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For most teenagers, a weekend in Durban might mean a beach day or an ice cream along the promenade.
For 17-year-old Daniela Cantarelli, it usually means rigging a boat and spending hours battling the wind.
The Karkloof-based matric pupil is an avid sailor and a classically trained singer.
She has already had an impressive season on the water, finishing as the first youth female sailor at the ILCA National Championships in Langebaan, winning the ILCA 6 class at the Richards Bay Grand Slam and taking line in honours in the demanding HMYC nine-hour endurance race.
The multi-talented youngster is currently preparing for perhaps her biggest adventure yet: representing South Africa at the Youth Worlds in Portugal this December.
“I’m super excited to compete in Portugal,” says Cantarelli. “While I’ve put some pressure on myself to do well, I am mostly just so grateful for the opportunity and all the support that’s getting me there.”
It will be her first international sailing experience, and is a pretty big milestone for someone whose sailing story started closer to home.
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From KZN Midmar to the racecourse
“I started sailing around 10 years ago when Rob Barker, who worked with my mom, insisted that my brother and I learn to sail at the Midlands Sailing School at Midmar,” she recalls.
She quickly worked her way through all four levels before becoming an assistant instructor at just 12. The Optimist class, however, didn't quite capture her imagination, so she switched to the faster, Olympic-class Lasers.
The competitive side of sailing soon followed. Her first trophy came in 2021, when she won the Telemechanique for the best U14 sailor at HMYC, an achievement she repeated in 2022.
Since then, she has competed in Youth Nationals, moving into ILCA Nationals in 2024. This year, she added the title of first Youth Girl at the ILCA Nationals to her growing list of achievements.
Then came the 9-hour endurance race, where she was lent a Weta and took on the demanding course single-handed, going on to win the line honours on the senior course.
That’s not bad for a teenager who only started sailing because someone insisted she give it a try!
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Why Durban is part of the journey
Although Cantarelli learned to sail inland, Durban's coastline has become an important part of her development as a competitive sailor.
“Durban is an amazing training spot,” she says. “I get great experience training in different wind conditions, and a chance to learn more about sailing in current, waves and swells, which, as someone who learned to sail inland, is very important.”
Most weekends, she heads to the coast to train with her coach, sailing legend Rudy McNeill, who has six national and 12 regional championships to his name.
Their training sessions are not exactly a leisurely paddle. Cantarelli meets McNeill at PYC Beach Club, where they go through the plan, rig and launch before hitting long upwinds. McNeill stays close by, correcting her technique and keeping her focused when fatigue starts to kick in.
For Cantarelli, that combination of inland and offshore sailing has been crucial. She is currently working on becoming more comfortable handling her boat in heavy winds.
“Strength is incredibly important for boat control, and maintaining that strength for hours of racing every day is a priority for me,” she says.
Her next technical challenge is downwind tactics: “I spent a long time improving my confidence, and now it’s just a matter of my body keeping up with me!”
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Finding her place in a male-dominated sport
For Women’s Month, Cantarelli’s story is also about finding your place in a sport where young women are still outnumbered.
She says the support she has received from those around her has made a big difference.
“As a young woman, I have been amazed by the support from the people around me,” she says, noting that it’s as much a mental battle as a physical one.
She also has had to learn to navigate the assumptions that come with being a young woman in a competitive sport.
“There are people who doubt that a girl can really race or commit to the intensity of sailing, and honestly, it can be intimidating to go up against some of the talented young men around me.”
But once everyone is on the water, she says, the atmosphere changes: “When I’m among other sailors rigging and getting ready to race, there’s nothing but love.
There are also more young woman joining the sport, something Cantarelli is proud of.
“There are increasingly more young women appearing at regattas, and I couldn’t be prouder to welcome them into such a supportive group of young sailors.”
A sailor, singer and aspiring astrophysicist
Youth Worlds is now firmly in her sights. Cantarelli is excited about the competition, plus all that comes with the travel, such as meeting other young sailors and experiencing international racing for the first time.
There is, however, plenty keeping her busy before she gets there.
Away from the water, she’s also a classically trained singer preparing for her Grade 8 ABRSM singing examination. She also performs with the KZN Midlands Youth Choir and has a growing list of creative interests, including art and music.
“I am a curious person, so my list of interests is ever-expanding, but one thing that’s always fascinated me is space,” she says, adding that she hopes to study astrophysics at UCT and, naturally, join the university's sailing club.
For now, though, her sights are firmly set on the horizon and the next big win!
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