Update at the end - but not the last

Hello all,

My apologies for not updating sooner, but to be quite honest, we have been asleep for the past 2 days as we have tried to recover from what was a fairly amazing few days.

I am writing a full debrief at the moment, but by means of a quick summary:

As expected we headed into the night from Katwijk on Monday. The press conference and send off was very emotional and pretty big with live news coverage etc.

We headed from the beach straight to the support boat marie, about 500 meters off shore to get set before we headed on. when all were on board we set off, with a favorable force 4 wind from the back and side. we made great speed, cruising at about 4 and a half knots. The first 6-8 hours were ok, the wind picked up and made things rather unconfortable, and many of us were sick, but by dawn we were ok.

Into the next morning the swell persisted and made us have to surf down the waves and then plough up the faces of the next wave- pretty tiring, but we were making good progress. Chiel, one of the dutch kayakers was so sea sick that he couldn't keep any food, water or pills down, so had to have an injection on the water- pretty tricky for the doctor Flora.

The day was extremely grey, and we had some atrocious downpours, but we persisted. unfortunately, in the late in the day Alec had to pack it in through exhaustion, as he hadn't been feeling good for a few hours. it was a very hard decision for him to make, and it was a blow to the team to see him stop.

During the afternoon we had tried all sorts of conversations to numb the boredom, and to help us pass the hours. towards the evening, Ed's niggle in his shoulder got worse. knowing that we had a storm tyo face during the coming night, he decided to get out while the going was good, safe in the knowledge that he had givene everything he had.

The second night saw a force 5 gusting 6 hit us head on, and Olly, the Dutch team and I pressed on after a great bit of supper kindly cooked by Vicks.

I was next to drop- I had a stomach problem that I had got over earlier in the day, but unfortunately the doc couldn't sort a second time, so I had to bow out. I know how Ed and Alec felt a few hours before, and can only say that it still hurts.

For the next few hours Olly, Chiel and Ben were truely remarkable. All except Ben, were passing out whilst kayaking, and really struggling to stay awake. Ben was solid- living off a diet of red bull and malboro reds to ploughed on into some pretty big waves.

As dawn came in the next day they were still there, and all the team on the support boat were working in shifts of encouragement to keep them going.

The pace slowed dramtically as they neared the coast, but they had been going without stopping for 40 hours.

Near the coast, the three of us who hadn't made it went into the shore on the Zodiac rib to a very warm welcome. 15 minutes later Olly, Ben and Chiel followed to great applause.

It was the most superhuman effort I have ever seen from all involved. being on the support boat was miserable through lasck of sleep and sea sickness, but they worked tirelessly- I don't think we will ever be able to thank them enough.

As mentioned at the top, there will be a full debrief in due course, but for now, I must thank a few people who made it happen for the four of us.

Art, James, Sketch, Flora, Vicks, Jonna and Ernst- you were unbelievable on the boat- and i know at times you wished you could escape to a kayak.

Niels, Walter and Paul Peteri who's support through Quooker made it all happen.

SKUK, Lendal, Standard Horizon, Peak UK, Ovation Business, Ward and Mackenzie, Lifeboat Tea for their generous support and donations.

Jack, Ben, Chiel- you guys were great, and tougher than I would have ever believed.

Friends and family- for your endless support, patience and help, and for all the messages of support we have received during and since we finished.Mega thanks to you all.

Signing off until a long report soon.

Harry
Engelandvaarder 2011

SPOT.tracker.and.ipadio

Firstly,i.am.writing.on.a.keybaord.with.no.space.bar!!!apologies...

Spot.tracker.and.ipadio.now.live.on.the.homepage.so.you.be.able.to.see.where.we.are.having.breakfast.etc.and.hear.braodcasts.throughout.the.day.

watch.the.facebook.site.too(search.for.engelandvaarder)and.vicks.will.be.posting.pics.etc.

schedule.remains....press.at.5.and.departure.in.the.evening.from.katwijk.weather.fantastic.this.a.m.lets.hope.it.holds.

H

Weather Update

We have been keeping a very close eye on the weather as you can imagine.

Its changed from the amzing longer forcast and we are going to have to adapt.

It is likely that we now have a window that will give us about 75% good weather/wind as we go, if we leave earlier. This is ok, but means that we are going to have to take on 2 nights. This isnt ideal, and nights are pretty grim, but this was never going to be easy.

As it stands we are going to leave late evening tomorrow. After we have done the press thing, we will relax for an hour or two, have a final big sups and then head out into the night. This is make the most of the favorable winds through Monday night and most of Tuesday. Wednesday night will be a bit tougher, so we must try and break the back of the crossing during the first 24 hours. Wednesday morning will be tough with force 4-5 headwinds forecast so we will struggle, but its the window we now have, and we cant wait.

Tracker will go live tomorrow. We will update if we can.

