Sailing Magazine
The Notice of Race for Cape to Rio 2020 has been posted on the event website (www.cape2rio2020.com).
The Cape to Rio is an Ocean Race across the South Atlantic between Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro, linking two of the world’s most beautiful sea ports. The first edition of the race dates back to 1971, and many legends of international yachting have competed in the event.
“The race connects the iconic, exotic and historic into an incredible cocktail of deep blue water sailing. Whether you are a hard-core racer, a family cruiser, or an avid adventurer, a memorable voyage awaits” says Race Chairman, Luke Scott, who continues: “This race is a South Atlantic classic, connecting Africa with South America via the southern Trade Winds, and offers an incredible opportunity for sailors who want to escape the northern hemisphere winter!”
The next edition of the race will be incorporated into the centenary celebrations of the Iate Clube Rio de Janeiro, and therefore we especially welcome entries from Brazil and South America for the next edition. There will be two starts.
The first start, scheduled for 2 January 2020, will be for cruisers and lower handicap boats, and will be routed via a compulsory stop at the mid-South Atlantic island of St Helena, which adds considerable interest, value, and safety in numbers for the cruising community, and is sure to be popular.
The second start, scheduled for 11 January 2020, will be for racers on higher handicap boats, racing directly between Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro. This can be a more technically challenging route as yachts will need to negotiate and navigate the fine line between “cutting the corner” around the South Atlantic High, in a constant dance to save on overall distance sailed while keeping sails full and flying in reasonable wind.
Past editions have attracted entries like George David’s Rambler, Hasso Plattner’s Morning Glory, Mike Slade’s Leopard, and Giovanni Soldini’s Volvo 70 Maserati, in pursuit of the line honours record. The last race was won by Stefan Jentzsch’s Carkeek 47 Black Pearl, from Germany.
Boats in both starts are eligible for the overall handicap prize of the South Atlantic Trophy for monohulls and the SAR&H Trophy for multihulls. The official race line honours accolade of the De Beers Line Honours Trophy will go to the first boat over the finish line in the second start.
