CHARLOTTE KEURIS
Some of you may remember Tuks student Christo Coetzer who became the first person to unicycle around Mauritius in 2010. Well he is at it again and Perdeby was lucky enough to find out about his next adventure: the One Wheel, One People, One Jamaica project. This year, Coetzer is planning on becoming the first person to unicycle around Jamaica.
Coetzer will start his journey on 28 March 2011 when he departs from the Bob Marley Museum at 56 Hope Road, Kingston. While the Caribbean Island’s coastline is 1022km long, Coetzer will cycle an approximate distance of 1200 km. Coetzer will attempt to complete this journey in 20 days which means he will have to cover 60 km on his unicycle a day. This is a new challenge for him as he only cycled an average of 34km a day during his journey around Mauritius.
Coetzer says that his love for Bob Marley and a long standing desire to visit the island helped him pick Jamaica for his adventure. He adds that he strongly believes in Marley’s motto: “I am a child of life” and feels that it describes him perfectly.
Coetzer will be making a DVD to document his journey around the beautiful island. Afterwards, he will be writing a book about his experience which he hopes will inspire other people. Coetzer wants to make people aware of the power that lies in their dreams and believes that, “With the courage to follow a dream one can inspire others to do the same.”
All the funding and equipment required for the project has been provided and Coetzer and his team are busy with the final preparations. Perdeby wishes Coetzer luck in his exciting journey and will bring you the full story upon his return.
