Rowing solo for mental health awareness
CAPETONIAN John Dempster will take on 3 000 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean later this year, to raise awareness about mental health.
Dempster, 25, will attempt to row solo in the annual Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge in December to inspire South Africans suffering from mental health issues to seek help and break the stigma surrounding their suffering.
Dempster, who suffers from anxiety and depression, tells his story on his website www.wateringthemind.org.
Dempster said he had found the solace, discipline and focus he needed to improve his mental health and had partnered with the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) for his initiative.
“I discovered rowing when I was 14. I had been an obese child and had never liked traditional sports. Rowing, however, captivated me. It taught me discipline, and made me physically fit. I continued rowing throughout my schooling, and when I started studying Mechanical Engineering at UCT in 2013 I immediately joined the rowing club,” said Dempster.
But over the next few years, Dempster detailed a series of setbacks that took a serious toll on his mental health, including breaking up with his long-term girlfriend as well as losing a friend who drowned in a freak accident at a training camp.
Dempster now, through rowing, wants to raise awareness and fight the stigmatisation of mental health issues in South Africa.
“I have experienced first hand the crippling effects of anxiety and depression. I have lived intimately with the struggle to improve my mental health, and in the process I’ve become acutely aware of both how widespread mental health issues are in South Africa, and of the stigma that exists against them,” said Dempster.
He was inspired by his crew mates, who completed the race during 2018, to participate.
“In late 2018, four old crew mates of mine competed in the fours event of the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. Their feat inspired me to set myself the challenge of rowing across the Atlantic – solo.”
The premier event in ocean rowing will take participants more than 3000 miles west from San Sebastian in La Gomera, Canary Islands to Nelson’s Dockyard English Harbour in Antigua and Barbuda.
The annual race begins in early December, with up to 30 teams participating from around the globe. It brings together teams from all walks of life united by the same objective: to take on the unique challenge of crossing an ocean in a rowing boat.
Teams battle with sleep deprivation, salt sores, and physical extremes during the race. Rowers are left with their own thoughts, an expanse of the ocean and the job of getting the boat safely to the other side.