Dear our superb and wonderful sponsors,

 

First of all I wanted to say a huge thank you from all the Norwegian kayakers for sponsoring us and supporting a brilliant charity. Thanks to your generosity we managed to raise more than £2,300 which will help those with learning disabilities in so many ways – thank you.

 

Secondly, it’s only fair to update you on the event… in the below email I explained how ‘more than 26 miles will be covered by six kayakers (a total of more than 160 miles altogether) to get to a lighthouse, stay in it, then head back to base’. I also explained about my incompetence when it comes to navigation. In fact, we as a team covered more than 220 miles, with three of the prescribed vessels completing the 26 miles demanded of them, and three completing a marathon 52 miles – determined not to get a lift/pull or tug. This meant that we has to travel more than 25 miles in one day (9 hours in kayak!). We did all manage to get to the right spot at the right time, mind you! It did, however, mean that the evening’s entertainment was that little bit sweeter! We had blisters/exhaustion and even what appeared to be a dead/broken arm.

 

All in all – it was an incredible/tiring/brilliant trip and what made it so special and made us all so determined was your generous support – thank you!

 

Attached are a selection of photos and if you are interested in seeing a small video please click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_xqSkbNqvM

 

Many thanks to you all,

 

Edo, Alex, Huw, Ben, Webbo, Lydia, Eliza, Abi and Creasy.

 

 

 

P.S (If you still want to donate then please do: http://www.justgiving.com/KayakNorway2012 - thank you!)

 

P.P.S (Oh…and for those that were running a book – Ben did fall in within the first hour)

 

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Ladies, gentleman, boys and girls,

 

As the June bank holiday fast approaches, plans for what Jubilee celebrations are going to occur are quickly unravelling. Some are going abroad/some are watching the flotilla; however, a group of friends and I thought it could be an opportunity to do something different. Keeping with the water based theme, we decided that we should kayak in Norway over the weekend. However, the original plan for a quiet weekend break quickly escalated to something else – the trip is now a marathon. More than 50 miles will be covered by six kayakers (a total of more than 300 miles altogether) to get to a lighthouse, stay in it, then head back to base. This should take two days depending on our good friend, the weather. One way could take 5 hours with the wind, whereas the reverse, into the wind, is expected to be a lot harder. This, I agree, is not like running the marathon – it should be a charming weekend. That’s until you see the team list: words struggle to describe the abilities; in fact, perhaps they do: incompetent/useless/pathetic… THIS IS GOING TO BE A STRUGGLE. I better introduce them:

 

Thomas ‘Captain Seaweed’ Webb: famous for his bulging muscles/ strong physique/ powerful complexion – he intends to ‘dominate’ this weekend. His last trip in a canoe ended up with a rescue team searching the shores to find him…

 

Alex ‘Hit-man’ Hoare: after coming up with the plan to canoe from Devizes to Westminster and a fair bit of training, he quickly realised that it was never going to work so dropped a series of heavy weights on his foot before claiming that he was finally injured. What cunning plans will he come up with to get out of this trip? We remain concerned by his recent comments regarding his ‘bad back’.

 

Ben ‘Sinker’ Stoop: probably one of the funniest sights ever seen on a canoe; the last two times he has been in one – it has sunk. His confidence is at all time lows and there have been secret meetings with professionals to desperately get some training. Longest distance so far: 15 metres.

 

Huw ‘doggie-paddle’ Stephens: a possible bright patch amongst the dearth of strength; Huw is famous for his competitive spirit and sense of survival. However, when questioned on technique or style he may be lacking. This will certainly be a ‘go big or go home’ situation. The fact that he cant swim makes it even more interesting.

 

Edo ‘flotation’ Salvesen: being the supposed organiser, I am supposed to be able to complete this; I’m not sure that really holds true. My navigation skills lack any sort of depth, my Norwegian is incomprehensible and the lady who lives near the lighthouse thinks I am an official inspector staying for the night. Also, the fact that I have a broken rib means that I cant bend my torso yet… great.

 

Finally, there is a combination of girls who are working together to try and beat all the boys:

Alexandra ‘I’ll come as a spectator’ Creasy

Abi ‘I’ll come for the sun’ Elphinstone

Lydia ‘I’ll come to look after Webbo’ Bellingham

Eliza ‘In for the gin’ Stoop

 

Of course, the team would not be complete without these girls as when they are not kayaking, they are also our competent support team who are planning on driving a speed boat to the destination and supporting the stragglers within the team. They will of course most likely be either tanning themselves unaware that Webbo is sinking or hiding in a bay to escape the storm, again, unaware that Webbo is sinking.

 

It’s not just for fun…

 

So, why the email? Well, I think this is a challenge in itself and we all see it as a possibility to not only have fun but hopefully raise some money. All we ask is for a little spare change to support a charity that we believe is extremely worthwhile. Many of you may have met my sister, Steph, who recently attended the Special Olympics National Ski Championships in Pila and came back with an amazing array of medals (two silver and one bronze!). It is the amazing people at Special Olympics GB that put on these fantastic opportunities, from skiing to swimming, figure skating to cycling. They make everyone who participates feel incredible and you just have to ask Steph what she thought of the experience to realise how much it means. To find out more about the charity, please click here: http://www.specialolympicsgb.org.uk/

 

 

With love

Edo