Adventure News: Peter van Kets to become the first African rower to cross an ocean SOLO

Adventure News: Peter van Kets to become the first African rower to cross an ocean SOLO - Ndorfin, South Africa

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Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Peter van Kets to become the first African rower to cross an ocean SOLO

East London rower and surf ski paddler Peter van Kets is about to become the first African to row
across any ocean solo. Eight to ten days from today, Van Kets and his hi-tech rowing boat,
Liberty Nyamezela, will enter English Harbour, Antigua, to complete the 2009/2010 Woodvale
Trans-Atlantic Rowing Race.

Van Kets left the port of San Sebastian in the Canary Islands on 4 January and is now just 290
nautical miles from the finish. Van Kets is the only entrant from Africa, and is competing against
British, European and US individuals and teams. The solo class has already been won by Briton
Charlie Pitcher in his radical-design rowing boat. (Pitcher also took overall line honours on 25
February.)

Two years ago Peter and fellow East London rower Bill Godfrey won the Woodvale Challenge in
the pairs category on Gquma Challenger. Their crossing took 50 days. Van Kets has been at sea
for 70 days so far and will also make history as the first rower to compete in the pairs class of the
race and return to row it solo. Originally Van Kets aimed to smash the solo race record of 68 days
but the trade winds and currents that usually favour the rowers have not materialized this year.
The race is rated as the toughest race in the world � rowers must overcome challenges such as
losing a significant amount of body weight, muscle wasting (exertion and from not standing or
walking for months), extreme weather conditions (storms, heat, cross-winds, wave action,
currents), managing close-quarter relationships in the case of teams and loneliness in the case of
solo rowers, potentially being run over by ships, etc. At the same time, as they navigate west
they are able to celebrate the uniqueness of their situation:, the rich beauty of the ocean, its
creatures and magical moon-rises and phosphorescence in the water.

Van Kets�s boat, Liberty Nyamezela, was manufactured in South Africa and boasts high-tech,
lightweight modifications including a state-of-the-art solar voltaic power system to deliver energy
to the life-sustaining water maker and communication and navigation equipment. The sponsors
who assisted with the campaign are all represented in South Africa with anchor sponsor, Liberty,
welcoming Van Kets to its Own Your Life campaign as its first brand ambassador. Van Kets is
also doing this race to raise funds for the Carel du Toit Centre for the Deaf in East London, where
deaf children learn to speak. (www.careldutoit-ec.co.za)

After being at sea alone, with only a few rare sightings of other crews and the odd yacht or ship,
for two-and-a-half months, Van Kets is very much looking forward to seeing land and his wife,
endurance athlete Kim van Kets, and daughter Hannah who will at the finish to welcome home
this African super athlete.

More information is available on the Ship�s Blog on www.rowpeterow.co.za, on
http://www.own-your-life.co.za.

There is also a Facebook group currently supported by 1,120 fans: Row, Pete, row!

Peter van Kets is available to interview via satellite phone. Limited selection of press photos.

For comment: Cliff Coombe, shore manager, 082 412 7972, mailto:cliffy@mweb.co.za

Issued by Tracey Whitelaw for Row Pete Row� http://www.rowpeterow.co.za