six of the 26 

boats in division 3 managed to complete the 

race to Mykonos. 

After the first three races Cape Fling led 

division 1, with Morning Glory in second and 

Nitro lying third. Idefix led division 2 with 

Nuthr Witch only one point behind. 

Although Scarlet Sun, Xtra Link Yolo and Al 

all did far better on the leg from Dassen to 

the finish, they were quite far behind in 

points. Bodytec Flyer managed to maintain 

the lead she had built at Dassen Island and 

won both Race Two and Three, while 

Farmed finished second in all three races 

and Derbigum was lying in third place. 

The pursuit race, Race Four, is a firm 

favourite for most boats and it is always 

worth those smaller boats that retire from 

the race to Langebaan, not turning back, but 

motoring on to Mykonos in order to take 

part on the Saturday. A fresh south-easter 

and flat water resulted in wonderful sailing 

around Saldanha Bay. The thought of fish 

farms and mussel beds encroaching on our 

sailing playground in the future is horrific. 

Hopefully the various organisations and 

clubs fighting this plan will save the bay 

(pun intended). 

The sight of Cape Fling, Nitro and Vulcan 

racing through the Jutten Island gap 

throwing gybes at each other, while 

threading their way through the rest of the 

fleet was a highlight of the race. Just 

imagine the visual feast of a fleet of ten or 

more Cape 31s in close quarters under 

spinnaker. 

The final results had Irvine Laidlaw 

winning the Mykonos Regatta on Cape Fling. 

In the divisional results Hasso Plattner’s 

Morning Glory was second in division 1 

followed by Mike Hayton and David Rae on 

12 

SAIL+LEISURE

Nitro. Dave Garrard on Nuthr Witch was 

only one point ahead of Peter Funke’s Idefix 

in division 2, with Leon van Niekerk in third 

on Chinook. In division 3 the Charger 33, 

Bodytec Flyer, made a clean sweep with four 

firsts, Vitor Medina on Farmed was second 

and the Van Der Berg’s finished third on 

Chazaq. Set Sea won the multihulls with 

Banjo in second and Ladybird third. 

For the first time the race was dual 

scored on ORC. It is incredible to see that 

37 boats had ORC ratings. Under this 

handicap system Morning Glory narrowly 

beat Cape Fling with Nitro in third place. 

From next year onwards, as with all the 

racing at RCYC, the only handicapping 

systems we will use are ORC and IRC. 

Although the Mykonos race is a tried and 

tested one, repetition can become stale and 

the race committee was looking to freshen 

up the event without messing with a 

winning formula. To this end, an attempt 

was made to link Mykonos to the Saldanha 

Bay Raid the following weekend and to 

include LYC and SBYC in a West Coast 

sailing week. It may be this initiative was 

put into play a little late to allow crews to 

commit, or that most crew had simply had 

done too much sailing by this stage after a 

fantastic Cape Town Race Week and 

fabulous Fling Regatta. 

The other initiative was to move the 

prize giving to the Oceanos Pool Bar. The 

setting is more spectacular and it removed 

the distraction and noise of the general 

public, which had always interfered with 

prize giving in the past. Unfortunately the 

weather did not play along and many people 

found it a little cold and windy. A solution 

will need to be found. 

Fortuitously, the board of World Sailing 

was in Cape Town to hold one of their 

quarterly meetings that weekend and Philip 

Baum kindly arranged to include them in 

the formalities of the regatta. The CEO, 

Andy Hunt, legendary sailor Torben Grael 

and Nadine Stegenwalner all gave 

presentations at the skipper’s briefing. 

On Saturday they all graciously drove up 

to Langebaan after a full day of meetings to 

be present at the prize giving. The President 

of World Sailing, Kim Andersen, spoke 

about the goals of World Sailing and then 

presented the trophies. 

A regatta such as Mykonos takes an enormous 

effort from a tremendous team. It also 

requires generous sponsors and we are very 

fortunate to have Club Mykonos, Sunsail, 

SAIL+LEISURE 13

SAIL 


N 40.712784 | E -74.005941 

Ride of a Lifetime 

Sailing the trade winds in the Caribbean. 

By Irvine Laidlaw 

When I was invited to sail at the Rolex Maxi World 

Championships in Porto Cervo, Italy, on the 82ft maxi Highland 

Fling, nothing was going to stop me from accepting this once in a 

lifetime opportunity. The 2012 Maxi Worlds were also very special 

to Lord Irvine Laidlaw, the owner of Highland Fling, because it was 

his thirtieth anniversary competing at this regatta, held every 

September in Porto Cervo, since its inception. 

The Maxi Worlds were hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, 

which is in the heart of the marina town of Porto Cervo in Sardinia 

– probably one of the most expensive marinas in the world. The 

regatta represents the gathering of the largest racing and 

racer-cruiser yachts in the world, with the largest yacht measuring 

in at 197ft and the smallest at 66ft. Highland Fling was entered in the 

Maxi Fleet, the smallest fleet at the regatta. 

