Cape Town Classic - 470 Training Camp and Regatta announced

by ISAF on 10 Mar 2015 Cape Town has set the stage for first international 470 training camp and racing, aptly and affectionately known as the Cape Town Classic.

470 Olympic sailor Roger Hudson, explained, 'We are delighted to have hosted the inaugural Cape Town Classic - as spontaneously named by the group of competing sailors! This is the first 'international Olympic 470 event' here in South African waters. We are starting small with this, but we would love to see it grow.'

Joining the South African sailors were teams from Canada and Sweden who have enjoyed two weeks of training and racing in glorious summer time conditions.

The training camp, led by Hudson, was intensive with daily target setting onwater and ashore. The training wrapped up with a regatta off Granger Bay, right beneath the majestic Table Mountain and right at the heart of the city of Cape Town. Eight races in a complete mix of conditions saw the teams facing everything from six to thirty knots.

Asenathi Jim and Roger Hudson (RSA), Carl-Frederick Fock and Marcus Dackhammar (SWE), and Jacob Saunders and Graeme Saunders (CAN) shared the race wins, with overall victory to Jim and Hudson. Not surprising considering their international and Olympic experience to find these three teams at the top, but given a close challenge by the three younger South African teams who also had their moments and knocked out finishes in the top three too.

The training camp and regatta are all part of South Africa's preparations as the nation gears up to host the first ever African Continental Qualifier for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition, that will be held sometime between December 2015 and March 2016. One place for an African nation will be awarded.

Click here to find out more about qualifying to the 2016 Olympic Games in the 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition Qualification System.

Hudson concluded, 'Many thanks to our supporters and sponsors who make this sort of thing, and everything else we do in our campaign, possible,' before opening up the invitation, saying, 'To all those around the world - feel free to come and join us next time here in South Africa.'

The Training Camp and Regatta were sponsored and supported by Southern Charter Wealth Management, Synergy Income Fund, OpenBox Software, SA Sailing, SASCOC, MACSTEEL, Musto, Southern Ropes, MACS Shipping.