Chikasha mulls putting sailing on ice
TAWANDA CHIKASHA currently finds himself at a crossroads in his sailing career.
It seems the 27-year-old is yet to decide whether to sail competitively or continue his expedition work with US-based conservation company Barba.
Having tested the waters during the Cape to Rio Yacht Race in 2020 and the recent expedition trip to the Arctic, he appears to be gravitating towards the latter.
“As it pertains to sailing competitively, I have decided to put it on hold and concentrate on my expedition sailing with the Barba team,” said Chikasha.
“There is so much to do and so much work that we are yet to accomplish.
“All this really needs my full attention and I also feel that expedition work gives me a more holistic approach and experience to sailing than anything I could ever get on the circuit.
“I still want to compete, that is still the end game, but I intend to sharpen my skills as much as possible doing this here.”
The South Africa-based sailor is fresh off
TWENTY-NINE-YEAR-OLD Angolan Luzileid Jose Dos Santos Luquembo’s name proved to be quite a tongue twister for announcers at last weekend’s Harare Classic, where he was named winner of the men’s physique category.
However, the mispronouncement of his name probably did not bother him much as he is used to it by now.
Luquembo moved to Zimbabwe in 1998 and is now accustomed to its culture. The Harare-based bodybuilder won his first big event of the year last weekend.
He overcame some of the big names in the category, including Blessing “CC Banks” Sithole and Weignrace Masendeke, who came out second and third, respectively.
His victory came after months of intense training and dieting in preparation for the event.
“When I heard my name being announced as the winner, I was very an expedition to the Arctic Circle.
The trip — labelled the “Arctic Sense 2023” — was a three-month journey to the polar region of the globe, located at the northernmost part of Earth.
It consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), northern Finland (Northern Ostrobothnia, Kainuu and Lappi), Iceland, northern Norway (Nordland, Troms, Finnmark, Svalbard and Jan Mayen), Russia (Murmansk, Siberia, Nenets Okrug and Novaya Zemlya), northernmost Sweden (Västerbotten, Norrbotten and Lappland) and the United States (Alaska).
Land within the region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover, with predominantly treeless permafrost.
Led by marine biologist and former navy diver Andreas Heide, Barba is a marine conservation platform with a mission to generate tangible results that advance the protection of Arctic waters through storytelling and scientific exploration.
Chikasha was invited to join the expedition, which began in Norway in May and wrapped up in August.
Since then, the former St George’s College student has had plenty of time to fully digest this historic feat, his second after the Cape to Rio Yacht Race, and ponder his next move.
Chikasha describes the journey as life-changing, which probably explains his decision to put his dreams of competing on the circuit — and maybe grace the Olympics — on ice.
“The experience has been nothing short of amazing. “It’s really combined all the elements of sailing that I love: just being out there in the open sea with the elements and getting from one place to another on a boat.
“I also love the sea as a whole and all the marine life that’s in it,” he said.
“Being able to encounter all different kinds of marine life, polar bears, blue whales, dolphins and fin whales made it all the more special.”
He also said the expedition helped him learn a lot about myself.