Welcome to the RCYC Sailing Academy
The RCYC Sailing Academy was formally established in 2012 at the Royal Cape Yacht Club, Cape Town Elliot basin, Table Bay, Duncan Road. The Academy was initially created as the Royal Cape Yacht Club’s CSI program, which was aimed at addressing the lack of access to our sport, for marginalized communities.
The Academy was formed with the aim to create opportunities for previously disadvantaged youth and address the imbalance of representation of people of colour within the Club. We often work with The homestead foundation for street children and the Emagqabini education foundation, tutoring kids in Khayelitsha. The Academy found a pool for new students, who represented the most under-resourced communities in our society and aim to empower the kids through sailing and hopefully someday they will become a strong constituency of our sport and redress our diversity challenge.
In 2018 we registered as an NPO with our primary focus being skills development through sailing. The Academy has a standing committee which reports to the Executives of the Club. In 2019 the Academy registered as a PBO and was approved in 2020 with qualifying criteria being skills development and welfare.
RCYC Sailing Academy runs its sailing programs mostly on weekends and we participate in big regattas and other races. The Academy has a variety of boats including 6 L26 boats and 1 Lavranos 36 and undertakes sailing training during weekends and regattas. The L26 design is believed to be conducive for beginners, as the nature of it forces individual to be hands on all the times and enforces team work in many occasions. The Academy has more than 6 skippers, one Offshore Skipper and one senior instructor, who are fully qualified and experienced.
Our training program takes place between 10h00 to 15h00 weekend days, unless otherwise indicated. The program has been very instrumental in developing and nurturing raw sailing talent and the development of new skills, team work and sportsmanship amongst our students.
Previous success stories include Yonela Mkaza who was invited to Spain in 2018 to experience keelboat sailing. Two students, Yonela Tenela and Daniel Agulhas have coached sailing programmes in the American Summer Camps, in 2019. Lebogang January took part in a Youth Regatta in New Zealand in 2020. One of our instructors, Athi Vena, is now instructing at Milnerton Aquatic Club. Academy instructor Sibu Sizato has his Offshore Skippers ticket and has represented South Africa at World Championships.
The Academy crew has competed in the 2023 Cape2Rio race on board of “Alexforbes Archangel” a Lavranos 36. The Alexforbes ArchAngel crew comprised of skipper Sibusiso Sizatu (30), first mate Daniel Agulhas (29), Renaldo Tshepo Mohale (29), Azile Arosi (22) and Justin Peters (21). The Academy are very proud of their 3rd place result, winning the Punte Del Este trophy and the Telescope Trophy for Offshore Youth.
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