Runaway victory in the Cape2Rio

AFTER a thrilling performance, the yacht Runaway, from Peru, is the champion of the 2017 Cape2Rio when it crossed the line on Saturday, 13 days after setting sail from Table Bay.

In second place is the German yacht Black Pearl, almost 24 hours after Runaway crossed the line.

The rest of the fleet was still at sea at the time of going to print.

With 25 years of sailing together and 6 000 nautical miles sailed in the last 11 months alone, it seems that preparation and experience was the answer for a Runaway victory.

Vitor Medina, commodore of the Royal Cape Yacht Club, was thrilled to see the first two boats finishing.

“This is a special event and it’s always special to see the first yachts home.

“Crossing the Atlantic is truly something to behold.”

After a decisive move, when confronted with a low pressure system midway through the race, Runaway was able to move clear of Black Pearl to stay in the lead until the finish line.

While Runaway has taken line honours convincingly, handicap honours will only be announced once all yachts are safely in Rio.

Runaway crew member Steve Dodd said: “This is the one true ocean crossing.

“To cross the Atlantic, to go from one continent to another is pretty special.

“It’s an accomplishment to be proud of as there are not many opportunities to do something like this.”

Black Pearl’s owner and skipper Stefan Jentzsch echoed Dodd’s sentiments, saying the race was “exhausting” and different to the previous races.

“But it was interesting, exciting and challenging to be a part of this iconic event.”

The two finished crews both commented on the demanding nature of the 2017 Cape2Rio with Black Pearl navigator Mark Lagesse calling it one of the toughest Cape2Rio races he can remember.

“The first three days were brutal out of Cape Town.

“In the middle days we had lots of rain and then the last three days were also tough.

“We also had a leak and the faster we went the quicker the water came in from the leak, so we spent as much time bailing water out as we did sailing.”

The Cape2Rio yacht race was first raced in 1971 and has attracted the world’s best sailors over the years.

The 2017 edition attracted entries from several countries and again demonstrated that it is a truly global event.

The teams come from as far afield as Germany, the US, the UK, Australia and Angola.