Dan and I have been arguing together in canoes for around 8 years now and the strength of arguments does seem to be decreasing. It has been over 2 years since Dan last jumped out of the canoe to get away from me.

In 2013 I did the world’s longest annual canoe race, The Yukon River Quest, with Esther. I missed Dan and I spent a lot of time doing things away. I wanted another bash and set about persuading Dan that he too wanted a go at this.

Persuading him to the idea/concept was the easiest part. That we had time to train around work was quite a bit harder. That we could spend that much time in a boat together, without killing each other, was by far the hardest.

We set about doing a few paddles tandem just to see how they went, around Oxford and then on the Wye.  Things were looking up.  We had progressed from all out rows to stern discussion and only a couple at that.  Therefore, at that point the decision was made.  On 24 June 2015 we will start the Yukon River Quest, aiming to get 444 miles down the river before the end of 27 June.

This weekend we sat and determined the training plan through to June. Sarah will be losing weight and Dan will be getting strong.  We plan to focus on long day paddles with gym training in the week and downtime. The boat is hired, accommodation booked in Whitehorse before the race and now to build a holiday around this silly idea.

We haven’t yet submitted the entry. There are 28 boats entered. Boats no 26 onwards get an extra 1/2 hour in bed on the start day and I am waiting until there are 30 in front to guarantee that in case of drop outs. I think everyone else is waiting for the same thing.

This weekend we are off for a long paddle with as much of the light as we can use. It’ll be Dans first experience of the no stopping for a coffee and eating by throwing a few mouthfuls in every couple of hours. With the forecast for extreme cold we may have to submit to a coffee stop.

There will be all sorts of fun to report as the weeks go by, along with our fundraising attempts for Shadwell Basin Outdoor Activity Centre. As was the case with Barely Scared in 2013 if you have questions, advice or comments please get in touch.