The SCOUTS South Africa team plans to set sail for the Cape2Rio in 2020, this time with the youngest crew ever and by setting a record for the youngest crew member yet. Dominic Holling is just 15-years-old and has a passion for sailing.
The Cape2Rio is an ocean race across the South Atlantic linking Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro. It began in 1971 with many legends competing in the race over the years. In total the trip can take between 12 and 30 days to complete.
Holling is a Patrol Leader at 2nd Hout Bay Sea Scouts. At the young age of 11, he started scouting and has since developed a love and passion for it alongside cooking aboard.
According to the SCOUTS South Africa, a non-profit organisation developing the youth of South Africa, Holling says the biggest lesson that scouting has taught him thus far is to be “confident, calm and prepared”.
He started small but has grown over the years, moving from small boats to yachts.
“His sailing journey began like all true sailors, on dinghies! He’s first sailing experience was on an Optimist at Hout Bay Yacht Club. Since then he has become a regular sailor at the Sea Scout Base,” said the SCOUTS South Africa team in a Facebook post.
Holling is also a whizz in the kitchen and will be helping with food preparations for the lengthy trip.
“He might be the baby onboard but as our resident chef is arguably the MVP! As a future yacht chef, he is helping to prepare the provisioning for the entire trip,” says the SCOUTS South Africa team.
Currently studying at Camps Bay High School, Holling is only in Grade 9 and is the youngest member of the youngest crew ever to sail the Cape2Rio race. The team expects to take at least four weeks to finish their journey.
The rest of the crew ranges from age 21 to 18 and the youngest, Holling, coming in at 15. The whole team is made up of eight young men ready to set sail including Daniel Skriker, Nicholas Chapman, Max Elsworth, Ewan Blamire, Matthew Williams, Joshua Jackson, Mika Wessels and of course Dominic Holling.
Each member has received extensive training that required them to display working knowledge of pioneering, navigation, first aid and cooking. They also needed to display the ability to work together as a team as well as good leadership skills.
The team was subjected to a careful selection process in order to qualify to be the crew aboard JML Rotary Scout for the Cape2Rio 2020 Race.
Sailing enthusiasts will kick off the race on January 4, 2020 and the winning team will take home the De Beers Line Honours Trophy.
In Rio, the sight Holling is most looking forward to is the statue of Christ the Redeemer, according to the SCOUTS South Africa team.
Here’s to another Capetonian doing great things! We can’t wait to see what else young Holling achieves in the years to come.
Pictures: Facebook/JML Rotary Scout