Watching the weather and praying the change in the wind will hold off for us.

Harry

The Departure

Saturday was a great day for the departure- great weather and we were all set. The morning was a little frantic with final packing of the kayaks, kit checks, food shops and a last chance to eat as much as possible.

After the inevitable hanging around on Methersgate Quay, and a number of interviews with both BBC and ITV we were off. Zircon acted as the launch, and infront of lots of friends and family we headed down the Deben to meet Marie at a deep water ankorage off the Rocks.

Marie is a great boat- built in the 1960's, the skipper, Art has managed to keep all of its original character. It is totally functional, and comfortable for those who are not fussy. We headed across the mouth of the Deben around 3 pm, headed north and then west towards the Netherlands. Evening coditions were pretty choppy, and Marie did bounce about somwhat, but it calmed during the night, and most of us managed to get some sleep. Vicks cooked us up a storm, and as a result only managed to sleep about 2 hours so today has been a struggle. During the night we had a taste of what was to come with some HUGE tanker ankorages between us and home- its going to be interesting navigating through them for sure, but Art and Tom (co-capt.) were amazingly good with the charts, AIS and Radar and kept our course good.

On arrival at Schevenigen (sp.) before dawn we had a breakfast on the beach and waited for the 3 Peteri brothers to come get us. Loading bags and not kayaks we then met with George Moller and B&B that Henri and Willem Peteri waited in 70 years ago, and then went back to Rotterdam for some sleep and more food- we're really eating for 2 now!

This evening Ben and Chiel came to see us and discuss the weather and our plans. All I can say is that they conform to the Dutch sterotype- they are so laid back that they are almost horizontal- I think they will bring a calming effect to our team which after yesterdays quite brash bravado has now become a little more tetchy with last minute nerves. Meeting the Peteri family has been great, and they are so pleased and proud of what we are doing- its great to have their support.

tonight- DINNER!! Thai takeaway which I wasnt expecting and am praying wont upset the stomach- kayaks are no place for anything but a very stable stomach.

Tomorrow we have final kit checks and the final food prep. We aim to have this done by 1pm, whith an after lunch snooze before we meet some original Engelandvaarders (aged 91) at the press conference. I think it will be quite a moving afternoon.

Weather has changed- update to follow...

Harry
Engelandvaarder 2011

Live Tracking

We have updated the website so our tracking can be viewed live on the homepage. Below the title you will see the Spotracker widget and a live position update via satellite.

This will be switched on nearer the departure time, so keep an eye on the and this latest news for further updates until then.

Party & Dutchmen

Many thanks for all those who came to see us off at Kiehls last night. It was a great evening with Champagne, prizes, goodybags and a great crowd. Thanks too to Kiehls for making the whole eveneing possible- they were so very generous.

Update- forecast is holding, and we look set for a departure in the early hours of Tuesday morning. With luck we might arrive at some point late on Wednesday- we will update when we can.

We have confirmed news from Holland that we have been waiting for. We now have our long awaited Dutch contingent to the trip. Ben and Chiel are two Dutchem who will be joining us on the crossing. They are fit and have been training for some time. They will be crossing in a 2 man Klepper, similar to the original kayaks used.

We meet them on arrival on Sunday, for some last minute training, and then meeting the Mayor of Katwijk then a litle rest and off!

Details to follow as and when we can. If you can you can find us on Facebook where Victoria will be updating as we go as best she can. Messages of support are very welcome!

Watching the wind...

Harry

Weather Forecast

We have been willing ourselves not to look at the forecast until Thursday, but I couldn't help having a look.

For the majority of next week, wind looks good. Different forecasts vary, but it seems a little bit of strong wind come across on late Monday and then from Tuesday through the week the winds are very light.

More to come, but the good news is it is likely we are going to have a decent opportunity to get across through the week.Watch this space.

Last Week and Launch Party

We are into the last week.

At present the timings are as follows. The support boat with all kit, Ed, Harry, Alec and Victoria (out PR guru) will be leaving Suffolk on Saturday. We will be leaving from Methersgate Quay, just down from Woodbridge on the Deben, and steaming to Holland. We the have a press day on Sunday, and hope to depart as soon after that as possible.

We are now watching the weather very carefully, and all updates on timings will be posted on this latest news section, and on facebook. Please keep an eye on those pages as opposed to calling Victoria, as she is rather busy trying to make sure we are all in order!

With such a following, this is the easist way to contact and update everyone, and we will be keeping you as informed as possible.

For those who have not heard, we are having a launch/sending off party in London on Thuursday 18th. It is based on Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, at the Kiehls Store. We will be there from 6pn, with a brief presentation at 7pm, and wine, Tea, goody bags, raffles, and all profits going to out charities.

Hope to see lots of you there, and as always, thanks so much for your support.

