The 2024 edition of Shane’s GBYC Gaul Regatta will be held on the weekend of Friday 16 to Sunday 18 August.
It will feature a variety of keelboats sailing short-course racing in Gordon’s Bay.
The Shane’s Gaul Regatta is the premier sailing event hosted by Gordon’s Bay Yacht Club (GBYC). It is being sponsored by Shane’s @ 99 on Beach for the second consecutive year, with support from South African Sailing. The club is also excited to welcome Apple Tool & Gas Company as a sponsor.
The 2023 edition of the regatta was a resounding success, featuring short course racing, live music and rugby, and social events. The race for overall victory on the water was hotly contested, with Nico van Wieringen’s modified L26 Blue Tango II edging out Dennis Cochrane’s quarter tonner Royal Flush by a single point after three days of racing.
This year, Van Wieringen will enter the ex-Bertie Reed L34 Morgenster, and is the favourite for victory.
At present, it looks unlikely that either Blue Tango II or Royal Flush will enter. Blue Tango II was sold last year, and Royal Flush is currently on the market after a successful double-handed campaign at Royal Cape Yacht Club.
The 2022 champion boat, the L20 Time Out, has already been entered by skipper Philippe Pringiers. Time Out has recently had her mast step rebuilt, and Pringiers will be hoping to revisit past glories.
Other GBYC entrants include the Holiday 34 Bowlyon (skippered by Richard Bowes) and Alice, a Sadler 32 skippered by Sean Greer.
Another entry to watch out for is the Sadler 26 Southern Cross, which will be skippered and crewed by instructors and students of the Sailing Academy Gordon’s Bay, under the watchful eye of World Sailing-accredited instructor-trainer Neil Ashton. Several entries from False Bay Yacht Club in Simon’s Town are also expected.
The social side of the event is jam-packed with live music, rugby on the big screen, braais, lucky draws and prizes. Apple Tool & Gas will also host a stall at the event, which will be of particular interest to local boat owners.
- For more information on the 2024 Shane’s GBYC Gaul Regatta, contact the club by emailing gbyc@gbyc.co.za.
