Encouraging crazy dreams

INTREPID: Adventurers Bill Godfrey, front, and Peter van Kets on a practice run in their boat the Gquma Challenger, which they are currently rowing across the Atlantic Ocean. Picture: JAN HENNOP

While Bill Godfrey and Peter van Kets tackle the ocean, their wives are determined to battle the nerves and stay positive, writes Kariem Hassan

‘And why am I supporting it? Because men and women need adventure in their lives, because Peter was born to take on a challenge of this nature and people should never be stopped from following their dreams’

– Kim van Kets

IT CANNOT be easy to be the wives of two intrepid sailors who decide to take on and conquer the wide expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.

But Kate Godfrey and Kim van Kets are taking it all in their stride and give new meaning to the words “behind every successful man is a woman determined to stand tall no matter how big the odds”.

East London rowers Bill Godfrey and Peter van Kets are competing in the Woodvale Challenge Atlantic Ocean Rowing Race in their Gquma Challenger boat. They started out from St Sebastian de la Gomera in the Canary Islands Spain to English Harbour, Antigua, race over 4727km on December 2.

But what is it like being the wife of a seafarer who will be out on the ocean for nearly 40 days dealing with the ebb and flow of an unpredictable marine environment.

“I had various opportunities to marry somebody sensible, and having elected not to (something I have never regretted), I am obliged to be upbeat about the many consequences of my choice,” says Kim, explaining how it all began.

“The current consequence is a 7,1m x 1,9m rowing boat parked in my driveway. Its hulking presence (big for a driveway, tiny for an ocean) makes it particularly difficult to ignore the reality of the fact that my husband is planning to row it completely unsupported across the Atlantic Ocean (together with his intrepid though not quite sane partner, Bill).

“This is the kind of adventure which (arguably) makes an Everest ascent look like a Sunday school picnic.”

Kim says only about 300 people have ever rowed the 2500 nautical miles covered in the Atlantic Rowing Race – roughly one-fifth the number of people who have reached the top of the Mount Everest.

“Most of my female friends think that Kate (long-suffering wife of Bill) and I are insane, that our husbands are going through a midlife crisis, and that we should have vetoed the idea long before it got out of hand,” she says.

“There are times when I think they may have a point. Although I don’t necessarily envy him the experience of rowing across the ocean (I begin to hyperventilate when I am not entirely certain that I could swim to shore should the need arise) it often seems more appealing than juggling constant anxiety about his safety with a full-time career and single parenthood of a toddler for two months.

She feels that being cast in the role of the anxious wife is, by comparison, decidedly unglamorous – especially seeing that she has always fantasised about being William Wallace rather than his girlfriend.

“I am planning to meet Peter in Antigua of course, but the promise of a two-week post-race holiday in the Caribbean is somehow not much of a sweetener.

“The romance of such a holiday pales somewhat when it is preceded by a very long flight with multiple transfers alone with a particularly empowered (and heavy) toddler.

“Also, from examining the post-race state of previous competitors it is likely that my usually gorgeous husband will be reduced to a Kate Moss look-alike with fungal infections blighting his nether regions – not exactly my partner of choice for a dream holiday.”

On December 2 Peter and Bill set off with the other competitors in the race.

The rowing boat (christened Gquma Challenger – “gquma” is isiXhosa for ‘the roar of a lion’, or the ‘sound of a breaking wave’) contains their food (dehydrated expedition food), equipment and a
desalinator for making drinking water.

“They are completely unsupported and may well not see another boat for the duration of the race. Christmas and New Year on the boat will be remarkably free of props for creating festivity.”

Considering the amount of time they will spend at sea, it will be an incredible ultra-marathon and test of their physical and mental strength.

Already fatigue, physical exhaustion and homesickness has been their greatest challenge – “luckily for them the experience of parenthood has prepared them well for extended sleeplessness”.

“The challenge presented by the race has completely captured my imagination – it is the ultimate test of physical and mental endurance and I want to know that (with God’s help) I can handle it,” says Kim.

“And why am I supporting it? Because men and women need adventure in their lives, because Peter was born to take on a challenge of this nature and people should never be stopped from following their dreams.

