The Great Optimist Race in conjunction with Boatica is back!
Following a two-year break as a result of the global pandemic, the Little Optimist Trust is delighted to announce that the event will once again take place at Cape Town’s annual Boat Show, Boatica, on Saturday the 29th of October. This year will see 15 hand-picked elite little optimist dinghies race for glory. They will be sailed by celebrities, captains of industry and medical survivors. Cape Talk’s Pippa Hudson and Adventurer Riaan Manser will be leading the celebrities, with two time winner and shark encounter survivor Caleb Swanepoel back in his Two Oceans Marine Boat.
Other contenders include double lung transplant survivor Tanya Bothma , stroke survivor Hilton Swanson, CEO Gareth Leck and big wave surfer Matt Bromley. Little Optimist Trust Founder Greg Bertish says: “This year is going to be fast and furious and all in the name of raising funds for the Little Optimist trust and other charities.”

The Great Optimist Race will take place in the V&A Waterfront’s Battery Park canals at 12:00 on 29 October 2022.
Not only will The Great Optimist Race serve as one of the highlights on Boatica’s calendar, but funds raised will be poured back into the ongoing sailing therapy offered by the Little Optimist Trust’s sailing academy at Battery Park. The academy teaches sailing skills to disadvantaged, sick and marginalised children, giving them much-needed confidence and joy.
Members of the public are invited to bring family and friends, young and old, to the Academy’s sailing clinic at Boatica. They will be offering a sailing experience and lessons on 28, 29 and 30 October, in conjunction with South African Sailing. To sponsor or back a boat for the race for charity donate here: www.backabuddy.co.za.
To book a sailing experience or for more information on sponsoring a boat or a sailor, please visit: optimistsailingacademy.org

Colin Dix-Peek will be raising funds for songo.info at the 2022 The Great Optimist Race, though his oppy will be skipped by Jed Hewson.
songo.info at The Great Optimist Race
How we are planning to raise money for songo.info, is through an event that is held by another charity organization which is very close to my heart. This is The Little Optimist, which Greg Bertish runs. Again, probably most of you are familiar this amazing charity, truly amazing. Spend half an hour with Greg and you will donate your house.
How this works. On the 29th of October, The Little Optimist hosts a sailing race, The Great Optimist Race, in the V&A Waterfront, during the boat show. Each optimist boat in the race, is sponsored, and sails for a charity. The money raised by our efforts, will go to songo.info, and The little Optimist. Our boat will sail for songo. Jed Hewson, has offered to sail the optimist for us in the race, fresh off his Mossel Bay Offshore victory two weeks ago, sacrificing his ride at Laborie ( yes they both happen on the same day ). Thanks Jed.

The songo.info oppy in action in a Little Optimist race in Sandvlei earlier this year.
How Can You Help?
Click on this Back a Buddy link and donate to the charity.
Follow the action on social media by liking The Little Optimist trust’s Facebook page or following them on Instagram, @littleoptimist.