cape to rio yacht race 1971

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The first Cape to Rio yacht race takes place

Wallis, F. (2000). Nuusdagboek: feite en fratse oor 1000 jaar, Kaapstad: Human & Rousseau. N.B This source is from the archive.|Andre Wessel, (2013),  Flag showing cruises by South African Warships , from SA Navy,  25 November [online], Available at  navy.mil.za  [Accessed: 8 January 2009]|Morgani, B. (2008),  Sailing legend Dalling passes away , from SouthAfrica.info,  9 July [online], Available at  www.southafrica.info  [Accessed: 7 January 2008]

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Cape to Rio yacht race – 1971

Sea scouts cape to rio yacht race – 1971.

The 1971 Cape to Rio was the first ever participation by the Scout Movement in an inter-continental Ocean Yacht Race.

The 50-foot Bermuden cutter "Active" was one of the 59 yachts which sailed from Cape Town at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday, the 16th January 1971.

The yacht covered the distance of more than 3,500 nautical miles to Rio de Janeiro in a time of 32 days 2 hours 43 minutes and 11 seconds, to be placed 37th against the "world's best yachtsmen."

The skipper of the "Active", Mr. Eric Porzig, and the Navigator, Mr. Dave Powell were both Sea Scout Commissioners, and the remainder of the crew, comprised 6 sea scouts, namely Hein and Paul van Gysen, Alan Cocke, John Ravenscroft, Martin Slabber and the Skipper's son, Jeremy Porzig.

Fifty souvenir covers signed by the Skipper and crew were date-stamped at the General Post Office, Cape Town on the date of departure, and at the Post Office at Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro on arrival. These souvenir covers were carried aboard the yacht "Active" during this epic race, and only 30 of these were available to the general public and were disposed of on behalf of the Boy Scout Movement.

The Training

In June of 1970 it was decided that a Sea Scout crew would take part in the Rio-Race on board Mr Porzig's 50-foot cutter "Active".

Ten Scouts started training, which for the first three months consisted mainly of hard work in the form of a complete refit of the vessel. Of the original 10 Scouts five were chosen, namely John Ravenscroft of 1st Clifton, Alan Cook of 9th Cape Town, Martin Slabber of 2nd Plumstead and Hein and Paul van Gysen of 1st Muizenberg. Brian Coxon of 1st Fish Hoek was reserve in case any mishap befell one of the other crew members.

Just before the race two training cruises - one to Saldanha Bay and one to Dassen Island - gave the boys some night sailing experience. The Dassen Island crayfish provided the Scouts with an experience of a different order.

The State President, Mr. J. J. Fouche met with the skipper and crew of the Active at Government House and wished them well and Mr. Irving presented him with the first of the fifty first-day covers of the Cape to Rio race for his stamp collection.

Two days before the start of the race a Cocktail Party was held at Unitie, where the Mayor of Cape Town gave a letter of goodwill to be handed over to the Governor of the State of Guanabara. At the same evening the Skipper, Mr E. Porzig, and the Navigator, Capt. D. Powell, received their Warrants as Hon. Commissioners from the Divisional Commissioner Colin Inglis . The following evening, they were honoured by the presence of the Chief Scout Carveth Geach who flew down from Johannesburg to attend the Blue Peter farewell dinner for all competitors in the race. The Chief Scout came aboard Active to present them with a kudu horn which they were to present to the Scouts of Brazil on behalf of the Scouts of South Africa. During the race this horn gave off such an unearthly smell that life below decks became well-nigh unbearable.

A voyage to remember

After the hectic preparations it was quite a relief to leave moorings. Following the chaotic start, we were divided up in watches which we would keep for the rest of the race. The three watch-keepers were Capt. Powell, Jeremy Porzig and Hein van Gysen. The first evening we were still in sight of other yachts as we raced neck-and-neck with Pen Duick, who overtook us after a few hours. For the first seven days we made good progress owing to a hard South-Easter, and only had one day's run out of these seven under 150 miles. In this period, we were occupied by sewing sails which were torn soon after the start.

Practically the whole of the rest of the race was hampered by lack of wind, and although we were busy enough, we often had to find relief from the heat by jumping over the side while one crew member kept watch with a revolver in case of sharks. We saw quite a few whales on the way and on the second last day one gave us an anxious time by crossing repeatedly underneath the boat. On night watches we were entertained by whistling noises of the dolphins. Once we had an opportunity to swim among them.

