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(No paddling was allowed at night.)
The French did not arrive until after
they left, but still felt they could
make up the deficit, especially as a
mistake on the final trek could cost
half a day or more.
Photo courtesy of Mark Watson
Only the top 3 teams and the US
team Calleva made it across to
the Magellan Strait, and Calleva
was the only team to have a whale
sighting as they turned Eastwards
along the coast. The end of the
paddle was near to a whale research
station and this was the last CP
before the finish. After pulling their
kayaks up among the bushes, they
shouldered packs heavy with food
and extra clothing as the very wet
and windy weather was persisting.
Even so, none of the teams took
enough food, and were to finish the
race ‘running on empty’.
The 15km portage stage over a
low pass would take teams to the
Magellan Strait and after a few
kilometres of following narrow
creeks and crossing bogs and deep
channels the leaders reached a belt
of forest barring the way. They
searched around, but there was no
easy way forward – they would have
to force a way through the tangle of
fallen logs, thorn bushes, brush and
low branches, crossing more deep
streams on the way. The British
opted for all 4 of them to carry
one of the heavy kayaks together,
then all return for the second one, a
tactic which seemed to be quicker,
and they were the first to break out
into the channels on the far side of
the pass where they were able to
float down to the coast and make
a camp for the night, using their
kayaks to construct a wind break.
The question was, who would
come out at Cabo Froward, the
southernmost continental point
in the world, first. The race
organization was camped in the
mossy boulders and tumble-down
forest at the very southern tip of the
world, waiting to see if the British
could hold onto their lead and as
night fell on day 6 lights were seen
along the coast and it was Prunesco
Helly Hansen who came into camp
first. With the tide in, they were
scrambling over slippery boulders
and fallen trees, making steady
progress towards the final test, a
400 foot climb up a steep hillside to
the ‘Cross at the End of the World’.
This was so steep in places that
ladders and ropes were installed,
but at last they arrived to win the
toughest race in the world in a time
of 131 hours and 4 minutes.
The team of Bruce Duncan, Nicola
MacLeod, Mark Humphrey and
Adventure World Magazine July 2009 16