Epic Cape Town celebrity boat race raises R100 000 for charity

The inaugural Great Optimist Race took place on Sunday 21 October after the original race date was moved due to severe winds in Cape Town.

On the day, 42 sailors, most of them complete novices, set off on a tricky three-lap course through the V & A Waterfront, in front of thousands of spectators.

About the race

With the magnificent Table Mountain as a backdrop, competitors – who ranged from celebrities to captains of industry, and medical survivors – raced for glory in the children’s sailboats.

There were three separate starts which allowed those who had learned to sail only days before a fairer chance on the water.

The event’s focus was on overcoming the odds. Greg Bertish, big wave surfer, charity campaigner and double heart surgery survivor hosted the event.

He says, “This whole project is about inspiring kids. Teaching them a skill, and finding them a passion. Something to live for!”

As with daily life, the race had a few curveballs and obstacles for the sailors to overcome. Not only did the wind squalls and gusts in the second basin cause havoc, but so did the pedestrian bridge that opened and closed at will. Then there were local celebrities Kieno Kammies and Tanya Nefdt, who were armed with water pistols on their own bigger yacht.

And the winner is…

The winner of the inaugural race was shark attack survivor amputee and adaptive surfing champion Caleb Swanepoel.

Coming into the home stretch, 22-year-old Swanepoel in the Primi boat was neck and neck with liver transplant survivor Jasper Eales, but in the end, Swanepoel says luck favoured him.

“What an incredible experience and event! A huge thank you to everyone who organised it. I had so much fun learning to sail and taking to the water. So stoked to be out there today with other survivors and skippers,” says Swanepoel.

The Little Optimist Trust

Aside from the main event which was organised primarily to raise funds for sick and needy children across the Western Cape, the Little Optimist Trust also hosted sailing experiences and academies for children from less fortunate circumstances over the course of the three-day boating event.

A group of boys from The Reach for a Dream Foundation were treated to a Dads and Lads morning of sailing, a captain courage ceremony, a tour of the Two Oceans Aquarium and lunch at a restaurant.

Lawhill Academy kids and 9 Mile Project kids were also treated to a day at the Cape Town international boat show, which included all of the above.

All Optimists will be used in the new Little Optimist Sailing Academy which is being set up to teach sick and needy children how to sail and to give many children who have lost all hope something to live for.

How you can help

To pledge support for the project, please visit the Little Optimist website.