We sighted many flying fish. After many unsuccessful attempts to catch bonito, we managed to catch a few dorado for the frying pan. On the whole our food lasted quite well - onions, squash, carrots, tomatoes, oranges, apples and eggs. The bread developed psychedelic spots, which had to be removed. Most of the cheese had to be thrown overboard.

Rio a welcome sight

We crossed the finishing line at a snail's pace. The sound of the engine was like sweet music. We were welcomed at the jetty in Rio by a reporter of the Burger who stood us a beer. He also told us how to order beer in Portuguese. The three days in Rio were spent in hectic sight-seeing, visiting one of the Sea Scout troops, relaxing at the Yacht Club swimming pool, and drinking coconut-milk. The climate was warm and humid; worse than Durban in summer.

Immediately after the start of the Carnival we had to leave for Buenos Aires - a distance of 1200 miles which we did in 8 days. During this period, we ran into a pampero and a South East storm and we had some magnificent sailing. Buenos Aires only saw us for 36 hours; in which time we had to dismast and load the yacht on board Tafelberg.

SAS Tafelberg was a replenishment ship of the South African Navy and acted as official guardship for the race. Because of politics the ship could not enter Rio de Janeiro and instead travelled up the River Plate to Buenos Aires.

Once on board the Tafelberg our troubles were not yet over because we served as Quartermasters and had to stand watches. Our appetite was a source of wonder to the South African Navy to such an extent that one of the Scouts was given the nickname of 'tapeworm'.

On Monday, 15th March, we arrived back in Table Bay and we were honoured that our Navigator, Capt. Powell could pilot the ship into the harbour himself. After two days of unloading Active and restepping the mast, we were back on the school benches.

Many thanks are due to our Assistant Divisional Commissioner Mr. P. Irving (Rocky), whose background work made this trip possible for Sea Scouts.

Ack: Rein van Gysen and The Cape Western Scouter May 1971

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Established in 1971

THE FIRST CAPE TO RIO RACE IN 1971 was initiated and organised by SAORT.  This ocean race placed South African yachtsmen firmly on the international trans-ocean yacht racing map to become the talking point in many of the world’s yacht clubs.

This Trust originated as a result of Bruce Dalling’s success in sailing the 50ft custom designed, locally built, “Voortrekker” into second place in the 1968 OSTAR Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic Race. A group of RCYC yachtsmen formed a special committee to focus on entering SA yachtsmen into international racing events to promote awareness of our deep-sea yacht racing skills.

A long-distance race across the Atlantic between two of the world’s most beautiful cities, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro, was proposed and well supported by the RCYC, the SA Navy and our local clubs and sailors. The Iate Club de Rio de Janeiro gave their enthusiastic support to the hosting of the race fleet at the finish and, with this support, the Cape to Rio Race was officially launched. Fifty-nine yachts, both local and international, started from Table Bay on 2 January 1971!

To arouse interest and awareness of the significance of this new Trans-Atlantic Sailing event throughout the country, a “Merbok” logo was designed, to be the marine equivalent of the “Springbok” sports logo.  A brochure was printed, ties and badges with the Merbok logo were produced. This race was given tremendous coverage from the local press, the public were invited to become “patriots” and to buy ties and badges to give support to this first ever South African Ocean Yacht Race. The response from our citizens throughout the country was overwhelming. The Chamber of Mines designed the South Atlantic Race Trophy and presented it to SAORT. However, with the race sponsor funds and additional money being contributed by the public, the race chairman, Justice Louis van Winsen (also president of RCYC) decided to open a special trust to monitor and control the monies being received. It was named The South African Ocean Racing Trust   which became known as S A O R T .

For several of the following Cape to Rio Races, the newly formed SAORT, provided seeding finance to enable the subsequent Cape to Rio races to take place.

The Trustees, realising that they were not an elective body, called upon the then Cruising Association of South Africa (CASA) to manage the races on their behalf and viewed that the ownership and intellectual property of the South Atlantic Ocean Race belonged to SAORT. They also stated that the sole mission of SAORT was not to interfere with the running of the sport, but to use their funds to further the future interests of South African Ocean Yachting in memory of those sailors and RCYC members who made such an effort to put international deep-sea racing on the map in this country.

