News from the fleet
Report back from SV FRYD
Finally some news from Fryd. So, after a somewhat troubling start, we are finally on the open seas again…, and Andrew has lost his first fish (more on that in later briefings.).On day one, as we entered the wind belt of the strong south easterly, and the seas starting to build, we quickly realized that something was not right with our steering and we kept loosing control of the boat in the big surf. Reducing sail, and after some tense hours of intensive investigation, we concluded that the shaft holding the steering wheel was jumping out if its bearings as soon we had some load on the rudder. Crossing, the Southern Atlantic without proper steering is not an option, so we decided to slowly sail to Saldanha Bay, moor up and then take the steering system apart to see what can be done. Well into the Bay, we got a message from Theodora on the Suidoos, asking for assistance to help her into the bay as she had a problem with her wind rudder. In pitch darkness, we took her on a tow at the entry of the bay, went into an anchorage and the following morning moored our two boats up at the yacht club dock. There, we were in good company with Serendipity and Solitaire being moored at the same dock, each of them sorting out their own issues. As Andrew and I had taken Fryd’s steering system apart, and having identified issue, we looked at each other and concluded that the Cape2 Rio is game over for us… This was our darkest moment. However, under the motto of never giving up, and with the Andrews engineering ingenuity together with the fantastic support of the local techs from the marina, that could machine us a specific part, we managed to rebuild the broken steering system back fully functionality. Ok, so now we are back in the race, having given the rest of our competitors some 24 hours head start. But watch out guys, we now have the big sail up, coming to get you from behind.
So, clear the path, Fryd is on the move again!
Report back from SV Vineta
Sorrý about the lack of news from aboard Vineta! The first 48 hours of the Cape 2 Rio Race have been quite busy!
I’m sure a lot of people are discussing the strategies of the various competitors, but without giving too much away, I will just say that our policy is to sail our own race! Right from the start, we were probably the only boat to start on starboard and head for Blouberg Beach. This was based on local knowledge that says that the reason it is called Blouberg is because the wind always “blous” there! We felt vindicated in this call when we saw all the South African flagged competitors follow us, while all the foreign flagged boats seemed to leave Robben Island to starboard, counting on a shorter distance to Rio right from the start!
We did eventually sail into the lee of Table Mountain, and a transition zone, somewhere south of Dassen Island, so had a bit of slow going to that island, but then quickly sped away as soon as we were past the island.
Anticipating strong breeze for the first night, we opted to sail conservatively and chose to hoist the Jib Top, J2 and three reefs. This kept our speed to a manageable 13 – 15 knots with occasional surfs at over 20 and a top speed in excess of 21.5. We were accompanied by whales and dolphins during the first evening.
We were sorry to hear that Solitaire, Fryd, Serendipity and Suidoos II all had problems during the night, neccesitating a call in to Saldanha to effect repairs. Well done to all the crews on getting back into the race very quickly.
On Sunday morning we passed close to a ship called “Du Juan Song” which called us up on the radio to wish us luck. I was a bit surprised when I heard him calling, and at first wondered which song he wanted me to do!
By late morning the breeze had eased off considerably and we were under full main and A2, which allowed us to achieve a 24 hour run of 274 miles. Not a bad start.
Sunday evening was again quite exciting, so we changed from A2 to A6 for the night, but still maintained 10 – 11 knots, which eventually gave us a second days run of 201 miles.
Today…Monday…has been a beautiful day. Wind perhaps a bit too light at times, though we have managed to keep the boat moving nicely and on the course that we think will ultimately work best to negotiate the light winds of the high pressure system.
Had a turtle swim by during the day, to have a look at the boat. During the night a small squid jumped onto the deck. We have already seen a few flyingfish, but no doubt there will be many more when we get into even warmer water.
