Rapids, fuel problems and heroic deeds on #HaalAsem day 3
Day three of the Spoorlos team's journey started off with smooth sailing, but rapidly ended with them nearly losing one of their boats en route to the Vanderkloof Dam.
Local father-son duos, Kobus and Francois Jacobs, Guillaume Nel Sr and Jr, and Abrie and Wynand Visser, launched their boats onto the Orange River on Sunday March 12, to create awareness of mental health an its impacts.
The third day of the #HaalAsem expedition on the Orange River started off with sun calling the teams into motion to reach the next destination, the Vanderkloof Dam, a 120km journey from where they overnighted at the Gariep.
ALSO READ: #HaalAsem expedition on the Orange River off to a rowing start
The teams had a very eventful day and faced physical challenges they weren’t prepared for.
After spending 40km on the smooth waters, the team enjoyed their lunch together with the backup team and they quickly got back onto the waters to endure the last 80km of this trajectory.
The teams approached dangerous rapids and decided to investigate their options instead of facing the rapids head-on. The boats were “securely” stationed, or so they thought, and soon after the teams started with their investigation on foot, one of the boats came lose, got stuck in a rapid and then went down the river, caught in a very strong current.
One of the team members, Guillaume Nel Jr, dove into the river and managed to get onto the boat and save it from heading further down the river.
ALSO READ: Warm weather and smooth sailing on #HaalAsem day two
Besides nearly losing one of their boats, the teams faced another challenge which could have resulted in them not being able to reach Vanderkloof. Both of their boats were running extremely low on fuel. There was no cellphone reception and no way of communicating with the backup team traveling on the ground.
The teams did, however, not lose hope and finally arrived at their destination where they enjoyed a lovely stay at Sandgat Resort, feeling refreshed and recharged for what lies ahead on day four.
“Take a step back, take a long view, take a deep breath and take your time to start again.” – Unknown
*Day three’s trajectory is proudly sponsored by Fidelity J&M
