In a history-making voyage, the first full crew of the Royal Cape Yacht Club Sailing Academy from marginalized communities has crossed the finish line in the 50th Cape2Rio yacht race, after a thrilling battle to secure third place.
24 days ride
The dream of five young South Africans came true as the boat, Alexander Forbes ArchAngel, arrived in Rio de Janeiro after 24 days and 3 300 nautical miles across the sea from Cape Town to Guanabara Bay.
NOW Read: Cape Town is included in the Ocean Race
Skipper Sibusiso Sizatu, 30, first mate Daniel Agulhas, 29, Renaldo Tshepo Mohale, 29, Azile Arosi, 22, and Justin Peters, 21, set off on January 2, with the historic Robben Island backdrop reminiscent of Nelson Mandela’s words: “It must it’s impossible until it’s over.”
The final hour of Alexander Forbes ArchAngel’s race saw him neck and neck with his closest competitor, Argonaut, eventually beating him by 23 minutes.
‘A moment I will never forget
“This is the achievement of our lives. It has been many years, many obstacles, but we keep moving forward. Thank you to the crew, Royal Cape Yacht Club Academy, sponsor Alexander Forbes and supporters. Your support pushes us,” said Sizatu.
“Crossing the meridian was a moment we will never forget, as well as the last 16 hours, where we were all on deck racing for the podium positions.”
Disadvantaged background
Born into a disadvantaged community, the crew has broken down stereotypes of race and class and shown that people of all backgrounds can participate in sports such as yachting, which were previously only accessible to the privileged.
Sizatu said in the future, he hopes to see an all-female crew from the academy doing races of the same stature.
Viresh Maharaj, executive of Alexander Forbes, said the team has made the country proud. “Sibu and his crew are an example to all of us that with the right support, determination and grit, dreams can come true.”
The Alexander Forbes ArchAngel crew has made history in the golden anniversary of the iconic race where 16 teams lined up at the start, from South Africa, Brazil, India, Italy and the USA.
READ MORE: From herder to sailor: Sibusiso Sizatu leads the local team at Cape2Rio