Entry no. 3 : Atalanta – Heye Daun & Gerry Hegie
St. Helena Race 2024 – Atalanta
As the new owner of Atalanta, I am very excited to be participating in this years Governor’s Cup, and to be teaming up with Gerry Hegie, as boat skipper / captain and my offshore sailing coach, to compete in this years Governors Cup. Gerry is a highly experienced yachtsman and is well known in the Cape offshore racing fraternity, having previously raced on Cape 31’s and successfully competed in most of the offshore races in the southern Cape.
In 2002 Gerry partook in the Cape to St Helena race and was watch Captain and Helmsman on a Judel Vrolijk 34 called ”Jika” and in 2003 he sailed double-handed with his late father in the South Star edition of the race and finished 3rd overall on their family’s yacht, Touch Wood which they have owned since 1981.
Gerry has a long history with the island and has stopped over at the Island often with numerous South Atlantic crossings. He has a deep-rooted passion for offshore yacht racing, describing the exhilaration of surfing downwind in the open ocean in 25-35 knots of wind for days on end. As he said “I definitely have some unfinished business with the St Helena race.”
Gerry and I very much look forward to joining the St Helena race in a competitive campaign on the JPK 10.30. Having just recently completed a north Atlantic Transat in the Cap Martinique race shorthanded from Brittany/France to Martinique in the Carribean with this JPK 10.30, Gerry knows the boat very well and is the perfect coach for me to get me competent on the boat.
St Helena is a magical Island and it’s such a blessing to visit and approach the island by sea. We are therefore seriously looking forward to this year’s edition of the race.
Heye & Gerry
