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Zirk Botha completes transatlantic row in record 71 days

Rower Zirk Botha

Rower Zirk Botha

2nd March 2021

By: Marleny Arnoldi

Deputy Editor Online

     

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The 59-year-old rower Zirk Botha on February 28 completed his transatlantic ocean row from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro.

He completed the 7 200 km, or 4 000 nautical miles (nm), journey in a record 71 days, against his initial target of 90 days.

Botha left Cape Town in his boat Ratel on December 19.

The former naval officer said in a statement that he received a warm welcome in Brazil at the Rio de Janeiro Yacht Club, escorted by a flotilla of boats and welcomed by locals, dignitaries and media.

He set world records as the first South African to row the south transatlantic route and unsupported by any safety craft, as well as for the fastest row from Cape to Rio.

A similar route was previously completed by South African duo, Wayne Robertson and Braam Malherbe, in 92 days, in 2017.  Brazilian Amyr Klink crossed the South Atlantic solo in 1984, on a slightly different 3700 nm route rowing from Namibia to Bahia over 100 days.

On his row, Botha had to deal with the multiple challenges of wild seas, sleep deprivation, isolation and the risk of encountering ships.

“While I had near perfect weather conditions to facilitate a record-breaking crossing, it has been intense, with only two calm days over the whole crossing. The relentless nature of the weather has been physically and mentally draining. I wasn't prepared for that type of challenge,” he stated.

He explained that, as a 100% self-sustaining solo rower, he had to deal with all physical, mental and emotional challenges without support or relief. Botha had to navigate 24/7 with no one else to keep a visual lookout for ships or changes in weather conditions while he slept.

“When I was not rowing I had to desalinate water, clean the hull and do general boat maintenance, besides laundry, which also impacted on the time I had available to rest.”

Sponsored by Juwi Renewable Energies, Botha completed the extraordinary feat in support of sustainable development and to promote renewable energy as a solution to environmental issues and climate change.

“I wanted to use #Row2Rio2020 to spotlight the impact of fossil fuels and irresponsible consumerism on the planet, which will be the home of our children and future generations. Renewable energies are essential to a sustainable future.”

Juwi CEO Richard Doyle commented that renewable energy made up 28% of the global total last year, up 2% on the previous year.  There is a steady shift in investment appetite away from fossil fuels and this percentage will only increase.

“Juwi’s vision is 100% renewable energy and it is increasingly clear that many businesses can get there with energy management and storage. Botha is a mini-example of this with the sun having provided all of the navigation, communications and other electronic functions for his trip,” said Doyle.

Meanwhile, the Ratel was designed to withstand rough weather and sea conditions.

The current norm is for ocean rowing boats to be built from marine plywood or in a fibreglass and epoxy mould. Ratel differs from this in that she is built on a design by esteemed naval architect Phil Morrison using closed cell foam laid up with fibreglass and epoxy resin.

The specific design incorporates honeycomb construction principles which ultimately makes it very strong when considering that it is super light. The boat weights a maximum of 550 kg, when loaded with equipment, and measures 6.5 m in length, with a beam of 1.62 m.

The boat was fitted with two 12 V batteries connected in parallel with a combined 200 aH capacity.

“These are deep cycle batteries suited for charging with solar panels.  I chose Solbian flexible solar panels because of their good record on yachts and boats. With a peak capacity of 276 W at 46 V, they deliver maximum half of that owing to being positioned at various angles to cater for morning, midday and afternoon sun.

“They have consistently delivered even on overcast days and as such my batteries have been fully charged every day at sunset.”

The boat also had a desalinator fitted on board to provide fresh water for the rower, making up to 16 ℓ of fresh water an hour, while the boat is also fitted with three electric bilge pumps and a manual hand bilge pump in the event of a flood.

Botha could communicate through a very high-frequency radio equipped with a global positioning system, automatic identification system (AIS) and digital selective calling (DSC) facility. The AIS provided Botha with early warnings of ships in his vicinity, while the DSC enabled him to communicate with them.

Additionally, Botha has a satellite phone that was charged by lighter socket or USB.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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