The Snake in Cape Town

The Daily Sail's wily Around Alone correspondent on growing eyes in your buttocks

As The Snake’s old pal Pliny was fond of saying: "Ex Africa semper aliquid novi". To paraphrase the rotting old scholar, "there’s always some weird **** going down in Africa."

Topping the weird chart at the moment is the scene of utter calm and control at the marina base of the Around Alone yachts. None of the Class 1 and 2 teams already in Cape Town show signs of the frantic activity prevalent in the previous race stopover ports; Rhode Island, New York and Brixham. So far the boats here are (in order over the finish line) Class 1: Bobst Group/Armor Lux (Stamm), Solidaires (Dubois), Pindar (Richards) and Hexagon (Dalton), then Class 2: Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America (van Liew) and Class 1: Ocean Planet (Schwab). These have been followed by the class two boats Everest Horizontal (Kent) and Spirit of Canada (Hatfield).

One reason for the relaxed atmosphere stems from the skippers arriving in Cape Town without major damage to their boats. This is a phenomenal achievement when one considers the kicking some competitors received early in the last leg during a ferocious Bay of Biscay gale and the relentless pace maintained from the UK to Africa. It is not only a testament to the skill, judgement and stamina of the skippers, but also to the high and scrupulous level of preparation by all teams.

This overall success in boat management comes as a relief when the catastrophic casualty rates in the Route du Rhum threatens to tarnish the reputation of Open class racing and risks repelling sponsors from investing (or reinvesting) in offshore racing, a sport that can often deliver little tangible return.

This said, the docks are not idle. Hexagon is out of the water to repair a pit-bull bite sized chunk missing from her port rudder and both Hexagon and Pindar have pulled out their rigs for checking. However, miraculously the collision of the latter yacht with a UFO (Unidentified Floating Object) off the coast of Africa left Pindar’s keel undamaged; though the impact at 12 knots boat speed catapulted British skipper Emma Richards across the cabin and onto the chart table. Carbon fibre may, after all, be the material of choice.

A further reason for the relative marina tranquillity is the extended length of the South African stopover. During the Biscay storm the entire Class 2 fleet and all but four Class 1 yachts headed, wisely, for shelter in Spanish ports. Despite some predictable and ill-judged grumbling by barstool admirals in The Snug Bar of “The Commodore’s Arms” about round the world sailors running for cover, there was no dishonour in this decision, reinforced by the fact that all the competitors who started the race in Rhode Island three months ago, will be present in Cape Town.

This extra time in port provides a breathing space for the Class 1 yachts (many have been in Africa for two weeks already) and will allow the delayed Class 2 competitors time for intense and vital boat and personal preparation before the Southern Ocean leg to New Zealand, starting on 14 December. There is a Damaran proverb: “He who wishes to seduce a Bushman’s wife must first grow eyes in his buttocks.” Essentially: If you intend to do something risky…prepare carefully.

Occasionally in life one may experience something that instills a sense of reassurance and evokes trust, almost by instinct alone. The milky smell of a baby’s breath, pink Sancerre on a summer afternoon, Bruce Willis in a vest. The sheer scale of The Victoria & Albert Waterfront Marina, the Around Alone’s base, inspires similar emotions. Picture Portsmouth’s Gunwharf Quay; then treble the size, add some decent modern architecture, good weather, live African music and excellent restaurants. Finally, remove anyone with over enthusiastic amounts of body piercing, replace the backdrop of Portsmouth with Table Mountain and you’re getting there.

In Gunwharf you may be able to buy a “must have” pair of remaindered trainers; at The Waterfront you can find a fertility symbol that will instantly impregnate any woman who risks a glance or a tribal mask that will traumatise your cat.

Offering services and space that most marinas would covet, the berthing is run by Harbour Master Captain Bill Shewell and his deputy Robin Christian with immense calm and efficiency. The fortunate yachts already in port have not drained the marina of skilled, local boat work talent and with machinists and technicians charging RSA Rand 400/day (£30) the yachts still to arrive requiring assistance have little cause for timing or budget worries.

Were the V&A marina uprooted and teleported to Europe it would be an essential and favoured port. There is a striking attention to the marina’s appearance and conservation efforts that far exceed mere pandering to tourist sensibilities. An example is the battery powered, two man raft that patrols the basins collecting floating rubbish, always careful to avoid upsetting the numerous, semi-sacred Cape Fur seals that mooch around in the water farting and belching with abandon, producing tourist mirth and terrible smells.

Only slightly less formidable is the large, yet discreet, security presence for the racing yachts, displaying a politeness completely at odds with the “I was in The Special Forces” (yeah, right!) attitude encountered at many European yachting events.

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