THE WATERFRONT IS GOING TO ROCK CAPE TOWN’S BOAT!

Volvo Ocean Race activities

 

When the yachts competing in the 2014 Volvo Ocean Race arrive in Cape Town next month they can expect a warm African welcome at the V&A Waterfront. But the fun won’t be limited to sailors. Even those who don’t know starboard from port will be thoroughly entertained at the official Race Village between Saturday 1 and Wednesday 19 November.

 

The Village, positioned on Quay Six in front of the Table Bay Hotel, will be open to the public to explore at will and to enjoy the multitude of activities planned for each day. The village opens at 2pm on Saturday 1 November. Thereafter it will be open daily from 10am to 9pm.

 

On opening day visitors can expect a fun day of entertainment, including free live performances by popular musicians such as rocker Ard Matthews and 2011 Idols finalist Mark Haze in the evening. The boating community will form part of the on-the-water experience by mooring their vessels between Jetty 1 and 2 where they can watch the celebration from their boats.

 

The yachts participating in the Volvo Ocean Race are currently expected to arrive between Sunday 2 and Thursday 6 November.

 

Other daily activities to be hosted at the Race Village over the official stopover period include a Volvo Ocean Film Festival and a variety of activities that form part of an Open Ocean Festival. Capetonians can also expect to see the yachts and crews participating in a number of races in and around Table Bay. Different pavilions sponsored by Volvo and the various yacht syndicates are open to the public for daily exhibitions and activities.

The new one design Volvo Ocean 65 yachts are true racing machines, designed to level the playing fields. Leg wins now come down to the grit, determination and sailing skill of the crew. Each yacht, which costs EUR4.5 million, is equally impressive out of the water boasting a keel length of 4.7m.

 

A special boat yard set up on North Wharf will give the entire family an opportunity to view the yachts from all angles. Between 2 and 12 November each yacht will be lifted onto special cradles. While they are hoisted out of the water, maintenance crew positioned on special platforms built into each cradle will prepare the yachts for the next arduous leg of the race.

 

Seeing the yachts on cradles is one thing, but this year, visitors can explore a cross section of a racing boat at the Volvo Ocean Race VO 65 exhibition. They are welcome to climb inside and to crawl into the bunker to experience the limited space the sailors call home for almost nine months. The exhibition will be on display at the Pierhead in the vicinity of Den Anker, Mondiall and Hildebrand restaurants.

 

 

Adventure seekers wanting to experience the speed at which the yachts race across the sea can do so at the Volvo 40 Knots Experience. A skilled driver will explain the different sea conditions the sailors face each day, before taking them out to sea to experience the sheer thrill of travelling at 40 knots. The experience is open to the public but booking is essential. This can be done at the Race Village.

 

And it doesn’t stop there. Younger visitors will be delighted by the free Volvo-themed activities planned for them at the Kids’ Ahoy playground outside the Amphitheatre, while the free Amphitheatre music concerts will entertain the entire family between 6pm and 7pm. Hot young band GoodLuck will get the crowd in the mood for summer on 2 November. They will be followed by Tucan Tucan on 8 November and Natasha Meister on 16 November.

 

VOLVO CINEMA DOME & OPEN OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL RELEASE

 

‘SEA-ING’ IS BELIEVING

Daily documentary sailing experience and three-day Ocean Film Festival

 

If your idea of adventure is watching it from the safety of a comfortable chair, then grab your popcorn and head down to the Volvo Cinema Dome at the V&A’s Jetty 2. Every day between Saturday 1 and Wednesday 19 November, free documentary screenings will grant visitors an opportunity to experience the thrill of racing a small yacht across mighty oceans.

 

At hourly intervals throughout each day visitors can watch actual documentary footage taken of sailors at sea, entitled ‘A day at the office’. The hour-long presentation includes the documentary, a short chat with a Volvo Ocean Race host who can answer questions as well as a quiz show based on life at the sea.

 

Anyone wanting to learn more about the ocean can also attend free screenings of the Open Ocean Film Festival at the V&A Amphitheatre between Friday 7 and Sunday 9 November. From 7pm each evening, Wavescape will present a bouquet of films focusing on the world’s oceans and conservation issues.

 

Friday, 7 November: 7pm to 9pm

 

The film line-up for Friday, 7 November includes the 4-minute Home which explores ecological links between humans and other species. This is followed by the 15-minute Now Now which showcases six months of champion surfer Jordy Smith’s best surf moments as he travelled between South Africa, Mozambique, Australia and Indonesia. The evening ends with the 85-minute Minds in the Water, an Australian production described as “insane surf meets the ocean’s soul”. The film follows surfer Dave Rastovich’s quest to save whales and dolphins. Join him in Australia, the Galapagos, Tonga, Alaska and Japan.

 

Saturday, 8 November: 7pm to 9pm

 

Durban’s Kushaya Igagasi, translated “Hitting the Waves” is the subject of a 23-minute film on Saturday, 8 November. It includes four mini-narratives presenting the lives of Sihle (20), Andile (20), Shorty (19) and Lucky (23). All four were freed from a life on the streets when they literally hit the waves. Next up is Bending Colours with Jordy Smith. The film, which was shot with super high-tech cam technology combines surf action with creative flair. It takes viewers on a surfers’ journey from South Africa to Indonesia, Reunion and Hawaii. Last up for the evening is Come Hell or High Water, a 41-minute feature film made in Hawaii. The 16mm film offers a glimpse into the rich, colourful and very physical life of bodysurfers.