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This is a commemorative cover that was carried aboard the Boy Scouts entry "SA-29 Active" in the South Africa 1971 Cape to Rio Ocean Yacht Race.  It is understood this was the first ever participation by the Scout Movement in an international ocean yacht race.  The cover was signed by all members of the Sea Scout crew.  Only 50 covers were prepared of which half were offered to the public and another five auctioned for Scout funds.

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Home » Media Room » The South Atlantic Yacht Race

The South Atlantic Yacht Race

The South Atlantic Yacht Race, originally known as the Cape to Rio, is the longest continent-to-continent yacht race in the southern hemisphere.

While Cape Town has always been the starting point, there have been three finishing venues in the 12 editions of the race since its inception in 1971, namely: Rio de Janeiro, Argentina; Punte del Este, Uruguay; and Salvador, Brazil.

The use of different ports for the finish has seen the race distance vary between 3 400 and 4 500 nautical miles.

Origin of the race

The idea for the holding of a continent-to-continent ocean race – from South Africa to either Australia or South America – was borne out of the success of South African sailor Bruce Dalling in the 1968 South Atlantic Single-handed Yacht Race.

Competing in Voortrekker, a yacht purpose-built for the event, Dalling was second across the finishing line and first on handicap. His success turned him into a national hero, and provided sailing in South Africa with a massive boost.

The Springbok Ocean Racing Trust, together with Clube de Rio de Janeiro and in conjunction with the Cruising Association of South Africa, organised the first Cape to Rio Yacht Race. It took place in 1971.

Sailing fever

A fleet of 10 to 15 yachts was expected, but sailing fever took hold of South Africa and extended beyond its borders too. A total of 69 entries were received, many of them from abroad, and a good number from South Africans living inland. Ultimately, 59 yachts were on the starting line.

Bruce Dalling was chosen to lead the South African challenge in Jakaranda, which was built especially for the Cape to Rio. She was a hugely expensive yacht for the time; she cost US$12 000 to design and R135 000 to build.

The British Royal Naval Association entered the race with Ocean Spirit, co-skippered by two high-profile men in the world of sailing: Robin Knox-Johnstone, who had become the first man to circumnavigate the globe single-handed in 1968 and 1969, for which he was awarded the CBE, and Leslie Williams, who had finished fourth in the 1968 Atlantic single-handed race. They had teamed up to win the 1970 Round Britain race in Ocean Spirit.

History-making all-women crew

Sprinter was an entry that drew a lot of interest. She had an all-women crew of five; it was the first time that an all-women crew would compete in an ocean race between two continents.

The boats set sail on 16 January from Table Bay, with an estimated crowd of 100 000 in attendance. The fleet and the numerous craft surrounding it made for a breathtaking sight on a sunny day.

Voortrekker, which was already the most famous name in South African sailing, led the fleet on both handicap and distance after the first day’s racing. Jakaranda, meanwhile, had her title challenge ended by a broken rudder.

Ocean Spirit and the big Canadian entry from the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Graybeard, had moved up to dice for the lead. They continued to push one another but, by the ninth day, Albatros II had taken over the lead on handicap.

Striana then moved into the overall lead, while Albatros II remained at the top of the board on handicap. A week later, Albatros II, after opting for a southerly course, was reduced to a virtual standstill while those boats that had chosen a course further north made good ground.

First winner

Ocean Spirit finally opened a small lead over Stormy and went on to reach Rio de Janeiro on 8 February, after 23 days and 42 minutes. Graybeard was second across the line, almost a day later.

Fortuna finished less than two hours behind the Canadian entry, with Pen Duick III, the winner of the 1967 Sydney to Hobart yacht race, skippered by Legion d’Honeur holder Lieutenant Eric Tabarly finishing fourth.

Albatros II was the eighth boat into port, but on corrected time she narrowly pipped Striana for handicap honours.

Sprinter, with her all-women crew, was 44th across the line, and greeted with a special three-gun salute to mark the historic moment.

The second Cape to Rio race took place in 1973. Included in the field was 73-year-old Kees Bruynzeel, who had suffered three heart attacks in the year leading up to the race. So determined was he to take part, he took along a nurse specially trained in heart emergencies as a member of his crew on Stormy.

The race favourite was Ondine, skippered by American Huey Long, while Voortrekker had been re-rigged for the race.

Ondine gambled by sticking close to the rhumb line – the most direct route – while Stormy skirted the South Atlantic high, with Voortrekker electing to race a little north of her.

