Defying the odds: South African youth sailors achieve historic win in Cape2Rio yacht race

The ocean doesn’t care where you come from. It doesn’t ask for your surname, your postcode, or the colour of your skin.

It only asks one thing: what are you made of when everything goes wrong?

This weekend, South Africa got its answer.

Six young sailors from Masiphumelele, Khayelitsha, Grassy Park and Athlone, places rarely associated with elite ocean racing, made history by winning the Cape2Rio Yacht Race 2026 on handicap, one of the world’s toughest offshore sailing competitions.

They didn’t just win. They did it after their boom snapped in the early hours of the Atlantic crossing, a failure that would have ended most races and most dreams.

The Alexforbes team, comprised of Sibusiso Sizatu, Renaldo Mohale, Philasande Gwala, Yonela Temela, Sesona Ntsaluba, and Yobanathi Klaas, made history with their win in the challenging race. 

Instead, they rewrote the script.

The Cape2Rio is not a casual sail. Spanning 3,300 nautical miles from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro, it demands physical endurance, technical skill, emotional discipline and mental toughness. According to Good Things Guy, even seasoned international crews have been humbled by this crossing.

So when the Alexforbes Angel Wings crew suffered a boom failure during a gybe while leading by nearly 25 hours, the odds shifted dramatically. In ocean racing, a broken boom is a nightmare, as it controls the mainsail, balance, speed, and safety.

But panic never came.

Instead, the crew assessed, adjusted and made the bold decision to rehoist the mainsail without the boom, an unconventional and gutsy move that kept them racing, stable, and competitive across thousands of kilometres of open ocean.

They crossed the finish line in 19 days, taking first place on handicap and capturing the attention and hearts of a nation.

Let’s be honest: sailing has long been seen as an elite, white-dominated sport in South Africa and globally. Access to boats, training and ocean racing opportunities has historically been limited to a privileged few.

That’s why this victory matters beyond sport.

According to the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, this crew was developed through the Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC) Sailing Academy, a programme intentionally designed to open doors for young people from communities where sailing was previously considered an unaffordable option.

Deputy Minister Peace Mabe called the win a landmark moment for youth development.

“This victory is about far more than winning a race,” she said. “It is about young sailors, three of whom are women, who were given the platform to apply their training in real-world conditions, make critical decisions under pressure, and support one another when things didn’t go according to plan.”

In other words: this wasn’t luck. It was an investment meeting opportunity.

Behind that steady decision-making was leadership and mentorship. Sibusiso “Sibu” Sizatu, the skipper and long-time mentor at the RCYC Sailing Academy, has guided young sailors for years, but even he acknowledged how rare this performance was.

“They were tested properly out there,” Sizatu said after the win. “The way they stayed calm, solved the problem, and kept racing was impressive. I hope this shows young people that with commitment and teamwork, even things that seem impossible can be achieved.”

What makes this story transcendent is not just their victory, but the remarkable way in which they achieved it.

Not with perfect conditions. Not with an untouched boat. But with grit, trust, problem-solving and belief, while exhausted, far from home, and deep in the Atlantic.

Their journey didn’t begin in a yacht club filled with privilege. It began in a programme that dared to imagine young people from the Cape Flats as world-class sailors.

Viresh Maharaj, CEO retail at Alexforbes, said, “No matter the winds of fate or the weight of your circumstances, success is achievable. With preparation, a growth mindset and the right team, the impossible becomes possible.”

Six young sailors took a broken boat, a South African flag, and a history that said this sport is not for you and turned it into a victory that will echo far beyond Rio.