Hi, just a quick note to keep you in the loop about the mcel 2008 Vasco da Gama Ocean Race from Maputo to Durban which starts on 31 July.

Documentation
The race documentation so far is available to dowload below as .pdf files:

 Notice of Race
 Entry Form
 Safety Requirements
 List of Trophies

Club Anniversaries
I have mentioned in previous mails that the race is part of the Royal Natal Yacht Club´s 150th anniversary celebrations, and Clube Naval in Maputo´s 95th anniversary. That´s a combined 245 years of involvement in sailing - a wonderful achievement. All competitors will receive a commemorative medal.

So, please seriously consider entering the race this year and support these two iconic yacht clubs in their celebratory years.

In fact, entrants from out of Durban may be interested to know that there are two other regattas in Durban they could tie into prior to the Vasco Race. The RNYC is hosting an anniversary regatta from 14 - 16 June - a long weekend. And then the MSC Regatta runs from Sunday 29 June to Friday 4 July.

As all these events take place in Durban´s mild winter where T-shirts and shorts are generally worn, they are a good and compelling reason to leave the cold winter at home and head to warmer climes!

Possible Entries
Interest in entering has been expressed from the following (please note these are not official entries - yet - merely indications of interest):

• Dale Kushner - Benba.co.za
• Dave Elcock - Simonis 35
• Don Voysey - Zeus
• Dwayne Assis - Pants on Fire
• Errol Stern - Tenacity
• Keith Stewart & Colin Schwegman (PYT) - Standfast 2
• Leo Kroone - Phezulu
• Nicholas Mace - Crocs (Gumption)
• Nigel Miln - Skitzo
• Rob Bowman & Wim van der Loo - Elan (with some German crew)
• Robbie Dove
• Sunsail & Chris Bonnet
• Tony Cunningham - Moquini 2
• Wendy Venter - Shanen (cat)

Plus, there is a good chance that a former race winner will be mounting a serious campaign aboard a chartered yacht. All this is even before entry forms have been sent out - so here´s hoping we have a really good fleet this year.

Crew
There are always crew looking for berths, so if you need crew, or want a berth, please let us know and we´ll do what we can to assist. Richard Stubbs This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it is looking for a berth. In an e-mail he wrote "I have great memories of sailing this race in 2001 , when we won the race on Kindred Spirit, with Craig Millar and Robbie Dove." He has a coastal skippers ticket (RYA).

Sandy Ostendorf
The good news for all is that Sandy Ostendorf has agreed to be the regatta secretary again this year. Having held that position for a few years now she will bring a lot of knowledge to the event - and I am sure make everyone´s lives a lot easier when it comes to the paperwork. Sandy can be contacted on 031-301 3078 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Rob Samways
Rob has agreed to come aboard as combined Race Officer and Safety Officer. Rob is no stranger to the race and brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Clube Naval
Clube Naval is in full swing with their preparations to host us, and Monica Campos, their effervescent lady who has a finger in many pies at the club is arranging the Tuesday night crew dinner at Clube Naval. This will be an `eat-as-much-as-you-can´ seafood extravaganza for just R150 per head. That´s reason enough to enter the race!

Trophies
Over the years the race has collected an impressive array of trophies to award at prize giving. It looks something like this:

Line Honours

• Barens Trophy 1st on Line Honours
• Marlow Trophy 1st L34 over the line
• Woodcraft Trophy 1st Stadt 34 over the line
• Richie MacDonald Trophy 1st PYC boat over the line IRC
• CASA Salver 1st KZN boat over the line IRC
• RNYC Rescue Trophy 1st RNYC boat over the line IRC

Corrected Time

• Premier´s Cup 1st KZN boat on corrected time IRC
• NSRI Trophy 2nd on Handicap IRC
• Wilbur Ellis Trophy 1st on Handicap Overall IRC
• Paper Pack Trophy 1st on Handicap PHRF
• Clube Naval Trophy 1st Cape Town boat on handicap IRC

General Trophies

• Ken Smith Trophy Good Comradeship Award
• Interclub Trophy
• Bentley Nuttall Trophy Navigator of the overall winning boat on handicap
• Rubicon Memorial Trophy Outstanding Seamanship

Crew Bus
It would be appreciated if potential entrants could indicate whether any of their crew may want to make use of the bus to take crew from Durban to Maputo - should this service be made available this year.

Wednesday Racing in Maputo Bay
Mcel, the race sponsors, have requested we hold two races in Maputo Bay of Clube Naval the day prior to the race to Durban. These will be short low-key races which should not disrupt race preparations. One is a Pursuit race and the other a fleet race. There will be a prize-giving afterwards.

As organisers we request all competitors to compete to assure we give our valuable sponsors, mcel, the exposure they require. A separate NOR and Sailing Instructions will be issued.

Small Craft Harbour in Maputo.
The same mooring situation which was used for the race last year has been confirmed in Maputo. I believe that this worked well and competitors
were happy with the situation.

Important Dates

• Start Thursday 31 July
• Maputo Bay - mcel sprint and pursuit races - Wednesday 30 July
• Crew Dinner `Seafood Extravaganza´ Tuesday 29 July

I´ll keep in touch on a regular basis, but should you require any further info, please contact either myself of Sandy Ostendorf our Race Secretary.

Regards
Richard Crockett
Chairman: Organising Committee