After a week, Ondine ran into trouble and her daily mileage dropped dramatically. Stormy, meanwhile, was fairly consistent.

By day 21, Huey Long had had enough and he made the decision to retire Ondine from the race so that she could keep her other appointments on the racing calendar.

Stormy took victory in a record time of 21 days, 15 minutes and 31 seconds. On corrected time, she clocked 19 days, 18 hours, 20 minutes and 18 seconds. Jakaranda was second across the line, followed by Omuramba more than three days later.

The 1976 race drew a record entry of 128 yachts, including Huey Long, who returned in his maxi Ondine to have another crack at the title. This time around, Long opted for a more conservative approach.

The winds were never strong enough for the bigger entries, like Ondine, to enjoy any runs at maximum speed, which allowed the smaller boats to compete with them. However, Long took the line honours in 17 days, five hours, 35 minutes and 20 seconds to lop more than four days off the record set by Stormy in 1973.

The handicap honours went to Guia III, while South African yachts filled six of the top 10 positions on corrected time.

In 1979, the finish of the race moved to Punta del Este in Uruguay. The new destination increased the distance of the race considerably, from 3 600 miles to 4 500 miles. A winning time of about 30 days was expected.

Because an extra 10 days was calculated for the finishing time, the number of entries dropped drastically from 128 to only 36.

Spar led the race for the first 13 days before she was passed by Kwa Heri. Voortrekker was not far behind, and the race became a three-boat dice.

It was eventually won by Kwa Heri, who reached Punta del Este in a faster-than-expected 24 days. She was followed into port by Spar and Voortrekker.

Entries for the 1982 race, again to Punta del Este, increased from 36 to 48. The international sporting boycott of South Africa, in protest against its apartheid policies of the time, saw to it that there were only two foreign entries in the fleet.

The race developed into a duel between the South African Navy entry Voortrekker II, skippered by Bertie Reed, and Rampant II, skippered by Alan Tucker.

In light winds, the two yachts, both designed by Angelo Lavranos, fought it out for the lead, but the light winds saw them being passed by smaller boats at times.

Just after rounding Ilha de Trinidade, the race swung in favour of Rampant II, who benefited from running into a number of rain squalls. She reached Punta del Este a day before Voortrekker II, but the Navy entry had the satisfaction of finishing two-and-a-half hours ahead of Rampant II on corrected time.

Suidoos took victory in a tightly-contested battle for handicap honours.

The 1985 edition of the race proved to be a real test of fortitude because of unfavourable light winds, which made for an extremely slow 4 500-mile journey. It meant many crews had to deal with depleted water and food supplies. Many of the entrants had to ask for their leave from work to be extended.

The 35-boat fleet generally made good time to Ilha de Trinidade, the point at which they would turn down the South American coast, but once there they struggled.

Apple Macintosh, Momentum Life and 3CR12 were the yachts in contention for line honours, but they didn’t threaten the record for the route, despite making it to Ilha de Trinidade ahead of the pace Rampant II had set three years earlier.

3CR12 fell out of contention by heading too far west early on, and then heading too far north after that, admitted her skipper Alan Tucker.

It was left to Apple Macintosh and Momentum Life to fight it out for line honours, and their battle became extremely close. “It was like a cross-ocean match race, except that we were never really close enough to sail in the same wind,” said Momentum Life’s Ludde Ingvall.

Apple Macintosh went on to reach Punte del Este first, but only after a great challenge from Momentum Life. She made it into port a day and four hours ahead of her rival, but on corrected time her advantage was reduced to 16 hours.

Bertie Reed, the skipper of Interflora Retrans, echoed the thoughts of many when he said: “I really think the course should be re-examined, and we should try to get Rio back as the finishing point.”

Spirit of CIW III finished over a week later, but she edged out Apple by just three hours to take the handicap win.

With international sanctions against apartheid South Africa taking their toll, it was eight years before the South Atlantic Yacht Race returned. Although the sailors had enjoyed the hospitality of Punta del Este, the race was extremely taxing, and so the finish returned to Rio de Janeiro for the first time since 1976.

Entries surged from 35 to 90, including 13 foreign entries, in the year before South Africa’s first democratic election.

