Cape Town to St Helena Race – The Governors Cup
by Jo Godwin 30 Nov 2000 15:18 GMT
The Governor’s Cup yacht race is a biennial event and is one of the most usual and newest races on the international yachting calendar. The race starts on Saturday 2nd December from Table Bay with 19 yachts heading for the island of St Helena ranging from 30 to 68 footers. The concept of a yacht race between Cape Town and the equatorial island of St Helena, some 1,695 nautical miles into the Atlantic Ocean was first mooted by Captain David Roberts, master of the Royal Mail ship the RMS St Helena while watching the start of the 1993 Cape to Rio race in Table Bay. St Helena is situated at latitude 16 degrees S and longitude 5 degrees W and has one of the most remote island yacht clubs in the world -- accessible only by sea.
The Governor’s Cup is an event played in three parts – the race from Cape Town to St Helena, the time spent exploring the island while waiting for the mail ship to depart and finally the trip to the Ascension Islands aboard the RMS St Helena.
The sailing bug in St Helena started in 1996 when participants in the first Governor’s Cup race invited young St Helenains to join them in a fun race along the shores of the island. This proved so popular that Governor Smallman and an RCYC member arranged for the provision of two dinghies for sail training. This enabled 10 St Helenains to represent the island in the 1998 Governors Cup on the British yacht, Group 4, skippered by Paul Bennett. Now a building has been provided on the Jamestown sea front as premises for the island's first yacht club. Fund raising is in full swing to provide more dinghies for the growing membership of young St Helenains. A team of teenage St Helenains, trained at the new yacht club on St Helena island, will also be racing in the event this year.
The 1998 race attracted a fleet of 22 yachts two of which were crewed by young St Helenains representing their island for the first time. Line honours went to the 65 footer, Merlin, in the time of 8 days and 23 hours.
Paul Bennett is the Director of Yachting for Inspiring Performance, a Performance Development Consultancy based in Southampton. Paul has been invited back to skipper Beluga, a Lavranos 50, after the 1998 race with Group 4 and has taken time out to sail with a St Helenain in crew again. Beluga is sponsored by Monarch Assurance and Paul has three items in his brief; to carry the St Helenain crew home safely, go for line honours and if the winds allow have a crack at the current race record of 8 days and 21 hours set by Nina, a Santa Cruz 50, in 1996. Line honours for Beluga would provide a sweet moment for the island and the home team, given the right conditions Beluga is capable of 25 knots so a new course record is within their reach.
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