Dinghy sailors at the MAC 24 Hour Challenge in the Western Cape have finally broken the elusive World Record for maximum distance travelled in 24 Hours in a sailing dinghy.
South African sailors have had to be patient and wait 25 years for the right conditions to break the record.
The World record stood at 253,3 km – set in the UK at West Lancashire Yacht Club at their annual 24 Hour Race – which has been running every year since 1967.
The Milnerton Aquatic Club GP14 sailing dinghy -Team “ Red Baron” headed by Axel Adelbert and Mark McCloed and another 7 sailors have just sailed into the history books.
They completed 222 Laps on a 1,15km course set on Rietvlei – sailing 255,3 km.
The teams in the MAC 24 Hour Challenge rotate every two hours ,so its similar to a relay race in athletics- the idea is to keep the boats sailing as fast as they can around the course.
The Conditions where perfect for breaking the record with a very strong South Easter from the 12 Noon Saturday start, which moderated at around 9 pm and blew steadily throughout the night.
This is fantastic news for the MAC 24 Hour event and for South African Sailing.
