Sailing is a sport with a rich heritage, and even as small a port as Gordon’s Bay Harbour has pieces of history. One such example is Royal Flush, a small racing yacht moored at the Gordon’s Bay Yacht Club (GBYC).
The story of Royal Flush began when the legendary Angelo Lavranos was commissioned to design a once-off yacht, intended to win the 1982 Lipton Challenge Cup, South Africa’s most prestigious inshore race event – for the Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC).
She was designed to the modified quarter tonner regulations, with a kevlar foam hull, and a deck of balsa encased in glass-reinforced plastic. At the time, she represented the cutting edge of weight-saving construction.
She proved a great success, placing second in the 1982 Lipton Cup Challenge under skipper Rick Nankin. In 1983, Royal Flush did one better, taking the coveted Lipton Cup for RCYC under the skippership of Geoff Meek.
Following these successes, Advocate Joe van der Westhuizen bought the boat with the intention of not just entering, but winning the 1985 Quarter Ton World Championship in Corsica. Royal Flush was transported to Europe by ship, outfitted and hauled by lorry, and then ferried to Corsica. Geoff Meek was once again selected as skipper.
At the Quarter Tonner World Championships, she competed in a variety of races, including two short course races, a 20 nautical mile race, and an 80 nautical mile medium distance race. Also on the bill was a 23-hour, 120 nautical mile race. She failed to win a single race, but consistently placed in the top four, and thus won the event on consistency.
It was South Africa’s first and only Quarter Tonner World Championship victory. Meek and his crew – Cliff Barnett, Neil Gregory and Joe van der Westhuizen – were awarded Springbok colours on their return to South Africa.
In the years that followed, Royal Flush disappeared from sight and fell into disrepair. That is, until she was rediscovered by Marius Swart, a member of GBYC in 2015.
Swart refurbished her and made some further performance improvements, with an aim to entering her into the modern incarnation of the Quarter Tonner World Championships. After three and a half years of work, Royal Flush was relaunched with modifications, including a rudder, bowsprit and tiller in carbon fibre, and carbon reinforcement of the deck.
From her launch until the beginning of the pandemic, Swart and Royal Flush dominated club racing at GBYC. However, Swart has since relocated to Panama, and Royal Flush once again finds herself looking for a new owner. That she may find, given the recent change in regulations for the 2022 edition of the Lipton Challenge Cup.
The next racing event at GBYC is the Mandrie Maritime Services Autumn Series on Sunday 24 April. For more on sailing at GBYC, contact the manager, Eleonore Bondesi on 021 856 3263, or email gbyc@gbyc.co.za.
