All-women team prepares for Vasco Da Gama Ocean Race

THE upcoming Vasco Da Gama Ocean Race, often referred to as the Comrades Marathon of the ocean due to its notorious difficulty, is set to feature a groundbreaking entry — an all-women team, comprised of two mothers and two daughters, who only met each other four days before the race.

- KAREN SINGH

LAURA Barrett and her daughter Michaela Barrett, along with Inge Erasmus and her mother Deidre de Jongh, form an all-women team participating in the 2026 Vasco Da Gama Ocean Race next weekend, often referred to as the Comrades Marathon of the ocean.

(LEON LESTRADE Independent Media)

Sailing the yacht Money Penny, the team will be one of the nine boats facing the challenging voyage from Durban to East London next weekend.

Barry Doorman, commodore of the Natal Royal Yacht Club, highlighted the significance of their participation.

“Everyone thinks it’s a male-dominated sport, but it’s not. The fact that we're putting forward a full women’s team is just incredible, and I’m hoping that this will be a massive boost for women who have always wanted to try sailing,” he said.

Doorman described the Vasco as the “pinnacle of ocean sailing in South Africa”, noting that completing it confirms one’s status as a top sailor.

He also spoke of the profound self-discovery that comes with ocean sailing. “There’s one way in life to figure out who you actually are, and that’s to go out and do sailing out in the ocean... Vasco just does it suddenly.”