Cape2Rio Launch

Overview

On February 13, 2025, SeaKeepers Marina Programme Partner, the Royal Cape Yacht Club, launched The Cape2Rio Race, which crosses the Atlantic for 3300 nautical miles between Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro it is the longest continent-to-continent yacht race in the Southern Hemisphere. The event was held at the RCYC Regatta Centre, in the Port of Cape Town on the marina's edge. The venue's walls were clad with 17 "museum" banners depicting the history of the Cape2Rio race, and a central pillar with all the names of past race competitors. RCYC partners with The International SeaKeepers Society for the 2025 Race and through the DISCOVERY Yacht Programme SeaKeepers will engage RCYC members and Cape2Rio participants in ocean conservation efforts. Yachts registering in SeaKeepers’ DISCOVERY Programme will have the opportunity to contribute to global marine research initiatives while sailing. Participants will play a key role in supporting the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, which seeks to inspire the complete mapping of the world’s ocean by 2030, and to compile all the data into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map. The partnership builds on momentum from a highly successful event at RCYC in December, which featured world-renowned yachtsman and DISCOVERY Programme Ambassador Mike Golding OBE. Golding visited the club aboard DISCOVERY Yacht (DY) Traverse, as part of a global circumnavigation focused on marine research and conservation. Registration for the race is now open, with 11 teams already confirmed, including five entries from South America, out of an expected 30 competitors.

SeaKeepers thanks all the fantastic sponsors who make this event possible and support sailing as a sport.