Yeovilton helps with charity kayak duo
On 1 September 2013 the Greenland Cowboys, Lee Taylor (38) Richard Bracey (37) are paddling from the beach at La Linea, Southern Spain to France along Spain's Mediterranean coast circumnavigating the island of Tabarca, off of the Costa Blanca coast, to raise money for Help for Heroes and The Royal British Legion.
The Under Water Escape Unit at RNAS Station provided the perfect opportunity for Lee from Yeovil and Richard from Axminster to practice sea survival skills for this challenging paddle that will see Lee and Richards’s expedition cover 830 miles and take 1 month to complete. They have allowed themselves 30 days for the challenge with 28 days of paddling for 7 hours a day, with two rest days. The contingency for bad weather is to catch up by making the 7 hour days longer!
The opportunity to practise invaluable skills with the Royal Naval Sea Skills Survival Team at RNAS Yeovilton has proved invaluable; Richard said “The training has been fun but also seriously sobering and excellent preparation for our expedition. Lee and I can’t thank the Royal Navy enough for helping us feel and be well prepared, especially having taken part in the winch training off Portland.
The name Greenland Cowboys derives from the style of kayaking Lee and Richard do and the paddles which originate from Greenland where they value traditional paddling beliefs in an environmentally friendly manner. Both Lee and Richard have been paddling from a young age and have taken on this personal challenge to help two charities close to their hearts. Richard having served with the Army’s Royal Horse Artillery from 1994-1999 received help from the Royal British Legion when in 2009 he found himself homeless. Both have friends and colleagues who have been supported by Help for Heroes.
Richard a carpenter and boat builder and Lee a tree surgeon aim to keep support to a minimum only using one mid point resupply on their expedition. They have currently raised £500 prior to the commencement of their expedition .
Lee Taylor, Richard Bracey, Leading Hand Richard ‘Smudge’ Smith and Naval Airman, Survival Equipment Chris Hawksford