Cape Town will once again play host to sailors from across the world during the 2022/23 The Ocean Race despite COVID forcing organisers to review and amend the route.
The 14th edition of the race will include the longest Southern Ocean crossing in the events 50-year history, seeing sailors racing an incredible 12,750 nautical mile marathon between Cape Town, South Africa and Itajaí, Brazil.
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Though dates are still to be confirmed, the race is due to start from Alicante Spain in late December/early January. From there, the fleet will sprint out of the Mediterranean Sea to Cabo Verde, visiting this African island nation for the very first time, before racing down to a perennial favourite among stopovers, in Cape Town, South Africa.
“The Ocean Race is one of the most prestigious events in the world and the City of Cape Town is very pleased to have it back on our shores. Not only are we able to showcase the city’s natural beauty, but it also gives us the opportunity to highlight our highly successful boat building industry which creates thousands of jobs with a significant financial injection into the city. We are looking forward to once again welcoming the fleet to the Mother City as they regroup before the upcoming legs,” says City of Cape Town spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo.
Cape Town has been an iconic stop in the race since the very first edition, hosting the fleet in all but two editions of the race, making this the eighth consecutive stopover. Cape Town marks the gateway to the Southern Ocean legs of the race and the stopover will be steered by industry veterans, Live Company Sports & Entertainment (Pty) Ltd (previously WorldSport South Africa).
“We began our relationship with the race all the way back in the 1997/98 edition. Six editions later, we’re very happy to be able to continue this relationship, and once again help to host the race in our home city,” says Bruce Parker-Forsyth, CEO of delivery partner Live Company Sports & Entertainment (Pty) Ltd. “We are proud to continue this legacy with our partners, the City of Cape Town and the V&A Waterfront to provide a platform that will bring benefit to the local ocean economy.”
The V&A Waterfront will once again be the hub of the Cape Town Stopover, hosting the official race village for the sixth edition of the race, working alongside Live Company Sports and Entertainment (Pty) Ltd and the City of Cape Town to deliver a spectacular and sustainable sailing event to fans and spectators alike.
“Cape Town has a proud tradition as host port for global ocean racing events and we at the V&A Waterfront are excited about this announcement.” says David Green, CEO of V&A Waterfront. The nature of these events allows us to showcase our oceans economy and the associated benefits for Cape Town and the country, reinforcing our credentials as a serious maritime economy. This platform connects us to the globe, attracts a global audience and creates opportunities for tourism and commercial arrangements between markets.”
The Cape Town Stopover embraces ocean sustainability as its core theme and The Ocean Race acts as a catalyst for change accelerating the protection and restoration of our seas. Visitors to the race village will be able to experience a variety of engaging content, specially curated to bring awareness to issues of Ocean health and sustainability, which will run for the duration of the stopover.
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Picture: Supplied