The Maxi Worlds are broken up into five fleets: Mini Maxis, 

Maxi Racing, Maxi Cruising, Super Maxi; and the Wally fleet. There 

was some spectacular hardware on display, boats like 197ft ketch, 

Hetairos, which boasted a spinnaker measuring in at 2 000sqm, a 

6.8m-long bowsprit, and an upwind speed, fully powered up, of 17 

knots. Plus the newly launched Wally 100 Hamilton, with the largest 

set of 3Di sails I have ever seen. In the mini maxi fleet, boats like 

Ran, Bella Mente, Stig and Jethou were all in with an equal chance 

of lifting the world champion title. 

On Highland Fling, our first task was to get the boat race-ready 

for some practice sails. Just hooking up the giant mainsail and then 

battening the J1 to J4 jibs took most of the day. All sails had to be 

loaded on board using the halyards on the giant hydraulically driven 

Harken winches – they were too heavy to manhandle off the 

quayside. I was introduced to the crew and was instantly accepted 

into the tight-knit bunch of guys and girls. My job for the week was 

assisting the Tasmanian boat captain Xavier Mecoy as the “runner” 

– a common job given to the lesser experienced, new crew. 

Our first brief was to familiarise ourselves with each other, 

including some of the seriously talented sailors on our team – wellknown 

Peter Holmberg was our tactician; Mike Toppa, from the 

North Sails Group in the US, was our main sheet trimmer; 

professional sailors from the current America’s Cup circuit and 

general big boat experts. Our crew also included South African, 

Mike Giles, a regular campaigner with Lord Laidlaw. 

Managing the crew on a racing machine like this requires coordination 

and structure. In spite of the electric winch assistance, 

the average number of crew on Highland Fling is 24, which changes 

according to wind strengths – the maxi fleet is allowed to change 

crew when and where they feel fit to do so. 

Prior to racing, the tactician, navigator and the sail guru decide 

on the strategy for the day, taking into consideration the weather 

forecast, course options and what sails need to go on board. They 

relay their decisions to the boat captain and crew boss who activate 

the crew. Dock-off time is communicated to everyone and the boat 

leaves punctually. On the way out, crew offload fenders and any 

other unnecessary equipment onto the support boat. A team brief is 

conducted with the crew boss, discussing positions and his 

predicted manoeuvres. If there was racing the day before, the crew 

boss talks through any situations that occurred. The navigator 

covers the weather predictions and the course for the day, including 

sailing angles to assist the various sail choices. Finally, the tactician 

and the owner discuss points positions and starting strategies. The 

briefing often ends with a motivational chat to get the guys geared 

up. 

14 

SAIL+LEISURE

“Pull quote style Henestis as et, si 

officiatest, im aut aliam sequate” 

SAIL+LEISURE 15

SAIL 


N 40.712784 | E -74.005941 

A FLIRT WITH FLING 

IN THE CARIBBEAN 

Sailing the trade winds in the Caribbean. 

By Irvine Laidlaw 

For Cape Town sailors used to strong southeasterlies, 

sailing in the Caribbean is easy work. Blessed with 

winds mostly from 12 to 25 knots from a fairly consistent direction 

of 90 to 125 TWA, the Caribbean offers some of the best sailing 

conditions in the world. 

Fortunately, there are many well-run regattas that allow us to 

take advantage of these winds and waters. The difficulty is more in 

choosing which dates and events are going to be the most fun. Some 

events are reserved for the superyachts (over 100ft), many have large 

bareboat fleets, such as Heineken St Maarten and Antigua, and some 

feature every shape and size of boat. Most have been around for 

many years and have honed both the race courses and the partying 

to a fine art. 

This year we took Highland Fling XI, the Reichel-Pugh 82, to the 

islands for three regattas. The first was the famed Caribbean 600, 

which winds it ways backwards, forwards and around many of the 

islands for 600 miles. In the 82, this should have taken us around 

48 hours, but we sadly had to retire at Guadelupe, 400 miles into the 

race, because of rigging failure. Still, we had a great race with the 

leading two 72s being close to us – sometimes behind; sometimes 

ahead – the whole time. 

Heineken is a regatta I’ve done many times before, and have 

always enjoyed. This year what’s usually the final race, around the 

island, was changed to Day One and we had a scorcher of a sail, 

creating a new record of 00.40.07. Fling loves to sail reaching in 

heavy airs! Competition in our class came from two TP 52s and an 

older Farr 60. We never managed to beat the best 52, Sorcha, on 

handicap although we came close on the last day (50 seconds over a 

two-hour race). Second in class was a reasonable performance that 

probably reflected the boat and our sailing. Parties every night on 

the beach kept everyone entertained in true Caribbean style. What’s 

not to like? 

Next up was Voiles de St Barths, which was a new regatta for me. 

Here we had stiff competition in our class with Comanche, Rambler 

88 and a number of other good boats around our size. Starts would 

be competitive and aggressive, but at least the courses suited us with 

lots of reaching. 

16 

SAIL+LEISURE

A 600-mile dash 

Hylton Hale reflects on his 

experience as a helmsman on 

Highland Fling in the Caribbean 

600. 