There were some eye-catching entries, including the maxi Parker Pen; Morning Glory – purpose-built for the event for skipper Doctor Hasso Plattner, the future owner of the Fancourt; and Broomstick, the South African Navy’s 70-foot entry.

Broomstick and Parker Pen started strongly, but Morning Glory ran into early problems with her spinnaker. Namsea Challenger, skippered by Padda Kuttell, who had taken line honours in the previous edition of the race, was also in the running.

The three front-runners chose different courses on day two, and Parker Pen benefited most by racking up 308 miles in a day.

When lighter conditions struck two days later, Broomstick began to move clear and opened up a lead of 200 miles before Parker Pen was able to start closing it down.

Broomstick, though, made it to Rio first. Her time of 15 days, three hours, and 10 minutes bettered Ondine’s race record by over two days.

Namsea Challenger, meanwhile, was second into port and took over the race lead on handicap. Two days later, however, Morning Glory made port and took the handicap lead by a mere four hours.

Doctor Hasso Plattner was determined to launch a big challenge for victory in 1996 with Fancourt Morning Glory – a completely new and imposing 80-footer, which was the biggest entry in the 54-boat fleet.

The winner of the 1995 Fastnet, Nicorette, was also in the running, but Fancourt Morning Glory was, no doubt, the favourite.

Daly’s Insurance, a 75-footer, made the early running by heading south, but she soon paid the price for her risky course.

Despite less than ideal conditions, Fancourt Morning Glory was on course to shatter Broomstick’s record, but near Ilha de Trinidade she was reduced to a crawl. Still, she had reached that point 380 miles ahead of Broomstick’s record pace.

Once she found wind again, Plattner’s yacht made good progress and reached Rio in 14 days, 14 hours and 52 minutes to better Broomstick’s record by 12 hours and 18 minutes.

Nicorette was second across the line in Rio, while Renfreight edged out Warrior for the handicap win.

The 2000 Cape to Rio race was the first major ocean event of the new millennium, and entries climbed to 72 boats.

Zephyrus IV, an American entry, skippered by Robert McNeil, was expected to challenge the race record established by Fancourt Morning Glory four years earlier. Sagamore, another American entry, would provide tough opposition.

Russell Chen co-skippered iti Windforce with Tony Read, and became the first paraplegic to skipper a yacht in a major ocean race.

The clash between the two American maxis effectively turned the event into a two-horse race and conditions helped the boats progress far faster than Fancourt Morning Glory had four years earlier.

With the conditions playing along, Zephyrus IV and Sagamore were able to sail the rhumb line to Rio. Inevitably, this led to a new race record.

Zephyrus IV was first to the finish in 12 days, 16 hours and 49 minutes, which lopped almost two days off the previous record. Sagamore finished only 10 hours later.

Doctor Hasso Plattner’s company, software giant SAP, took over the sponsorshop of the race in 2003. Plattner also returned to racing in Morning Glory. She was expected to fight it out for line honours with Nicator, a 60-foot trimaran, and Adrenalina Pura, a 65-foot catamaran.

Nicator started brilliantly, logging a sensational 481 miles in the first 24 hours. She was on course for a record until she gambled on the high breaking into two, and instead had to fight her way north.

She later notched up some excellent 24-hour distances, but the final 30 miles to Rio took her seven hours and she missed the record by seven hours, finishing in 12 days, 23 hours, 47 minutes and 54 seconds.

Adrenalina Pura took second, two days and eight hours behind the Swedish entry, while Morning Glory had to settle for third after becoming becalmed after rounding Ilha de Trinidade.

Baleka, an entry from Gauteng province, with an all-Gauteng crew, won on handicap.

The finish for the 2006 South Atlantic Yacht Race changed to Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia in Brazil. The race became known as the Cape to Bahia, with Heineken taking over as the sponsor. The distance to Salvador would be 3 380 nautical miles.

For the first time, single-handed and double-handed entries were accepted.

Included in the fleet were Federico and Crean. At six-and-a-half metres in length, they were the smallest boats in the history of the race.

Hi-Fidelity and Adrenalina Pura were the likeliest title challengers but, less than a day out of Cape Town, Hi-Fidelity’s challenge ended when she struck a whale.

Adrenalina Pura, meanwhile, successfully evaded a high that slowed most of the fleet by heading due west and sailing over the top of it. She reached her home port, Salvador, in an astonishing 10 days, eight hours, and one minute.

