Setting sail for St Helena

Governors Cup gets underway from Cape Town

13 yachts set sail in near perfect weather conditions in Table Bay, Cape Town today for the 1675 nautical mile Governor’s Cup. This biennial event is sailed between Cape Town and the tropical island of St Helena.

The fleet got underway at 14h00 when the Governor of St Helena Mr Michael Clancy fired the start gun off the naval minehunter SAS Umkomaaz. Defending handicap champions Our Dianne, skippered by veteran sailor Billy Leisegang, Swimlion and Aurora took the early lead in a light westerly breeze of approximately 10 knots.

Leisegang is sailing with a mixed crew of South African sailors and so-called Saints from the island, who travelled to local shore as part of St Helena’s youth sailing development programme. Leisegang has been victorious in the past two races and is hoping for a repeat performance this year.

He is, however, keeping a careful eye on the weather forecast as heavy weather has been forecast for the weekend. Shortly before departure Leisegang reckoned that after the first 24 hours of the race, the honeymoon might be over. “If the predicted weather system hits the fleet, I can see some guys having a struggle on their hands. This is when the men will be separated from the boys,” mentioned Leisegang.

According to the South African Weather Bureau, a north-westerly front is due to hit local shores by Friday. The Governor’s Cup is particularly popular as it is a fast, downwind race that capitalises on the traditional South Atlantic trade winds and the front is set to cause some uncharacteristic weather conditions.