Rowers appreciate small things, learn patience on Rio voyage
BRAAM Malherbe’s and his rowing partner Wayne Robertson’s voyage to Rio has put the two men through quite an arduous time.
The two have been on the open seas for just over 70 days, and are almost at Rio on their 6 700km trip from Cape Town. Malherbe posted an update on Day 70, on Friday, explaining that they are roughly 321km from the Brazilian coast, and 805km from Rio itself.
Malherbe said that, with favourable winds and hard rowing, the two should complete their journey within the next nine days, but he is less optimistic about that. “We could be there in nine days but, alas, for the first time on our journey just two days ago the wind blew west at us at 20 knots, directly offshore, making it impossible to row and forcing us to deploy the parachute anchor and wait it out.”
“The increasing wind brought with it a choppy sea with white caps and a very uncomfortable boat. The bow rising to the swell and banging down hard after the crest, impossible to rest.”
The journey has proven to be quite the exercise in mental stamina and endurance, as it has left both men with a lot of time to think and reflect – especially during challenging days.
Malherbe has reiterated how they needed to stay strong and not lose hope. “This was a time for deep reflection and inner journey, a time to delve into the deeper purpose of my life and indeed of life itself, to explore the age old question: Why? One of my greatest challenges is that of patience.
“Here on this massive ocean I’m simply faced with two choices: Resignation and reflection, or resistance and frustration. I choose to embrace the lesser. These are the positives of a journey such as this.”
They also recently said farewell to their aquatic companions who have been trailing them over the last few weeks, and he found it especially noteworthy.
“Our two special friends Raymond the Remora and Spot the other fish that have been with us for weeks, have left. The sea was too rough. And why I share this; these two simple beautiful creatures were our companions giving us hours of amusement, feeding them and becoming our friends, sounds crazy – but this is what happens out here, crazy things!
“We appreciate these small things, and now we are actually feeling sad that we do not have our fish buddies any more.”
The two men are aiming to be the first to row across the Atlantic Ocean, and are doing so to raise funds for the Do One Thing (DOT) challenge – a movement and app that aims to connect like-minded individuals who want to make our planet healthy, green and sustainable again.