With a little over a month to go until the Coast 2 Coast 4 CANSA team sets off on their epic 2800 km jet ski journey from Ponto do Oura in Mozambique to the Orange River in Namibia, jet ski pilots and crew members are both frantically trying to finalize preparations. Thankfully, expedition leader Russel Symcox is more organised than your average male. The amount of hard work and effort that he has put in to the campaign thus far has been mind-blowing, and we haven’t even travelled a single kilometre yet!
The objectives of the mission are simple – to promote healthy lifestyle choices, and to raise awareness about and funds for cancer. Luckily, the awesome journey which the C2C4C team is about to embark upon has all the right ingredients to invoke public interest – it appeals to our inner Kingsley Holgates, it has well known sportspeople and celebrities taking part and, most importantly, it is in aide of a noble and worthy cause. Cancer affects, directly or indirectly, almost every single person. In the week following the creation of the Coast 2 Coast 4 CANSA group on Facebook, over 1000 people joined, proof that most South Africans are aware of the effects of cancer on society, and recognise the importance of achieving the mission objectives.
Although there is no denying that every person who has a role to play in the C2C4C expedition is doing so for all the right reasons, it is also true that the journey offers participants a once in a lifetime opportunity to explore every single kilometre of South Africa’s beautiful and diverse coastline. As the travelling media liaison, I feel both privileged and incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to be a part of something which I believe will make a difference to the lives of many people. This blog, I hope, will not only allow me to document my experiences forever, but more importantly offer whoever reads it the chance to experience our journey vicariously.
