I had swum this part of the river thousands of times in my mind,  but always on a warm sunny day.  The final morning was anything but warm and sunny. A howling Westerly wind and rain was the way the 3 weeks of adventure would end. A  fitting end, we thought, given the conditions endured over the preceeding 3 weeks.

The boat ride ride from the Stramrood’s jetty to Mudlark was chilly and wet to say the least. so by the time we hit the 16,6 degree water it felt toasty. The strong tail wind and outgoing current meant that the last 4 k’s were an absolute breeze, and we reached the “supporter’s jetty” in no time at all – with Marius Heyneman’s boat and mine in support. The boats then transported all the supporters to the sandbank marking the end of our epic swim. I had tears in my eyes while swimming the final couple of kilometres, seeing Sue and my boys, Mom and Brad on the boat next to me each time I took a breath. Swimming those last for meters with Richard and Liz, I reflected on the fact that I couldn’t have chosen better companions for an adventure like this. Liz has always been an inspiration to me from the day I met her more than 2 years ago. My estimation of her increased another tenfold this trip. In 23 days there was not a single moan or complaint, just an absolute commitment to  the cause, nothing but an unwavering infectious positiveness. Richard in his quiet determined way was never going to let anything prevent him from completing this swim. I always knew you would be the until the end Rich, thanks for being a pillar of strength right from those early training days, I could never have followed through without you.

Completing a swim of this magnitude with a team so dedicated in front of an intimate crowd of supporters was exactly the way I envisaged it would end. We ended on the sandbank with Dave cracking 3 bottles of the best Champagne I have ever tasted, hugs and kisses from proud husbands,wives, children, moms and friends made it all so worth it.

An adventure of this magnitude is only possible with the unwavering support of   family and friends and the endless kindness of  complete strangers. We were blessed with large quantities of  all these essential ingredients. I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all those who helped to make this adventure swim the success that it was. We are privileged  to have had you along for the journey

Craig

After joining (and barely surviving) the last 34km of the Source2Sea  swim with this amazing crew, I gave been given the honour of writing today’s blog.

Let me start by saying that anyone who believes we are gently drifting down the river and catching a ride on the current, is sorely mistaken. The current is a huge help, but without it the distances scheduled per day (in the 6hr daily window) would be near impossible. For those reading this who have completed Robben Island to BigBay swims, a neat comparison of the effort required would come close to being the equivalent of a DOUBLE crossing each day (admittedly with warmer water and a 20 min break for lunch ). So from this prelude, you can probably gather that I horribly under-estimated what I had let myself in for these past two days – nicely humbled!!

Last night the farm filled up further with a sizable Torr contingent arriving (Sue, the boys, Bradx2…) – I lost count long ago as to how many people are here in total – but the support team is impressive indeed. This however also created a logistics issue involving the number of boats and paddle skis needed to accommodate all on the river in support.

Again we met on the Stramrood jetty just before 6am to jump in boats and to head down to the BushPub – our end point yesterday and start point today. In contrast to the problem we thought we would have with number of supporters in boats etc, the majority of the new arrivals felt that fishing off the jetty would prove way more fun than watching 4 swimmers slog away for 5-6hrs. So there was a last minute scramble to find enough crew and a competent boat driver – thanks Dave!

The plan was to swim 17.5km from the BushPub down to Mudlark – an ambitious leg! As the ‘newbie’ to the team, I could clearly see the massive fatigue in my fellow swimmers after 20 days of heavy
strain and with the prospect of another massive swim ahead. But this was mixed with the distinct air of rapidly approaching victory and no doubt what gave their battered bodies and minds the ‘vooma’ needed to get the job done. Liz in particular was the most focused.  Despite Craig’s usual ‘I’ve-lost-something’  delay tactics before taking the plunge into the uninviting water, Liz became more like a homing pigeon who just could not wait to get in and focus on reaching the end point. In fact the full team was in the water swimming away while I was still putting on sunscreen. No doubts here that I was accompanying a very determined team.

Within an hour of swimming, all had agreed that this was going to be one of the toughest legs. The terrain is not too exciting to look at, the river is mostly very wide, certainly no rapids and there only a few houses scattered on the banks to distract one from the aching shoulders and endless stretches of water ahead.  But we were saved by good weather, little wind and the wonderful support of so many who either joined on kayaks, paddleski’s or who stopped to accompany us on boats. Good to see the full Wiley clan dropping in – thanks guys – but disappointing that we could not get Craig (Wiley) into his Speedo!! As a display of great support and a display of even more impressive service, Marius Heyneman and Michelle arrived from Witsand in their sizable semi-rigid duck, and delivered Craig’s Land Rover tyre perfectly
repaired right there in the middle of the river.