I’ve often adopted the policy of 

instantly accepting invitations 

that entice with the possibility of adventure 

and new experiences, only to worry about 

the “how” afterwards. Well, this happened 

to me when I was invited to be one of the 

helmsmen on board Irvine Laidlaw’s 82-foot 

Reichel-Pugh, Highland Fling, which had 

been entered into the Caribbean 600, a race 

made for this downwind speedster. 

The Caribbean 600 attracts the glitterati 

of the sailing world with well over 100 

Olympians, World Champions, America’s 

Cup and Volvo Ocean Race sailors mixed 

with hundreds of passionate Corinthian sailors 

competing on 70 yachts in an 

exhilarating 600-mile race around 11 

Caribbean islands including Saint Martin, 

Saint Kitts, Saint Barthélemy and 

Guadeloupe. Not only does this race attract 

the superstars in sailing, it attracts super 

racing yachts, such as the 100-footer 

Comanche, skippered by Volvo sailor Ken 

Read, four 72-foot mini-maxis (Hap Fauth’s 

Bella Mente, skippered by Volvo race winner 

Mike Sanderson; Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou; 

George Sakellaris’s Proteus; and Dieter 

Schön’s Momo) and, of course, our ride − 

Highland Fling. 

Our trip to the Caribbean started with a 

BA flight from Joburg to Heathrow, then a 

stressful transfer to Gatwick along the 

infamous M25, known as the largest parking 

lot in the world. Next was our flight to the 

island of Antigua, which is the largest of the 

English-speaking Leeward Islands in the 

Caribbean Sea. 

We were greeted at the airport by Cape 

Town’s adopted son, Xavier Mecoy (better 

known as “X”) who, along with his wife, 

Sarah, runs the Fling programme, making 

him, by proxy, my boss for the two weeks 

that I was there. We had a few days to do 

some sightseeing and experience the local 

cuisine of this interesting, colourful island of 

extreme proportions. 

SAIL+LEISURE 17

SAIL 


THE RACE 

Organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club 

in conjunction with the Antigua Yacht Club, 

apart from the three multihulls, which 

included two MOD 70s, the race is raced 

under the IRC rules and the ISAF Offshore 

Special Regulations and any amendments 

thereto for 2015, and RORC Prescriptions 

Category 3 plus Category 2 Liferaft, EPIRB 

and AIS Transponder. 

The Caribbean weather during February 

is extremely predictable, with the prevailing 

easterly a constant. Yet its tendency to veer 

to the east-south-east is not uncommon. 

Thic can have a huge effect on any race 

planning, especially around sail choices. The 

Caribbean 600 has many corners with 

relatively short legs, so forward planning is 

vital for smooth transitions. The navigator, 

Matt Wachowicz, and the team management 

were thorough in sourcing their weather 

forecasts from the top meteorologists 

around the world. They went to great pains 

in explaining and predicting each leg at our 

team briefings. 

On an 82-foot boat with 20 crew, clear 

and concise communication is essential to 

successful manoeuvring and keeping all in 

loop. The task of ensuring that all 

instructions were relayed successfully fell to 

our crew boss Paul Standbridge, who is not 

unfamiliar to this role. It was comforting to 

note that the crew instantly fell into “race 

mode” when instructed, and Paul’s clear 

instructions were dealt with in an efficient 

and precise manner. 

During our practise sessions, I was the 

allocated helmsman for two of the three 

days. I relished the opportunity to drive a 

machine such as Fling, and my slight 

nervousness was quickly overcome by 

surprise at how easily the boat tracks and 

sails under her 40-metre mast with 

downwind sails totalling 925 square metres. 

Our tactician, Peter Holmberg, describes 

his experience of the race: “We had 

prepared our inshore boat pretty well for 

this offshore test, but knew that we would 

be up against more than just the 

competition. We had a pleasant start and 

were in a tight pack with the four Maxi 72s 

for most of the race, having a race within a 

race, which is always good for pushing 

yourself. We were leading our pack into 

Guadeloupe, with only a couple more legs to 

go in the race, when we had problems with 

our rigging holding up the mast and had to 

retire. This was a real shame, as we were 

probably looking at a top three result, and 

our boat and team had been performing so 

well. But even this disappointment won’t 

erase the sweet memories of rounding Saint 

Kitts and Nevis at sunset, rounding Saba at 

10pm only a couple-hundred feet from 

shore, rounding St Barths and St Maarten in 

darkness, racing just metres from our pack 

18 

SAIL+LEISURE

SAIL 

+LEISURE TOUR THE REGATTAS 

N 40.712784 | E -74.005941 

THE 

DIGITAL 

RACE 

Ingrid Hale, PR and 

Communications Manager for 

Lion of Africa Vulcan, explains 

the world of digital tracking and 

maximising a campaign using 

social media that allows sailing 

fans to follow their teams. 

Gone are the days when one relied on 

newspapers and the odd TV broadcast to 

keep you up to date on the progress of 

yachts crossing an ocean. Ocean crossings 

have become great spectator sports, you can 

follow from your couch or from behind your 

desk via livestreaming, or follow a race 

tracker, team blogs and social media 

platforms. 

