After a rapid 160km leg from Sodwana Bay, the C2C4C crew rolled into Richards Bay at approximately 11am this morning (22 April). The expedition, which is proudly supported by SPAR and Acer, will face a tough challenge tomorrow, with large swells and strong headwinds forecasted for the 170km run in to Durban. The C2C4C campaign will see five jet ski pilots each ride the 1511 nautical miles from Mozambique to Namibia to raise funds and awareness for cancer and CANSA.

Expedition leader Russel Symcox said that “the journey from Sodwana today was awesome – we had a following wind almost the entire way, and were treated to some beautiful South African coastline at Cape Vidal and St Lucia. About 30km out of Richards Bay, the tail wind dropped and the South Westerly picked up, giving us a little taste of what to expect in the next few days. Large swells and head winds are predicted to hit the KZN coast tomorrow, so we are monitoring the situation”.

Symcox also said that “as great as the sights were, an absolute eyesore on the landscape was the wreck of the Jolly Rubino, which caught fire and sunk off the St Lucia coast in September 2002. Much of it is clearly visible, and we were able to have a good look at it”.
The C2C4C jet ski crew, as well as the family members who were able to make the trip to Richards Bay, are to be treated to a CANSA function at the Zululand Yacht Club this evening, MC’ed by Zululand Observer Editor Dave Savides. With over 100 people expected to attend, Symcox said that “it makes me so pleased to see people getting behind the campaign like this. We are only on this mission to draw attention to the fantastic work that CANSA do, so events like this will really go a long way in helping us achieve one of our mission objectives which is to raise awareness about cancer”.

The pilots, SA surfski paddler Barry Lewin (Umhlanga), SA surfer Jason Ribbink (Durban North), ex-Protea cricketer Lance Klusener (Mount Edgecombe) and marine conservationist Mark Addison (Widenham) will enjoy a rest day once they reach Durban tomorrow. Along with SARLA (SA Rugby Legends Association), Amazulu and the Dolphins, the C2C4C crew will be hosting sports clinics, where 150 children from Umlazi will all receive expert coaching in rugby, cricket and soccer.

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, as well as the C2C4C Facebook group and Twitter pages.

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.