After another hour, it seemed we all lost our sense of humour simultaneously as pangs of hunger set in. Once this happens, all one can think of are the sandwiches and food waiting for the breakfast stop, making swimming even more difficult. After a short discussion where I hoped we would mutually conclude that an early breakfast was in order, Craig stayed firm and decided that we needed to finish another ‘one hour and seven minutes’ before anyone could stop to eat – it seemed like a long sentence, but was necessary to keep on schedule. We later learned that a minute after making this firm ruling, he helped himself to gel while the rest of our heads were under the water. We are still debating whether to call an off-sides or not.

Not finding any jetties or sandbanks to use as a breakfast stop, Dave was ordered to throw anchor in the middle of the river and we clambered aboard to a feast of sandwiches (thanks Duprecia and
Hendrick for the great catering)!! It was soon apparent that it was not only the swimmers who were taking strain, but also some crew. After 15 minutes on board, Dave was ‘positively encouraging’ us to get back in and SWIM. By now we were all full from breakfast and slowly warming up again, making it way harder to jump back in for another 2-3 hour slog.

Some extremely long, tedious stretches of river followed which saw Liz and Richard pulling way ahead of Craig & I in places and again demonstrating the eagerness to find the elusive Mudlark jetty.
By now we were very firmly swimming in the common hunting grounds of the notorious Zambezi sharks found in the Breede. This fact was further driven home by the numerous fishing vessels we were now passing and their ‘sign language statements’ that we were perhaps all quite possibly insane to not be in a boat.  I am pretty sure this helped Liz find the bout of energy right near the end which saw her breaking from the pack as Mudlark came into view.

All elated to reach the day’s goal (17,5km) and with the knowledge that tomorrow would see a comparatively tiny swim (4km) to reach the blue waters of the ocean and to finish this epic journey, we
climbed on board and headed back to the Stramrood farm, some 23km upstream. What a day!

Thanks to the full team for letting me share in the adventure and its pending victory – amazing to see that spirits are still so high after all this time together and that not a minute goes past
without joke of some sorts to keep yourselves all sane. Excellent job!

Ryan

Day 18 Napkysmond to Malgas Hotel

Day 19 Malgas to Bush Pub

So it was up at dawn on Day 18 – 5am Emile’s cheerful voice came through the haze of exhausted sleep. BUT it was a good reason that we were up early – we are now in the tidal zone and in order to take advantage we need to swim with the outgoing tide. We had 6 hours to swim 18km and everyone was nervous as to whether we could manage to get our weary bodies through this distance in time. It was a freezing morning and we were swimming just after 6am. Even Hendrik our paddler was suffering. Stopped after 21/2 hours to warm up and eat. Nobody was warm when we got back in but we were all buoyed because
we decided to ditch the Five Fingers. No more rocks or rapids. They have been an amazing aid but it was wonderful to  feel so free again. During the break we worked out from the map that we had swum
10km already. This meant that we were getting a big help from the outgoing tide. There had been conflicting reports as to whether the tide went all the way to Napkys – we can confirm it does. The last 8km of the swim was made much easier by the tide and was marked by a huge increase in signs of humanity. Lots of empty holiday houses on the banks and a few boats on the river. We are the subject of much gossip on the river and most locals think we have to be a bit crazy to do what we have. We agree. However the beginning of this tidal section makes us realise that we are nearly there and the enormity of it all is sinking
in.

Meanwhile our land based crew had had dramas of their own. They were meant to bring the boat up the river to meet us in case we missed the change in tides and we couldn’t understand where they were.  Well to cut a long story short the Landrover had a flat, Craig’s jack was inadequate so Mark and Emile had to call Clive Stramrood our host for the evening to help change the tyre. They arrived in Malgas at the same time as us. Once again we had logistical issues about getting to our next stop, getting boats and cars there and we also said goodbye to Emile for the second time. He has been a wonderful asset on the river and we
have all grown incredibly fond of this quiet, watchful, caring man. At the end of a weary day his smile was always so welcome. So Mark and Hendrik went back to Swellendam so Emile could
get his car, Mark and Hendrik could fetch theirs, the tyre could be dropped off at QuickStop, food could be bought, Richard drove the Landrover  to the Stramroods and Craig and Liz went to the Stramroods by boat. Liz and Craig were the lucky ones. By all accounts the road is horrendous – the Stramroods say they never worry about crime – simply because no one would be able to carry anything off (not to mention the
ferocious Rumbles!)  Clive and Duprecia Stramrood have been very generous and provided us and all our families and friends very comfortable accommodation for the rest of the swim. Ryan arrived
later in the day and we finished off with Hendrik doing the braai. Dave and Magda Johnson- our final backup arrived after we had all gone to bed! Friday morning a 5am wakeup again, this time by poor Richard
one of the ragged swimmers. We are now in Zambezi  territory – something we are trying to ignore but can’t. We went by boat to our starting point with Dave skippering and Magda as chief photographer and crew. Hendrik was a wonderful paddler sticking like glue to the paddlers on shark alert and guiding them in the right direction at the same time. Mark was left at home to make the sandwiches for our 2^nd
breakfast stop on the Stramroods jetty at the 10km mark. Ryan Stramrood joined us on the swim and provided Richard with the speed he thrives on. Craig and Liz were their backstop. We are starting to taste the salt but still very weak, but  the tidal effect is strong. This makes our journey so much easier and we were at the Bush Pub having covered the 16km in 4 ¼ hours. We celebrated with a drink at the Bush Pub, headed home thrilled by the fact that we only have 22km left.

