The Big 5 Kayak Challenge Team completed the kayak from Lands End to the Isle of Scilly despite big Atlantic swells on 2nd May 2009

The Big 5 kayak challenge team successfully kayaked from Lamorna Cove near Lands End across to the Isle of Scilly on Saturday 2nd May 2009.  The 40 mile crossing took a grueling 10 hours in large Atlantic Swells between 4-5 metres high. The team had planned to make the crossing on the Friday but strong headwinds of almost 20 miles per hour made this unfavourable.  The larger swell forecast for the Saturday meant that the original planned start point of Sennen Cove was not possible due to large breaking waves which would have meant the team were soaked at the start of their journey. It would also not have been possible to pick up our support crew, Simon and Viv from Sennen and even the RNLI moved their lifeboat from Sennen given the conditions.
Lamorna Cove - The Start

7 members of the Big 5 Kayak team left Lamorna Cove at 9am on Saturday with several hours of paddling against the tides before tidal assistance off Lands End would kick-in.  The support boat, Sapphire, was expertly piloted by Joe Pender, who reassuringly is one of the Isle of Scilly lifeboat men.  We set off from the Cove and were immediately subject to some small breaking waves and a salt water rinse just getting off the slipway.  The weather was amazing with blue skies and as forecast a light breeze.  We left in good spirits but with an additional 4-5 miles of paddling given our revised start point.

During the crossing a large number of sea birds including black backed gulls and Fulmers followed the team particularly interested in the support boat. We received some great support from the Isles of Scilly passenger ferry, the Scillonian who gave us a toot each time they passed and announced our challenge to the passengers.  Other marine traffic including fishing and sailing boats quickly concluded we were all barking mad.   One of the highlights the team enjoyed was a ‘fly-by’ from a Royal Navy helicopter which circled and whose crew gave a standing ovation to the team.  It was a particularly emotional moment for us all.

The rolling swell made members of the team feel extremely nauseous and Dave Gordon in particular discovered a lack of sea legs and began to feel really ill.  Dave was not able to keep solids or liquids down for almost 4 hours of the crossing.  Exhausted and running on empty he was forced to abandon the crossing after 6 hours of perseverance and rest up on our support boat, Sapphire.  One of the difficulties mentally of the crossing is the land perspective given that Lands End and the Wolf Rock lighthouse remain in view for a large proportion of the paddle. By contrast given the low height of the islands they do not become visible until the final stage of the crossing.

We were forced to raft up on one occasion to allow Aaron Buckingham, 14, the youngest paddler of the team to switch to double sea kayak as he was suffering with a sore shoulder.  The final push toward the Isle of Scilly seemed to drag, the islands in sight but every paddle stroke seemed to have limited impact.  After a couple of hours we paddled into Crow Sound past a number of smaller rocky outcrops and islands.  We headed towards the Royal Navy destroyer and planned to pass through in front towards Hugh Town on St Mary’s. Naively I anticipated a welcome announcement or perhaps a gun volley salute from the ship’s bridge. The patrolling guard complete with gun asking us to move away from the ship was not part of the plan.  Must have been worried about us scratching their paintwork.

However the team did enjoy a friendly greeting from one local resident, a seal who surfaced to watch proceedings on our arrival in the inner sound.  Rounding the headland the team arrived in Hugh Town and joined the excitement of the World Gig Racing Championships.  The main race which took place earlier in the day had seen over 115 gigs line up to compete against one another. It was amusing that because the crossing had taken slightly longer than planned all the pubs and hostelries had finished serving food.  We eventually found a great Bistro called the Kavorna to grab some food and enjoy some down time.
Gig Racing

The Isles of Scilly are a sea kayaking Mecca with diverse wildlife, idyllic beaches and some interesting water to paddle.  The following day the team took the opportunity to head out and explore a number of the smaller islands offering great rock hopping, pour-overs and some larger breaking waves.  A few members of the team enjoyed some more technical paddling with some bonus surfing off Samson Island.
Big Waves

We all had a fantastic time on the Islands and were genuinely sorry to be leaving. The gig racing itself is a great spectacle with crews straining every muscle to cross the line first.  We all feel we now have unfinished business on the islands with lots of other paddling to do.  The journey back on Sapphire was of course a more relaxing affair, after some food in the Larmorna Café we all began the long road journey back home.

The final leg of the Big 5 Kayak challenge sees the team kayak the Inside Passage, almost 1000 miles from Vancouver Island to Alaska.  Aisling Ni Chuinn, Joint expedition leader commented “This expedition will be the most challenging of the 5 with the team covering over 30 miles a day unsupported, paddling alongside Orcas and camping rough in bear country.

The team are raising money for the Muscular Help Foundation and awareness for the River Access Campaign. Already companies such as Alpheus Environmental, Bedford  have bucked the credit crunch to sponsor the team gaining access to great images, a keynote talk for the staff and also a team building day kayaking.

At a Glance

Total paddling time:  10 hours
Distance: 40 miles
Wind:  Force 2
Swell:  4-5 metres
Weather:  Sunny
Start Point: Lamorna Cove
End Point: Hugh Town, St Mary’s


Team Comments:

David Gordon, Former International Pole Vaulter

“After 6 hours of paddling, 5 of which were spent vomiting or getting ready to vomit, and without being able to hold down any food or liquid, I felt my paddling pace was just too slow.  , which would delay and threaten the rest of the team’s progress on what was a tough challenge anyway, so I stepped out and requested to be picked up by the support boat Sapphire, 20 miles out from Land’s End.  What we learnt from the channel crossing was the importance of keeping a uniform pace and staying tight as a group and I wasn’t in a state to uphold that, which I found very disappointing.  I was so impressed with everyone else in the group, their support for me at a difficult time and their determination to complete perhaps the hardest challenge we have undertaken so far”

Ollie Jay, professional kayaker, Active4seasons  (www.active4seasons.co.uk)

“It’s been a pleasure to join this team on this great Challenge, more to come me thinks”!!

Geoff Tilford, former GB Sprinter

“I enjoyed paddling the large Atlantic swells which was a new experience for me and of course the Cornish coastline and wildlife were simply breathtaking. Completing this leg of the challenge with the other team members made it all the more satisfying. I really feel for Dave Gordon and the fact he tried to keep going despite experiencing hours of debilitating sea sickness.”

Richard Harpham, Joint Expedition Leader

“It was a particularly tough paddle with large Atlantic Swells and a total distance of almost 40 miles resulting in nearly 10 hours in a kayak, the highlights were without doubt the Royal Navy fly-by, the gig racing on the islands and the beautiful Isles of Scilly themselves.”