If ever there is a trophy for social distancing, it belongs to Zirk Botha.
The South African is all alone 2,000km out to sea, 19 days after setting off from Cape Town in a rowboat.
He has even had to self-isolate inside his boat – by strapping himself into a tiny sealed-up cabin in the prow to survive extreme weather.
“Winds in excess of 30 knots and swells of 4m forced me to secure myself at some points in my watertight cabin, with safety harnesses in the event of the boat rolling over,” the 59-year-old adventurer said in a statement on Thursday.
Botha is rowing to raise awareness about renewable energy. He is completely energy self-sufficient during his 100-day odyssey. His navigation and other equipment, including a desalinator and satellite communications, are reliant on solar panels and solar-charged batteries – supplied by his employer, juwi Renewable Energies.
“My job equips me to speak with knowledge regarding the competitive costs and benefits of renewable energy,” Botha said. “The platform that the ocean crossing creates will allow me to drive home the message that the increased uptake of renewable energy is a key solution to the climate change challenges faced by our planet.”
The start of the trip was delayed several times late last year due to unusual wind.
Botha is following a popular sailor route known as the “Great Circle Route”, which involves getting a “slingshot” northwards by the southeast wind, and then pushed across the Atlantic by the so-called Trade Winds – the same winds exploited by mariners for centuries.
“Finding a weather window and considering the wind direction was key – the answer was to be found in historical maritime practice, going back as far as Da Gama and Dias, who used the trade winds to their benefit,” Botha said.
“More recently, the same route and timing has been used by the Cape to Rio yacht race. I had one variance in that I needed to start in early December owing to my slower speed, compared to a yacht.
“It’s not a direct route from Cape Town to Rio. I first headed out of Cape Town in a northwest direction to benefit from the prevailing south-easterly wind. Now, after over 1,000 nautical miles [about 1,580km], I am north of Lüderitz Bay in Namibia, and more than 300 nautical miles [about 555km] offshore. I will turn westerly and hopefully will enjoy the benefit of the wind behind me as I cross the Atlantic,” he said.
This is not Botha’s first unusual adventure.
The former navy officer is an avid runner and mountain biker who once trekked across the Himalayas and crossed the Okavango Delta in a stand-up paddle board.
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