Mark Hart
The Steelbacks take on the Yukon River Quest!
Fundraising for Help for Heroes
Story
UPDATE:
The race is over and we are back in the UK! Here is how we did:
Before the race began, we had already developed a name for ourselves having done the least preparation, having the 2nd heaviest boat, the heaviest paddles and more equipment than anyone else in the race. Turning up to the race meeting wearing arm-bands was a risk, but went down quite well! This meant our team became quite popular, getting us a little media attention:
http://whitehorsestar.com/archive/story/seals-trains-and-helicopters-batter-river-questers/
http://whitehorsestar.com/archive/story/new-and-veteran-paddlers-leave-whitehorse-all-smiles/
The night before the race the skies opened up and continued for the whole first leg – the worst weather that Whitehorse had seen in 30 years. This meant non-stop rain and 8ft waves on the lake (causing sea-sickness for me and a number of other teams). The first stop at Carmacks was getting close and we discovered our water container had leaked - 4 hours to go with no water wasn't wise so we stopped at the side of the river to boil and purify as much water as we could carry which cost us both time and around 7 positions in the race. Finally, after 27 long hours we arrived in Carmacks. After 7 hours rest sleeping on a hard wooden floor as we were the only team not to have support staff to put up our tents, we left for the next leg. This was a little more successful than the first, with the only drawback another storm and running aground. We quickly picked up the pace when a boat full of Canadian women threatened to overtake. 20 hours later and we were ready for our 3 hour forced rest. Finally, the last leg – I was over the food poisoning from the leg before and the team were on fire, flying past boat after boat. The closest Voyager team had left the forced stop just as we arrived and had therefore had a 3 hour lead. Other than running aground (again), the leg went well and we managed to claw this lead to only 15 minutes! With 77 teams in the race, We did a great job to come in 27th, particularly as 27 teams couldn’t even survive the harsh conditions to finish!
OUR PLEE:
On the 30th of June, the international canoe race to find the midnight sun commences in one of Canada's most extreme and condensed wilderness areas; the Yukon Territory. The Yukon territory is infamous for the gold rushes from the Klondike valley that was responsible for many deaths of men trying to seek their fortune but succumbing to the Yukon's harsh landscape.
The Yukon River Quest is a canoe race that starts from Whitehorse and ends in Dawson city; a distance of 460 miles. With only 2 forced rests, crossing lakes with widths of 4 miles and traversing rapids; the Yukon River Quest is an adventure that puts any individual to the test - especially with the target we have set ourselves of 50 hours on the water!
The team will compete in the Voyager class in a 6 man Canadian canoe and is made up of servicemen; 5 from E (Essex & Hertfordshire) Company, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, and the other an ex Royal Marine. We depart England on the 26th of June to compete in this canoe marathon and raise awareness, and hopefully a lot of money for the charity Help for Heroes which is close to our hearts.
Please give as much as you can to support our fundraising efforts, and in return, we will update you all with our stories (hopefully of success) on our return! Help for Heroes is a charity that does great work and the challenge is certainly demanding and will make us work hard for your sponsorship money!