Top yachts for Maputo to Durban race
28 July 2008
The annual MCEL Vasco da Gama Yacht Race from Maputo to Durban has attracted a highly competitive 21-boat fleet for the classic 300-nautical mile (555km) East Coast race. It's regarded as the toughest ocean race on the east coast of South Africa for good reason.
The race starts in Maputo on Thursday, 31 July at 15:30 and finishes in Durban late on Friday or early on Saturday, depending on the wind.
Not since the heydays of the race, when it was raced between Durban and East London, has such a formidable fleet been assembled. The big entry is fitting recognition for the organisers, the Royal Natal Yacht Club, who celebrate their 150th anniversary this year. Coupled to that is Clube Naval in Maputo. It starts the race celebrates its 95th anniversary this year.
Who's who of SA sailing
The crew lists read like a who's who of sailing in the South Africa, while some of the top ocean racing boats are competing.
Primarily a KwaZulu-Natal yacht race, five of the top Cape yachts are competing, including Crocs, jointly skippered by Nicholas Mace and Patrick Holloway. She is without question the top ocean racing yacht in South Africa, and achieved a rare double last year by taking both line and handicap honours in the race.
Her skippers are looking to repeat that famous victory, and have selected what Patrick Holloway says is the "best crew I have ever sailed with".
The Cape boats are Crocs (Nicholas Mace/Patrick Holloway); Tenacity (Errol Stern); Addis in Cape (Alexandre Monat); Ballyhoo Too (Iain Park-Ross) and Orion Unzipped, which has been chartered by Ellian Perch and skippered by Mark Sadler of Shosholoza fame.
Durban boats
The top Durban boats are Phezulu (Leo Kroone) and Skitzo (Nigel Milln); the two RCODs Ingenuity Foxy Lady (Chris Sutton) and Sun Tonic (Keith Stewart), and even the beautiful cruiser-racer Bellisima, skippered by Vernon Goss.
From Gauteng come Pants on Fire (Dwayne Assis); Leyna (Solly Heyns/Keith Vennell) and Kimaya (Gavin van der Merwe).
From Richards Bay are Zeus (Don Voysey); Alacrity (David Taylor) and Windforce (Chris Webber).
Tough
The mcel Vasco da Gama Yacht Race is the toughest offshore race on the East Coast as there are many variables which add up to give it this title. The prevailing winds are the first priority as strong gale-force south-westerly winds can sneak up on the fleet (and regularly do), providing a miserably slow and wet ride home.
Added to this is the fast-flowing Agulhas Current which pushes southwards along the coast. It can give competitors a welcome boost of an extra few miles every hour, but it can combine with the southwesterly winds to cause very rough seas and even rogue waves.
The choice of course is critical. Offshore one gets the current, while inshore one can benefit from the land breeze at night, but only if it blows.
Picking a winner
To predict a winner is difficult as the fleet because of the outstanding strength of the entries and crew lists have not yet been submitted; the sailors will play a massive role in the outcome and they include men with Volvo Ocean Race experience, others with Shosholoza experience, and others who are, simply put, excellent sailors who always make a boat go fast irrespective of the conditions.
Many of the best yachtsmen in the country are competing, including Patrick Holloway, Mark Sadler, Nicholas Mace, Iain Park-Ross, Rob Meek, Nigel Milln, Leo Kroone and Paul Thompson.
Probably the only reasonable prediction is that the race will be tough and very closely-fought.
THE FLEET
