A blind adventurer has teamed up with Land Rover Stellenbosch to drive their new Land Rover Defender as part of his ongoing expedition to travel a distance of over 2020 kilometres by bike, boat, boot, the so-called beast and bird.
According to Christopher Venter, Stellenbosch Land Rover sponsored him in his project BLIND vs 2020, with the Defender to complete the beast category of his expedition. This involves Venter driving on a public gravel road close to the southern tip of the continent, which begins on 24 October. The route covers a distance of about 50 kilometres.
Venter said that overall, he is about 75% done with his BLIND vs 2020 challenge and will wrap up the project before the end of December.
Christopher Venter with a local traffic cop from Gansbaai Municipality. Francois Myburgh, the area manager for Gansbaai municipality, gave Venter his approval for taking on the next challenge of driving the Land Rover Defender on the R317. PHOTO: Supplied/Christopher Venter
Venter, who needs a sighted guide for this expedition, will be accompanied by Marius Hamman, the marketing manager of Land Rover Stellenbosch.
“[W]e thought it would be a great opportunity to be part of the adventure with our new Defender,” said Hamman. “[I]t has been an amazing experience so far.”
Venter will be behind the wheel driving at 40 km/h, with Hamman as his co-driver who will call out instructions every 10 to 20 seconds.
One vehicle will be in front and another behind Venter. These two cars will be there to keep the road clear and alert other cars to proceed cautiously.
Venter lost his eyesight to a very rare virus in 2014, but has always strived to prove the mantra that, “in an accessible world, a blind man can do anything that a sighted person is able to”.
Christopher Venter is also known as the blind scooter guy wearing his mantra #BlindManCan on a t-shirt. PHOTO: Supplied/Christopher Venter
“[G]iven that I am a blind writer and adventurer, my quests also tend to become campaigns and drive publicity for the visually impaired community. I am something of an accidental accessibility advocate,” said Venter.
Michael Burton-Durham, one of Venter’s sighted guides, was Venter’s “eyes” on the motorcycle/Vespa leg of his adventure. He also mentioned that his role was to assist with making sure all routes are driveable or if a better route presented itself, to recommend that.
“I do not see Chris as someone who is disabled. I see him as someone who has a challenge and needs assistance sometimes for certain things that he ordinarily would have been able to do,” said Burton-Durham.
Michael Burton-Durham posing with Christopher Venter and the Vespa they used to travel. PHOTO: Supplied/Christopher Venter
Burton-Durham’s responsibility was to keep Venter updated on the current location while riding. If he saw anything interesting or noteworthy on the road, Burton-Durham would need to describe what he was seeing.
Venter’s adventures for BLIND vs 2020 has seen him cross the Cape Winelands, from the Berg River Dam and past towns such as Paarl and Wellington.
From left to right: Christopher Venter on his tandem bicycle, kayaking and hiking. He is a writer that specialises in stories of adventure and travel. BLIND vs 2020 is how he creates a story. PHOTO: Christopher Venter/Supplied