After a fantastic supper prepared by Barbie and her team from Felix Unite, the support crew and swimmers woke up after a restful night’s sleep at Up the Creek, to the smell of egg and bacon and tucked into a hearty breakfast in preparation for a 13.5 km section after 3 hard days.  The weather forecast predicted partly cloudy conditions with a north westerly wind. Hendrick van der Heever, our new water based support crew member, arrived at 9:00 am and we were ready to depart.

Emile and Hendrick were to be our water based support crew for the day, while Mark Webb sorted out the land based logistics, which involved picking up Craig’s boat from Marius Heyneman, who was sorting out an issue with the battery, doing a bit of shopping in Swellendam and picking up the rest of the camping gear. Mark was then meant to meet us at our next extraction point, Napkysmond, but more about that later.

This section of the river was to be the most scenic to date and has certainly left a lasting impression on the team.  The river comprised of a number of deep rock pools broken by a series of rapids and swim throughs. The rock pools were spectacular, jagged rock pushed up out of the ground at an angle, sometimes creating a wall of rock across the river with no apparent way through, but the river always found a way through….and where the river went, we went.  The river was narrow, which created good flow, and the team utilised the flow to good effect, and made good time. We hit the home straight and headed for Napkysmond straight into a westerly wind which made it hard going for the support crew. The team had to walk/swim the last 1.5 km as the river was very shallow. We arrived at the camp site, and were
confronted by an upset farmer, Phillip Kemp, who indicated that we were trespassing. Craig and Liz explained who we were and he relaxed and explained that the actual camp site we were looking for, was 3km back up the river. Mark had been waiting for us since 12:00 and we had swum right by. Craig struck a deal with Phillip to spend the night and Phillip then drove Craig to the other camp site to find Mark. Eventually, Craig returned with Mark, and the rest of the plan was executed…boat was retrieved and launched at Malagas, ready to retrieve the swimmers tomorrow  and the rest of the equipment was retrieved. Liz has once again, has whipped up a chicken pasta dish on the fire, to feed the hungry hordes.

We woke to a perfect day at a picturesque Breede Bush Camp. By the time we hit the water however , the wind was pumping from the West. Mark’s first day as backup paddler was a very tough one. He
always seemed to be paddling into the wind no matter which way the river turned. Scenery on the river was spectacular as we passed through the “Rock Gardens “, massive barriers of black rock attempting to block the river’s path. The relentless river always seems to find a way through, no matter how narrow. For us, the narrower the better, as this increases the speed. We lunched on the green lawns at “Round the Bend”.

The afternoon seemed to once again, drag on forever, but the beauty of the river made up for it. After a stint of nearly 4 hours we spotted Emile who had come upstream to greet us. Tonight has been a
real treat as we have been catered for at “Up the Creek”. Tomorrow marks the arrival of a new crew member, Hendrik, we look forward to him beefing up our support crew.

It was always going to be a tough day logistically as we only had 1 backup person for the day, Emile, he obviously paddled with us. This meant that we parked the Landy at the Bontebok Park for
the day and set off on our 16km stretch in perfect conditions. The first half was dominated by the longest straightest most boring pool we have encountered. It took 2 hours of swimming to complete it. After lunch we swam past the confluence of the Buffeljags  River and enjoyed an increase in flow. The highlight of the afternoon was a 2m waterfall over jagged rocks that had to be by-passed.

Things were going according to plan until we arrived at the corner where our accommodation should have been, and it wasn’t. Had it moved? Was it still further? Did I get it wrong? Well, you
guessed it, according to the friendly and very helpful farmer on the hill, Hansie Swart, we still had 15k’s to go, and it was 5pm. We very quickly accepted Hansie’s offer to drive us to the Breede Bush camp. That wasn’t the end of it though, Mark, Liz’s husband then drove Emile back to the Bontebok Park to fetch the Landy with all our gear. They eventually arrived at camp at 9pm, thus ending a long eventful day.

