Kayaks on the Shetland Bus
Patrick Winterton / 16.07.2011
On the 16th July 2011 Patrick Winterton, Mick Berwick and Olly Hicks will start an attempt to make the first kayak crossing of the North Sea between Lunna Voe, Shetland and Bergen, Norway. Their journey will celebrate the seafaring achievements of all those involved in the Shetland Bus operation during World War Two.<b>The Challenge</b>
Taking on the North Sea is a serious undertaking in most boats. In single sea kayaks it is a daunting prospect. Travelling at an average of less than 2.5 knotts means that the three paddlers will take at least 84 hours. Four days and three nights.
Squeezed into damp cockpits with no escape from the elements and no opportunity for good sleep this is as much a test of mental strength as it is physical. The North Sea is notoriously rough with a constant barrage of steep breaking waves and water that gets little warmer than 10 degrees.
Staying upright will be hard enough but the major problems are the cold, injury, sea sickness and shipping. Perhaps our biggest concern is ensuring we stay together during the dreaded hours of darkness.
<b>The Story</b>
There are many cultural links between Shetland and Norway that find their roots in Viking times. One story that is relatively fresh in the minds of both Shetlanders and Norwegians is that of the ‘Shetland Bus’.
After the German occupation of Norway in WW2 a small, essentially non military, operation was set up between Shetland and the West Coast of Norway to ferry agents, saboteurs and arms into Norway and to aid refugees in their escape.
Norwegian fishing boats and fishermen were used to make repeated crossings of the notoriously inhospitable North Sea, with a mix of success and tragedy. Their actions were crucial in forcing Germany to base a quarter of a million troops in Norway but the cost of this success was high with many boats sunk and with the loss of the lives of 44 of the Shetland Bus Crews.
Despite this there was never a lack of willingness to set out on a mission. Of all the dangers they faced they knew that the wild conditions of the North Sea was by far the greatest threat to their survival. We are celebrating and commemorating the courage, the seamanship and the remarkable ability of many like Leif Larson to survive again and again, against the odds.
<b>The Team</b>
<b>Patrick Winterton</b>: Sports broadcaster, Team UK Winter Olympian from 1988 and part of the two man team the made the first crossing between Scotland and the Faroe Islands. Patrick has completed a number of groundbreaking expeditions around Scotland which have been recorded in award winning films.
<b>Mick Berwick</b>: Former UK national slalom paddler. The other half of the team that made the crossing to the Faroe Islands. At 55 Mick is the veteran in the team but his paddling strength and stamina are well proven.
<b>Olly Hicks</b>: Olly is the youngest man to have rowed the Atlantic solo and the first man to row solo west to east. His big ambition is to make the first circumnavigation of Antarctica in a rowing boat so this trip is little more than a warm up. Olly is relatively new to sea kayaking but has spent enough time at sea to know exactly what he is taking on but there is little doubt that he’ll miss the warmth and comfort of his row boat cabin.
