Cape Town - A solo rower has thanked the National Sea and Rescue Institute (NSRI) for assisting in getting him back to the Richards Bay harbour safely while out training to take part in the World’s Toughest Row.
Marc Germiquet, 50, from Botswana had left Durban at around midday on Friday to train for the challenge later this year, and was to head back after having reached Richards Bay.
Germiquet said the World’s Toughest Row was something he had wanted to do for about 15 years and he has been training for around a year and a half in preparation for it.
“I thought this was the absolute ultimate test of human endurance and mental strength and it's always been kind of on the list to do.”
The challenge will start on December 12 and will see participants travel more than 4 800km west from San Sebastian de la Gomera, Canary Islands, to English Harbour, Antigua and Barbuda.
“I was having an absolute blast but then I was looking at my speed and where I was going, and I was going to overshoot Richards Bay by quite some margin. The guys were talking about Mozambique.
“I probably wouldn’t have quite gotten there but it would’ve been quite close and then it would have messed up the whole trying to get back to Durban,” Germiquet said. “I’m non-motorised so I’m subjected to the environmental conditions and there was no way that I would have been able to physically row into the harbour safely. There was absolutely no drama whatsoever. It was a fun day out.”
Germiquet thanked the NSRI for their assistance.
“They’re completely selfless, completely voluntary and they give up their weekends nearly every month to do extra training and be out there for when there’s a real emergency.”
The NSRI said it was contacted to assist Germiquet to the harbour.
NSRI Richards Bay deputy station commander Norman Rautenbach said: “… it appeared that he had travelled a lot faster than planned and the change in the wind direction was also predicted later than previously forecast.
“This meant that in the prevailing south-westerly winds he was on a trajectory to most likely land up in Mozambique by the next morning if there was no change in the winds. He requested to be assisted into Richards Bay as in a rowing boat it would have been impossible to row against the wind and swell into the harbour.”
Germiquet is taking part to raise awareness and funds for the Bush Ways Foundation, established as a subsidiary to Bush Ways Safaris, a business owned by Germiquet operating in Botswana.
Cape Argus