Optical Illusion

SIYA LATER: Spingbok captain Siya Kolisi got involved with his son. Photo Jean Tresfon

Dams, swimming pools and even fish tanks hosted the tiny boats and their over-sized occupants. The challenge – which ran over 10 days and involved people from across the country spending time in Optimists (boats designed for children) -- was all in aid of a good cause. And not just one good cause, but many.

In all, more than 220 people entered the challenge to raise funds for 13 different charity organisations.

Founder of the Little Optimist Trust and the brains behind the unique event Greg Bertish says, “Over the last 10 days we’ve taught 20 disadvantaged children – many of whom are not used to being in the water - to sail competently and confidently. We’re also giving 50 children from Maitland Cottage Children’s Hospital a sailing experience. And we’ve raised over R200 000 to be split between our Trust and the others that participated.”

BEING OPTIMISTIC: Founder Greg Bertish at the Radisson Blu event. Photo Spike

As part of the 10-day event, Springbok Captain Siya Kolisi and his children joined teammate Scarra Ntubeni sailing a Newborns Trust-branded boat in the I&J tank at the Two Oceans Aquarium to raise awareness about prematurity ahead of World Prematurity Day on November 17th.

Meanwhile, the who’s who of Cape Town gathered at the Radisson Blu in Granger Bay to float in an Optimist bobbing on the hotel pool, and highlight the #bounceback of tourism after the devastation of months of lockdown.

With October being Marine Month, and the holiday season just around the corner, The Radisson chose to use the opportunity to celebrate tourism in Cape Town, and the City’s drive to revive the industry over the next few months.

SHARK SPOTTERS: The team, led by Sarah Waries, popped in to say hi. Photo Grant Scholtz

Key players in the tourism sector such as Mayoral Committee Member for Business and Economic Opportunities James Vos jumped into the tiny boat and enjoyed a drink in the hotel’s Infinity Pool while taking in the breath-taking views it offers of the Mother City’s coastline.

Vos was in good company. TV and radio personality Liezel Van Der Westhuizen showed she knows what she’s doing when it comes to sailing. Ice swimmer and motivational speaker Ryan Stramrood took a turn to sail too, wearing nothing but a SA flag speedo like the one Faf de Klerk popularised at the Rugby World Cup. Deon Bing joined the fun after making sure there was room for both him and his skateboard in the two metre-long vessel.

Big wave surfer Matt Bromley took the children from the 9 Miles organisation for a sail in the tidal pool at Strandfontein. Another home-grown global superstar on the surfing circuit, Michael February, hosted a 24-hour sail-a-thon in the family’s swimming pool in Kommetjie, raising almost R25,000 for their selected charity Shark Spotters, which was 10k over their target, as friends, family and pro surfers from overseas pitched in.

SHARKY EVENING: Alan Wellburn booked an hour in the evening at the Februarys. Photo Scholtz

One of the entrants supporting the February Family Challenge was Kommetjie resident Alan Wellburn, who summed it up: "Such a lekker vibe. Not every day you get to float in a boat in a pool while a world class surfer cooks boerie rolls and mates bring you cold beers. Such a great project and awesome people."

Bertish said: “The challenge has been unbelievable. We’ve had collaboration from people all over the country. We even had people sailing in Witbank. We had a person doing a 24-hour vigil on top of a building in Cape Town. We had sailing in swimming pools and canals. All sorts of charities came together.”

For more details and to support, please visit www.thelittleoptimistglobalchallenge.org

{gallery}SLIDESHOW/2020/october/optimist-highlights{/gallery}