The 14 yachts competing in the retro Ocean Globe Race (OGR) have arrived in Cape Town. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original event, this year’s OGR is a fully crewed retro race in the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread Round of the World Race.
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Sailors from 23 different countries, aged 17 to 73, are participating in the eight-month adventure with no GPS and no high-tech materials. As per a statement by the V&A Waterfront, participants are sailing as if it were 1973 again, with sextants, paper charts, books, music cassettes, team spirit and raw determination.
Five South African sailors are also part of the race on board the South African yacht Sterna of All Spice Yachting. The team includes skipper Rufus Brand, first mate Melissa du Toit and team director Gerrit Louw.
On board the UK entrant, Maiden, is Vuyisile Jaca from KwaZulu-Natal. The vessel made history in 1989 when British sailor Tracy Edwards joined the first female crew in Whitbread. Capetonian Cameron Schmidt is also on board this team; the 23-year-old was recruited as part of the McIntyre Adventure Sponsored Youth Opportunity Scheme.
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‘We are very excited about sailing into Cape Town. It has a very special connection with the Whitbread, being the first stopover in 1973, so it’s like we’re coming full circle,’ says Don McIntyre, OGR founder and sponsor.
‘We’re happy to be with our hosts the Royal Cape Yacht Club and having the yachts in the centre of the city provides the perfect vantage point for locals to come and see these amazing yachts and meet some of the crew who are living their dream of adventure.’
‘And of course, having a South African team, Sterna, as part of the race makes it even more interesting. They’re a great crew and great adventurers, who know how to live life to the full.’
The OGR is split into four legs, sailing around the three great Capes, which include Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, Australia’s Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn in South America.
The next leg of the race will commence on 5 November, during which the team will sail from Cape Town to Auckland. Leg three will start on 14 January (Auckland to Punta Del Este).
The teams include France, Finland, Australia, Italy, the UK, Spain, the USA and South Africa. All the participants are sailing on production yachts (also known as ex-Whitbread yachts from the first three editions of the race). These yachts are split into three classes, namely: Adventure Class 46-55ft, Sayula Class 56-65ft and Flyer Class.
The public will get a chance to bid the skippers and crew farewell on Saturday, 4 November between 11am and 1pm at the V&A Amphitheatre.
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Picture: Aïda Valceanu/ Ocean Globe Race / Facebook
