Teen sailor and mom take on Vasco da Gama yacht race

WHILE most teenagers were tucked in bed this week, 16-year-old Michaela Barrett was battling wind and waves on the open ocean, competing in the prestigious Vasco da Gama Yacht Race.

- WENDY JASSON DA COSTA

With seven years of sailing under the belt, taking part in South Africa’s oldest coastal race from Durban to East London was a dream come true.

Although it was her second Vasco, this time she got the full experience because last year her entire crew, apart from the skipper, had swine flu.

One sailor dropped out before the race began, but they couldn't afford to lose anyone else. “So we had a total of three people on deck at any given point last year, because the people down below were almost hallucinating, so we kind of juggled the shifts that way, because we all weren’t sick at the same time, luckily it was like staggered.”

Despite that ordeal, Michaela returned to the Vasco race this year, much to everyone's surprise.

“It's hard to explain because you feel so anxious leading up to it. Then halfway through, you're going, what am I doing here? I’m in the middle of the ocean. But it’s such an accomplished feeling that you get, that you just keep on going back.”

Michaela was introduced to sailing during a church camping trip at the Midmar Dam. She was only 9 years old then. “As sailors say, I got bitten by the sailing bug,” she laughs.