On January 2nd (Monday) at 9 am (Brasília time) our support in the Cape to Rio Race will go to Veleiro Aventureiro 4.] It will be around 3.500 nautical miles crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Town, Africa to Rio de Janeiro
It is the final countdown to the 50th celebration of the iconic cross-Atlantic race which takes place on Monday 2 January at 14h00, from Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC). 16 teams are competing in this iconic 3300 nautical mile race, dubbed the ‘adventure of a lifetime’.
RCYC is immensely proud of the young team from its Sailing Academy who will be competing under the banner of Alexforbes Archangels. With preparation time to the countdown now becoming critical, the team will only be available to media for a final Q&A session on Friday 30 December at 10h30 for an hour. After this all focus will be on race preparations and no further media access will be possible.
On Race Day the Club and restaurant will be open to media for photo opportunities. Safe off-street parking is available in front of the yacht club. There will be no access to on-water marinas, but most of the Cape2Rios boats are moored in front of the restaurant deck which affords excellent photo opportunities while crews prepare to set sail.
On Monday at 10h00 a blessing of the fleet will take place by Padre Ralph Thornley and at approximately 12h30 boats will head in the direction of the start line.
RCYC unfortunately does not have boats available to take journalists and photographers out on the water to experience the start, but we encourage media to reach out to Waterfront Charters and Waterfront Boat Tours who charter dedicated boats for the start. Space is limited so book your seats early.
The position of the race start line is totally dependent on the wind direction and strength on the day. Details of the race start position will be released on our Social Media platforms – it will either be close to Granger Bay or the Milnerton Lighthouse. Another beautiful vantage point is from Signal Hill which affords a bird’s eye view of the fleet in the distance.
Competitors’ info and progress can be viewed on the Cape2Rio website landing page, which includes a link to the race tracking via YB tracking. Images of all the crew are available for viewing and downloading from cape2rio.com, or https://www.imagemundi.com/c2r2023
The winning boat is expected in Rio within 20 days of the start at Club Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro.
Nathi Mthethwa, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture of South Africa said in an official press release that he feels “inspired … by the grit and determination of the crew of the Alexforbes ArchAngel…They come from Masiphumele, Khayelitsha, Grassy Park and Athlone, all townships in Cape Town in the Western Cape. All were born without privilege, but with the determination, tenacity, discipline, commitment, and the professional training provided by the Royal Cape Yacht Club Academy, they are making more than waves – they are making an impact. They serve as an example to all of us (and especially our youth) that with the right support, anything is possible. I wish them fair winds as they navigate their course towards making history – South Africa is behind you all the way.”
Royal Cape Yacht Club
Founded in 1905, the Royal Cape Yacht Club is one of South Africa’s most active and long-established yacht clubs with close to 2 000 members. Located in the Port of Cape Town, the club hosts important sailing events, including the country’s premier keelboat regattas. The Cape2Rio and South Atlantic races have been hosted by RCYC since inception in 1971. The club is also home to the RCYC Sailing Academy which seeks to expose, upskill, empower and grow youth through sailing, and plays an important role in the transformation strategy of the Club.
Cape2Rio
The Cape2Rio yacht race is the longest continent-to-continent yacht race in the southern hemisphere. This 3 300 nautical mile blue-water dash across the South Atlantic Ocean between the tourist capitals of South Africa and Brazil is known as the “adventure of a lifetime”. It attracts sailors across the spectrum of sailing as a sport – from those wishing to undertake an ocean passage to others enjoying the cut and thrust of competitive sailing.
Alexforbes Archangel crew
In a uniquely South African story of hope, courage and grit, five young people will make history by participating in the iconic Cape2Rio yacht race as the first Royal Cape Yacht Club Sailing Academy complete crew from marginalised communities to do so. The sailors, hailing from Masiphumelele, Khayelitsha, Grassy Park and Athlone in Cape Town, have been trained by the Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC) Sailing Academy and are sponsored by Alexforbes.
