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To
get some perspective of Simon's new journey, take a look a
our map,
which plots the route he will be taking around Ireland.
A 3,000 mile kayak journey around Britain's coastline
- that's the target a Shropshire man set himself as a memorial
to his brother, who died of leukaemia at the age of 13. (See
a map of Simon's journey.)
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| WEBLINKS |
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Kayaking
for Cancer
See Simon's website for information on donating money to the
Leukemia Research Fund... and you can even win his kayak!
The BBC is not responsible for the content
of external websites.
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SOMETHING TO SAY? |
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It's
900 miles of rough seas and Simon needs all the support he
can get. Send
Simon a message here. He may even be able to reply!
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THIS PAGE |
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| KAYAK
FACTS |
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There
are many different types of kayaks. Here are five examples:
Flat
water - long and thin for racing or touring.
River
running - shorter and more manoeuvrable.
Sea
touring - long and thin (about 17ft by 2ft) but strong and
able to carry equipment in sealed hatches.
Surf
- short and manoeuvrable for sea waves.
Rodeo
- similar but for big waves on rivers.
At an average speed of 4 miles per hour this latest challenge
is estimated to take around 225 hours of kayaking to complete. |
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On
May the 11th 2002 Simon Osborne set off from Aberystwyth, Wales,
and headed north to circumnavigate Britain in a clockwise direction.
It took 112 days in total to complete his epic journey.
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Simon
had enormous surport from people around Britain. After following
him on the BBC Shropshire website, many went to meet Simon
in person as he landed on a nearby beach.
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Simon
said "the challenge pushed me both physically and mentally
with every day throwing something new at me. The expedition turned
out better than I ever thought it would, due to the enormous support
from friends family and the British public."
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New
challenge another 900 miles
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He's now
picking up his paddle once again and taking on a new challenge - and
probably his toughest yet.
On the 20th of June 2004 he plans to set off from Holyhead in Wales
to cross the Irish Sea to Dublin.
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Simon
has been training off the Holyhead coastline to prepare him
for the 900 miles he is about to face.
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This will
be the start of a circumnavigation of Ireland by sea kayak. The expedition
will take him around 6 weeks to complete but with the temperamental
Irish weather it's hard to judge.
The journey is around 900 miles and exposes him not only to the unpredictable
Irish sea, but also the harsh Atlantic Ocean.
Although the journey is nowhere near as long as Simon's last challenge,
this time he's attempting the voyage solo, with only a support van
on shore to track his progress.
What's more, the seas are likely to be rougher than those he experienced
in 2002. The powerful Atlantic Ocean will seem particularly daunting
from Simon's lonely vantage point in his tiny kayak.
The combination of solitude and conditions means that all-in-all,
Simon expects this to be a far tougher challenge than
the one he completed two years before.
He hopes to raise money during the expedition and will need his dedicated
support team.
Simon says "When I am out on the water there is little I can
do to raise money but the vehicle can let people know I am out there
somewhere. The exposed west coast will be the most difficult section
of the trip as the swells from the Atlantic have nothing in their
way."
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So
why is he Kayaking for Cancer?
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Simon's
passion for kayaking was shared by his brother, Mark, who was diagnosed
with leukaemia when he was four and died when he was just 13.
"Through his amazing strength and determination he lived life
to the full and made the most of every day, even going on kayaking
expeditions to Scotland and France," says Simon.
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Simon
and his brother Mark
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"Losing
my brother has given me an enormous amount
of motivation to succeed. I only have to think about what Mark went
through to put the size of the challenge into perspective."
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Mark
Osborne
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Mark
had raised a lot of money for the Leukaemia Research Fund - and
asked Simon to do the same. During
the summer of 2002 Simon successfully completed a circumnavigation
of Great Britain, raising £22,000.
To get
some perspective of Simon's new journey, take a look a our map,
which plots the route he will taking around Ireland. |
