Excitement builds as Sail Africa team readies for the Vasco da Gama Ocean Race

Snethemba Khumalo, 20, of Inanda, is ready to step on board the Spirit of Anna Wardley and face any challenges the seas might churn up when she participates in the Vasco da Gama Ocean Race from Durban to East London on Sunday, May 24.

The annual event is one of the highlights on South Africa’s yachting calendar and attracts sailors from across the country and even abroad. 

Khumalo and six others are from the Sail Africa team that is currently training around Durban’s shores for the two-day race. This would be her first participation in this prestigious race since she joined the Sail Africa team in 2022, when she was at Mowat Park High School. 

"I am ready to accept the challenge, face any circumstances and gain valuable experience out at sea. I know I will be ok. I introduce many children to the concept of sailing when I go home, and I have inspired many of them,” she said. 

Commodore Barry Boorman of the Royal Natal Yacht Club (RNYC) in Durban hosts the event, which is regarded as the oldest coastal ocean race. In 2026, it will be sailed for the 53rd time at the RNYC.

Boorman says it takes about 36 hours for the first vessel to arrive at the finish at Buffalo River Yacht Club in East London. He described the route as a real challenge and a prestigious honour just to be a participant and to complete the route. 

He said sailors could face 30-knot winds, rain, and cold conditions. After the ceremony, the team has to sail back to Durban. He said the 2025 team was impressive, and there was jubilation when they finished on time. 

He said the yachts will pass through the wild coast, which did not derive its name for nothing. Boorman said the event was similar to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. 

From a Durban perspective, Boorman hoped they could get ten boats in the water along with competitors from Cape Town, Richards Bay, and Gqeberha. 

The Sail Africa Youth Development Foundation, an independent NPO and NGO, is based at the Durban Marina and introduces previously disadvantaged children to sailing. 

“It is encouraging that there is great interest in this race from first-timers and young sailors. In 2025, several first-timers were onboard and they were exhausted. They had to go through an informal initiation ceremony, like eating a raw egg. I was taken aback by their spirit and camaraderie; they impressed me,” Boorman said

Cay Hickson, Sail Africa youth development foundation manager, said she was always grateful to funders who made it possible for them to enter events like this. 

“It is an awesome opportunity to offer this type of experience to youth who would never be able to afford to do something like this. At Sail Africa, we opened a world of new opportunities for them. It brings out their inner resilience,” she said.   

Mkhanyiseni Chiliza, 28, of Clermont, a senior instructor and part of the team, said a person has to be good at making good decisions when dealing with a crisis and think calmly on their feet, especially when you are on board a yacht. 

“Sailing comes with many responsibilities. I have to set a good example for the youth. Last year, I had to make decisions under pressure when the wind direction changed,” he said. 

Simphiwe Cele, 22, of Inanda, described the 2025 race as a tough experience with wind speeds reaching 36 knots. 

“It was scary and seemed like the yacht would capsize, especially when it is pitch dark, and you cannot see anything. I only got two hours of sleep. I have faced my fear and survived. 

The Spirit of Anna Wardley is a Lavranos 34 sailing yacht skippered by 34-year-old Ben Makhanya. This would be his fifth race. Makhanya also participated in one leg of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in the 2015 and 2016 editions. 

Makhanya said his task now will be to get his team motivated, trained and aim to finish in good time, hopefully first. His immediate task is to get the boat ready. 

During training exercises he advised his team on sudden wind changes and to always have their harness on. 

“Last year we had a nice downwind sail, but it changed during the night, and just hours before the finish, it was dead calm, making it a slow entry across the finish line. We had to perform tacking maneuvers to keep the boat moving which can be strenuous on the crew. On the plus side we got to see dolphins and whales on the route,” he said 

Boorman said the dangers were real, in 2024 a yacht named Tipsy collided with a submerged object while returning from East London. The crew had to be rescued off the Eastern Cape Coastline by the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za