Ingrid Hale

Following last year’s memorable gathering in Cascais, Portugal, the host venue for the 2019 edition of the TP52 World Championship is Puerto Portals on the island of Mallorca, Spain from 25-29 August. The Rolex TP52 World Championship and the associated season-long series, the 52 SUPER SERIES showcase the very best of inshore yacht racing, demanding the highest standard of human and technical performance.

More than 3,000 miles and not a single drop of gasoline. Well, that’s the plan anyways. Team Malizia and climate activist Greta Thunberg are on their way across the Atlantic expending minimal CO2 emissions, a journey that aims to change the mindset of people around the world.

After the third scheduled day of racing of the Lipton Challenge Cup was cancelled on Wednesday due to a strong Cape winter’s storm, racing resumed yesterday. The conditions were icy and rainy, with huge swells of between 2.5-3m’s and drastic wind shifts. All this didn’t make for an easy day out on the water. Going into the day’s racing the leaderboard looked like this: 1st – Witbank Yacht Club/Nitro; 2nd – Royal Cape Yacht Club/ Yanmar; 3rd – Walvis Bay Yacht Club/MB Racing. At the day’s prize giving, the top three boats were handed different colour decals for their sails. Reminiscent of the Tour de France the first boat showed yellow for 1st, white for second and red for third.

The 2019 Lipton Challenge Cup got off to a cold and wet start in a typical Cape winter’s Northerly wind. After racing was cancelled yesterday due to a winter storm, the teams were itching to go today. Boats were tuned, sailors were prepped and the race committee, under the expertise of SRO Doug Allison, were prepared to pack in the required races. The racing started just after the allotted time of 11am. The deep talent pool allowed for exciting racing, with the sailors not giving an inch away.

The world’s leading grand prix monohull circuit will start with two regattas in South Africa in March and April and return to the Mediterranean for regattas in Scarlino, Tuscany in May, Porto Cervo, Sardinia in June, and Valencia in July before concluding in Mallorca at Puerto Portals in September.

For the first time the Lipton Challenge Cup is being sailed on the fast and fun Cape 31’s. The approved sails suppliers for this sports boat are Ullman Sails and North Sails South Africa, as part of a mandate of the Cape 31 build to make use of South African suppliers. Where previously, top-class sailors would largely rely on imported product, the two world-class Cape Town lofts are now also exporting state-of-the-art sails, taking on the best in the business. North Sails South Africa and Ullman Sails Production have not only put local sailmaking on the international map, they have also bolstered brand South Africa at a time when local boatbuilders are increasingly making their presence felt on the world stage.

South African sailor Michael Giles has racked up quite a winning résumé in both offshore and inshore sailing during his more than 35-year career on the water. He has also lent his considerable expertise to project-managing boat builds, offering logistical support to racing teams and individuals, and provisioning teams for ocean-crossing ventures. S+L caught up with him to find out how he juggles these roles and what’s coming next.

The Lipton Challenge Cup 2019 will be one to watch for sure!It is the first ever Challenge Cup to be sailed on the fast and pacey Cape 31.This one-design class may be new to the Lipton Cup but it has renewed a sense of pride and determination to win the second oldest sporting trophy in South Africa.South Africa’s top sailors, each representing a South African Yacht Club or region will be on display, and they won’t hold back for anything!

Long-distance swimmer Ben Lecomte is trying to raise awareness around the overuse of plastics by swimming through the worlds most polluted stretch of water.

The 2019 edition of the Superyacht Cup Palma came to a captivating conclusion with the best day’s racing yet!