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Paddling into the unknown: Gerhard Moolman's 45-day solo journey across the Atlantic Ocean

Paddling into the unknown: Gerhard Moolman's 45-day solo journey across the Atlantic Ocean
Gerhard Moolman at the harbour in Cape Verde, the night before he left. He will be travelling 3,600 kilometers using a unique rowing machine mechanism to power the surf ski. (Photo: Supplied)
Julia Evans
By Julia Evans
2 Dec 2024
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Gerhard Moolman is embarking on an extraordinary seven-week solo adventure – rowing 3,600km across the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Verde to French Guiana.

On Saturday afternoon, 30 November, Gerhard Moolman, known affectionately as “Moolies” among the paddling community at Johannesburg’s Dabulamanzi Canoe Club, set off on a solo, self-supported 3,600km rowing journey across the Atlantic Ocean, navigating from Cape Verde, off Africa’s west coast, to the shores of Cayenne in French Guiana.

For many, the idea of being alone in the middle of the Central Atlantic for 45 days seems like madness.

moolman rowing french guiana Gerhard Moolman, who set off on a 3,600km rowing journey across the Atlantic Ocean on 30 November 2024, trains in his adapted surf ski, dubbed Osiyeza, at the Dabulamanzi Canoe Club in Emmarentia, Johannesburg. (Photo: Supplied)



“People laugh and they say you’re cuckoo,” joked Moolman, but explained that he was looking forward to having that stretch of time out at sea, just him and the ocean.

“There’s a known fact that your brain goes into an “off” state [when paddling], you’re basically in a state of meditation for a very long time,” explained Moolman

“That brings you to a different place. You see life from a different angle.”  



He departed from Cape Verde, a West African state in the central Atlantic, on Saturday afternoon and plans to arrive in Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America. The journey is expected to take about 45 days, rowing at about 7km/h.

The vessel – Osiyeza

What makes this journey unique is that Moolman will use a surf ski modified with a rowing machine mechanism to propel himself across the ocean. This innovative approach distinguishes his attempt as the first of its kind.

moolman osiyeza Gerhard Moolman tests the vessel out at sea in Cape Town a few months before his journey. He will have backup paddles in the event of his rowing mechanism failing. (Photo: Harry Boden)



The vessel is dubbed Osiyeza, which means “the Crossing” in isiXhosa, and was initially designed for paddler Richard Kohler’s successful South Atlantic crossing.

In February 2023, after 63 days at sea, Kohler became the first person to kayak solo across the southern Atlantic Ocean from Cape Town to Salvador in Brazil, paddling 6,403km unsupported and on his own.

“The design brief was to keep it as close to a traditional kayak but that it should include a sleeping area that can protect me from the uncompromising elements typical of being out at sea,” said Kohler at the time of his crossing.

“The kayak is 8.5m long and 90cm at its maximum width. Considering an average shoulder width is around 50cm, it does not leave much room on the inside for me and my gear.”

This boat will now travel across the North Atlantic with Moolman, but this time with a different mechanism.

 While Kohler paddled the original version of the boat, Moolman opted for a rowing mechanism. The bow was specially modified to allow Moolman to mostly row, but still have the option to paddle as a backup.

“I’ll be pulling a rope, much like rowing on an ergo,” he said.

This system, connected to gears and chains, drives a propeller beneath the boat. The modification allows for greater efficiency and endurance over long periods.

“I don’t want to paddle, to be quite honest. I’m older, my lower back gets sore after two hours of paddling,” he explained.

 “So if I’m going to do 10 hours a day for 40 days it’s going to be sore, so it’s much better with rowing, rowing is also faster and more efficient.” 

moolman cape verde Gerhard Moolman at the harbour in Cape Verde, the night before he left. (Photo: Supplied)



Inside the 8.5m boat, the space is as utilitarian as it gets. The cabin, barely large enough for Moolman to sit upright, serves as his living quarters for the journey’s duration. Here, he will cook, sleep and take refuge from the elements. Solar panels mounted on the deck power critical systems, including a desalination unit to provide fresh water, navigation tools and a Starlink satellite system for internet access.

This technology will enable Moolman to maintain a digital connection with the outside world, sharing updates with supporters and managing his business remotely.

Facing the Atlantic


Moolman chose to leave now because December offers a window of relatively calm weather, but the ocean remains unpredictable. 

“One big worry that I might encounter is cyclones because the weather is very erratic,” he said.

He explained that the cyclone season is meant to finish at the end of October, but considering it snowed in Saudi Arabia for the first time on record last month attributed to a rare low-pressure system – anything can happen. 

Beyond the physical dangers, Moolman will also face the mental strain of solitude.

“This will be the longest I’ve ever been alone,” he said.

While he admits to some trepidation, he also sees the isolation as an opportunity for introspection.

“There’s something meditative about being at sea. It’s just you, the waves, and your thoughts. It forces you to confront yourself in ways everyday life doesn’t.”

What are you doing this for?


Moolman has lived in Johannesburg for more than 20 years, but he grew up on the coast, in George, Western Cape, and has been paddling surf skis (a type of kayak that is longer, narrower and lighter than a kayak, designed for open water paddling, like in the ocean) since he was 10, and started competing in wave-ski surfing when he was just 13.

In 2002, he set a Guinness World Record for the longest solo journey on a surf ski, paddling 6,152km from Hout Bay, South Africa, to Lamu, Kenya, a feat that remained unbroken for two decades.

He has also participated in numerous other endurance challenges, including the High Altitude Surf Ski Challenges, Pete Marlins, Cape Points, and PE2ELs (Port Elizabeth to East Londons). He has paddled along the coasts of Mauritius, Madagascar and Reunion, and even swam from Robben Island to Big Bay in 2023.

 “Everybody asks, what do you do that for,” said Moolman. “But you know… when you push beyond the normal limits of human ability — when it’s just you, the sea, and the challenge — you reach places that you’ve never been before.”

“Spending so much time on your own… who really gets that?”

Moolman said he’s excited to have seven weeks out on the ocean with just him and his thoughts, listening to audiobooks and switching his mind off – almost into a meditative state.

Balancing adventure with work


In the months leading up to his departure, which included retrofitting a rowing mechanism to the boat and training, Moolman was still working 13-hour days.

Moolman, CEO of ALTSA, a Randburg LED lighting company, is very aware that he is responsible for employing 150 people.

“I’m going to row 10 hours a day and then I’m going to work another two hours on my laptop,” he said.

His preparation has included strength training, rowing on ergometers, and overnight tests aboard Osiyeza in Cape Town’s waters. But, he said, most of the endurance fitness will have to come when he’s out in the Atlantic – the longest he’s rowed consecutively before is for six hours.

Door of Hope


Beyond the personal challenge, Gerhard aims to raise R200,000 for the Door of Hope Children’s Mission, a South African charity dedicated to providing care and support for abandoned babies and children. (Donations can be made here).

“It’s something that’s very close to my heart because every day in Johannesburg an average of six babies are getting neglected, thrown in dustbins,  just left,” said Moolman. “Those people never get a chance at life. 

The name of the vessel Moolman is travelling on is ostensibly based on Johnny Clegg’s song of the same name, written in tribute to his bandmate Dudu Zulu, who was murdered in 1992.

The song is about the journey from life to death, and the lyrics “O Siyeza, o siyeza, sizofika webaba noma”  – “We are coming, we are coming, we will arrive soon.”

You can follow Moolman’s journey on his vlog. DM

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