Both Federico and Crean finished the race, Crean only 18 hours in front of Federico.

The 2009 race brought together two of the fastest yachts in the world, Rambler and ICAP Leopard. But there was no stopping Leopard, rated by many as the fastest yacht in the world. She recorded an incredible 252 miles in the first 12 hours of the race to show what she was capable of.

Maintaining a course close to the rhumb line, Leopard stormed to victory in 10 days, five hours, 45 minutes and 35 seconds to break Adrenalina Pura’s record.

Rambler took an almost direct route to Salvador, sailing only 40 more miles than the direct distance of 3 440 miles. Still, she finished 21 hours behind Leopard.

Hi-Fidelity crossed the finishing line on the sixteenth day in third place, but still claimed the handicap win.

In 2011, the race returned to its roots and was contested between Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro.

Durban-based skipper Chris Frost guided Prodigy to line honours’ victory, reaching the Brazilian city in just under 16 days.

“Line honours was the goal that we set out to do and we achieved it, he said.

Overall victory, however, went to The City of Cape Town, skippered by 25-year-old Gerry Hegie.

“We were not favoured before the race because we didn’t have a track history, but we put a lot of work into the boat, particularly where it would improve its performance.

“We ran the numbers around the IRC to optimise the yacht for this downwind race and also studied weather systems, downloaded weather files each day and worked through optimum courses.

“We took the boat apart and then reassembled it so we had peace of mind that we could push the boat to the very limit,” he said after securing victory.

“Apart from not being able to take a shower this race was fantastic,” Hegie added.

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A classic blue-water ocean dash across the South Atlantic, the Cape to Rio began nearly 49 years ago. The first race set off from Table Bay in 1971 and has always had a huge international interest, even from the start. It is a tactical race, demanding both seamanship and weather-savvy, being the longest continent-to-continent yacht race in the southern hemisphere. The use of different ports for the finish has seen the race distance vary between 3 400 and 4 500 nautical miles. After leaving Cape Town, participants head north-west towards the island of Ilha Trindade, and south-west from there towards South America. As they near the coast, skippers need to decide whether to take the longer route with stronger winds, or a more direct route with the chance for lighter winds. Even though it is best known as the Cape to Rio Race, the race has indeed headed mainly for Rio, but at times to other South American venues, including Punta del Este in Uruguay, and more recently Salvador, the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia. Cape Town has always been the starting point of the race since its inception.

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1973 | CAPE TO RIO

Start Date: 13 January 1973

Finish:  Rio de Janerio

Number of Entries: 43

Mark:  Ilha da Trinadade

Race Distance:  3600nm

Handicap Results:

Winner:  Stormy Skipper/Owner: K Bruynzeel Time: 19d18h20m18s

Second Place:  Jakaranda Skipper/Owner: Time: 20d00h10m47s

Third Place:  Omuramba Skipper/Owner: Time: 21d00h16m59s

Line Honours Results:

Winner:  Stormy Skipper/Owner: K Bruynzeel Time: 21d12h15m31s

Second Place: Jakaranda Skipper/Owner: Time: 22sd08h51m39s

Third Place:  Dabulamazi Skipper/Owner: R G Rennie Time: 25d11h32m33s

The 1973 edition, saw 40 yachts on the start line, including the 13.23m ketch Stormy . Her owner, Kees Bruynzeel, then 72, had suffered a three heart attacks in the year leading up to the race, and his doctors did not want him to go, but with a nursing sister, Diana Goodliffe in the crew, the determined Bruynzeel set off, and Stormy took both line and handicap honours in a time of 21 days and 12 hours, a fitting success to crown Bruynzeel’s long career in ocean sailing.

The race favourite was Ondine , skippered by American Huey Long, while Voortrekker had been re-rigged for the race.

Ondine gambled by sticking close to the rhumb line – the most direct route – while Stormy skirted the South Atlantic high, with Voortrekker electing to race a little north of her.

After a week, Ondine ran into trouble and her daily mileage dropped dramatically. Stormy, meanwhile, was consistent. By day 21, Huey Long had had enough and he made the decision to retire Ondine from the race so that she could keep her other appointments on the racing calendar.

Stormy took victory in a record time of 21 days, 15 minutes and 31 seconds. On corrected time, she clocked 19 days, 18 hours, 20 minutes and 18 seconds. Jakaranda was second across the line, followed by Omuramba more than three days later.

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