Heroes

Yachting photographer extraordinaire Carlo Borlenghi talks about his career and shares his favourite shots…

The South African sailing community has been shaken this week as the tragic news of Cullen Keytel’s passing has been shared. 
Our hearts go out to Liza and Bruce, and the Keytel family in this devastating time.
The Keytel family invite the sailing community to join them in celebrating Cullen’s life this Saturday (9 Nov 2019) at Royal Cape Yacht Club, Cape Town.

Justin Fox is an award-winning travel writer, novelist and photographer based in Cape Town. When he’s not behind a computer or camera, you’ll find him on the water.
Twenty years after securing his first job at Getaway travel magazine as a junior journalist, Justin Fox is back as editor. A travel writer by trade, Fox is hoping once or twice a year to carve out space to write something that he’s really passionate about.

For more than 35 years Jacobs Bros. has been custom building aluminum yachts for purposes as diverse as cruising the world’s oceans, exploring the Amazon and traversing Holland’s canals. We discover how one man’s challenge to his brothers turned into a family’s niche boatbuilding business.

South African-born Alon Finkelstein is senior designer for the America’s Cup stars & stripes Team USA – A far cry from his early dinghy sailing days in Gauteng. We caught up with Alon in Holland, Michigan, where the Team USA boat build is underway.

Rowing unsupported and unassisted across the ocean seems nuts, right? Well it is! I’ve done it twice now and I’m not sure why exactly. Having said that, they have both been the highlights of my life (and provided a few of the lows as well). What a privilege to be immersed in absolute silence in the middle of the ocean with thick bioluminescent plankton. It’s just off-the-charts mind-blowing! As good as it gets, it gets equally terrifying.

Award-winning and official Rolex yachting photographer Kurt Arrigo shares some of his favourite shots and his story with Sail + Leisure. Born in Malta in 1969, Kurt Arrigo spent much of his childhood diving in the Mediterranean Sea. His passion for aquatic life lead to a career in photography beginning with an assignment at the America’s Cup in 1992.

This week on the Weekend Wrap: WSL and GKA events continue, we report back on the Voiles des Saint Tropez regatta and Luna Rossa was launched on Thursday. Patròn Perfectionists crown a SA champ and Cape Town enjoys a screening of The Little Optimist, the movie.

In this riveting extract from his book, Alone – the Search for Brett Archibald, the gutsy South African reveals how for 28-and-a-half hours he had to battle sharks, jellyfish, bloodthirsty seagulls and his own mental demons as he tried to swim for land, hoping and praying that a passing ship would spot him.

South African sailor Michael Giles has racked up quite a winning résumé in both offshore and inshore sailing during his more than 35-year career on the water. He has also lent his considerable expertise to project-managing boat builds, offering logistical support to racing teams and individuals, and provisioning teams for ocean-crossing ventures. S+L caught up with him to find out how he juggles these roles and what’s coming next.