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A 10-year-old girl from Melkbosstrand has set a world record for being the youngest person to swim from Robben Island to Blouberg. With each stroke, this young swimmer not only defied the odds but also inspired awe and admiration from her community.
Karli Fourie had one dream before plunging into the icy Atlantic Ocean – to raise funds for fostered children at the organisation Homes from Home, “but she never got around to it because her swim happened sooner than expected”, says her mother, Anél Fourie.
“I have always enjoyed swimming and I dreamed of swimming from Robben Island to Blouberg, Karli told TygerBurger, “but I wanted to do it to help children in need”.
Anél says they were keen to support their daughter’s dream but had to be certain of her health and safety.
“Karli wanted to ‘take the plunge’ and set a world record. So, we approached a specialised open-water swim coach, Nadine du Preez from Anax Swim Club, and the preparation began,” Anél says.
Karli trained for seven months, for four days a week, in the pool and the sea. Anél says they swam many kilometres together and were not in a hurry as she had enough time, “and we wanted her to enjoy the training journey and have fun.”
Asked how they (as parents) were involved in her swimming journey, Anél says they had to join the gym.
“Initially when she started at the swimming club she was a bit overwhelmed. She is quite a strong swimmer so she swam with older and more mature children. She wanted me to join her with the crossing so I also had to get into the swimming pool every time she had her coaching. I actually had to learn to swim and got a 13-week Robben Island (RI) crossing programme to follow.
“It gave her confidence when she saw her mom in the same pool and she was lapping me all the time. Her dad has a little rubber duck and kayak. He went with us as support when we had to train in the sea to get open water and longer distance training at Melkbos and Langebaan. At the day of her swim I was on the boat to pass on her feeds and joined her for the last bit through the waves to the beach where her dad was waiting.”
On her crossings
There were times she was nervous at the thought of her challenge, but she stayed focused on her goal and dream.
They contacted an old Comrades Marathon friend, Howard Warrington, for assistance. Howard is currently the Guinness World Record Holder for swimming the most RI crossings.
“We asked him if he would swim with Karli on her crossing and Elmarie (his wife), could skipper them. Howard has swum 184 RI crossings to date and his wife has skippered him with their boat over 80 times already. His friend Charl du Plessis is Howard’s other skipper, support crew and photographer.”
D-Day
A few weeks later Howard called Anél and suggested that they join him on one of his crossings for a practice session.
“It was important for me, Howard and Elmarie to see how Karli would cope in the open sea and see if she would be comfortable in cold water. Howard’s swim date was set for Friday 17 November 2023, and it was going to be his 165th crossing. Karli wanted me to have enough nutrition for a long swim because she planned to stay in the water as far as possible, for training purposes. This was going to be Karli’s rehearsal swim,” Anél explained.
As they continued to Robben Island, they saw that the sea was choppy and the water temperature reading was colder than he anticipated.
“Howard suggested that Karli swim a shorter distance and perhaps a longer distance on another day,” Anél said.
When they arrived at Robben Island Howard told Karli she could join him on the first stretch, and they could see how she felt.
“We wanted her to experience the shock of entering the cold water. Karli was very excited.”
As they swam from Robben Island, Karli was very calm, and she swam comfortably until the first 30-minute stop for a drink.
“Howard and Elmarie offered Karli the option to climb on the boat, but she wanted to swim further.
This continued every 30 minutes with Howard and Elmarie asking Karli if she had had enough.
“We realised it was very clear that she was determined to swim the entire distance. So, I called my husband and family and told them that they better be on the beach because Karli was having the time of her life and it looked like she was going all the way,” Anél says.
Raising awareness
She swam for two hours 51 minutes and a total distance of 7,4 km to Blouberg.
“I jumped in and swam the last couple of metres with them to the beach. As her feet touched the sand, she ran out onto the beach to her dad with open arms and a big smile,” Anél said.
Karli never had the chance to raise funds for her desired cause and hopes to raise awareness and help all children in need, especially those at Home from Home, in Plumstead.
Visit https://homefromhome.org.za or http://www.givengain.com/project/karli-raising-funds-for-home-from-home-75607 for more information.
