Sailing Magazine
by Richard Crockett
There is now a definite split in the fleet with a north and south divide clearly visible on the tracker.
The northern route has always been the favoured one to Rio, especially in the early days when one had to round Ilha da Trindade as a mark of the course. Today that island is no longer part of the course which is sad for the competitors as they miss this famous landmark.
Leading the charge north are ‘Argonaut’, Tarini, ‘Ray of Light’ and ‘Audaz II’. This may well be a defining moment in the race as they appear to be sailing towards constant breeze, while those on the southerly course may well sail into a light patch.
In the southern bunch are the two catamarans ‘Norhi’ and ‘Avenurerio 4′ and ‘Atalanta’. ‘Translated 9′ is the most southerly vessel, with ‘Nemesis’ having altered course significantly to dip further south.
My concern is that the “southerners” may well be sailing towards a light patch of wind, more so the two cats than ‘Atalanta’ which continues to impress and head the fleet on handicap.
‘AlexForbes Archangel’ will pass the 1000nm sailed mark today, a significant boost for her young crew who are now appearing to be sailing more consistently than they were in the first few days, lying 4th on handicap.
As Naas Botha famously said: The Curry Cup is not won in May”, so too is the Cape2Rio Race not won in the first week. They all still have over 2000nm to sail to the finish line.
The next few YB Tracker updates will be interesting as it may show who is on the right course and who may have gambled badly.
Again today some interesting snippets from days of yore.
1973. A Great Aerial Pic of the RCYC Yacht Basin Taken in 1973. READ IT HERE: 1973 01 08 – S&A – 000039
1973. Yacht in Desperate Bid to Join Race. READ IT HERE: 1973 01 08 – S&A – 000048
1973. Yachts Battle to Reach Cape. READ IT HERE: 1973 01 08 – stitched – S&A – 000054-1
1973. 15 Yachts Drop Out As Rio Day Draws Near. READ IT HERE: 1976 01 08 – Rio – S&A – 000661
1985. Yacht Race Fleet Cut to 37 Entries. READ IT HERE: 1985 01 08 – S&A – 000175
1993. Rio Record in Jeopardy. READ IT HERE: 1993 01 08 – rothmans cape to rio race – dave elcock – S&A – 000204_Redacted
1993. The Schoolgirl Skipper. READ IT HERE: 1993 01 08 – S&A – 354
1993. More to Yachting Than Custard Pie. READ IT HERE: 1993 01 08 – S&A – 000199
1996. Morning Glory Leaves Others in Her Wake. READ IT HERE: 1996 01 08 – S&A – 052_Redacted
2000. Cape Schoolgirl on Dream Sailing Voyage. READ IT HERE: 2000 01 08 – S&A – 751_Redacted
