Cape Town - The Royal Cape Yacht club sailing academy made history with its first set of complete crew hailing from marginalised communities, making it to the finish line in the Cape2Rio race.
The crew that comes from humble beginnings and disadvantaged communities, have set the bar and broken stereotypes of race and class.
The dreams of five young South Africans came true on Thursday as their boat, the Alexforbes ArchAngel, arrived in Rio de Janeiro after 24 days and a 3 300 nautical mile ocean crossing from Cape Town to Guanabara Bay.
Skipper Sibusiso Sizatu, 30, first mate Daniel Agulhas, 29, Renaldo Tshepo Mohale, 29, Azile Arosi, 22 and Justin Peters, 21, departed on January 2, with the backdrop of the historic Robben Island reminding them of Nelson Mandela’s words, "It always seems impossible until it's done”.
Sizathu said this was the pinnacle of achievement in their lives, and thanked their sponsor for their support.
“So many years, so many obstacles, yet we kept moving forward. Thank you to my crew, the Royal Cape Yacht Club Academy, our sponsor Alexforbes and our supporters. When we were down at sea, your support drove us. This one's for you,” he said.
Azile Arosi, the only female crew member, said though she was often exhausted, she reminded herself that this was what she had signed up for and it was all worth it in the end.
“As time went by, I realised I signed up for this. But all of this was forgotten on the final day, when we were racing for the finish. We were going crazy, our film crew and our supporters from Royal Cape Yacht Club were waiting for us. It was the most beautiful thing. It was so exciting and a great experience I will never forget,” she said.
Viresh Maharaj, Alexforbes Executive, said the team had made the country proud and were a reminder to all that dreams do come true.
“Sibu and his crew are an example to all of us that with the right support, determination and grit, dreams can and do come true. Congratulations to our five heroes – you overcame your personal circumstances and defied society’s expectations by going boldly into this race,” he said