Yesterday I posted a story about a Frenchman who is preparing to cross the Atlantic on SUP board. Today we have word of another Atlantic crossing, this time under pedal power.South African Davey Du Plessis and his mom Robyn Wolff plan to set out in the next few days, depending on the weather conditions. They'll leave from Cape Town with the intention of pedaling their custom made boat all the way to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Their journey will cover an estimated 6450 km (4007 miles), and is expected to take anywhere from 90-150 days to complete.
The mother-son crew are obviously in for a big adventure out on the high seas, but they are undertaking this epic journey to help raise awareness of how man is causing the mass extinction of life across the globe. Through our own actions, we are having a deep, and lasting, impact on the planet that is resulting in a sever loss of life that will be irreversible. Davey and Robyn hope to bring this cause to the forefront of world issues through their efforts. You can find out more about his issue at ExtinctionSix.com.
If Davey's name sounds familiar, its because he made world-wide headlines back in 2012 when he attempted to travel the length of the Amazon River, but was attacked by gunmen, shot, and left for dead. His story was a brutal reminder that not all of the challenges that we face while traveling through remote areas are due to Mother Nature. Other humans can still be a major threat too.
Davey and his mother intend to set out before the end of November, so they are starting to run low on days. But they are prepared to be begin when the weather allows them to, and they know that the ocean may not be all that accommodating to their schedule. They'll make their Atlantic crossing in a boat that has no sail or motor. Instead, it has been outfitted with a specially created pedal drive that will allow them to make progress as if they were pedaling a bike. The boat was also made from sustainable materials to help make it safe for the environment as well, and it it is outfitted with the standard equipment you would expect on an ocean crossing, including water purification system, GPS navigation, and emergency radios.
Good luck to Davey and Robyn on this voyage. It should be an amazing one.
