Skipper Philippe Pringiers took his L20 Time Out to overall victory in the 2022 3D Cooling Gordon’s Bay Yacht Club (GBYC) Gaul Regatta, scoring three wins on handicap and a second place as well as the line honours prize.
Time Out’s consistency allowed her to fend off strong challenges from the L26 Wild Goose and the Magic Bus quarter-tonner Pure Magic.
Time Out’s victory came in spite of a 4% handicap adjustment before the event, and is further evidence of her fine run of form this year. Pringiers was assisted by crew-women Rachel Matthee and Rosemary Masibi, and was the only yacht able to score top-two placings consistently across all weather conditions.
Sunday’s (7 August) races were held in highly variable conditions, with both light airs and a strong north-wester with short chop making an appearance. Saturday’s (6 August) races had been cancelled due to a strong south-easter.
The all-women’s crew on Wild Goose finished second overall, taking line honours in the second race. The crew was skippered by Nakita van Eck, a SAS and World Sailing trainer at the Theewater Sailing Academy. The crew featured GBYC Commodore and Cape2Rio sailor Jana Loubser as well as Miranda Messina and Karola van Tonder.
After a difficult first race Kevin Black and the crew of the Magic Bus quarter-tonner Pure Magic recovered to snatch line honours and handicap victory in the third race. Black and his crew, Johannes Schiemann and Jan van Staden, were another veteran team contesting the regatta, with multiple ocean crossings and coastal races between them.
The mid-field was a tight affair, with three points separating three boats. It was Ken Newton’s Libre that got fourth place overall, capitalising on a powerful rig as heavier conditions set in. Fifth and sixth places went to a pair of Holiday 23s. Zia, single-handed by Barry Ross, made good use of a large, heavy genoa in downwind and reaching legs to grab fifth overall.
Daylight, skippered by Richard Bowes, opted for a smaller “Yankee-cut” headsail, which was better suited to light wind tacking and wasn’t overpowered in the heavier conditions.
A tie-breaker was required to decide seventh and eighth places. Seventh went to Piet Henning’s Carter 33 Pula, despite halyard wrap issues on the furling headsail. Tony Reynolds and Sakkie van Tonder (owner of the title-sponsor 3D Cooling) had to settle for eighth after battling with running rigging fouling in the variable conditions.
