New product line to be tested at the combined SASAR exercise

South African Search and Rescue (SASAR) 6 day combined exercise gets off the ground end of October 2009. Flexopowers latest product development, the FLXP Desert series, will be used and tested during the exercise.

The Flexopower Desert series is a modular portable solar system supporting rapid deployment and remote locations with quick solar electric power up to 3 kWp.

Flexopower is excited to further test its new development during the combined exercise of SASAR and is confident it will make a big contribution.

RTO Mission Accomplished

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

At 15h20 local time on Wednesday 8 July 2009 Riaan Manser crossed the finish line in Tamatave, 5000km and eleven months after setting off to become the first person to circumnavigate Masdagascar by kayak, alone and unaided.

John & Robby summit Mt. Everest!...UPDATE

On top of the world! Here are the personal accounts of John and Robby:

21. May at 7.15am local time: I (John) climbed to the top of the world and summitted Mt Everest at 8850m. I promise to post a full story soon, but I just got back to BC safely a few hours ago after a torturous descent. I am well and have all my fingers and toes intact. I am tired, stiff, sore, dehydrated, hungry and sleepy. Every fibre of my body is fatigued and painful, but my mind is dancing.

23. May at 9.40am local time: Hi all, breaking news, Robby climbed the highest mountain in the world, and is now on his way back to camp 4.

25. May: just to let everyone know that Robby is now safely back in BC, exhausted but elated. He has done exceptionally well. It is now snowing heavily in BC and everything is under thick snow.

Portable Solar Goes Around Madagascar...UPDATE

UPDATE: Riaan has successfully rounded Cap St Marie, Madagascar's most southerly point. That means he's done East, North, West and South. He will shortly reach the 3/4 mark and then turn almost due north for the final push to the finish line.

See full story in March 2009 archive.

Row Rhino Row!

Never before has the survival of the endangered Black Rhino been more under threat than today.

Starting in early June 2009 Jamie Manuel , James Reid and Riley Travers will be canoeing down the mighty Zambezi River in an effort to raise awareness for the plight of the Black Rhino in Zimbabwe.

The 2500km epic journey starts from the source of the Zambezi river in the north west corner of Zambia. Through unexplored and dangerous territory of Angola and into the Caprivi straights that borders Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Entering the great Kariba dam, before heading down the lower Zambezi and into Mozambique. Through a maze of islands that may take weeks to cover, they will finally arrive at the mouth of the Zambezi river at the Indian Ocean 4 months later.

With less than 450 black and white rhino left in Zimbabwe because of the increasing demand for rhino horn from Far East, this is all in the name of saving the last of Zimbabwe’s rhinos and their ecosystems.

All the funds raised from this project will go towards the protection of the Black Rhino both in conservancies as well as private breeding programs.

The Kayaks are equipped with various electronic equipment: laptop, GPS, tracking device, cameras (still and video), satellite phone. Flexopower has designed and supplied the correctly sized portable solar solution.

It's Everest Season Again...With Portable Solar

Flexopower Portable Solar Solutions are at Mount Everest again.

Gilad Stern, Robby Kojetin and John Black from South Africa run/power their satellite phone and laptop with the following solar solutions:

Robby and John are equipped with a P3-62 62W Solar Blanket, Tekkeon 3450 and a SolarPouch.

Gilad is using the P3-30 30W Solar Blanket and the Tekkeon 3450.

The portable solar solutions were supplied by Flexopower Pty Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Flexopower wishes Gilad, Robby and John a safe summit and return to base camp.

Portable Solar Goes Around Madagascar...

...in a kayak powered by solo adventurer Riaan Manser.

The first man to cycle the perimeter of Africa is now attempting to become the first person to circumnavigate the Madagascan coast by kayak, alone and unaided.

Of his remarkable 5000km challenge Riaan has now covered more than 50% of Madagascar’s coastline, and believes he is well on track to achieving his goal towards the end of May 2009. The second half should be considerably quicker than the first as Riaan has now streamlined his boat load, perfected his paddling technique and has significantly increased his average daily distance.

Despite some chronic joint pain and perpetual cramps in his lower back, his mind is as strong as ever. The next section to Tulear should be complete by the middle of March; then it’s on to Fort Dauphin on the southern tip by the middle of April. That will leave him one month to complete 750km of almost dead-straight coastline to the finish line.

Riaan uses a portable solar solution designed and supplied by Flexopower in Johannesburg to power his on board electronics: navigation-, tracking-, digital video- and communication equipment.

Loneliness is still the biggest challenge he faces so please send him your messages of support - they really do refill his tank and help him push on through those tough days.

Katima to Cape: the toughest electric bicycle ride ever!

3000km in 14 days from Katima (Namibia) to Cape Town on electrical bicycles - it doesn’t get tougher than this.

Rupert Nanni and Wai Won Ching started in the Namibian town of Katima Mulilo, crossed the Caprivi Strip before turning south at Rundu, and heading towards Windhoek. From here the route descents the central plateau into the Namib desert. High summer temperatures, dust and gravel roads will push the riders and bikes to the limit. Passing Sesriem, the riders head for Rosh Pinah and the Orange River, before crossing into South Africa. A straight run through Garies and Clanwillliam will see them finish in CapeTown, 3000km and 14 days later after averaging more than 200km per day.

Rupert Nanni is using the Flexopower SolarPouch to keep his PDA charged to send out his daily reports.

Read Ruperts daily logs here