Paddling down the breathtakingly beautiful Breede River, inhaling the plethora of sights, sounds and smells of this majestic flow of water, there can be no doubt in one’s mind that our God truly is the Creator of all heaven and earth.

The boys (Daniel, Matthew, Luke and Marcher) and I arrived at a little piece of heaven called Falcon Estate Farm (just this side of Swellendam) on Friday evening where we joined up with special friends, Matt, RiRi, Jess, Nick and Kayla. The Torr and Stow children have a very special bond, so every occasion to be reunited with them is an exciting one. The children reconnected in a matter of seconds, and were soon exploring the river, having bamboo fights, pitching tents and getting as dirty as possible (which normally doesn’t take too long). Brad, Craig, Richard and Liz arrived about an hour later and we all settled around the fire and enjoyed an evening of friendship and fun.

Grateful for not having been swept away during the night by a howling Westerly wind, we all descended upon the campsite kitchen for coffee, rusks and cereal. The kitchen soon transformed itself into the mission control room where the logistics of day 13 were discussed and deliberated. It was agreed that Brad and I would kayak with the swimmers for the first shift, and would be joined later by Matt, RiRi and the kids.

Brad and I paddled the first 6 kilometres with the swimmers which turned out to be fairly uneventful. We were adequately aided by the Westerly wind and didn’t need to do too much paddling. Brad and I discovered the joys of paddling while standing up, although this did result in a few tumbles into the water and the loss of our 5 litre bottle of Energade. We figured, however, that there was sufficient liquid in the river should the swimmers become thirsty, and soon forgot about the lost Energade. We also discovered that wet clothing and a howling Westerly wind is the perfect recipe for making a paddler really cold, and there were more than a few moments when I longed for a tot of sherry. Or two.

Kayaking down rivers happens to be one of my all-time-favourite activities – possibly because it allows me time to reflect on the omnipotence of our Creator God. In the many hours that I’ve spent paddling down the Breede River with my beautiful boys and special friends, it never ceases to amaze me how God has in-filled us all with an insatiable spirit of adventure. The anticipation at every turn of the river, the excitement while navigating each rapid, the amazement at sighting a rare flower or the thrill of hearing a fish eagle call and then frantically trying to spot it – these are beautiful blessings that we are gifted with each and every time we explore this majestic river.

The seconding crew changed over at a place called Kam Bati, where the kids discovered the thrill of trying to cross the river on particularly long rope bridge. Ri became kayaker-in-chief, while Matt joined the swimmers for a 6 km stretch of the river. Although Brad and I had planned to take over the kayaking at about 2 pm that afternoon, we failed to find any access roads down to the river. After bundu-bashing for an hour through the Swellendam wheat fields, we eventually decided to head directly to the end point where the swimmers were destined to complete their swim at around 4:30 pm. We were granted access to the river by a really friendly farmer on a farm called Uitvlug, and fished for Bass while waiting for the swimmers and kayakers to arrive. The swimmers and kayakers arrived on schedule – tired and haggard after a long day in the water. A flask of coffee was quickly devoured and Liz soon perked up after hearing that we had sourced 2 bottles of wine.

My closing thoughts are twofold. Firstly, we are blessed to have our health, our family and our friends. These three blessings allow us to fully appreciate the wonderful spirit of adventure that God has infused into each of our hearts. Secondly, God truly is the master artist, the maker of all things, the designer-in-chief, the Creator God. And the Breede River is one of His masterpieces.

A day of significant landmarks.

We started off at 9.15 am. oh – by the way if you were wondering why it is so long since we have reported on the water temperature – it is because Craig lost the thermometer in week one. However the water felt warm and the sun was out and the wind mild. Almost perfect! We had 13km to cover today and were accompanied on the first stretch by Matt Stow, Ri, Jess, Nick and Kayla. It was pretty easy goingand Matt swam with us for about 4km. We were very impressed and he made sure we kept up a good pace. We stopped for brunch at our campsite where we have been for the last two nights on the Heyneman’s property. The entire family have bent over backwards to make us comfortable and we thank them for allowing us to share their piece of paradise.

After our break we still had 7km to go and were joined on this stretch by the entire Torr clan including Mathew Archer, Brad and Warren Dewey. Soon after starting we swam under the N2 bridge. This is something we had been looking forward to for a long time as it marks the fact that we are now 2/3 of the way through our adventure. The rest of the 7km seemed to drag a bit despite the distractions from our noisy, exuberant crew. It’s Warren’s fault because he said that the finish was just around the corner when in fact we probably had another 4km to swim.

So tonight we are sitting happily full of pizza after supper at Alex’s restaurant Woodpeckers in Swellendam which we highly recommend.

Emil is back – great to see him again.