With this in mind, every offshore race 

needs to make sure it provides up to the 

minute progress and updates. We are used 

to instant gratification, and instant 

information downloads. It can become very 

frustrating when a fan can’t track or follow 

their team. True sailing fans who 

understand sailing, VMG, DTF etc. want 

that info to be updated every second and 

they want to be able to compare the data of 

one boat to another. They become virtual 

racers. With offshore races like the VOR, 

Jules Verne and others providing us with 

instant information, live video feeds and 

incredible photography, we expect the same 

from our offshore races. 

Track it: 

For the Cape to Rio 2017, each boat was 

fitted with a tracker provided by Xtra-link 

for regular updates. Unfortunately, this 

year’s race fell short on the tracking front. 

This exact system was used in the 2014 race 

and it was suitable at that stage as the 

system available was pretty much what was 

available from other service providers. But 

with our demand for instant gratification 

and information, perhaps another supplier 

would have been better suited? 

There seems to be a dead spot in the 

mid-Atlantic where communications 

coming in from the boat were broken and 

sporadic. They were sending me 

information but I was receiving it a day or 

two later and the same goes for them 

receiving my replies. This can be very 

frustrating and one needs to keep the Sat 

phone for emergencies only, so you just need 

to work with what you get. When running a 

campaign, the PR machine relies on updated 

information in order to provide the press 

with interesting stories and to provide 

updates for social media. 

From a digital PR point of view, however, 

a few teams were very active on their 

Facebook pages, offering followers and fans 

from SA and abroad the opportunity to be a 

part of the team’s experience during the 

race. For example, Lion of Africa Vulcan had 

tremendous success with their Facebook 

campaign. In fact, the post on their arrival 

into Rio, and crossing the finish line as the 

first South African boat, received the most 

number of people reached out of all posts 

during the entire Cape to Rio race period (1 

Jan to 28 Jan) and out of all the Cape to Rio 

official pages and other boat pages. A 

staggering 22 360 people were reached! 

Team blogs and posts were shared on 

www.cape2rio2017.com or on www.rcyc. 

co.za - cape2rio link 

Follow it: 

The following social media sites were set up: 

Cape 2 Rio 

Yacht race 

@cape2rio2017 @cape2rio cape2rio2017 

20 

SAIL+LEISURE

WHAT A GREAT DAY. 

WHAT A PERFECT DOCKING SPOT. 

LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. 

PREMIUM NARROW-BEAM PHASED ARRAY 

FORWARD-LOOKING SONAR 

HORIZONTAL BEAM-WIDTH: 

20 DEGREES 

FORWARD-LOOKING RANGE: 

UP TO 90 METERS 

PANOPTIX PS51-TH FRONTVÜ 

©2017 Garmin Ltd. 

www.garmin.co.za

SAIL 

+LEISURE TRAVEL 

N 40.712784 | E -74.005941 

VOLVO 

OCEAN 

RACE 

Blurb in hereRessinim porrorum 

volut archil exeraepudit et et facium 

vent dolor rernam facculpa 

volupta dolest arionsedita quae. 


The world is your oyster Orem 

ilitis ratur ratem fugia sit officium 

fuga. Gendeleni rehenem aut odit maximus 

as rem duciur maionem id esenit utemod eni 

te velitaquas sum labo. Ita inum ea 

posanimintem qui omnis dolore nobisin 

ctatibus, vid quate volupta temquam rest, 

con corem. Solentis rerum eos erum lautem 

sint, sercienim apellacerum quam dendis 

qui inullaccus aliate ilitat imodisi 

nventempor sere qui aut et latus pore 

dolupid qui viduscius que voluptu riatur, 

sitioreius volo et qui sequate omnim ullorer 

iatinis eaquid exere dunt iuscitiam fugita si 

dolestorem illendes ex enimus dolupta 

ectatem qui veles audi cusam quos res dolo 

dolenimpos aute culparunt que natiam 

eaquo quam si beribus enem a cum quassi 

sandit, odit odiorep udignam audis vit 

rerchite nonse nim volorit officabor aspe 

22 

SAIL+LEISURE

SAIL+LEISURE 23

SAIL 


FAST FACTS 

How do I take part? Ces quiam dolo quo qui 

del is esed mi, comnimp orruptatur aceptat 

ioratem reperem quiaepe doluptatiat 

autemqui quiam dolo quo qui del is esed mi, 

comnimp orruptatur aceptat ioratem 

reperem quiaepe dipitae ea et expe 

What will it cost? Ces doluptatiat autemqui 

quiam dolo quo qui quiam dolo quo qui del 

is esed mi, comnimp orruptatur aceptat 

ioratem reperem quiaepe del is esed mi, 



Will I survive?: Ces doluptatiat autemqui 

quiam dolo quo qui del is esed mi, comnimp 

orruptatur aceptat ioratem reperem ioratem 

reperem ioratem reperem quiaepe quiam 

dolo quo qui del is esed mi, comnimp 

orruptatur aceptat ioratem reperem quiaepe 

dipitae ea et expe 

Stion pos nat fuga. Nam excepratat alibus 

dunt expe volut dolupta tiorepe ruption 

eaquias et vid ea am hitaestrum faciam 

volupit rehent dolupta coritaquo cus re, 

quidunt eum utati aut volupta iusto 

doluptiunt, sequi od quiatio vel ium et modit 

rempellest, occulparum intion ressit, 

conseditiis ipsam, sum untur, elestint, 

iusciande sam illiatium asperna 

temporepudae dolorro minist lab illessitatet 

mod etur rehent praectur as et volest, 

occabo. Ces doluptatiat autemqui quiam 



dipitae ea et expe vellupicia sit ad ut landae. 

