Nine Lincolnshire firefighters are canoeing from Lincoln to London to raise money for charity.

 

Neil Woodmansey, MBE, Mark Baxter, Andy Ford, Shaun Yates, Royce Atkinson, Chris Lowe, Dave Phillips, Sean Taylor and Darren Stones are spending four days on the water, paddling more than 240 miles.

Day Three – Challenges and Chins

It’s fair to say that at the end of day two the team were really struggling, both mentally and physically, and despite the prevailing team spirit, reaching the half way point wasn’t enough to cheer them up.

Day three was a different story. The team rowed 70 miles, including 1.4 mile tunnel (which Dave and Darren rowed at 15 miles an hour as they were so scared!), and really felt they were achieving something great. Although there were a couple of disappointments in the shape of two drowned phones never to be seen again, and the most expensive wee ever – a dunked i-pod – thanks to Mark’s inability to get out of a canoe gracefully!

Mark and Royce did manage to overtake a moving boat with an engine, but as Mark laughs: “We split the work, Royce was up front rowing at 80% effort whilst I supported with 20%”. And Dave and Darren managed to force a narrow boat off the river – it must have been the speed they exited the tunnel with!

The team are managing to keep themselves entertained on the riverbanks by way of a “spotting unusual things floating” competition– being won by the grumpy old men Sean and Neil so far (an inflated inflatable parrot is now positioned at the front of their canoe, although pirates they are not!) – and a “guess the chin” competition as they haven’t had showers or shaves for the entire challenge – check the photo's on our blog to guess which chin belongs to which canoer - www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/lfr  

Looking forward to the last 40 mile leg to Kew Gardens the team are really excited. Mark’s enthusiasm shone through: “Last night everyone was in really good spirits as we could see the last leg and we’ve bonded as a team. We’ve run out of painkillers so we’re going to have to rely on our inner strength, or grin and bear it, for the final push. Still on target for our 4pm arrival in London, and we’re panning on getting all 8 of us on the two canoes for the last couple of hundred yards.”

Team leader Andy promised to get it on film, and that “they might get a bit wet”!

Check the blog on Monday for a reflection on the challenge, which of the team seized up over the weekend, and final pictures of the finish.

 

 For more information on ShelterBox, visit the website at: http://www.shelterbox.org/  and for information on the Fire Fighters Charity, see: www.Firefighterscharity.ork.uk/ .