5245_BB_SailLeisureMOCKV11

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