SSL Team RSA – By Sailors for Sailors

THE FOOTBALL WORLD CUP... IN SAILING

15 NOV - 13 DEC 2026 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Events

Upcoming

1/16 FINALS

G2 - Race 1

12:30

26 November 2026

BRAZIL

Participants

CHI

RSA

R1A1

R1C2

Results

Upcoming

1/16 FINALS

G2 - Race 2

14:00

27 November 2026

BRAZIL

Participants

CHI

RSA

R1A1

R1C2

Results

Upcoming

1/16 FINALS

G2 - Race 3

15:30

28 November 2026

BRAZIL

Participants

CHI

RSA

R1A1

R1C2

Results

Upcoming

1/16 FINALS

G2 - Race 4

11:00

29 November 2026

BRAZIL

Participants

CHI

RSA

R1A1

R1C2

Results

See All Races

News

30 DAYS TO GO: TRAINING BEGINS IN BRAZIL

Just 30 days remain until the SSL Gold Cup Final Series, and preparations are already underway in Brazil. The boats have arrived, and the first teams are taking to the…

Date19.10.2026

Rio to host the Sailing World Cup

Rio will host the Sailing World Cup with teams from 40 countries on the 2016 Olympic racecourses. Ten years after the Olympics, the SSL Gold Cup will bring together more…

Date18.10.2026

40 DAYS TO GO : THE ROAD TO RIO IS HEATING UP

Only 40 days to go until the SSL Gold Cup Final Series in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The countdown is on, and preparations are moving into high gear. Our shore…

Date10.10.2026

Team Ubuntu

Our diversity is our strength

Ubuntu is Building ourselves by building others.

The team’s nickname is Ubuntu. This is an African concept which translates as: “I am only because of who we all are”. The concept is about the interconnectedness of all beings. It is about being humane and always ensuring human dignity as at the core of your actions and thoughts.

If Nelson Mandela hoisting the rugby world cup in 1995 was an act of reconciliation and ubuntu, the sight of a racially transformed 2019 Springbok rugby team again winning the world cup, was another huge moment of hope. This was a team of players that the nation could recognize as representing them. They brought hope to a still divided nation that our strength is in diverse people helping each other to achieve a common goal.
As the rugby coach told the players: “It is not about you. Be fearless, you are not fighting for yourselves, you are fighting to give a nation hope.”
15 years ago, South Africa had an improbable America’s cup entry in Valencia with team Shosholoza. They could overcome a lack of experience and resources with a lot of passion to punch way above their weight. Black sailors filled meaningful roles within the team and contributed greatly to the success.
South Africans want to see that our sport teams are being represented at all the races, they must be united and be willing to make “big hits” for the team. South Africa’s team for the SSL Nations Cup will embrace this challenge.

“Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. ” Nelson Mandela.

Statistics

THE COUNTRY

South Africa’s coastline is 2800km long. With few natural harbours, huge waves, the Agulhus and Benguela currents ripping up the coasts, most South African sailors are comfortable in extreme sailing conditions.
73 sailing clubs affiliated to national sailing federation
23 Sailing schools, many of which focus on previously disadvantaged race groups
About 6400 active dinghy and keelboat sailors at club level and many more unaffiliated windsurfers and kite surfers

ACHIEVEMENTS

Competed in Olympic games from 1992 to 2016
Competed in Valencia America's cup 2007
Currently 2 South African flagged boats in TP52 super series

SSL Ranking

SSL best ranked woman: 2772 Chiara Fruet
SSL best ranked man: 1161 Ian Ainslie Richard
SSL nations ranking: 42

MAIN EVENTS

Lipton cup
Cape to Rio race
Youth nationals

2007

15 years ago, South Africa had an improbable America’s cup entry in Valencia with team Shosholoza. They could overcome a lack of experience and resources with a lot of passion to punch way above their weight. Black sailors filled meaningful roles within the team and contributed greatly to the success.

The captain

Ian Ainslie

He was born on July 27, 1965, in Johannesburg, South Africa, and started sailing at the age of 12. Ian Ainslie is a three-time Olympian in the Finn Class. He started the Izivunguvungu school for transforming sailing in South Africa and was a head coach of the Netherland Olympic sailing team in London 2012 and Rio 2016

THE LEADERS

Gareth Blanckenberg – Mainsheet trimmer
Gareth previously won the youth worlds and competed in 2 Olympic games in the laser class. He currently competes in the Cape 31 class.
At the age of 19, he competed in the Sydney Olympics in the laser class, finishing 9th overall, winning a race in the regatta. He was ranked in the top 3 in the laser world rankings in the following years and then competed in Athens 2004 in the laser class. he then stopped competing in the Laser class but had remained very active in various classes, including the Finn class, and is regularly found on winning boats in SA (tp52, cape31 etc). as a tactician/helmsman/mainsheet trimmer.

Paul Wilcox – The Tactician

Paul is from Johannesburg and is the South African who is doing the most high-level professional sailing. He has taken part in the Volvo ocean race and currently spends most of his time trimming the mainsail on a TP52 in the super series, amongst other projects.

Joweal Klaase – Bowman

Joweal is the bowman who has won the most Lipton cup regattas, the most prestigious regatta in South Africa. He is employed in a sail design office. He is also an alumnus of Izivunguvungu. He was introduced to the sport at the age of 15 by a sailing school called (Izivunguvungu) founded by Ian Ainslie and Matthew Mentz.

THE YOUTH FACTOR

Michaela Robinson was born in 2000 and grew up in a small mining town just west of Johannesburg. She first raced as a newly born on her family’s keelboat. As a junior she raced in the mirror dinghy class, crewing for her older siblings. with her brother, Ryan, she won the mirror world championships twice- once as crew and once as skipper. She first sailed the Cape-to-rio race as a 13 year old in a team consisting of her family. she then managed and skippered a university entrant in the Cape-to- Rio race, winning their division. She co-skippered a boat in the double handed mixed gender class in the european and world championships and the Nastro Rosa tour in Italy

Squad

Kaptein | 10

Pit | TBD

Bow | 1

Grinder | 17

Trimmer | 5

Floater | 3

TRIMMER | 6

Theo Scheder-Bieschin

TRIMMER | 6

MAIN TRIMMER | 7

HELM | 8

FLOATER | 11

RESERVE | TBD

TBD | TBD

TBD | TBD

TBD | TBD

Potential Team Position

1 BOW Joweal Klaase	2 MID-BOW
3 PIT Jordyn Soldin	4 GRINDER Marco Tobin
5 TRIMMER Theo Yon	6 TRIMMER Theo Scheder-Bieschin
7 MAIN TRIMMER Calvin Gibbs	8 HELMS David Rae
9 TACTICIAN Mark Sadler	10 CAPTAIN Ian Ainslie
11 FLOATER Georgeo Davaris

BOW

Joweal Klaase

MID-BOW

PIT

Jordyn Soldin

GRINDER

Marco Tobin

TRIMMER

Theo Yon

TRIMMER

Theo Scheder-Bieschin

MAIN TRIMMER

HELMS

TACTICIAN

CAPTAIN

FLOATER

SQUAD

Ian Ainslie	Joweal Klaase
Howard Leoto	Murray Willcocks
Mark Sadler	Jordyn Soldin
Marco Tobin	Theo Yon
Theo Scheder-Bieschin	Calvin Gibbs
David Rae	Georgeo Davaris
Olivia Purchase	Michaela Robinson
Matthew De Villiers	Leo Davis