Out of (and Around) Africa

When South African Gerhard Moolman paddled his surfski 3,600 miles along the coast of Africa last year—setting a world record in the process—his "setbacks" would have the rest of us swearing off paddling for life. Just when you thought it was safe to brag about hardships on your bar stool, here’s a sampling of what Moolman, 31, had to endure during his six-month voyage from Cape Town, South Africa, to Lamu, Kenya.

Moolman’s mission was to raise money and awareness for the plight facing Africa’s children, millions of whom are born with AIDS and without enough food. Though the intended goals of the voyage were worthy enough for his hardships, he says the beautiful and wild coastline of east Africa helped ease his pain. For more than a month, he paddled through a sardine school that stretched for hundreds of square miles. The shoal, which occurs annually on the east coast of Africa, is known as the largest on earth. "The sea becomes alive with dolphins, sharks, orcas, birds and game fish," Moolman says. "This is more than just a big shoal. It is probably one of the most unique and amazing ocean phenomena ever. Some days I saw dolphins exceeding 10,000 in number." He also saw hundreds of whales, many less than six feet away, and thousands of turtles and flying fish, though none actually flew into his boat. Along the way, he passed four countries and met with 26 native tribes. Though he paddled solo, he did have support crews on land. But during many stretches the coastline was so rugged he would go weeks without seeing his crew.

Moolman, who works as a banking management consultant, says the fundraising effort has not been as successful as he had hoped—so far he’s raised only a few thousand dollars. But he says building awareness has been more than successful. The trip brought attention from hundreds of thousands in Africa, he says. "It was a liberating experience for me and it changed the way I look at the world," he says. "I will not change it for anything else in life I can think of." Except for maybe the shark. Info: www.thefarblue.com.

—Matt Hansen

Originally Published, Paddler July-August 2003