Ullaborernam ea nectia solor a venda 

exerorumqui cusandam, qui doloreperit 

magnis et plique est volore parumet ea 

nimus, ipitiis sam vellore presequi 

doluptatis vollicae exeribu sanitatiur, 

acessimus abo. Labo. Itaquas paruntiur 

simust fugiae dipsa volenis simini occulpa 

pre doleseq uaspere velitatiae cum dit etus, 

si verum aut pla quideli busanimet 

aruptasserum aut et idemporion exceperum 

estet es eum faciaeprae idi qui aut que 

corum cus exceped que nobis cullaborem 

evel is ut ilis voluptatus. 

Sandusdantur aut aut omniet molupti 

atibus comnisque quatiurerum sed exeri si 

velluptus es sum ut lat. 






Nam net eumqui ullorporro tem. Ga. 

Lit, sae molor sinveli gnimus sus et modis 

eum rerehento volupti onetur si nobitat 

quuntotatem adipsa eatiis comnihi llatibu 

sandest otatemporit qui corehenim ea 

duciduciisit aut aut elit anditatquat 

voluptati dolupis. 

Stion pos nat fuga. temporepudae 

dolorro minist lab illessitatet mod etur 

rehent praectur as et volest, nimus, ipitiis 

sam vellore presequi doluptatis vollicae 

exeribu sanitatiur, acessimus abo. Labo. 

volenis simini occulpa pre doleseq uaspere 

velitatiae cum dit etus, si verum aut pla 

quideli busanimet aruptasserum aut et 

idemporion exceperum estet es eum 

faciaeprae idi qui aut que corum cus 

exceped que nobis. 

24 

SAIL+LEISURE

SAIL 


ECONOMIC 

BOOST 

50 

LOCAL CHARTER BOATS 

FOR IN-SHORE AND 

RACE RESTART 

Global sports events equal big business, and few have 

greater impact than the Volvo Ocean Race, which spans nine months 

and 11 countries. 

The round-the-world event’s recent stopover in 

Cape Town provided a huge boost to local tourism and trade at the 

host venue, the V&A Waterfront. Much of that was down to the fact 

that the delivery partner, events-management company Worldsport, 

understands the race, as well as that the joint venture with the 

V&A was hugely successful. 

Worldsport has an extensive sailing resumé. Since 1996 the 

company’s innovative and effective project-management systems, 

marketing concepts and commercial strategies have established 

the company as a global leader in race stopover management. We’re 

also responsible for the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Abu Dhabi, 

via our Arabia office. 

The Race Village at Quay 6, which took 28 000 man-hours to 

build, was the centre around which the magnificent 65-foot racing 

yachts were moored and hauled out for repairs to damages sustained 

during the gruelling three-and-half week journey, as 

well as for necessary adjustments. Seven specialist boat-building 

companies assisted the race syndicates in the Volvo Ocean Race boatyard, 

which not only served as ‘home base’ for the 19-day stopover, 

but became a festival-type arena for welcoming the 

public and the teams. 

“The Volvo Ocean Race provided an opportunity to showcase the 

V&A and Cape Town on the international stage,” says David Green, 

CEO of the V&A Waterfront. “This stopover saw great events and 

activations, which brought an added level of activity to this 

150-year-old harbour.” 

With the delivery partner’s stopover-hosting expertise, an iconic 

and historic host venue and a global travelling media roadshow, the 

Volvo Ocean Race presented the City of Cape Town with numerous 

strategic destination-marketing opportunities. 

“The City of Cape Town is a proud host and supporter of the 

Volvo Ocean Race. The event holds enormous benefits for the city 

and its residents. The direct economic impact, through visitor and 

organiser spend, is estimated at over R540 million. Our support for 

the Volvo Ocean Race is part of our strategy to attract big events to 

the city and to position Cape Town as the events capital of Africa,” 

says the city’s mayoral committee member for tourism, events and 

economic development, Councillor Bloor. 

GLOBAL 

MEDIA 

EXPOSURE 

TOTAL EST. 