Report back from SV Alexforbes AngelWings
Excitement Time and Tough Time
The time has come — the 3,300 nm longest race in the Southern Atlantic has begun, and we as Alexforbes Angel Wings are back at it again. The race started with classic Cape Town conditions: the Cape Doctor delivering strong winds right from the gun. Off the start, we had really good speed and aimed to sail to the starboard side of Robben Island, with a few boats choosing the same route. However, as we got closer to the island, the wind began to get lighter. A quick look around showed that we were the only local team attempting the starboard option, surrounded by foreign boats. With no hesitation, we gybed back to the east of the island where the rest of the local fleet was, we shook the reef, and we hoisted the S4. By the middle of the night, the wind had built to 38 knots. A few crew members became seasick, making manoeuvres challenging. We decided to drop the kite and keep the anti-wrap up until sunrise, sailing under main alone. The next morning didn’t go as planned. When we hoisted the kite, we realised the wrong sail had been packed in the wrong bag — it was far too big for the conditions. We had to drop it immediately. During the drop, a sheet slipped from a tired hand and went into the water, causing the kite to drag alongside the boat. After 1 hour and 50 minutes of trying to recover it, we realised the solution was to fully depower the boat. We dropped the main, and within five minutes, the kite was safely back on board. We immediately hoisted the main and a smaller kite. Our current situation: light winds, moving steadily at 4 knots, and back in the race.
Lesson Learned
Sailing is like life — you need to understand the difference between recruitment time and investment time.Recruitment time is all puppy love and excitement — the happy moments, the adrenaline, the perfect start. That was the beginning of our race. Investment time is when it feels like you hate what you’re doing, because of the hard moments and the challenges you face — but deep down, you love it. That’s where the real commitment lives.The team is just in that phase now —two hours of retrieving the kite.
THESE RESULTS ARE PREDICTED OR PROVISIONAL – 29/12/2025 14:00:00B
Line Honours: Generated: 29 Dec 12:06:18 UTC
| Pos | Name | Last update | DTF (NM) | Distance Sailed (NM) | Estimated finish time (SAST) | Elapsed time | Estimated finish time (SAST) corrected | Elapsed time corrected | Latest Position |
| 1 | Nuna | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 2909,5 | 417,2 | 17 Jan 13:01:02 | 20d 23h 1m 2s | 17 Jan 13:01:02 | 20d 23h 1m 2s | 031° 25.182S, 011° 04.080E |
| 2 | Vineta | 29 Dec 14:00:04 | 2945,1 | 489,8 | 29 Jan 05:04:00 | 32d 15h 4m 0s | 29 Jan 05:04:00 | 32d 15h 4m 0s | 028° 40.458S, 011° 27.822E |
| 3 | Lifgun | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 2952,6 | 409,8 | 20 Jan 04:37:00 | 23d 14h 37m 0s | 20 Jan 04:37:00 | 23d 14h 37m 0s | 030° 13.374S, 011° 47.628E |
| 4 | Esperança | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 2966,7 | 410,3 | 24 Jan 08:26:22 | 27d 18h 26m 22s | 24 Jan 08:26:22 | 27d 18h 26m 22s | 029° 57.420S, 012° 02.190E |
| 5 | Metric 4T | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 2977,4 | 425,6 | 19 Jan 21:16:41 | 23d 7h 16m 41s | 19 Jan 21:16:41 | 23d 7h 16m 41s | 029° 30.696S, 012° 11.466E |
| 6 | Alexforbes Angel Wings | 29 Dec 14:00:06 | 2986,5 | 402,2 | 20 Jan 21:17:52 | 24d 7h 17m 52s | 20 Jan 21:17:52 | 24d 7h 17m 52s | 029° 50.058S, 012° 24.306E |
| 7 | Audaz 2 | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 2986,6 | 396,3 | 23 Jan 04:22:05 | 26d 14h 22m 5s | 23 Jan 04:22:05 | 26d 14h 22m 5s | 029° 54.156S, 012° 24.906E |
