The Sunday Mail
Deputy Sports Editor
IT has been three years since Tawanda Chikasha wrote his name in the history books, when he became the first Zimbabwean to take part in the famous Cape to Rio Yacht Race.
Then only 22 years old, the world seemed up for the taking, as he was pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Economics degree at Wits University in South Africa.
There was also a standing offer to further his studies in France, and pursue a Master’s degree. The Cape to Rio Yacht Race — in which Chikasha and his Busha 54 team finished a credible third — was viewed as the launching pad for a promising sailing career.
Generally, things seldom go the way one envisions them.
But the Zimbabwean sailor has a clearer picture of what he wants to do with his life, and it comes as no coincidence that the former St George’s College learner is about to write yet another piece of history.
He will embark on an expedition in the Arctic in June, becoming the first Zimbabwean to do so yet again.
“In as far as my sailing career is concerned, I have now joined an organisation called Barba, based in Norway. It is a conservation and story-telling platform,” said Chikasha.
“They conduct research and collect data for various oceanographers and institutions about the Arctic. In addition, they do storytelling and build outreach programmes that cover topics around sustainability, looking after the climate and documenting stories around the Arctic.
“The expedition is called the Arctic Sense 2023, and it is an investigative journey into the high Arctic, which will be documenting the effects human intervention and climate change have on the Arctic ecosystem,” he said.
It is anticipated to be a three-month journey, with Chikasha expected to leave his South African base sometime in May to link up with the six-member Barba crew.
The expedition will be led by Andreas Hiede, who will also double as mission director. It will include Larissa Clark (head of onshore operations), Tom Grove (lead scientist), Marta Trodahl (policy and partnership), Alyssa Stoller (science communicator).
Since the Cape to Rio competition, Chikasha has taken his first steps into the corporate world.
Since graduating from Wits University in 2020, he worked as a digital transformation consultant at EY (SA) and as a risk associate at a technology company called FlexClub.
He is currently employed at LastMile Solar as a consultant and works as a logistics manager in Zimbabwe and South Africa.
He still has ambitions of taking up competitive sailing but it looks like his immediate future lies in the work he is doing with Barba.
“I definitely want to continue to grow and contribute to this team at Barba, participating in a lot more expeditions.
“They are working on a lot of great and special things, most of which will be unveiled in due course.
“I still want to compete as much as I can, and I will be in and around the South African sailing circuit. “The door has not been closed on the bigger international races but, for now, Barba is the main priority,” he said.
