The Coast2Coast4CANSA jet ski crew, supported by SPAR and ACER, made history yesterday evening (12 May) when they reached the mouth of the Orange River, the border between South Africa and Namibia, having left Mozambique on their Yamaha WaveRunners 22 days and 2800km ago. The expedition, which was aimed at raising funds and awareness for the Cancer Association of South Africa, saw five South African personalities all riding up to 350km on jet ski’s each day.
After having battled shocking climatic conditions on the West Coast since rounding Cape Point on 7 May, the team had to make use of a brief period of fair weather yesterday, completing the grueling final 346km leg from Brand se Baai to the Orange River mouth at Alexander Bay in just over nine hours. This mammoth effort is all the more impressive when considering that the weather over the previous few days had restricted the jet ski pilots to distances of around 80km per day.
Expedition leader Russel Symcox (Clansthal) said that “the team and I are a little blown away to be honest! After almost two years of planning and preparation, it is such a surreal feeling to have finally reached the end, and I do not think it has had time to sink in yet”. Symcox also said that “we have had such a phenomenal response from each and every community we have spent time with, it has made a difficult trip a lot easier knowing that we have the backing of so many caring South Africans, and their support will also go a long way in helping us achieve our awareness and fundraising objectives”.
Marine conservationist and shark expert Mark Addison (Widenham), another of the jet ski pilots, successfully completed the country’s first ever mega-transect marine census from a personal water craft. Addison took almost 50 water samples throughout the expedition, which will be analyzed by the SAEON (South African Environmental Observation Network) in Grahamstown, headed by Dr Angus Patterson. This phytoplankton survey is aimed at ascertaining the health of the water body around the entire South African coastline. Addison said that “never before has any scientific institution had the chance to do what we have done in such a short space of time – this marine census is a statement in time about the condition of our seas, and will act as a yardstick against which future studies can be evaluated. Monitoring the health of our marine ecosystems is essential if we hope to preserve them for future generations, and both the C2C4C team and I are delighted that one of the ancillary goals of the expedition has given science a gift which does not detract from the main fundraising and awareness objectives”.
Barry Lewin, one of the country’s leading open water surfski paddlers, said that “there were so many elements and aspects of the campaign which had to come together in order for it to be as successful as it has been. It was extremely challenging climbing onto our jet ski’s at sunrise every morning whilst still aching from the seven or eight hour ride from the previous day, but that was only part of what the C2C4C was all about. We would not be standing on the beach here at Alexander Bay, with the Namibian shoreline in the background, if it were not for our sponsors, support crew, friends and family, and everyone else who made a contribution to the mission”.
The jet ski team also included SA surfer Jason Ribbink (Durban North), ex-Protea cricketer Lance Klusener (Mount Edgecombe) and cancer survivor Bennie Benson (Durban North). Brandon Ribbink (Berea) and Olivia Symcox (Clansthal) also rode with the team on a few of the days. (To access information about the campaign, including photo’s, press releases and the official C2C4C blog, or to make a donation to CANSA, log on to the official website at www.coast2coast4cansa.co.za.
