Two sailors of Tuks and four from Wits are going to crew up in January to compete in the Cape to Rio, and they are not planning merely to put sail to the wind. 

The Tuks sailor, Michaela Robinson who is a former two-time world champion, said their goal will be to get a top result in their category. 

Robinson is no novice when it comes to the Cape to Rio. She has been part of their family crew who has completed the race on two occasions. In 2011 they finished second in the handicap-race. 

Their yacht, the Ciao Bella, was the smallest in the competition. What's more, the Robinsons managed to sail all the way with a hole in their rudder after they collided with a submerged container. Their heroics led to them being labelled as the "Yacht Family Robinson". 

She remembers 2014 as hectic. Only a day after the Cape to Rio started the sailor's skills were tested to the limit by gale-force winds, and 25-foot seas began taking its toll. Nine boats were forced to return to Cape Town. One sailor died after being swept overboard. Still, the Robinson family managed to finish fifth. 

It is the adventurous side of sailing that got Robinson hooked on the sport; however, it is not only that. Being out at sea is when she gets to feel close to nature genuinely. 

"It is a different world far out on the Atlantic Ocean. Often in the wake of the yacht, you might see a pod of dolphins jumping out the water, or in the distance, you might see a whale. No matter how often it happens, it always remains special." 

The Cape to Rio is an Ocean Race across the South Atlantic between Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro, linking two of the world's most beautiful seaports. The first edition of the race dates back to 1971. 

According to Robinson, being with the same six people on a boat in the middle of an ocean for up to 20 days brings its own unique challenges. 

"Teamwork is of the essence, especially when battling through stormy conditions. Everybody has got to know what to do precisely. 

"It is also when out on the yacht that you get to learn things about yourself, which you usually won't. Personal relations get tested. You can never choose to ignore problems. You got to deal with it as it happens."

Robinson and her brother, Ryan, managed to win their category at the Mirror World Championships in 2013 and 2014. What made their win even more noteworthy is that they did it in an eight-year-old, wooden boat while the other competitors sailed in sleek, fibreglass vessels.

Ryan Robinson, who is studying at Wits, will be part of the Cape to Rio crew. Jonathan Ham is the only other Tuks sailor on the yachting crew.