Reaction from Raoul and Rich
It’s been a cruel blow having our expedition cut short in such a dramatic way in the North Atlantic. Nature is a cruel mistress as they say and we feel humbled and very fortunate to be back safely with our families.
Expeditions and adventure are not without risk. But these risks have to be calculated. The CNE team has taken well over two years to develop this project and have solicited advice from the very top in sailing, route planning, Polar travel, survival and rescue. Through the good will of our sponsors in particular Sigvaris we have been able to purchase the very best equipment for the job.
There will always be the unknowns on an expedition, weather is not an exact science, crevasses cannot be mapped and mileage, calorie intake and snow conditions can only be estimated. If everything was a foregone conclusion there would be no adventure.
Unfortunately in some circles we have been labelled, as Eco-activist. Activists we certainly are not. We have a passion for the arctic and adventure and are aiming to achieve our expedition goals in a sustainable and responsible manner. We fully appreciate the irony of a tanker rescue but there was little alternative.
We would like to thank family and supporters of our expedition and chosen charity who have supported us over the last two years or more. The schools that have followed our progress and welcomed us into their classrooms, our kind sponsors who believed in what we were doing and even those who said the project would never get off the ground. Not to mention a superb ground team, particularly Jess and Alex- an amazing job.
“….far better it is to dare mighty things than to rank with those poor timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat…”
We now stoop to rebuild our project and have plans for expeditions this autumn and onto 2010. For information on how you can get involved with one of our expeditions please contact us at cnexpeditions@gmail.com and watch this space.
Sailing photos, videos, and edge of your seat drama will be posted here shortly.