ECONOMIC 

IMPACT WITH 

MULTIPLIER 

R540 

MILLION 

26 

SAIL+LEISURE

32 500 

BED 

NIGHTS 

2 800 

UNIQUE 

VISITORS 

R180M 

DIRECT 

SPEND 

DIRECT 

JOB 

CREATION 

28 000 

MAN-HOURS 

TO BUILD 

RACE 

VILLAGE 

7 

SPECIALIST BOAT-BUILDING 

COMPANIES ASSISTING 

VOR BOATYARD 

SAIL+LEISURE 27

SAIL+ 

LEISURE 

LEISURE 

XX. The Other Cape Town 




XX. The World is Your 

Oyster 




XX. Worlds Top Beaches 




XX. Local Cruising 




XX. Follow the Tours 




SAIL+LEISURE 29

SAIL 

+LEISURE TRAVEL / CAPE TOWN 

N 40.712784 | E -74.005941 

THE OTHER NEW YORK 

The New York Invitational give us a great excuse – not that you’d need one 

– to take a bite of the big apple. By Tim Curry 

Stion pos nat fuga. Nam excepratat 

alibus dunt expe volut dolupta tiorepe 

ruption eaquias et vid ea am hitaestrum 

faciam volupit rehent dolupta coritaquo cus 

re, quidunt eum utati aut volupta iusto 









































30 

SAIL+LEISURE



















































FAST FACTS 

Getting there: Ces doluptatiat autemqui 




Accommodation: Ces doluptatiat autemqui 




Where to eat: Ces doluptatiat autemqui 




What to bring back: Ces doluptatiat 



reperem quiaepe dipitae ea et 



reperem quiaepe dipitae ea et expeautemqui 




SAIL+LEISURE 31

SAIL 


N 40.712784 | E -74.005941 

THE WORLD IS 

YOUR OYSTER 

Blurb in hereRessinim porrorum volut archil exeraepudit et et 

facium vent dolor rernam facculpa volupta dolest arionsedita quae. 






















omnietu ribuscia vere sedigenditas 

doluptasperi ad eturisquo officip. 





































Nam net eumqui ullorporro tem. Ga. Lit, 

sae molor sinveli gnimus sus et modis eum 

rerehento volupti onetur si nobitat 

quuntotatem adipsa eatiis comnihi llatibu 

sandest otatemporit qui corehenim ea 

duciduciisit aut aut elit anditatquat voluptati 

dolupis. 



































32 

SAIL+LEISURE

“Pull quote 

style Henestis 

as et, si 

officiatest, 

im aut aliam 

sequate” 

FAST FACTS 

Getting there: Ces doluptatiat autemqui 




Accommodation: Ces doluptatiat autemqui 




Where to eat: Ces doluptatiat autemqui 




What to bring back: Ces doluptatiat 




SAIL+LEISURE 33

SAIL 


A TURKISH 

CRUISING DELIGHT 

By Ingrid Hale 

34 

SAIL+LEISURE

A family cruising holiday had 

always been on my wish list. We hadn’t yet 

enjoyed such a holiday with our two 

daughters, aged 16 and 19, and we wanted to 

do so before they headed off on their own 

adventures. 

I wouldn’t say Turkey was first on our 

list of possible destinations. But the South 

African school holidays fell within the 

manic tourist season in Greece, and many 

people said Turkey was not only beautiful, it 

was also much friendlier to our SA rand. 

Rounding up friends to join us wasn’t a 

problem. After all, 

who’d say no to a chance to escape the 

miserable Cape Town winter? We invited 

good friends with whom we’d shared many 

holidays, and 

our teenage children get on well with young 

adults of our friends’ age. These friends 

were non-sailors who’d never been on a 

cruising holiday, but they’re adventurous 

and keen to try new things. 

When looking for a boat, The Moorings 

seemed the logical port of call. The South 

Africa office is based in Cape Town, and 

they offer a full service in boat selection and 

itinerary planning. Quotes and rates are now 

based on a low, fixed dollar rate in ZAR, so 

when splitting the cost between two families 

or four couples, it’s actually quite 

reasonable. Just consider what a hotel room 

can cost a family of four for a week, and a 

boat offers you the added value of giving you 

freedom of movement in paradise. 

A wonderful selection of beautiful boats, 

ranging from mono-hulls to catamarans, is 

on offer. We decided on a cat, as we liked the 

idea of the generous space. The beautiful 

new Leopard 48 has always been 

a favourite of mine. But what I look for in a 

boat − big outdoor living area, large outside 

saloon area, spacious galley, generous cabin 

space and luxury en-suite heads − and what 

a seasoned and experienced 

SAIL+LEISURE 35

SAIL 


The Moorings’ base in Fethiye is an 

hour’s drive from Dalaman Airport in 

southwest Turkey and airport transfers are 

easy to arrange. At The Moorings’ base, at 

the Classic Hotel Marina, charter guests are 

permitted to use the wonderful hotel 

facilities, including swimming pools, a spa 

and restaurants. 

The Moorings team gave us a thorough 

technical briefing. After finalising the 

paperwork, we also had a general briefing 

on sailing in the area. We’d plotted a route 

beforehand, but the base manager, Deniz, 

also shared some great insider tips. 

The Moorings offers a full provisioning 

service, but we didn’t make use of this as we 

like to wander the local markets and buy our 

own stock. There’s a full-service marina 

complex nearby, offering all sorts of services 

and including a supermarket, but some 

smaller shops on the main road will also 

deliver the items you select to the boat. We 

decided to support the locals and use one of 

these shops. We found the Turkish people to 

be friendly and accommodating, although 

English is generally quite limited. 

Our friends arrived the next day, after a 

long five-hour bus ride from Bodrum. We 

loaded them onto the boat and dashed off to 

Kapi Creek to make the sunset. It was a 

beautiful trip across the bay in warm 

Mediterranean winds, passing the many 

gulet boats coming back to base. We set up 

the tender and took a stern line to a rock. It 

was easy to moor the boat with the electric 

windless and we dropped anchor in 25m of 

water after seeing depths of up to 70m. 

