IN the Western Cape are two rivers, the Berg River and the Brede River, are both famous for the canoe marathons which take place on them every year. For veteran Springbok rower Donnie Malherbe it had long been a dream to cross the Western Cape from ocean to ocean, by canoeing along both rivers.
The fact that these two bodies of water are not linked, presented a seemingly insurmountable problem, but for Malherbe the solution lay in crossing the 45 km stretch of land which separates the Berg from the Breede River in the Tulbagh area on foot!
Teaming up with Afriplex colleague, Danie Nel (a keen canoeist and endurance athlete from Wellington, who last year completed the 2300 km Toyota Freedom Challenge mountain-bike race), Malherbe set out to prove the impossible possible.
In the early morning of 12 September, the two adventurers embarked on their epic journey, travelling upstream from Velddrif, where the Berg River meets the sea.
After three days of paddling against the current for 12 hours at a stretch, Nel and Malherbe encountered an unexpected obstacle near Gouda, where a rapid split their canoe apart.
Undaunted, the pair simply borrowed another, and continued on their expedition at dawn the following day. Arriving at Gouda, they then began an arduous 40 km trudge towards the Breede River, carrying their canoe along back roads and the railway line, and reaching the village of Wolseley after dark the same evening.
The following day, the pair started the second leg of their trip, paddling downstream on the Breede River, past Worcester, Robertson, Bonnievale, Swellendam and Malgas, and eventually emerging “krom maar klaar” four days later, at the river mouth at Witsand, having covered a total distance of 560 km in just eight and a half days.
“It was tough going at times, but the blisters and aching bodies were worth it,” says a delighted Nel.
“To our knowledge we’re the first to complete this ocean-to-ocean crossing, and now that we’ve proved it can be done, we will hopefully pave the way for others! Next we are going to tackle the Nile - upstream!”