“Because it will be tremendous testimony to his faith. Because I know more people who have died of regret and boredom at their desks than in the ocean and because our deal is that if he gets to row across an ocean, I get to run across the desert or continent of my choice when he gets back.

“(None of this means that I don’t occasionally want to kill him, however).”

And how does it feel after they have been at sea for nearly three weeks?

“I have always been particularly grateful that I get to endure labour myself rather than watching helplessly while my partner does,” she says.

“Now, to my horror, it feels as if Peter is going through an appallingly painful, complicated and lengthy labour a million miles away and I can do absolutely nothing to help except pray for him 24/7 and sound wildly upbeat when he calls.

“I haven’t been able to sleep or eat for weeks and am constantly on an adrenaline high. My entire life revolves around the six-hourly web updates and it has become increasingly difficult to focus on year-end deadlines.

“Kate and I are benefiting enormously from the love and support of the hordes of friends, family and complete strangers who are as consumed by this race as we are but are finding it difficult to convey the extent of the support to Pete and Bill.

“They just have no idea how they have captured the imagination of East London.

“Kate and I are constantly accosted by complete strangers who go into ecstasies about their courage. We both need a full-time receptionist to field all the calls, e-mails and SMSs.

“We are tremendously grateful and humbled by the response of our hometown (including ex-East Londoners all over the globe).

Kate, mother of Ben, 9, and Ed, 5, has been married to BIll for 12 years, and tells of her reaction when Bill dropped the bombshell that he was sailing the Atlantic.

Bill told her: “I quite fancy doing the Woodvale Transatlantic race.” As if he was going to run the Daily Dispatch 10km fun run!

“My reaction was that absolutely if he wanted to do it then he must and I would help with whatever I could. Ben only realised what a big thing it was when Bill went to give a talk at Selborne Primary’s assembly. After which he said ‘Dad that was so cool, now I’m so cool. When can you give another talk?’

“Ed was pretty mystified but loves feeling the hero as Learn and Play not only donated money to Gquma but also stuck all the Daily Dispatch articles up in the main entrance.”

Her mother was sceptical and said: “Well that’ll never happen” which made him more determined.

“Next time I’ll tell her that she must agree with him absolutely. He loves proving people wrong. However, when she saw how committed he was towards making it happen she really did some great stuff to help.

“She helped pack and get the boat to Tilbury docks in England where it was left in a container for South Africa; she bought all their medical supplies. All in all she’s been a trooper.

“Bill’s parents didn’t really realise that it was really happening but when they did, they got right behind it and Cecil went to the start. Rags (his Mum) was very worried for his safety and she has not been well and was also worried that she might not be there when he came back.”

To cope with the stress of having her loved one away for such a long time Kate keeps herself pretty busy.

“I work myself to the bone and do everything I can to help (like keeping the Dispatch and web updaters posted), I’m also the logistics organiser for all the people flying everywhere.”

Bill and Peter met each other surfing at Yellow Sands and only later became closer.

“They only got to know each other well two years ago when a mutual friend introduced them as he knew Bill was looking for a partner,” says Kate.

“The place where they were introduced was the back-line at Yellows and so far no frayed nerves (between them on the ocean).”

She said that she keeps in contact with Kim by SMS, e-mail and/or “we talk several times a day and we see each other probably once or twice a week”.

Kate has had some boating experience. She started off as a rowing cox and got her national colours.

“Bill and I were members of competing clubs when we met. I don’t cox anymore though I have
been known to row and coach occasionally.

“Now I run for Oxford Striders (I’ve done three marathons now) and hope to do the Two Oceans next year.”

She also has a love for organic gardening and grows all her own vegetables.

“The idea of being self-sufficient is very appealing and slowly we are getting there. We also have two pigs (my birthday present from Bill) called Crispy and Crunchy, two sheep, Vinda Lou and Rogan Josh, six cows (T-Bone and Sirloin are already in the freezer) and a variety of chickens.”

If Bill and Peter succeed in their mission of winning the Atlantic race they can be assured there will be two women cheering louder than anyone else – their never-say-die wives.