Adventurer charting a fresh course

ADVENTURER and explorer Davey du Plessis – after his boat was towed to shore at the weekend – will have a frustrating wait until November to resume his voyage to Rio de Janeiro.

Du Plessis, 27, and his mother Robyn Wolff, 50, left from Granger Bay in their paddle boat The Herbivore but, because of high winds and heavy seas, had to be brought back to shore by the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI).

Wolff had been suffering from acute seasickness and was treated by the crew.

The mother-son vegan duo expected to complete the 6 450km trip in three to six months to raise awareness of Extinction Six, which highlights the plight of species threatened by human-induced extinction.

Du Plessis said he and his mother had been well prepared for their adventure, but the weather had made things difficult for them. “We weren’t in distress or danger. Because the boat is powered just by our movement, if the wind is pushing against us, paddling becomes a struggle,” he said yesterday.

He said that when he took up the adventure again in November, Wolff would not be joining him. “She’s very disappointed. She didn’t expect to reach her breaking point so soon,” he said.

“We’ve missed the weather window between November and January when the prevailing wind is blowing out to sea instead of towards land. You’re using human power, so everything you’re putting in is being pushed back by these powerful winds,” Du Plessis said.

“I need to maintain my focus so that I don’t get distracted by this setback. I’m trying to find activities to fill the months ahead until I’m ready to leave again.”

Du Plessis has suffered even more brutal challenges before.

Two months into a planned solo source-to-sea navigation of the Amazon River last year, he was ambushed and shot while in the isolated jungles of Peru.

The adventure turned into a struggle to survive as he made his way through the jungle.

He has written a book about his ordeal.