5 minutes with Bram Weller

The 27th December 2014 marks the end of an 18 year era as the Governor's Cup Yacht Race from False Bay Yacht Club in Simon's Town, South Africa to Jamestown, St Helena, takes place for the last time in its current format. First held in 1996, the bi-annual 1,700 nautical mile downwind ocean yacht race is claimed to be an entry on many sailors' 'bucket list' due to its exciting sailing to a unique destination – St Helena, an island currently only accessible by one of the last operating Royal Mail Ships, the RMS St Helena.

However, this is set to change with the opening of a new airport on St Helena due in February 2016 and the subsequent decommission of the RMS St Helena. We take five minutes to catch up with Bram Weller, Chairman of the Governor's Cup Yacht Race, to find out more about the race and how the future of St Helena will affect the future of the race...

Describe your role as part of the 2014 Governor's Cup Yacht Race
The Governor's Cup Yacht Race is an event organised by False Bay Yacht Club (FBYC), Simon's Town, South Africa and Enterprise St Helena. I and my team are responsible for ensuring that the competing yachts are fully prepared for the race and the start of the race is managed with precision. This includes publishing the Notice of Race (NOR), ensuring the yachts are safe to sail, liaising with the SHYC Committee where the race will finish and also liaising with the RMS St Helena, the ship that currently plays a pivotal role in the organisation of the event.

How would you position the Governor's Cup Yacht Race?
The Governor's Cup Yacht Race is recognised as being different from other yacht races, which attracts a range of yachts from IRC ocean racers, to downwind multihull and monohull cruisers.

While the accent is on fun and camaraderie, this 8-14 day one-way handicap race takes the boats past Cape Point and to one of the most remote and extraordinary islands in the world, St Helena. Once at their destination, the crews enjoy traditionally welcoming St Helena hospitality and the wonders of this remote island. The next challenge is leaving; the only way off the island is by sea – either on the last operating Royal Mail Ship, returning on an upwind sail to South Africa, or cruising onwards across the Atlantic. The five night return journey onboard the RMS provides fun and laughter, plus days and nights filled with traditional mail ship deck games and entertainment.

The diversity of the race is also reflected in the race participants. This year's entries sees family cruising boats with wedding anniversaries and birthdays being celebrated out at sea, a folding trimaran competing with the fast downwind racing yachts vying for line honours, entries hailing from Australia and New Zealand and Saints returning home!

With such a variety of yachts entering the race, how is the winner decided?
The winner is decided through a handicap system, which is based on a complex formula taking in to consideration specifics such as yacht size, weight, sails and the time taken to complete the course. The line winner is the first yacht to finish the race, irrespective of size, but the overall winner is often only known once the last yacht has actually crossed the line.

What is the most challenging part of the race?
Perhaps the most challenging part of the race is the first leg, the one out of False Bay. Often in December the South Easterly winds are strong, and the yachts have to sail into the wind until they can round Cape Point. That said, one must remember that the winds can change and vary in strength, so you literally have to wait until the actual start before you know what to expect. Then it's the long passage to the Island and trying to determine where the best winds are until you are actually in the trades and they tend to be fairly regular. The final approach to the Island is more of a frustration than a challenge. After having been at sea for nearly two weeks, and having seen no other land, the Island once spotted seems to take for ever to approach, and once you are close enough finding the finish line and the associated land marks is also a challenge, especially if it is your first time.

How do you ensure competitor's safety during the race?
Safety is of upmost importance, with the race being given "Controlled Event" status by South African Sailing (the controlling body of sailing in South Africa) and every precaution is taken to ensure the safety of competing crews.

On entering the race all yachts and crew have to be certified to go offshore with a Yachtmaster (or two Coastal) skipper and Category A Safety Certificate, in addition to completing a 200 mile shake down voyage. During the race all yachts are required to be equipped with a long range UHF two way communication radio or a satphone, s short range VHF two way communication radio and an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). All yachts are inspected immediately before the race to ensure they are adequately prepared and provisioned for the voyage.

What happens on St Helena once the race has finished?
It's party time! Once the yacht finishes the crew normally take time out to rest and catch up on sleep and clean their boat. Then there is an awesome Island to explore and the St Helena Organising Committee organise tours, set up sporting events and other social activities. The crews and their families also get to mix with each other and the locals and generally it's a short holiday before the return trip to South Africa, or the continuing on across the ocean. The final event of the race is the Prize Giving Ceremony, which is organised by the St Helena Organising Committee.

With an airport due to open on St Helena in 2016 and the race now beginning to receive international awareness, how will this affect the race in future years?
It's with a heavy heart that this will be the last time the race will take place in its current format after 18 years. Since the inception of the race, the RMS St Helena has played an important role, shipping family and friends to the Island, and then shipping them, some of the yachts and their crews back to South Africa. The option of being able to ship the yachts back has been a strong draw to compete for many owners/skippers as the passage back is against the wind all the way, and can be quite uncomfortable.

However, I believe that the race will grow in stature and attract more entries in the coming years with the opening of the airport on St Helena. The availability of flights will offer more flexibility with participants being able to fly back home after completing the race, which will considerably reduce the time spent away from home and work.

And finally, do you wish you were competing this year?
Most definitely, but at least I get to do the next best thing and that is to travel to St Helena onboard the RMS St Helena where I will meet and greet the yachts as they finish!

www.governorscup2014.com