A former matriculant of Durbanville High School was part of the crew on board the Ender Pearl, a 23m Norwegian private luxury sailing vessel, which recently won its class in the 100th Rolex Fastnet Race, the world’s largest offshore race.
For a boat that was not originally designed for racing, but for comfort alone, winning the IRC Zero class is a dream come true for the crew of Ender Pearl, which is registered in Oslo, Norway.
“With the skill of our captain, the determination of our crew and my own small role onboard, we managed to achieve this milestone,” says Khrissa Theart, who will turn 20 years on 7 October.
The race started on 26 July at Cowes on the Isle of Wight on the south coast of England and finished 695 miles later in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France. The race followed the southern coastline of England westward down the English Channel. After crossing the Celtic Sea, the race rounds the southwest coast of Ireland and Isles of Scilly before finishing in France.
Ender Pearl also took part in other international races such as the Skagen Race en the Shetland Race.
Beyond race days, she lives on board for the entire season and the sole deck or stewardess on board of Ender Pearl, Theart is responsible for keeping the vessel clean and race ready.
“During our travels this season, we also visited nine different countries in between races, making the experience even more rewarding,” she says. These include Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Scotland, England, Belgium, Ireland, France and Germany.
‘Too good to be true’
After she matriculated in 2023, Theart completed some yachting courses and got her watercraft licenses. She was contacted by the captain of Ender Pearl in March. “I thought it was too good to be true – I had just quit my job at a coffee shop and then I had an offer to travel Europe for six months on a sailboat,” she says.
“Ender Pearl is 23 metres with her biggest sail being 525 m². With four cabins, a galley and a spacious salon area, as well as a big cockpit area and teak deck, I have a lot to maintain.”
Her day-to-day onboard duties differ a lot. “When in the home port, I live alone on board and keep my hand on cleaning and maintenance both inside and outside the boat. Maintenance includes doing jobs in the engine room, fixing and rebuilding the winches onboard and upgrading them for a faster speed, packing sails and over all fixing things that break – “it happens more often than I’d like to confess”.
“Everything I know about boat maintenance now, I have learned from my boss, who is a marine engineer and practically lives and breathes boats.
“During transit legs, my job is to keep the boat clean and organised, keep a hand on maintenance, assist in sailing, lookout duty, helm from time to time and assist my captain with bigger maintenance jobs,” she says.
Open doors
“In my last two years of high school, I grew restless of routine and the fear of living a boring life consumed me. So I had decided early on that going into the yachting industry would open doors for me.
“When I got the offer to learn sailing and boat maintenance and travel around Europe, I said yes without blinking.
“I have no previous sailing experience, but in the past six months of living on a sail boat, I’ve fallen in love,” she says.
Currently they are docked in their home port in Oslo again and she is looking after the Ender Pearl.
“I join smaller race boats for regattas in the Fjords. With multiple races and an outstanding victory in the Rolex Fastnet Race, one of the biggest offshore races in the world, as well as almost 4000 nautical miles under my belt, I feel I can proudly call myself a sailor,” she says.
She will be heading home on 16 October when her contract comes to an end.
Theart is now actively looking for her next position onboard a commercial or private vessel overseas.
“For the summer season in Cape Town, I hope to lend a hand at the Royal Yacht Club and spend some time in home waters,” she says.
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