| New Year’s Resolution for the Big 5 Kayak Challenge |
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Speaking to Expedition Leader, Richard Harpham, he informed us that even before the 1000 miler in Alaska had ended he knew he wanted to do more. “Personally I loved the mixture of the physical challenge, the spiritual peace of being in a remote wilderness and the sheer beauty of the natural world. I found I returned from Alaska with an intolerance for the grind of everyday life, mobile phones, emails and traffic jams. That feeling was compounded by the nonsense this year with politicians, expenses and bad decisions in government. In fact I was only back a week or two before I felt the need to get away again and went off to paddle in the Hebrides, around Barra, with team member Olly Jay”. Ollie and Rich paddling off the Hebrides on Barra The Big 5 team have recently managed to get some team canoe training in, in part preparation for one of the future challenges. They canoed the River Till and part of the River Tweed during November 2009. “After spending so much time on the sea over the last year, we were reminded that Britain is also blessed with many great rivers, and an abundance of river wildlife. River canoeing has the added bonus that Ellie the team mascot (a border collie) could come canoeing for the weekend wearing her new buoyancy aid!”, team member Aisling Ni Chuinn recounted. Ellie and Rich on the River Tweed, one with River Access! The team have agreed to become ambassadors for the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), aimed at protecting the marine environment and seas, currently less than The recent Marine Conservation Bill is new and aims to create special Marine Conservation Zones where the usage of the area is protected from overfishing, industry, marine craft, pollution etc. So far the MCS team have identified 73 areas such as the Farne Islands, Skomer Island, which they hope to be designated for protection. People can vote for areas they wish to see protected and also on the 73 sites already listed by visiting www.mcsuk.org. Kayakers can make a real difference by voting on sites, proposing new sites and generally raising awareness. Fundraising by doing a sponsored paddle is also another way people can show their support and make a real difference. Marine Conservation Society Seal colony off the Farne Islands, one of Britain's planned Marine Conservation Zones “We saw the good, the bad and the ugly of the marine environment during our previous five expeditions, so it seemed appropriate to get involved with this great charity. We have been lucky enough to experience the most amazing marine wildlife at close quarters, including eagles, humpback whales, porpoises, dolphins, bears, orcas and seals. We have witnessed the rubbish and pollution in our seas and on beaches in some areas of the country, which is in stark contrast to the protection provided to the environment in Glacier Bay, a UNESCO world heritage site. On some of our sea trips around the UK we paddled past long lines of plastic bags and other forms of rubbish in eddy lines. It was shocking and sad to see. To sit back and do nothing would be wrong and we believe the Marine Conservation Zones covered by the new bill is a good start”, commented team technical advisor Olly Jay. Razorbills off the Farne Islands So what are the 5 new challenges? Richard and the team wanted to retain the best bits of the last challenges and reduce the elements that weren’t so much fun. When pushed Richard explained that ‘we wanted to do less of the long open water sea crossings, which we found at times very tedious, as we’d be out of sight of land for hours at a time. It was so much more enjoyable when we were paddling close to the shore, taking in fascinating coastal landscapes and regularly encountering wildlife.” The team also wanted to retain some river elements given their high profile support for the River Access Campaign. “ We interviewed a number of people along the Inside Passage challenge including members of the first nation communities. They couldn’t believe that some waters in England were private and had restricted access”, Richard explained. He also pointed out that England and Wales are the only countries in the world that operate bizarre and outdated legislation which restricts public access to rivers on such a large scale. The next of the Big 5 Kayak Challenges which are being announced at the London Boat Show on 16th January 2009 are: Kayaking Round Malta – As with the Isle of Wight, we wanted one of the challenges to remain a circumnavigation. An invitation was extended to the team by Rugged Coast Adventures (based in Malta) at last year’s Outdoor Show, which we have happily accepted. Canoeing the Yukon – We have been unable to shake off the draw of the Alaskan wilderness, and plan to return to experience more of the wild side of Alaska, as well as the Yukon region, this time river canoeing and following the prospectors’ route along the Yukon River. John O Groats to the Orkney Isles - Scottish sea paddling is simply stunning and the Orkneys will provide a great destination, at the end of a very exposed open sea crossing. Scotland to Ireland, via Jura and the Corryvreckin whirlpool – The idea of paddling to Ireland (to keep our Irish team member happy) has been there for a while. And we thought we might as well paddle across the third biggest whirlpool in the world along the way. London to Marrakesh -,We love the idea of paddling to Africa, but without enough time on our hands to paddle all the way, we decided to add some cycling into the mix. This challenge will involve over 2,000 miles of kayaking and cycling. Paddling the straits of Gibraltar and landing on the shores of Morocco will no doubt be an unforgettable experience. Well that’s the cat out of the bag. But there’s more. The Big 5 team want to change the format slightly to give others a chance to join in with their challenges. They will be announcing a competition in March at the Outdoor Show to allow some lucky winners to join different aspects of their next big 5 kayak Challenges. The competition will involve a selection weekend and will be run in conjunction with Canoe Focus. If you want to register your interest for taking part in the competition then please register your details at their website www.big5kayakchallenge.com The team will be continue to raise funds for the Muscular Help Foundation for whom they have already raised £8,000 and will also be raising awareness and funds for the Marine Conservation Society. They will continue to champion the River Access Campaign and support the challenge of the outdated legislation and thinking. Finally they tell us that they are working hard on editing their film footage from their first 5 challenges into 5 x 1 hour documentaries. The footage includes some of the amazing people they met along the way, as well as adventures which include tents flooding in the middle of the night, near misses with whales, waves and waterfalls . The Big 5 team have been giving talks to universities, companies and kayak clubs to help raise funds and awareness for the charities and good causes they support. Contact them via the Big 5 Kayak Challenge website to book them for a great evening’s entertainment. www.big5kayakchallenge.com |
