Sailing champs break the record
The team of eight from Cape Town were delighted with their victory.
AL Mount Gay Rum, skippered by Rob van Rooyen, went one better this year, taking line honours in record time and claiming the handicap win in the 45th edition of the Vasco da Gama Ocean Race hosted by Point Yacht Club.
The defending champ on handicap sailed a flawless race in a time of two days six hours, one minute and 22 seconds, smashing the record by 56 minutes and claiming the double when she arrived in Port Elizabeth on Monday evening at 6.01pm. The team of eight from Cape Town were delighted with their victory.
“We knew going into the race that getting the double was a possibility, we knew it would be a challenge but anything is possible. A double whammy, it really is wonderful,” said an elated Van Rooyen as soon as he reached the moorings.
With the upcoming Cape2Rio race around the corner, Van Rooyen said, “We would consider doing a race like Rio, but in all honesty, the Vasco is far more challenging.
“Yes, the race only last two days, but the actual getting to Durban and sailing along the SA coastline is testing. This race is much more difficult than the Rio race, in my opinion. There is far more adrenaline in this short burst down the coastline,” he said.
The next boat to cross the line was Durban’s very own Bellatrix, skippered by Gregg Hurter, who arrived just over three hours behind Al. The two pushed each other the entire race down the coastline, both opting to stay relatively close to shore.
As they neared the end, Al accelerated in the varying winds, expanding the gap between the two.
