Australian to paddle surfboard from Singapore to Indonesia for villagers' charity

The Jakarta Post

SINGAPORE (AP): An Australian athlete plans to paddle a surfboard across one of the world's busiest shipping lanes this weekend to raise aid money for remote Indonesian villages.

Jackson English, 31, of Avoca Beach in New South Wales state, believes he would be the first person to "paddleboard" from Singapore to Indonesia's Batam island and back, a total of 80 kilometers.

He was scheduled to leave Singapore on Saturday morning and return Sunday.

English said by phone he hopes his feat will raise about US$300,000 in donation pledges.

He said the money the humanitarian organization SurfAid International will use the money for a boat to haul supplies and aid staff to remote villages on Indonesia's Mentawai Islands off Sumatra.

In a statement, English quoted UNESCO as saying that up to 53 percent of families in the villages had lost a child to treatable diseases like malaria, measles, tetanus or diarrhea.

He said fighting currents would be the hardest part of his paddling trip.

"The ships are going to be a hard thing, too," he added.

Massive cargo vessels constantly ply the waters between Batam and Singapore, one of the world's busiest seaports.

English, who lives in Singapore, said he will use a custom-made 5.5-meter surfboard designed for the open ocean.

"I'm going into it with the thought that a few hours of being uncomfortable is nothing compared to the suffering that the people on the Mentawai Islands get on a daily basis," he said.

He said he plans to visit the islands for the first time next week to do some surfing and "help out wherever I can."