The Cape Doctor welcomed Belgium sailor Michel Kleinjans to South Africa as he stormed across the finish line to win the single-handed division of the Portimão Global Ocean Race. The Cape Doctor is the name given by locals to the gale force winds that blow down the backside of Table Mountain taking with it all germs and pollution and flinging them far out to sea. The strong southeasterly wind propelled Kleinjans and his Open 40, Roaring Forty into Cape Town giving him a fair breeze right the way up to the finish line.

The Royal Cape Yacht Club sits at the foot of Africa, a quiet enclave tucked away among the bustle and grit of Cape Town’s docks. It is a prime location for sailors looking for respite from stormy weather and the club has hosted tens of thousands of travel weary sailors over the years. Now in the long tradition of extending a warm South African welcome, the Royal Cape Yacht Club will once more play host to an around-the-world race.

The course for the Portimão Global Ocean Race takes in some of the roughest waters on the planet. Starting in Portimão, Portugal the race stops in Cape Town, South Africa, Wellington New Zealand, Ilhabela, Brazil and Charleston, USA before finishing back in Portugal, a total of 30,000 nautical miles.