Global Ocean Race - Strong local support for Phesheya-Racing in Cape Town

Since crossing the Leg 1 finish line of the double-handed, Class40 Global Ocean Race (GOR) in Cape Town one week ago, the South African duo of Nick Leggatt and Phillippa Hutton-Squire have been working non-stop to prepare their Akilaria Class40, Phesheya-Racing for GOR Leg 2 from Cape Town to Wellington, New Zealand. However, local support and media interest in Leggatt and Hutton-Squire’s dream to become the first South African double-handed team to complete a circumnavigation race has grown rapidly since Phesheya-Racing took fifth place in Leg 1 after 42 days and 8,000 miles of racing through the Mediterranean and the North and South Atlantic.

In Cape Town, the South Africans have been juggling work on the boat - including removing the mast for checking and ordering a new mainsail from Quantum - with a visit from students attending the Rondebosh Boys School; media interviews with the Western Cape newspapers Die Burger and Cape Times; SABC television and Talk Radio programmes and, on Friday night, a reception at the GOR’s host club, the Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC) with the evening’s entertainment sponsored by the South African wine company, Myrtle of Bonnievale.

Current financial support for Leggatt and Hutton-Squire’s GOR campaign is drawn from sponsorship via the continuing connection with shorthanded sailing of the UK-based accounting software company, bluQube, and the South African apple suppliers, Cape Crisp. On Friday, the RCYC’s membership also joined the duo’s campaign, donating R30,000 (€2,750) to Phesheya-Racing. Handing over the cheque at the RCYC, the club’s Commodore, John Martin, greeted the six GOR teams: “We’d like to welcome this international group of short-handed sailors to Cape Town and the Royal Cape as they continue in this experience of a lifetime,” he announced. “In short-handed, round the world racing, double-handing is clearly the answer.”