Big 5 Kayak Challenge team enjoys R’n’R in Gibraltar

Having left London’s Tower Bridge one month previously, the Big 5 Kayak Challenge team paddled and peddled almost 2,000 miles to make it to the five star comfort of Gibraltar’s Ocean Village Marina at 7.42pm on Tuesday this week. Thursday morning, and 36 hours of temporary revival later, the adrenalin-hungry adventurers set off by kayak to cross the Strait to Africa and commence the final leg of their epic London-Marrakech Challenge.

Keen to offer support to this inspirational fundraising mission, Ocean Village happily passed the Challenge team keys to luxury apartment accommodation in its waterfront Grand Ocean Plaza residential tower for two nights of thoroughly deserved rest. Meanwhile Ocean Village’s Pier Office offered insider knowledge on tides and winds for the crossing of the Gibraltar Strait whilst Rock resident Mick Hudson and his motoryacht generously acted as ‘support boat’ throughout.

Expedition leader and all-round action enthusiast Richard Harpham, who’s covered the entire punishing distance, had this to say, “It was certainly a relief to find ourselves in the prestigious surroundings of Ocean Village. A challenge cannot be named as such if it’s easy, and we’ve certainly faced some tests along the way. We started as we meant to continue by kayaking the world’s busiest shipping route - the English Channel - and since then have ascended to fatiguing heights of over 1,000m cycling the Pyrenees and peddled the notorious N340 highway – statistically one of Europe’s most dangerous. We’ve even been warned and fined by Guardia invoking Spanish law to the letter for not displaying the relevant flag on our kayaks.”

Richard continues, “Personally I’ve been knocked over by a bus in Le Mans and ended up in hospital in Almeria with post-calamari-consumption anaphylactic shock. But we’re incredibly only two days behind schedule and I live to tell the tale – albeit a very colourful one. Myself and the rest of the team are now on the African continent after a very special Strait crossing where wild dolphins quite literally showed us the way and enthusiastically eyeing destination Marrakech. We’re feeling a huge amount of satisfaction for both the awareness and money we’ve helped raise for charity.”

The original Big 5 Kayak Challenge kicked off at the Southampton Boat Show in September 2008 with an 85 mile route down Southampton Water and around the Isle of Wight. Followed a 36 hour mission along the length of the Thames during arctic February conditions, a ferry-dodging traverse of the English Channel, the 30 mile crossing between Land’s End and the Isles of Scilly before culminating in July 2009 with the grueling 1,000 mile Inside Passage from Vancouver to Alaska accompanied by bears and killer whales. But the quest was not to end there. With many more of the planet’s challenging waters left to tackle, Richard Harpham announced a second ‘Big 5’ to the assembled public at this year’s London Boat Show, bringing the tally to a total of 4,500 miles of adventure. London-Marrakech is the last in the current series.

To follow the progress of the Big 5 Kayak Challenge, including clips of TV coverage from BBC Sports Presenter Mike Bushell, visit big5kayakchallenge.com. So far many thousands of pounds have been raised for their various chosen charities, to offer your support please visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/big5kayakchallenge. All funds raised go direct to charity as the team covers all costs associated with the various challenges. To enquire about the facilities at Ocean Village, including recently launched international standard Premier Berths, visit gibraltarberths.com.

The Big 5 Kayak Challenges:
1. Sea kayaking round the Isle of Wight
2. Kayaking the length of the River Thames
3. Crossing the English Channel
4. Land’s End to the Isles of Scilly
5. The Inside Passage – Vancouver to Alaska
6. Kayaking around Malta and Gozo
7. Canoeing the Yukon
8. John O’Groats to the Orkney Isles
9. Scotland to Ireland via Jura and the Corryvreckan Whirlpool
10. London to Marrakech – cycling and kayaking