Pair cross Pacific on honeymoon, rowing all the way

04 June 2017 - 02:00 By TASCHICA PILLAY
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Riaan and Vasti Manser sometimes thought, 'Why are we doing this again?' during their 39-day trip.
Riaan and Vasti Manser sometimes thought, 'Why are we doing this again?' during their 39-day trip.
Image: Supplied

The story of an adventurous Cape Town couple's 39-day honeymoon rowing a boat from California to Honolulu is set to hit the small screen.

After tying the knot in May last year at the Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town, Riaan and Vasti Manser completed the journey in their 6.4m boat in 39 days and four hours, breaking the Guinness World Record for the fastest row from California to Hawaii.

They will feature in a one-hour documentary,Honeymoon Pacific, to be broadcast on the Discovery Channel in September.

Life aboard a small, cramped ocean rowboat was no party for the two adventure junkies.

Manser said: "There was not a single calm day.

"We had Hurricane Frank hit us from the south and there was no way of escaping it. You know there's a chance of you never being seen again.

"The second night out from Monterey was the worst. It was about 4am, we were both sleeping and the boat was literally thrown over, upside down. I was thrown and my head hit a fire extinguisher. I had a bad gash and there was blood everywhere.

"Vasti was thrown too, but she had no injuries. We were in an upside-down air bubble. I thought I will not let this be the end of this journey and I shouted to Vasti to join me and walk the cabin round like a mouse wheel to invert it. That was a wake-up call.

"Three or four days later Vasti got very emotional about it and we both knew there was a chance of us dying on this trip. The Pacific Ocean is crazy, it was much tougher," he said.

He said they did 12-hour shifts of rowing and spent the other 12 hours on admin, cooking, catching fish, preparing for the next 12 hours of rowing, and sleeping.

"When the sun goes down and the lights go out, you can't see a thing. It was quite overwhelming. But we had some massive, beautiful moon-rises in the east. We did sometimes think: 'Why are we doing this again?' But we started counting down the days and it started feeling better. It's amazing how powerful the mind has to be," he said.

Said Vasti: "What Riaan and I agreed from the beginning, knowing all the dangers, trials and tribulations, was that we were making stories and memories we would be able to share with our grandchildren. Stories about a honeymoon that is unmatched."

A large part of the documentary was filmed on board by cameras attached to the boat in various places, with some able to capture virtual-reality views of the Mansers' long struggle across the ocean.

Riaan said it was definitely not your conventional honeymoon.

"It was tough, dangerous and rough. The reward, though, is indescribable. We would recommend any experience to anyone willing.

"It certainly is risky, uncomfortable and not romantic in any way. So you have to be willing to die or at least be in constant pain and not always get on that well with your new husband or bride."

Riaan, who is an explorer and author, has made many documentaries about his previous journeys.

He has completed other unparalleled world firsts - circumnavigated Africa by bicycle, kayaked around Iceland and Madagascar and rowed from Morocco to New York, with Vasti.

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