| 8 | African Skimmer | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 3057,4 | 323,4 | 25 Jan 14:53:22 | 29d 0h 53m 22s | 25 Jan 14:53:22 | 29d 0h 53m 22s | 030° 25.602S, 013° 51.078E |
| 9 | CYU Solitaire | 29 Dec 14:00:08 | 3077,8 | 265,6 | 17 Jan 03:32:43 | 20d 13h 32m 43s | 17 Jan 03:32:43 | 20d 13h 32m 43s | 032° 00.492S, 014° 25.818E |
| 10 | Serendipity | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 3093,0 | 263,8 | 20 Jan 17:28:11 | 24d 3h 28m 11s | 20 Jan 17:28:11 | 24d 3h 28m 11s | 031° 39.822S, 014° 41.544E |
| 11 | Fryd | 29 Dec 14:00:06 | 3126,4 | 271,5 | 25 Jan 09:24:49 | 28d 19h 24m 49s | 25 Jan 09:24:49 | 28d 19h 24m 49s | 030° 59.622S, 015° 15.972E |
| 12 | Suidoos II | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 3134,2 | 236,1 | 26 Jan 20:20:03 | 30d 6h 20m 3s | 26 Jan 20:20:03 | 30d 6h 20m 3s | 031° 28.422S, 015° 28.740E |
ORC: Generated: 29 Dec 12:06:18 UTC
| Pos | Name | Rating | Start Time | Last update | DTF (NM) | Distance Sailed (NM) | VMG Recent (Knots) | Estimated finish time (SAST) | Elapsed time | Estimated finish time (SAST) corrected | Elapsed time corrected | Latest Position |
| 1 | CYU Solitaire | 1,222 | 27 Dec 14:00:00 | 29 Dec 14:00:08 | 3077,8 | 265,6 | 6,9 | 17 Jan 03:32:43 | 20d 13h 32m 43s | 21 Jan 17:00:49 | 25d 3h 0m 49s | 032° 00.492S, 014° 25.818E |
| 2 | Serendipity | 1,250 | 27 Dec 14:00:00 | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 3093,0 | 263,8 | 5,8 | 20 Jan 17:28:11 | 24d 3h 28m 11s | 26 Jan 18:34:08 | 30d 4h 34m 8s | 031° 39.822S, 014° 41.544E |
| 3 | Alexforbes Angel Wings | 1,267 | 27 Dec 14:00:00 | 29 Dec 14:00:06 | 2986,5 | 402,2 | 5,6 | 20 Jan 21:17:52 | 24d 7h 17m 52s | 27 Jan 08:55:18 | 30d 18h 55m 18s | 029° 50.058S, 012° 24.306E |
| 4 | Suidoos II | 1,092 | 27 Dec 14:00:00 | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 3134,2 | 236,1 | 4,6 | 26 Jan 20:20:03 | 30d 6h 20m 3s | 29 Jan 14:51:59 | 33d 0h 51m 59s | 031° 28.422S, 015° 28.740E |
| 5 | Lifgun | 1,411 | 27 Dec 14:00:00 | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 2952,6 | 409,8 | 5,7 | 20 Jan 04:37:00 | 23d 14h 37m 0s | 29 Jan 21:39:58 | 33d 7h 39m 58s | 030° 13.374S, 011° 47.628E |
| 6 | Nuna | 1,631 | 27 Dec 14:00:00 | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 2909,5 | 417,2 | 6,4 | 17 Jan 13:01:02 | 20d 23h 1m 2s | 30 Jan 18:28:17 | 34d 4h 28m 17s | 031° 25.182S, 011° 04.080E |
| 7 | Fryd | 1,292 | 27 Dec 14:00:00 | 29 Dec 14:00:06 | 3126,4 | 271,5 | 4,9 | 25 Jan 09:24:49 | 28d 19h 24m 49s | 02 Feb 19:05:56 | 37d 5h 5m 56s | 030° 59.622S, 015° 15.972E |
| 8 | Metric 4T | 1,606 | 27 Dec 14:00:00 | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 2977,4 | 425,6 | 5,8 | 19 Jan 21:16:41 | 23d 7h 16m 41s | 03 Feb 00:08:41 | 37d 10h 8m 41s | 029° 30.696S, 012° 11.466E |
| 9 | African Skimmer | 1,293 | 27 Dec 14:00:00 | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 3057,4 | 323,4 | 4,7 | 25 Jan 14:53:22 | 29d 0h 53m 22s | 03 Feb 03:21:25 | 37d 13h 21m 25s | 030° 25.602S, 013° 51.078E |
| 10 | Audaz 2 | 1,454 | 27 Dec 14:00:00 | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 2986,6 | 396,3 | 5,1 | 23 Jan 04:22:05 | 26d 14h 22m 5s | 04 Feb 05:55:55 | 38d 15h 55m 55s | 029° 54.156S, 012° 24.906E |
| 11 | Esperança | 1,405 | 27 Dec 14:00:00 | 29 Dec 14:00:05 | 2966,7 | 410,3 | 4,8 | 24 Jan 08:26:22 | 27d 18h 26m 22s | 04 Feb 14:04:51 | 39d 0h 4m 51s | 029° 57.420S, 012° 02.190E |
| 12 | Vineta | 1,599 | 27 Dec 14:00:00 | 29 Dec 14:00:04 | 2945,1 | 489,8 | 4,0 | 29 Jan 05:04:00 | 32d 15h 4m 0s | 17 Feb 18:21:31 | 52d 4h 21m 31s | 028° 40.458S, 011° 27.822E |
