{"id":18178,"date":"2019-10-15T09:04:16","date_gmt":"2019-10-15T07:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.victronenergy.com\/blog\/?p=18178"},"modified":"2026-05-11T14:24:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T12:24:48","slug":"cape-town-international-boat-show-the-great-optimist-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.victronenergy.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/15\/cape-town-international-boat-show-the-great-optimist-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Cape Town International Boat Show & the Great Optimist Race"},"content":{"rendered":"

This weekend (Friday 18th to Sunday 20th October) is the 2019 Cape Town International Boat show<\/a>. Taking place annually the show is South Africa\u2019s premier boating and luxury lifestyle event, held at the V&A Waterfront.<\/p>\n

At the show<\/h3>\n

Victron Energy will of course be exhibiting, based at stand no. M42. Also Victron Energy dealer PowerSol<\/a> will be at stand no. M42. Tickets for the event are available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition to a great range of Victron products on display, with professionals to answer your questions, the Great Optimist Race will be taking place again after a successful inaugural event in 2018.<\/p>\n

What is The Great Optimist Race?<\/h3>\n

This charitable race is a result of Greg Bertish’s passion for sailing, his Optimist dinghy<\/a> and his escape from reality. Infected by a rare tropical bacterium in 2001 at the age of 30, Greg spent over 200 days in hospital and underwent two open heart surgeries. The power of positive thought and the strength of the human spirit have helped him piece back his life and his lifestyle.<\/p>\n

In April 2016 Greg Bertish sailed an 8 foot children\u2019s Optimist dinghy around the Cape of Storms. He crossed False Bay, rounded Cape Point and headed for Langebaan Lagoon on the wild west coast. His 200-kilometre journey matched the 200 days he had spent in hospital, whilst fighting life-threatening heart infections. He raised R300 000 towards a new Intensive Care Unit at the Red Cross War Memorial Children\u2019s Hospital. He then went on to raise R1 million for a renovation of the entire exterior of the hospital.<\/p>\n

Greg Bertish is a big wave surfer and a South African Champion Lifesaver and Stand Up Paddle Boarder. He is an ambassador for the Children\u2019s Hospital Trust and the National Sea Rescue Institute, and founder of the Shark Spotter Program. He has helped raise over R2 million for these charities to date.<\/p>\n

Greg Bertish is the founder and Ambassador of The Little Optimist Trust<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The Great Optimist Race 2019<\/h3>\n

Around 45 Optimist dinghies are scheduled to compete in this year’s event on Saturday 19th October, starting at 12pm sharp.<\/p>\n

The fundraising is to benefit multiple charities in Cape Town – spreading the optimism and the good work across so many sectors. The funds raised by each boat will be split between The Little Optimist Trust and the charity supported by that boat.<\/p>\n

The format is as follows:<\/p>\n