Jalapeño Racing

05/09/2025

It’s been a week since we took on the 71st Lipton Cup Challenge, one of the hardest regattas I’ve ever done, and I couldn’t be prouder of Jalapeño and this incredible team.

A huge thank you to everyone who followed along and supported us. Your encouragement made all the difference.

To Gqeberha Yacht Club, thank you for giving us the honor of sailing under your burgee and sponsoring our entry. We are proud to have carried your name on the water.
To Ullman Sails & Ullman Gear, thank you for kitting us out, from sails to gear, you kept us looking and made us fast.

Thank you to everyone who stepped foot on Jalapeño to help wherever you could, to name a few:
- Stefan Falcon & Hybrid Composites for all the fiberglass work that made sure Jalapeño could withstand Table Bay.
- Trevor Spillhaus & TS Rigging for keeping the rig upright and helping me fix everything properly.
- Bjorn Geiger for helping get Jalapeño to Cape Town and all the added help.
- Gerry Hegie, who made Jalapeño’s keel look brand new.
- Erik Bjerring and CTYS for always making sure Jalapeño was sparkly and ready to race.
- Pierre Swanepool for fixing the mast step on such short notice.
- Josh Young for always saying yes to splice things on Jalapeño.
- Adam Knox, our ‘honorable female’ & ‘boat boy’, for being there for anything we needed.
- Sandy Samways, for ensuring all the paperwork was done and in order.
- Tony Strutt, Mr Manager, for guiding the team and help organize everything Jalapeño needed.
- And of course, my parents, for giving me a boat and supporting my crazy dream.

Thank you all, we wouldnt have made it without you, Jalapeño has never been better✨

Finally, to my amazing team Jemima, Mitzi, and Tammy, I couldn’t have chosen a better team. With everything thrown at us, you handled it with grace and showed exactly what we’re capable of together. These three women have taught me so much and I couldn’t be more grateful for them.

Thank you for being part of Jalapeño’s first Lipton Cup.

Until next time…

With love,
Allyssa🫶🏻

03/09/2025

The 71st Lipton Challenge Cup has wrapped up after five incredible days of racing on Table Bay⛵️

For us, this regatta was about so much more than just the results on the water. It was the months of preparation, the countless hours of training, and the incredible support network that helped us get to the start line.

This was our first Lipton together as a team, and what an experience it was. We faced some of the toughest racing conditions and learned more in five days than we could have imagined. While the gains might not always be visible from the outside, the growth within our team was massive.

Most importantly, we finished every race, never forgetting to smile, and we walked away prouder.

A huge thank you to everyone who supported us, encouraged us, and helped make this campaign possible💙

This is just the beginning for Team Jalapeño. We’ll be back next year!

📸: Matt du Toit, Rachael England

29/08/2025

Day 3 was a different kind of tough, had to switch to light wind tactics and maneuvers. We broke our pole and lost our winch handle. However, our winch handle made a return to us.

It was tough, but we’ve spoken it out and hope to have a better Day 4!

📸: Matt du Toit

27/08/2025

Today did not go perfectly but all in all we’re still okay and have fixed everything and ready to take on Day 3

Huge thank you goes out to Nic and Tony on the rib that assisted us and Jay D’engle.
Tyran, Wesley and , kite is in the loft being repaired.
Bjorn and Ross for helping rethread the kite halyard.
And Adam for helping the fairlead fix.

📸: Matt du Toit

26/08/2025

Day 1 was tough but we didn’t forget to smile😁

📸: May du Toit

25/08/2025

Jalapeño has been launched and we’re ready for the Opening Ceremony⛵️

Let’s go Lipton 2025!

24/08/2025

And so the final day is here, our very last training day.

The team headed out for some quick one lap races to get all pumped for Lipton that starts on Tuesday.

Our new bowman dropped in for some time on the bow, unfortunately our beloved bowman Elisa has some school commitments this week, Good Luck to Elisa🫶🏻

Jalapeño has come out of the water and is ready to get some final finishing touches to make sure she is ready to hit the race course on Tuesday!

Head to the link in our bio if you’d like some updates from us!😁

24/08/2025

Hey Jalapeño supporters, Lipton’s registration starts tomorrow and we’re so excited to get racing⛵️

If you would like to follow along with the daily updates, be sure to join our WhatsApp group💬

29/07/2025

27/07/2025

Meet the crew🌶️

First up, Elisa Falcon on the bow⛵️

At just 18, Elisa’s already a familiar face in the Western Cape sailing scene. She grew up in a sailing-obsessed family, made waves in the Optimist class, and now races ILCA 6.
Small but mighty, she’s the firecracker who keeps the team on their toes!