Kenya to Cape Town
Departing from Lamu on the Kenya coast, the Flipflopi will sail south along the coasts of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and onwards into South Africa. The voyage will take betweeen 3 and 4 months, to reach Cape Town.
Our biggest challenges will be the winds, and the increasingly rough seas as we head south. Traditionally lateen rigged vessels only ventured as far south as Beira (halfway down the coast of Mozambique) – because at this point the direction of the prevailing winds change. The following 3,000kms will be incredibly challenging sailing, culminating in a rounding of the treacherous Cape of Good Hope at the southern point of Africa, and arriving shortly thereafter into Cape Town.
“This difficulty of your expedition almost matches by the size, urgency and critical importance of the marine plastics issue that you are highlighting. Sailing 5,000+ kms in a boat designed from scratch, made from flipflops & plastic bags – will be an extraordinary acheivement. Good luck… and I’ll see you in Cape Town.“
Sir Bertrand Phelps
How long is the journey?
The most direct route from Lamu to Cape Town will see us sail approximatley 5,250kms.
Will you stop en route?
Yes, we will be organising and joining a number of beach clean-ups, plus visiting a number of marine conservation and plastic recycling initiatives.
How fast will you travel?
We expect to sail approximately 50 to 80 kilometres a day. But we are not in a race - our objective is to make it to Cape Town safely, whilst simultaneously broadcasting the oceans plastics issue to a global audience.