Race Report

A Warm Welcome Awaits

"All their worries will go," says Sem. "Those sailors will have big smiles on their faces. Cape Town is a happy place."

With that, he stops talking and starts singing. It's what he does, all day every day in various spots around the V&A Waterfront. He gets scraps of cash for his efforts, but that's not solely why he does it. "I have a song in my heart and I like to let it out. Cape Town makes me want to sing."

For some, it makes them want to dance. Others want to swim with sharks, watch lions, eat good food and drink better wine. "There is something here for everyone," says a lady at the tourist information desk. "It is very hard to be bored in Cape Town."

Soon that will be put to the test by a particularly receptive audience.

By the time the fleet trudges through the shadow of Table Mountain and into the dock at the V&A – current estimates suggest that will be Sunday morning for the leading Ericsson 4 – they will be tired, tired men.

So far, the 6,500-nautical mile trip south from Alicante has taken the better part of 22 days. In that time, boats and world records have been broken, an injured sailor evacuated and mental toughness tested.

It has seen a fleet of 88 men simultaneously crave the distortion of time, willing the remaining hours to become minutes and land to appear over the horizon beyond the bow.

Once here, as the tourist information lady promises, they will not be disappointed. The only issue in a stopover lasting barely a fortnight is time, prompting the sailors to reverse their mentality to stretch hours into days.

Luckily, all is within reach.

Just two hours up the N1 and into Western Cape Province sits Aquila Private Game Reserve. Here, lions, rhinos, elephants and crocodiles are at large having been recently reintroduced to the area.

Closer to home, Gansbaai is, according to the promotional material, the "Great White Shark Capital of the World". It's hard to disagree when a cage is all that separates flesh from lots of teeth. "You should have done the whale watching tour", was the advice of the chuckling guide.

Closer still, sailors can enjoy the stunning sights from Table Mountain's peak (can a flat surface have a peak?) and tastes from Stellenbosch's vineyards. If they can face more nautical locations, the Cape of Good Hope is just down the road.

Alternatively, you can ponder life as Nelson Mandela lived it on Robben Island – actually, it is closed for two weeks because of a rabbit cull – or visit Khayelitsha township and see how 1.5 million people manage to survive through poverty barely a few miles from the city's five-start hotels.

Truth is, though, the places are only the backdrop as it is the people who give this city and its surrounding areas their character. Cape Town today, in general terms, is considered the front edge of the new South Africa. It is where Mandela's hope first became reality and where boundaries were brought down. It has inspired a happiness and vibe to the place, where people sing for money and more. In all, it is a place which hosted some of the most significant moments of modern history and the memories are so fresh you can still feel their pulse in the people.

"Twenty years ago a black man like me wouldn't be allowed to sing," adds Sem. "But you can't stop me now."

His singing continues, but now he has a rival. A guy has started playing the theme tune to "Titanic". Hmmm.

The mood is light, though the sun is not as bright as earlier in the week. Soon the fleet will arrive after a very humbling three weeks. When they leave it will feel like they have been here for years, that all their worries have gone. "It's the magic of Cape Town," concludes Sem. "Always smile."