Following 1.5 years of meticulous planning and preparation, the Coast 2 Coast 4 CANSA (C2C4C) team, supported by SPAR and Acer, left for Mozambique today (20 April) to start their epic month-long CANSA fundraising expedition on Yamaha WaveRunners from Mozambique to Namibia.

Expedition Leader Russel Symcox (Scottburgh) said, “we are incredibly excited that the time has finally arrived for us to embark on this ambitious fundraising expedition for CANSA. It is a dream come true and we are so touched by the amount of support and encouragement that we have already received from members of the public. We would like everyone to feel like a part of our team and urge people to join us in the fight against cancer.”

The pilots, SA surfski paddler Barry Lewin (Umhlanga), SA surfer Jason Ribbink (Durban North), ex-Protea cricketer Lance Klusener (Mount Edgecombe), marine conservationist Mark Addison (Widenham) and former Dolphins cricketer Russel Symcox (Scottburgh), will begin their journey on their Yamaha WaveRunners on the Mozambique border on Wednesday (21 April). Over the next four weeks, man and machine will travel up to 300km each day, with the aim of creating awareness, educating and raising funds for cancer and CANSA.

The C2C4C team enjoyed a send-off from Thekwini Toyota on Tuesday morning (20 April), as they were treated to a breakfast and a few words of encouragement from the sponsors of the three 4x4 Toyota Hilux’s and one Toyota Quantum which will transport the water craft and crew during their 2800km journey around the entire coastline of South Africa.

On the 21st of April, the five jet ski pilots will launch from Sodwana and ride to Mozambique and back. On the 22nd the crew will leave Sodwana and head to Richards Bay where they will be escorted into the harbour by the SAP Water Police and the local jet ski community. There will also be a welcoming function at the popular Zululand Yacht Club. Zululand Observer Editor Dave Savides will MC the event, which will be attended by a number of local dignitaries.

The 23rd of April will see the team ride the 300km’s from Richards Bay to Durban, where there will be a fun beach day of sports clinics thanks to the SA Rugby Legends Association (SARLA) at the Durban Ski Boat Club. SARLA, along with the C2C4C crew, will be hosting 150 children from Umlazi, who will be split into three groups for rugby, cricket and soccer. Each group will spend 20 minutes with each sporting discipline, and will enjoy a burger and cool drink after the clinics, kindly sponsored by uShaka. Still in Durban, the riders will also be doing a CANSA clinic visit on the 24th of April, after which they will be supporting their team at the Sharks rugby game that evening.

Then Sunday the 25th sees another early start as the guys ride from Durban to Port Edward. After staying the night at the Estuary Hotel they will push on through the Transkei to Coffee Bay. Symcox said that “we would love to see members of the public coming down to the beach and supporting us along our journey. Keep your eyes on the press to see where about we are, and come on down to have a quick chat with our team to get a feel for what the expedition is all about”.

The 5 riders, who are all from KZN, will be regularly contributing to the C2C4C blog, which will be updated daily and which can be found at http://www.getaway.co.za/page/coast-2-coast-4-cansa. For regular updates, check out the official C2C4C website, www.coast2coast4cansa.co.za, and for fresh images visit www.coast2coast4cansa.co.za/gallery/index.php/Images-by-Kelvin-Trautman# . The expedition’s Facebook and Twitter pages will also be updated many times a day, so don’t forget to sign up for and visit these pages to track the progress of the team.

For more information, to donate or simply just to track the progress of the crew throughout the C2C4C campaign, log on to the official website at www.coast2coast4cansa.co.za or on the CANSA website www.cansa.org.za to get the latest updates, news, pictures and videos.

As part of theC2C4C fundraising drive, a SMS line has been opened, and by SMSing C2C4C or DONATE to the number 38501, you can make a donation of R10 to the Coast 2 Coast 4 CANSA campaign. The SMS donation line will also have a unique tracking application whereby people will be able to SMS “TRACK” to 38501, and a map and co-ordinates will be sent to the user which will show where exactly the jet ski crew are.

Coast 2 Coast 4 CANSA would not be possible without SPAR and IT partner Acer. Yamaha has provided the FX WaveRunners with RMR providing trailers and Thekwini Toyota sponsored a Quantum bus and Hilux vehicles for the back-up crew. RE/MAX has also contributed financially to assist with fuel expenses.

About The Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA)

CANSA’s purpose is to lead the fight against cancer in South Africa by offering a unique and integrated service to the public and all people affected by cancer. As a leading role-player in cancer research, the scientific findings and knowledge gained from our research are used to realign our health programmes as well as focus our watchdog initiatives to the greater benefit of the public. CANSA has more than 330 staff, 12 000 volunteers, 51 offices as well as 12 interim homes countrywide.

For more, please contact Lucy Balona, Head: Marketing and Communication at CANSA or email: lbalona@cansa.org.za or call 011 616 7662 or toll-free 0800 22 66 22 www.cansa.org.za