Bertish sails 24 hours in dinghy for sick children

11 Mar 2016

Greg Bertish lasted 24 hours in his little Optimist (Opi) in a paddling pool at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on 4 and 5 March, raising R24,361.15 for The Children's Hospital Trust.

Bertish, a big wave surfer and previous Stand Up Paddle Board Lifesaving Surf Ski national champion, aims to raise R200,000 to contribute to building a bigger and better Paediatric ICU at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital.

“It was a long night in the little Opi, but it was completely worth it to show just what we are capable of achieving when we put our minds to it. I believe that, together with the Children’s Hospital Trust, we are capable of raising R10m over the next four months to complete the R100m expansion and upgrade of the ICU,” says Bertish.

The Optimist is a single-handed sailing dinghy intended for the use of children up to the age of 15. His stunt at the V&A Waterfront precedes his biggest adventure yet - the little Optimist will sail the actual high seas covering 200km from Cape Hangklip to Saldanha Bay around Cape Point.

An Instagram selfie competition during his 24 hour stunt also saw Michelle Smith, owner of Stoked Surf School, winning a two-night stay at Hout Bay Manor.