Former Tembisan rows for a purpose
Former Tembisan resident and also a former South African rowing team member, Thato Mabelane, will attempt a 30 day row across the Atlantic Ocean.
His trip will start on Sunday, January 17, with seven other multinational rowers.
Mabelane has set her sights on becoming the first African oarswoman to row across an ocean and the team has set their sights on breaking the World Speed Record for the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing of 32 days.
Born and bred in Tembisa, Mabelane said she feels proud to represent Tembisa on the world stage.
“We are not only attempting to break records, we are also aiming to raise R1.5-million for Early Childhood Development. The charities that will benefit include the Ubunye Foundation, formerly known as the Angus Gillis Foundation, which is a rural development trust established in 2002 in response to chronic underdevelopment in the Eastern Cape. The South Africa and Bulamahlo Orphanage in East Johannesburg, Tembisa, a relatively small charity established in 1989, will also receive a donation,” said Mabelane.
“We are proud to be associated with the Ubunye Team. They have great commitment to their cause, both in terms of successfully rowing across the Atlantic and also raising money for Early Childhood Development. We are all rooting for their success,” said Lucy O’Keef, the head of the Ubunye Foundation.
Mabelane’s fellow rowers are Stuart Connacher, Julie Dunne, Caetano Da Cunha, Leven Brown, Don Lennox, James Robins and Nathan King.
Mabelane and the crew will meet in Gran Canaria – Puerto Mogan, on January 10, to row 5 000 kilometres across the Atlantic Ocean to Barbados. The crew will be skippered by the world-renowned ocean rowing skipper Leven Brown, who resides in Scotland.
The crew will row in shifts of two hours on and two hours off for the duration of the row. The crew will row in a 45-foot, purpose-built ocean rowing boat called Avalon, which should be able to withstand the conditions on one of the world’s most treacherous bodies of water, with waves of up to 50 feet.
The boat has a carbon constructed mono hull that will self-right if capsized. The eight crew members will share the cramped space aboard without ever leaving the boat, other than for a quick, mid-Atlantic Ocean dip in the sea. Each of the crew will get a daily ration pack, containing three freeze-dried meals and various snacks.
“The rest of the ration pack is made up of dried fruit, nuts and the biggest secret out – four chocolate bars. Basically, we just need to get calories,” said Brown.
“We’ll burn 8 000 to 10 000 calories per day on the boat and we need to replace all that energy. Even with the ration pack, we will be running on a calorie deficit.”
One of the team’s biggest challenges out in the open will be keeping themselves hydrated. According to Brown, the temperature inside the cabin will reach up to 40-plus degrees during the day and will become quite chilly at night.
“In these conditions, the human body can only survive for four to five days in the tropics, without water, so it is absolutely essential to our expedition.”
The team will have to make water daily utilising solar and wind power. The water maker is the most prized possession on board and to ensure it is always working, there are two back-up hand pumps on deck in case electricity is lost.
Mabelane and the crew are in good hands as Brown is no stranger to the sea, as he has rowed across five oceans. His longest row lasted 123 days.
“Once again, I would like to call on all Tembisans to always aim high, because everything is possible in life. It does not matter where you come from, what matters is what you want to achieve in life,” said Mabelane.
The public can follow the crossing via a live GPS tracker. Closer to the departure date, there will be a link to the live tracker on the Ubunye Challenge website www.ubunyechallenge.com