Watch this space and cross fingers and toes for some high pressure over the North Sea!

H

Night Training

The plan had been in the diary for some weeks, but as the evening drew closer Alec, Ed and I were certainly apprehensive about our main night training for the Engelandvaarder Crossing. During the day on Saturday the kayaks were kitted out with the final equipment required. Our Standard Horizon VHF’s were charged up, glow sticks were strapped to our outer layers and the back of the kayaks, and the route was planned.

Due to the tide we headed out from Aldeburgh Beach. For those of you who have been there, you will be aware that the waves break pretty steeply onto the shingle. Even though it was a lovely calm and clear night, the launch was an issue. Ed went for it first and unfortunately got it wrong. Being too shallow then to roll all the way over, so had to pop out and get wet in the process- still he decided to carry on regardless. Eventually we were all in, and in the fading light we headed for a marker buoy a mile of so off the coast. Using the GPS function on our VHF’s we plotted a route, and stuck to it. As the light went completely save the flash of Orford Lighthouse, this was extremely important.

Paddling at night is pretty strange. Firstly there is the fact that you can’t really see the water. Any larger than average waves that come at you can completely take you by surprise, so you have to be ready to slap your paddle onto the water to stabilise yourself. Although it was unnerving, we managed to keep our spirits high with some great if a little flat versions of “American Pie” and various other sing-along favourites. The kayaks are lit by a glow stick on the back, but here are no forward facing lights- you must rely on your night vision. We made good progress in the early hours, and by midnight we were a fair way south down the coast, off Hollesley Bay Prison I would estimate.

We stuck to our routine- every 20-30 minutes we stopped for up to one minute to get drinks on board. Every hour we stopped for a couple of minutes to eat and drink. Peanut Butter and Jam Sandwiches were a firm favourite, and under Olly’s guidance we had some slices of salami in the food stores too. It was totally surreal- chewing on Orford’s finest produce whilst miles off the Suffolk Coast at 1 a.m. looking at a completely clear sky and amazing stars. We would give anything for the night to be like that on the event itself. We practiced our various night procedures, getting extra clothing, having a pee etc, all so that it became familiar. Ed, who had been celebrating his birthday the previous night also took the opportunity to “practice” having a 10 minute snooze. This was useful as we rafted up and got comfortable so that he could sleep.

From 12-1 a.m. we worked against the tide, still heading south towards Felixstowe, and then turned and headed back with the tide again. The closer we had got to the docks the more ambient light there was, but when we turned back, the darkness was more of an issue. On Whiting Bank, just off Orford Ness we hit some very short choppy water, and it was quite unnerving, but we managed to push through and carry on.

The most amazing thing about being out at night is the phosphorescence. I have seen it before at night, but when you are that close to the water, and in such a small kayak it really is an incredible thing to see. As your hull breaks the waves in front of you the wave erupts in an electric blue light and lights up the whole hull. As your paddle blade breaks the surface each side of you it is as though you have splashed a blue paint pot onto a black canvas- totally amazing and a very special thing to see- I can’t do it justice here, but Ed put it pretty well when he said it was like being in "Avatar".

Using our GPS waypoints we managed to navigate back to our cars a little before 4 a.m. This mist had really come down, and the temperature with it. Thankfully we had been suitable prepared for it. Landing was just as tricky as launching. I volunteered to go first, got my timing wrong and ended up with my kayak full of shingle and pretty wet. Guiding Alec in we made a good landing for him, and then we messed Ed up again, so he got his second dunk of the night. I did feel a little sorry for the drunken chap on the beach who really didn’t know what was going on as we landed!!

It was therefore a successful night. The Sea Kayak UK Explorers proved themselves to be masters of the rougher water, even when you can’t tell how rough it is, and our standard horizon GPS/VHF’s were a lifesaver. We covered just shy of 20 miles, and physically we were all in good shape- nobody was too tired, other than the fact it was early in the morning, and it was a good reality check as to what we are due to encounter.

From here we have a final logistics meeting, our various medicals from our friendly (I hope) doctor Flora, and a little more training. We have a launch at the Kiehls shop on Monmouth Street in London at which we hope to see a lot of you- Champagne and discounts available on Kiehls products. You might have to help us raise some money too... The Safety boat and kit will leave for Holland around the 20th August and we will look to start the crossing in as soon as we can after it arrives. Fingers and toes crossed for the weather people!!

Finally a few thankyous- Quooker, SKUK, Lendle, Ovation Business, Ward & McKenzie, Standard Horizon, Karitek, Kiehls and our most recent sponsor Lifeboat Tea.

And many thanks to those of you who have given to the charities we are supporting. This event will in time be measured by the amount of money we raise, so if you could all sponsor us a little, it will certainly go a long way- the messages of support too have been great especially in the early hours of the morning.

Updates to follow.

Harry