Ex-gangster sailing for SA glory

By Mohammed Allie
BBC News, Cape Town

When he was younger, 19-year old Marcello Burricks used his fast hands to fight others - now he's using them to swiftly raise the sails of South Africa's first entry to the prestigious America's Cup yacht race.

Marcello Burricks says sailing's discipline saved him from a life of crime

Mr Burricks, who grew up in the township of Ocean View which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean on Cape Town's south-western coastline, admits he was a short-tempered youngster.

"I often got involved in fights but fortunately I was blessed with fast hands so I could fight anybody," he says.

Mr Burricks, who sports a scar on the left side of his neck inflicted during a knife fight as evidence of his involvement in violent confrontations with other gang members, credits the discipline instilled into him by the sport of sailing for his metamorphosis.

"When I started sailing that's when I really changed. As I got older I realised life is about changes.

"I was attracted by a quote from Albert Einstein who said: 'The only thing that's constant in life is change,' - that was imprinted in my mind - changes, changes," he says.

"It's amazing to think that one of my best friends was 14 years old when he killed somebody and went off to jail. Now he's a drug addict, while I will be participating in the world's greatest sailing event."

Big break

Mr Burricks' love for the sea, no doubt inspired by his grandfather who was a whaler and his father who is a fisherman, saw him taking up sailing at the age of 12.

After successfully begging the owner of a catamaran for a ride in the nearby harbour, he was hooked.

When I first joined the team I didn't have much hope for some of the guys that had little yachting experience Davey Smith Team Shosholoza

His big break came when he was accepted into the Izivunguvungu Foundation for Youth which teaches youngsters from underprivileged communities life skills through sailing.

Such was his determination to attend the daily sessions that he had no qualms about walking one and a half hours over hilly terrain to the Simonstown naval base where the foundation runs its courses.

Ian Ainslie, who represented South Africa at the past three summer Olympic Games and runs the sailing school, says it was not hard work at all to steer Mr Burricks in the right direction.

"I think it was actually quite easy because he was so enthusiastic about sailing.

"It was his own decision to turn his life around so tribute should go to him," says Mr Ainslie, who is also a member of the 25-man squad that will be sailing at the next America's Cup to be held in the Spanish city of Valencia in 2007.

Pipe-dream

After graduating from the sailing school and being part of teams participating in local regattas for the past few years, Mr Burricks was invited to join Team Shosholoza.

This is Africa's first entry in the 153-year history of the America's Cup - the oldest international sporting trophy, described as the World Cup of sailing.

With most of the entrants being seasoned professional sailors backed by multi-million dollar budgets, even those who are now part of the team dismissed a South African entry as a pipe-dream when it was first mooted nearly two years ago.

Team Shosholoza will be Africa's first entry in the 153-year history of the America's Cup

But Italian-born Captain Salvatore Sarno, who runs South Africa's biggest shipping operation the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), was determined to see his dream being realised.

Driven by huge vision, passion and commitment, Mr Sarno bought the Italian yacht which participated in the 2000 America's Cup and signed up some of the country's top sailors.

He has also been successful in securing several sponsors, including a massive one from the German telecommunications company T-Systems which will be pumping in $17 million over the next two years.

When he started his campaign, Mr Sarno, who also sponsors the Izivunguvungu Foundation, was adamant that his sailing squad should be representative of the country's variety of race groups.

Besides Mr Burricks, there are four other black members of the crew team while there also are others working as part of the technical team.

Doubts

Initially not everyone believed the black team members were up to the task.

It's not because of our colour that we're on the team. I had to work just as hard as all the other guys Marcello Burricks

Davey Smith, a white South African who has been living in Toronto, Canada for the past 10 years, said he doubted whether they would be up to the task.

"To put it frankly, when I first joined the team I didn't have much hope for some of the guys that had little yachting experience. But now I can be motivational about how some of the guys like Marcello have pushed themselves - how they've turned up their game," he says.

While sceptics may credit affirmative action for the inclusion of young black sailors in the team, Mr Burricks has no doubt about the merits of every single crew member.

"We all had to work to get to where we are - it's not because of our colour that we're on the team. I had to work just as hard as all the other guys. They all have more experience than me because they've been sailing longer than me. I didn't ask to be chosen."

Team Shosholoza is improving by the day.

It works a demanding six-day week training schedule which involves gym work, and racing in simulated America's Cup conditions.

They are due to participate against their America's Cup competitors in preliminary events in the European summer where they can measure their progress.