The Regatta

About Admiral’s Regatta

In 2025, Admiral’s Regatta will be held from Saturday 6 September to Sunday 7 September.

This year, the event will take on a simpler inshore format, raced in Hout Bay and open to:

  • Smaller inshore keelboats such as Hunters and L26s – and any boat wanting to sail inshore

  • Senior dinghy classes

  • Small multihulls

Racing will feature a mix of shorter Olympic-style courses and longer races out towards Vulcan Rock, weather permitting.

The event will be run by renowned Race Officer Craig Leslie, with the race committee including:

  • Mark Preen – Commodore, Hout Bay Yacht Club

  • Robert Fine – Rear Commodore of Sailing, Hout Bay Yacht Club

  • Kirsten Veenstra – Regatta Manager

  • Paul van Tellingen – Technical and Scoring

  • A dedicated team of volunteers from Hout Bay

Competitors can look forward to two days of fantastic sailing and the legendary HBYC hospitality. This is one of the few regattas in the Cape Town sailing calendar where dinghies have the chance to sail offshore – making it a special weekend for all fleets.

About the Regatta

Admiral’s Regatta is Hout Bay Yacht Club’s premier annual sailing event. It is one of the only regattas in the Western Cape sailing calendar open to smaller inshore keelboats, senior dinghy classes, and small multihulls – and one of the very few offshore dinghy regattas in Cape Town each year.

The regatta offers spectacular sailing in the picturesque bay of Hout Bay, with Noordhoek and Slangkop Lighthouse as a dramatic backdrop.

The Regatta is open to:

  • Small keelboats inshore/Hunters – PHRF/One Design

  • Senior dinghy classes (single- or double-handed)

  • Senior small catamaran/multihull classes (single- or double-handed)

A brief history

First held in 1991, the Admiral’s Regatta has become a classic fixture in the Western Cape yachting calendar.

The event’s origins date back to 1986, when the Hout Bay Round Table held a major fundraiser by declaring Hout Bay a “Republic” for a day, complete with a “President” and Ministers whose portfolios were auctioned off. A local businessman, owner of a genuine ex-navy minesweeper, bought the “Minister of Defence” title and was instantly nicknamed “The Admiral.”

Five years later, the Admiral agreed to sponsor a regatta in Hout Bay, donating an Admiral’s Sword as the floating trophy. The event has been sailed annually ever since, and although the original sword has been replaced with a replica, the spirit of the regatta lives on.

The attraction of Admiral’s Regatta

Hout Bay offers unique sailing conditions and some of the most scenic racing in South Africa. HBYC’s warm welcome ensures the regatta draws entries from Royal Cape Yacht Club, False Bay Yacht Club, and Gordon’s Bay Yacht Club, as well as visiting sailors from further afield.

With its combination of competitive racing, camaraderie, and stunning surroundings, Admiral’s Regatta remains one of the Western Cape’s most anticipated sailing weekends of the year.