The 2023 Gordon’s Bay Yacht Club (GBYC) season is already turning out to be one of surprises.
Royal Flush, under the skippership of Dennis Cochrane, has dominated racing so far. Cochrane has fielded a youthful crew of experienced Stadt 23 and dinghy racing regulars, and has won all but one of the races he has entered so far.
Royal Flush is a 24-ft Angelo Lavranos quarter tonner, which won the 1983 Lipton Challenge Cup as well as the 1985 Quarter Tonner World Cup in Corsica. She was restored and refitted by Marius Swart and promptly won the 2019 GBYC Club Championship. Cochrane took ownership of this famous racer at the end of last year.
However, while Royal Flush may be the favourite, a challenger has emerged. The “Magic Bus” quarter tonner Pure Magic, skippered by Kevin Black, recently took it’s first victory of the year, beating Royal Flush over the line and on handicap. And thanks to a recent correction of an error in her handicap, Pure Magic suddenly looks like a very real prospect for overall honours in 2023.
While Go Dutch, Nico van Wieringen’s L26, has reigned supreme at GBYC for the past two years, she hasn’t yet registered a victory this season. She has also recently been hauled out for maintenance, and it is unclear when she will return to competition. Van Wieringen has another card up his sleeve, however. He is planning to field the modified L26 Blue Tango II, a well-known Cape racer that was previously sponsored by DHL.
Van Wieringen bought the neglected Blue Tango II in 2022, and has since restored her to racing condition. With the addition of a bowsprit and asymmetrical spinnaker as well as very aggressive mast raking all eyes are on whether Blue Tango II can snatch a victory from Royal Flush and Pure Magic.
There is also another new racing boat waiting in the wings, iCandy, a Dudley Dix-designed Mini Transat 6.50 owned by Ben Buys. This particular entry will present a headache for the adjudicators, as she has no traditional factorial handicap rating. The Mini Transat class is designed for singlehanded ocean racing, and these boats are known to have incredible downwind performance. iCandy is easily the fastest boat currently moored at GBYC.
The fleet will also be pleased to welcome the custom-built Ki back to the water after restoration by new owner, Abrie Erasmus. The hot rumour on the marina is that Ki will feature former Commodore Paul Tanner, and is therefore likely to be at the sharp end of the field.
There are also racing regulars in the fray. Time Out, the L20 skippered by Philippe Pringiers that won last year’s Gaul Regatta and was runner-up in the Club championship, will be looking to once again punch well above her weight. Time Out has excellent upwind performance, and an experienced crew.
With so many racing boats, the cruising class has become a separate battle. Two Holiday 23s, Civis Mundi (Dirk and Mariette Nolte) and Zia (Barry Ross) have been slogging it out for top honours so far. There is stiff competition biting at their heels, however.
Tony Reynolds, in his Flamenca 25 Shifta, has put in some very strong performances. Given a strong start and a spinnaker, Shifta could potentially upset the cruising class. Similarly, the Endurance 37 Libre, which has struggled in the light air, will be looking forward to stronger winter winds. Libre, Shifta, and the two Holiday 23s are only covered by 2% in handicap time correction.
- GBYC will host its flagship event, the Gaul Regatta, between 30 July and 2 August. The club has recently started a dedicated WhatsApp group for new sailors looking to act as crew. To be added to this WhatsApp group, or for more information on sailing at GBYC, contact manager Eleonore Bondesio at gbyc@gbyc.co.za.
