The Great Circle Race is the one that ABYC sailors talk and reminisce the most about. As the only regular overnight race on the calendar some of the trips have reached almost mythical proportions with stories of 14 hour beats to Bird Island followed by 4 hour sleigh rides back on the crest of huge waves in 30 knots plus with spinnakers straining and regular broaches keeping the crew awake.

Friday 14 May saw 5 yachts out of the entered six leave the Port Elizabeth Harbour at various times to round St Croix and Bird Island to port and then dash for the finish line between the Bell Buoy and the Summerstrand Beacon.

With the weather predictions showing some decent breeze starting at 6:00 p.m. and then fading halfway into the morning, disappearing for a good few hours and then swinging to bring the boats home, with hindsight it would have been far better to leave at 6:00 p.m. despite the naysayers dire predictions of another night in a 'washing machine'!

First to leave was Fling at 21:08, followed by Conbrio at 21:37, Lady at 21:38, Wattoo at 21:42 and Struan at 21:56 with Seralon opting to stay at home.

Sean Wiseman, Russel Morgan, Mike van Wyk, Johan Herselman and Daryn Kretschsmann manned the base station, regularly polling the yachts for positions and plotting them as they were received.

One boat (that shall remain nameless, but the swopping of a couple of crisp R200.00 notes could persuade me to tell!) decided to pop in to the Colchester Garage (to fill up with diesel?) and, when they were told that their position was 'kinda impossible' promptly gave their new co-ordinates, which were then plotted as them crossing the Sunday's River Bridge (just what did the garage put in their diesel?).

With the dropping breeze and 2.5 to 3 metre swells impeding progress towards Bird Island the boats started dropping out at 01:28 with the last retiree, Conbrio, calling it a day at 07:30 in the morning.

This left Struan still in the race.

The positions of yachts in the Great Circle Race.

From the race report by Derek Bouwer:

"Most of the fleet opted to go inshore toward Bird Island while Struan chose off shore hoping to reach to the Island early in the morning.

With the wind dying the long haul to the Island became a cat and mouse game between sail settings and the wind. The Light conditions took their toll as boats retired with sea sick crew.

At first light and in 2 knots of breeze Bird Island light house could be discerned in the mist.

We found a small 7 knot land breeze at 06:00 but this only lasted till 07:00, dumping us off Bird Island between Seal Rock and North Patch. There we drifted painfully slow at times registering 900 feet over the ground in 1.5 hours. While we watched a chopper ferry provisions to the Bird Island research team. The discussion started should we retire or not? It was decided that it was just as far to get back after retiring as to go around and finish the course. Clinging to the buoy weather forecast of 7-11knots of SE'ter at 14:00, we waited! Keeping a weary eye on the breaking North patch!!

For once the forecast was right at about 13:50 the South Easter came up and soon we where chomping around Bird Island giving East patch, Doddington and Whale rocks a wide berth. With them out the way it was a gull-wing sleigh ride, off the wind, home. Where earlier we had registered 900f in 1.5 hours now we registered at one time a 11.4 knot surf down the back of a swell. Trying to find the Bell buoy in the dark against the background of lights ashore became our next mission, problem solved when the bell was heard, on our Starboard side, we rounded and finish at 20:50.

Back to the club to a cold beer and a welcome from the Vice Commodore sailing (Shaun thanks it was much appreciated). Then home to sleep, fully clothed boots the lot."

The winning boat received R1000.00 from the pocket of Sean Wiseman.

Struan's winning track

And the cryptic "Chicks Rule"?

Struan's crew included a woman AND the last boat to retire, Conbrio also included a woman on the crew list, whilst all the other boats had only gung ho men onboard - FOOD FOR THOUGHT!

The winning Struan crew: Derek Bouwer, Joan Barry, Chad Jackson, Pierre-Louie Lethiercier and Tiaan Pieterse.