Having to use a stern line either tied to a 

rock outcrop or a set mooring ring takes 

getting used to, but it does help keep the 

boat stable. After a few times mooring this 

way, we became good at it and each of us 

had our job to do when anchoring. 

We enjoyed our first of many warm 

evenings under a pitch-black sky, and woke 

to an idyllic bay of clear waters in which 

turtles joined us for an early morning swim. 

A lovely old couple on a boat selling freshly 

made pancakes and pots of honey also came 

by. 

We headed off to Ekincik Bay, a long 

stretch of motoring for 28 miles. The swell 

was big, but we used the sails to stabilise the 

boat. Motor sailing works well in preventing 

the rocking motion. At Ekincik Bay, we 

moored at a jetty stern-in, and received 

great guidance from the locals on their 

tenders. But the marina was busy and we 

were rafted up alongside boats on all sides. 

Ekincik offers clean fresh water, neat 

moorings, wooden paths, WCs, restaurants 

and good recycling facilities, which we 

appreciated as recycling is important to us. 

We separated our recyclables by setting up 

another bag for organic waste in the galley. 

We ate at the hilltop restaurant that evening 

and enjoyed the most unbelievable views 

and seafood, but it was pricey. 

I made the most of the calm morning 

[next morning?] and went for a lovely 

paddle in the clear waters of the bay. 

Ekincik Bay is close to a turtle breeding area 

and turtle tours are on offer, but July isn’t 

breeding season. We could’ve visited the 

Dalyan Rock Tombs close to the turtle 

sanctuary, but we wanted to hit “the road”. 

We decided to sail to the furthest point 

of the area first and make our way back to 

Fethiye after two weeks. We started with a 

fairly long haul of 14 miles to Marmaris, to 

stock up on supplies, where we moored off 

the main beaches and pier and ran the 

tender into town. Mooring in the main 

marina was too costly, and The Grand 

Bazaar is practical and wraps around a full 

city block and we found a well-stocked 

supermarket which delivered our groceries 

to the quayside in a flatbed tuk-tuk. When it 

comes to being helpful, the Turks can’t do 

enough for you. 

After the noisy market, we needed some 

quiet, so we found a beautiful mooring in a 

bay on the other side of an island off 

Marmaris, called Kuecuekkargi. There we 

took in a beautiful pink sunset, listening to 

classic tunes and enjoying a “Cin” and Tonic 

as our girls sang along to the guitar. 

Priceless! 

The next day, we headed back to the SE 

36 

SAIL+LEISURE

side of Turkey with a 5am start in order to 

cover 42 miles. We moored in another 

beautiful bay: Küküka Koyu Bay was 

secluded with a few rocky beaches, and 

donkeys visited us on the beach. There were 

intriguing little caves everywhere to explore 

and high cliffs for cliff jumping, so great fun 

was had by all. 

Boynuzbuku Koyu Bay, our next stop, 

offered a charming little jetty, waterside 

restaurant and facilities with a games room 

for kids. Colourful fabric hammocks hung 

from big shady trees, and a stunning 

Turkish daybed was set up for sipping 

Turkish tea. The beach bar is manned by 

the owner, who speaks good English. He 

cooked a delicious seafood and meze lunch 

for us, which was served under a huge old 

oak tree at the water’s edge. We washed this 

down with ice-cold shandies, feeling very 

happy with life. 

We upped anchor and headed for Tomb 

Bay, named for the many tombs cut into the 

rocks above. It’s a popular spot (we counted 

33 boats on anchor that night), so we left 

there and found a quieter mooring around 

the corner. We learnt that if you’re moving 

off to another spot in the late afternoon, you 

need to be in the next mooring by 5pm in 

order to get a good spot. And in order to get 

the good spots for the day, arrive by 

10.30am, especially on the weekends, when 

all the gulets are out doing their day 

charters. We also became aware of where 

we should moor so as not to be on the 

sunrise side of the mountains – it gets very 

hot in the mornings. 

The next morning we were greeted by a 

few boat traders selling breads, pastries, 

jewellery and sarongs. An early morning 

breakfast was followed by a climb up to the 

tombs for beautiful views of the bay. 

Next stop: Göcek to restock on supplies 

and enjoy a little culture in the picturesque 

town. Apparently, there are more boats in 

Göcek than houses. The three marinas are 

pricey and charge in euros. For instance, 

Scopea Marina charges €100 per night and 

the other two marinas are more expensive 

than that. The municipal marina wouldn’t 

accept catamarans, so we anchored outside 

the main marina and went into town to 

roam the stores and look at the restaurants. I 

bought a Turkish lantern and beautiful linen 

and scarves. There’s a wonderful but pricey 

deli that stocks Western food-and-drink 

brands, which definitely caters for the larger 

power yachts and charter boats as the prices 

are high − R440 for a bottle of Spiced Gold 

and R88 for a block of Lindt Dark Chocolate. 

