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The Lipton Cup was a ‘hot’ event this year with the Cape 31s making their debut – and they did not disappoint as the racing was slick, fast and incredibly competitive. But one team ultimately stood out as the boat to beat as they were consistent, quick on all points of the wind, and managed to extricate themselves from being ‘dead on the water’ to real contenders by simply keeping their heads out of the boat and sailing hard and …

by Richard Crockett Going into the final day Sean Kavanagh was on the podium in third place, and he had every chance of retaining that spot. But the final day was a tough one for him as he could only manage a 4 & 7 which pushed him off that coveted podium place. He sailed exceptionally well all week with results all in the top 10, his discard being an 8, and two fine victories in race 3 and 7. …

by Richard Crockett The Clipper Race is one of the biggest challenges of the natural world and an endurance test like no other. With no previous sailing experience necessary, it’s a record breaking 40,000 nautical mile race around the world on a 70-foot ocean racing yacht. The brainchild of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world, the event is now preparing for the start of its twelfth edition, the Clipper 2019-20 Race. Starting from …

‘Platoon’ team won the Rolex TP52 World Championship title on the Bay of Palma, but the German-flagged team, led by the Hamburg-based owner-driver did not make it easy for themselves as they had to contend with two additional penalty points that they were given for twice making contact with rival boats as well as two penalties for different infringements during a tense, nervy showdown with ‘Azzurra’. But ‘Platoon’s’ unerring consistency during Wednesday’s three races – a fantastic showcase of speed …

Team Angola Took Gold & Silver at the 2019 African Team Racing Championship after eight teams from 6 different countries battled it out for the 2019 African Team Racing Championship title. Team racing guru and Chief Umpire at the event, Chris Atkins, gave one of his legendary rules review sessions prior to the one day of team racing. Everyone learned lots of new tricks and strategies on how to beat the opposing team. Angola and Seychelles entered 2 teams each …

A testing, northwesterly offshore wind of 12-17kts produced fantastic racing conditions today at the Rolex TP52 World Championship on the Bay of Palma ‘Platoon’ took control of the title race. They posted two first places and a fifth to lead the championship by seven points going into the final day today.. The 2017 world champions stepped clear of the pack, sailing smart and fast, they did start each of the three races on the back foot, forced each time to …

by Richard Crockett Day 2 was a challenging day for the competitors and the Race Committee as a rainy depression opened the day and did not lift until late in the afternoon. Masterfully managed by the IODA Principal Race Officer, Ilker Bayindir, two races were finally achieved, with the first starting at around 15h00 when the breeze started to fill. RSA sailor Sean Kavanagh, one of the youngest in the fleet, ended the day with a 6 & 4 to …

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg has arrived in New York City after a two-week sail across the Atlantic aboard the high-tech racing yacht ‘Malizia II’. Upon arrival, the sailboat was met by Torqeedo-powered electric boats to assist and escort the 60-ft sailboat to its final berth in Manhattan. “We’re supporting Team Malizia as the voyage sends an important message that, wherever you go, there is always a low-carbon option,” said Dr. Christoph Ballin, CEO and co-founder of Torqeedo. Torqeedo-powered electric …

by Richard Crockett There is a dearth of information coming from this event, with the only good news being that of the 3 races sailed yesterday, Sean Kavanagh won the third of the day. After a strong showing in Europe a few months ago, that experience should stand him in good stead. Results (41 boats) 5 Sean Kavanagh 8; 8; 1 13 Rohan Chidley 16; 16; 15 19 Connor Mcloughlin 13; 31; 18 32 Dean Carstens 23; 26; 41 38 …

Delivering a 1,1,2 from three of the four races sailed so far, ‘Sled’ now lead – just one point ahead of ‘Platoon’. South African sailor Tina Plattner is, if nothing else, consistent. She finished the first day leading overall after two 3rd places, and yesterday followed that with two 7th places, dropping her and the ‘Phoenix 12′ team rather dramatically down the leader board to 6th overall. If the Bay of Palma has a reputation for consistent, steady sea breeze …

by Richard Crockett In December 2017 I reported that Frans Loots had successfully restored ‘Stroppy’ – the Sprog that is regarded as the first one built. The boat had been lying in the basement of a Museum in Port Elizabeth for many years as there simply was nowhere for it to be displayed. One had hoped that after the restoration, which I may add was a masterful job by Frans Loots, it still remain hidden. So very simply – are …

A pair of third places gained in light sea breeze conditions from the white-hot, 11-strong fleet gave Tina Plattner and the crew of ‘Phoenix 12′ the overall lead after the first two races at the Rolex TP52 World Championship on the Bay of Palma. Theirs was a very encouraging opening, and caps a good day for the Plattner family crews as father Hasso, on’ Phoenix 11′, finished second in the second race and lies fifth overall. ‘Phoenix 12′, the older …

by Richard Crockett The RSA team of Dean Carstens; Rohan Chidley Sean Kavanagh; Connor Mcloughlin; Nicky Naidoo; Olivia Purchase and Adrian Rautenbach are in the Seychelles preparing themselves for this championship. Today they are practising in boats lent to them by the Seychellois team as their charter boats will only be issued tomorrow, and practice again during the weekend. There are good 15 to 20 knot winds almost every day here, at this time of the year, and today is …

by Richard Crockett Three Gauteng-based teams are competing in the 2nd international Viper 640 World Championships in Long Beach, California. The Viper 640 is a new class to South Africa, with 4 boats imported last year by Alex Schon, and predominantly sailed on the Vaal Dam, although their owners do make forays into KZN and Cape waters. With 3 races already completed, it’s clear that the RSA contingent are rusty, and need time in their new steeds in big fleets …

The global land and ocean surface temperature departure from average for July 2019 was the highest for the month of July, making it the warmest month overall in the 140-year NOAA global temperature dataset record, which dates back to 1880. The year-to-date temperature for 2019 tied with 2017 as the second warmest January–July on record. This monthly summary, developed by scientists at NOAA National Centres for Environmental Information, is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides to government, …