 

Sunday, 9 November: 7pm to 9pm

 

On Sunday, 9 November an Ode to Simplicity describes the life of Andrew Strode, a carpenter, artist, shaper and importantly a passionate surfer as he lovingly crafts his boards. A heart-warming addition to the 5-minute documentary is the role played by Andrew’s blind dog which is addicted to the ocean. Following this is a 10-minute documentary entitled disguised by Nature in which surfers Bianca Buitendag and Johanne Defay travel to Australia for some spectacular surfing opportunities. Rounding off the festival is the 52-minute Surfing and Sharks which offers a fascinating study of the complex relationship between surfers and sharks in South African waters, culminating in a “cathartic” free diving trip with sharks off the KwaZulu-Natal coast.

 

For more information, visit www.wavescapefestival.com

 

OPEN OCEAN FESTIVAL

 

FOR MORE V&A-VOLVO FUN, JUST ADD WATER

Open Ocean Festival

 

The Open Ocean Festival presents the most fun spectators can have from the shore. Open every day between Saturday 1 and Wednesday 19 November at the V&A Waterfront, the Festival is packed with adrenaline-pumping water activities. All activities take place in Victoria Basin where they can be viewed from the Volvo Ocean Race Village and from Jetty 1, Jetty 2 and Quay Six.

 

Jetovator: Saturday 1, Sunday 2, Saturday 8, Sunday 9 and Wed 19 (various times)

For the most extreme fun you can have on water, don’t miss the Open Ocean Festival Jetovator demonstration in the Quay Six basin. The Jetovator, when attached to a boat as a power source, propels a rider meters into the air by forcing water through a hose to create a jet effect. Professional fly boarders will entertain the crowd with their skill and technique on Saturday 1 November from 14.45pm, on Sunday 2 November from 1pm, on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 November from 12pm and on Wednesday 19 November from 2pm.

 

Dragon boat racing: Saturday 1, Tuesday 4, and Thursday 6 (various times)

Teams of rowers in their colourful dragon boats will demonstrate their skill and precision as they race across the Quay Six Basin. Spectators can view them from the Volvo Race Village on Saturday 1 November from 3pm, on Tuesday 4 and Thursday 6 November from 4pm. The boats will be dressed with heads and tails and rowers will be dressed in their team kits. Drummers will add to the air of festivity.

 

Cape model boat racing: Sunday 2, 9am to 11.45am

Boating enthusiasts should not miss the Cape Model Boat Race taking place at the Quay Six basin on Sunday 2 November. Between 9am and 11h45, they can watch radio-controlled speed boats in various categories, set sail around the basin. Classes will include F1 Outboard, Stock Mono hull, Stock Catamaran, Modified Mono hull and Modified Catamaran. For more information, contact Gerald de Jager on 082 492 8982 or via chairman@cmbc.co.za.

 

Lifesaving demonstration: Sunday 2, 12pm to 1pm

The guardian angels of any beach are its lifesavers so witness their incredible skill in a lifesaving demonstration on Sunday, 2 November between 12pm and 1pm.

 

Open Water Team Relay Swim: Wednesday 5 November, 5pm (registration) 6pm start

Come on in, the water’s fine and everyone can enter the Waterfront’s Open Ocean Festival Open Water team relay swim on Wednesday 5 November at the Quay Six Basin. Registration opens at 5pm at the Race Village and the race begins at 6pm. Teams consisting of four people will get to swim four 200m laps. For more information, or to enter the race, contact Derek Frazer at derrick@bigbayevents.co.za, or enter via www.ntri.co.za.

 

Surf-ski team relay: Thursday 6 November 6pm to 7.45pm (registration from 5pm)

Between 6pm and 7h45pm on Thursday 6 November, don’t miss the surf-ski team relay competition across the harbour basin. The race can be viewed from the Volvo Race Village in front of Quay Six, or from Jetty 1 or Jerry two. Teams will have to complete four 400-meter relay laps on one of two types of surf skis. Two types of surf-ski’s will be used, namely the ‘spec-ski’ which is commonly used by lifesavers for its ability to move easily through waves, and the ‘ocean-ski’ which is longer and created to deal with open ocean swells.

 

Stand-up and Prone Paddling: Friday 7 November 6pm-7pm

Between 6pm and 7pm on Friday 7 November, visitors to the Quay Six basin can watch teams of experienced Stand-up Prone Paddlers compete against each other in five 400-meter relay laps across the harbour basin. The ancient Polynesian skill of prone paddling involved kneeling on a flat surf-board while paddling across the ocean. The competing relay teams will undertake the race standing up on their boards.

 

Canoe polo: Saturday 8 to Sunday 9, 9am-4pm

Visitors to the Quay Six basin at the V&A Waterfront on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 November can watch canoe polo teams battle it out each day between 9am and 4pm. The specially designed canoes used will be slightly smaller. Goals will be positioned approximately two to three meters above the water, and teams score by throwing or flicking with a paddle.

 

Xtreme water polo: Monday 10 to Wednesday 12, 6pm to 7pm

The Quay Six basin will burst into life as teams compete in a three-day Xtreme Water Polo challenge between Monday 10 and Wednesday 12 November. From 6pm to 8pm the basin will be divided into four separate polo pools to cordon off the playing fields in which two 12-minute chukkas are played. The rules will vary from standard water polo rules.

 

Sunset Mile Open Water Swim

Make waves in the V&A Waterfront’s Sunset Mile Open Water Swim on Wednesday, 12 November at the Quay Six basin. Anyone can enter and individuals will be required to swim one ‘mile’ across the harbour basin. Registration takes place at 5pm and the race will start at 6pm. For more information, or to enter the race, contact Derek Frazer at derrick@bigbayevents.co.za, or enter via www.ntri.co.za.

 

NSRI Demonstration: Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 and November 2pm to 3pm

The NSRI is at the forefront of sea rescue along our beaches, and the public is invited to see them demonstrate their skills as part of the Open Ocean Festival on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 November from 2pm. The demonstration will include showing how a helicopter team rescues a person from the water.