On the 1st of January 2017 Braam Malherbe, extreme adventurer, highly respected inspirational speaker and conservationist is about to embark on a life-changing expedition. He will row from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro at the start of the Cape to Rio yacht race.

The Cape to Rio yacht race, which takes place every 3 years, is known as one of the toughest yacht races in the world. This will be a totally unassisted row covering a distance of 6,700kms which should take the rowers close on three months to complete.

Peter van Kets, Braam’s expedition partner and close friend, has sadly needed to withdraw from the Cape to Rio row for personal family reasons and will continue being a key land-based point person.

Clyde Barendse is Braam’s new rowing’s partner for this expedition. He is a 37 years old adventurer from Zinkwazi on the North Coast of Natal. Described as “often at the forefront of many sporting events but never really on the score board”.

Clyde spends a lot of time in the water, where he is almost every day. His expeditions started at age of 19 years old when he sailed from Durban to North America, down the Amazon, 6 months in Brazil and through the Caribbean. He has also paddled from Cape Town to Durban over 30 days and circumnavigated Ireland solo in winter.

“The purpose and significance behind the row is very important: we are developing an App called the DOT Challenge app (www.dotchallenge.org).

DOT, which stands for Do One Thing, is a simple acronym that is so much more than a trend, a fad or a catch-phrase. These three little letters boldly aim to unite the world in the hope that, together, we can still save our planet.” says Braam.

The App will go live on the day Braam and Clyde start to row - on 1st of January 2017- and it is free to download. By globally connecting like-minded individuals through a single website and app, the DOT movement encourages anyone who is willing to just Do1Thing to protect and preserve the Earth, our only home, from further destruction and harm.

“We all need to ‘pull together’ and, if each one of us can just Do One Thing for the planet, we can ensure a sustainable future. In nature, if you are not an asset, you are a liability. We, as humans, are not exempt from this fundamental principal,” Braam says..

The DOT challenge team has started a fundraising campaign and are asking the public to be part of the launch of DOT. ‘By Purchasing a DOT (https://bit.ly/DOTChallenge ) you show your support for this global initiative and contribute to the wellbeing of the planet. Everybody is welcome, from individuals to corporates and companies. “Every DOT purchased helps me and the team get to Rio and make the DOT challenge movement go viral. The goal is to have 5 million people on the app by the time we get to Rio. This can start a tipping point to save the planet”, Braam passionately adds.

The public is welcome to wave goodbye to Braam and Clyde as they start to row and go passed Shimmy Beach Club on the 1st of January between 12PM - 3PM.

Entrance is complimentary, but is restricted to a limited amount of people.

RSVP is required. If you would like to join, please RSVP to Ronel : [email protected]

For more information, please visit www.dotchallenge.org. To to help the team please visit: https://bit.ly/DOTChallenge

Follow the conversation at #DOTChallenge, #CapeToRioRow and #LoveShimmy

FOLLOW THE CAMPAIGN ON SOCIAL MEDIA

DO ONE THING

Facebook /DotDo1Thing

Twitter @DOTDo1Thing

Instagram @DOTDo1Thing

BRAAM MALHERBE

Twitter @braammalherbe

Instagram @braammalherbe

SHIMMY BEACH CLUB

Facebook: /ShimmyBeachClub |

Twitter & Instagram: @shimmybeach