Michaela Robinsonwas born in 2000 and grew up in a small mining town just west of

Johannesburg. She first raced as a newly born on her family's keelboat. As a junior she raced in the mirror dinghy class, crewing for her older siblings. with her brother, Ryan, she won the mirror world championships twice- once as crew and once as skipper. She first sailed the Cape-to-rio race as a 13 year old in a team consisting of her family. she then managed and skippered a university entrant in the Cape-to- Rio race, winning their division. She co-skippered a boat in the double handed mixed gender class in the european and world championships and the Nastro Rosa tour in Italy