FAST FACTS 

Ask the marina manager for a cooler box, as 

the fridge in the galley isn’t large enough for 

food for eight people plus drinks. We kept 

ours on deck and used it for cold drinks and 

beers only. 

While fridge space is limited, there is a large 

freezer, which we didn’t make enough use 

of. The meat is good in Turkey, so buy in 

bulk in Marmaris/Göcek and freeze. 

If you run out of supplies onboard, don’t 

worry. Boat traders are in most bays and 

they sell everything from pancakes to fruits 

and fresh bread. They even sell ice creams 

with screams of “Hey, hello my babies, come 

on my boat...” 

Guys on speedboats offer skiing, parasailing, 

wake boarding and even rides on a tube. 

Each cabin is supplied with four towels in 

a different colour. Rather sort the towels to 

one colour per cabin, so you know which are 

your towels. 

To save fresh water, use salt water for 

washing dishes. 

Take blow-up pool chairs and lilos – great 

fun for floating around the bays. 

Remember mosquito repellent and 

citronella candles, and take sting/bite cream 

and motion-sickness tablets. 

Pack a multi-plug double adaptor – very 

useful for charging the many phones and 

cameras onboard! 

Take swimming goggles, as the water is very 

salty; a hat that can get wet, as you spend 

a lot of time in the water and the glare is 

bad; and a little daypack for hiking/ 

exploring. 

Games and cards will come in handy. 

There’s a TV on board with a USB cable to 

plug into laptops to watch movies, but we 

never used it. No extra sound system is 

required, as there’s a USB cable point in the 

galley for 

the sound system, which works very well. 

SAIL+LEISURE 37

SAIL 


TAKE OUTS 

Memories include… 

Tubs of fresh cherries 

We enjoyed a good tapas lunch at 

Muzzy’s Place, where there was a 

welcoming bright-blue pool to cool off in. 

After a good break from the heat, we walked 

back up the hill to the lookout tower and 

down to Cold Water Bay. The path winds 

through forests and leads you down to a 

stony beach. We were rewarded with the 

most incredible views ever – tree-lined 

mountains 

and turquoise waters as far as we could see. 

Then, at least four-day-tripper gulets, 

complete with water slides and 

loudspeakers, arrived with tourists of every 

shape and size. Around 3pm seems to be the 

time that they arrive, so make sure you 

dodge the rush hour! 

We upped anchor and left this beautiful 

area, so far our favourite, and passed the 

island of Gemiler Ad, topped by ancient 

ruins, along the way. 

For our second-last night, we anchored 

in the bay next to Kapi Creek to be close to 

Fethiye in order to be back at the marina for 

our last night. We spent the evening in 

–Nutella-filled pancakes bought from boat 

traders 

–Sounds of cicada beetles humming in the 

mornings 

–Efes Pilsener and beer shandies 

–“Cin” and tonics 

–Tree-covered mountains as far as the eye 

can see 

–Flat, silver-pink waters at sunset 

–Hundreds of games of Uno, cards and 

backgammon 

enthusiastic song and enjoyed a midnight 

swim while staring up at the blanket of stars 

− truly memorable. 

Sailing back into the Fethiye Gulf, we 

passed more little inlets and nooks and 

crannies that offered more beautiful 

moorings. You could spend a good month 

here and probably not even see everything. 

The Fethiye and Göcek Gulfs are beautiful, 

like big valleys with many little islands and 

outcrops everywhere, and tree-lined 

mountains as far as you can see. 

One of my best memories was sailing in 

the Fethiye Gulf to the sounds of Jack 

Johnson in 18 knots of warm wind. We 

managed to get close to 10 knots boat speed, 

not bad for a heavy catamaran, and we even 

heard 

a hum of excitement from her. 

We enjoyed one last swim in a little bay 

close to the marina, which gave us a chance 

to sort out the boat and ensure that the 

mooring lines and fenders were ready for 

mooring. The marina guys are helpful. 

They come out to assist you when you come 

onto the mooring, making sure the anchor 

slings are set up on the bow correctly, which 

is how all boats are moored in the marina 

− anchor first and then go astern towards 

the jetty. We had a boat check-out and 

handover with Deniz, who was most 

impressed that we actually sailed the boat as 

not many people even hoist the sails. The 

boat had been such a wonderful home to us, 

38 

SAIL+LEISURE

SAIL+LEISURE 39

SAIL 

+LEISURE 

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE 

JAN DEKKER 

Age: XX 

Birthplace: CeXXXXXXX 

What started you off?: Ces doluptatiat 

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mi, comnimp orruptatur aceptat ioratem 


Career highlights: Ces doluptatiat 

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mi, comnimp orruptatur aceptat ioratem 

reperem quiaepe dipitae ea et. 





















omnietu ribuscia vere sedigenditas 

doluptasperi ad eturisquo officip. 































velluptus es sum ut lat.

The escape you want 

in a place you’ll treasure 

A Variety of Yachts to Charter in a Variety of Destinations. 

For Bareboat and Skippered Options 

Contact the Experts 

The Moorings, Cape Town 

Tel: 021 200 1836 

E mail: Liesl.Nel@tuimarine.com 

www.moorings.com 

UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS 

on the water

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