March 18th, 2005 Press Release

Guy Bernardin and “Spray” Arrive in Cape Town At 16:30 Friday March 17th the weary but good humoured solo circumnavigator, Guy Bernardin, arrived in Cape Town, concluding a 24 day passage from Walvis Bay.

Guy, an Honorary Citizen of the city, has a long association with Cape Town, having first reached her shores on board Ratso during the 1982/3 BOC race and then Biscuits LU in the 1986/7 BOC.

Tunisian born, Guy was raised in Saint Briac in France and comes from a long line of seafarers. His grandfather and great grandfather were both ship’s captains and Cape-Horners. At 61, Guy has one of the most impressive records in the sailing world. He has competed in all the well known short-handed races including the Ostar, Two Star and Route du Rhum and was the initiator of the world renowned Vendée Globe.

Guy’s passion for boats, the open sea and his planet carried him across the globe for 20 years aboard racing boats. Then, fascinated by the exploits of the first single-handed, round-theworld navigator, Joshua Slocum, he set off in 1995 to relive Slocum’s heroic voyage,. The voyage, a centenary commemoration of the original event, was on board an exact replica of the legendary “Spray” and it is this vessel, “Spray of St Briac”, which is now alongside at Royal Cape Yacht Club.

RCYC Commodore, Russell Vollmer, in welcoming the solo circumnavigator to the club, said “In our centenary year we are particularly proud to welcome Guy. Slocum himself anchored here all those years ago and it is great to be associated with a tribute to that famous voyage.”

Settled at his mooring at RCYC, Guy added that “Cape Town has always been a very good stop because of the hospitality of the people. It is quite unique in the world. I am disappointed that there are now few single-handed stops here. People should see what Cape Town has to offer. There is good food, good wine, good everything.”

The voyage which Guy is now undertaking was originally intended to take 10 months. However, stops along the way have forced the schedule to be revised. Having set sail from Les Sables on September 11, Guy’s passage was interrupted by a stop in Santa Cruz to repair a broken alternator. The doldrums ahead were to prove far more of a challenge and, if the light airs were not enough, a missing keel bolt, only later identified, had Guy pumping out between 700 and 1,000 litres of water a day. There were still more obstacles ahead. The plate holding the port sidestay broke while off the coast of Brazil, making it near impossible to sail on port tack in a heavy breeze. Having headed back toward Cape Town, the broken plate, combined with the notorious South Easter, eventually proved too much and, on Christmas Day, Guy had to change course to Walvis Bay.

A few weeks in Walvis Bay saw “Spray” repaired and ready to again face the ocean wave, but the voyage from Walvis Bay was also to provide many tests of patience and endurance. “Spray”, for all her beauty, does not have the ability to sail toward the wind and this means there are places she simply cannot go. The voyage from Walvis Bay thus became a very long passage and, all told, equates to Guy spending five months alone at sea.

Nonetheless, he would not trade places with anyone and, although disappointed by the stops, the task before him is to ready “Spray” for the next leg, across the infamous Southern Ocean to New Zealand and the notorious Cape Horn.

Speaking from France, Campaign Manager Hervé Nougier congratulated Guy on his patience and good spirit. “We all understand the difficulties he has been through. Sailing without the assistance of modern technology, and sharing his experience through his SSB radio, he has demonstrated his loyalty to Slocum’s legacy. We look forward to seeing him resume this commendable journey.”

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GUY BERNARDIN Guy has written two books “Pot Pourri au Cap Horn” (Ed. Buchet Chastel) and "Sailing around the World", translated from the original version “Sur les traces de Joshua Slocum” in collaboration with Jeremy Mc Geary (published in the USA in October 2002, Ed. Sheridan House).

A film entitled « 20 000 Leagues Under the Seas » (16mm and video of 54 minutes, in French and in English) relating his round-the-world race aboard Biscuits LU is commercialized in the United States.

A list of Guy’s sailing achievements can be found at http://plongeur.nerim.net/gbsailing/ intro-uk.htm.

CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT (France) Hervé Nougier Phone +27,33,1,30647060 Email [email protected]

MEDIA CONTACT (South Africa) Janey Ball, Project Solutions Mobile 082 3787800 Business 021 4349104 E-mail [email protected]

URL’s http://www.gbsailing.com