All unsigned: Yukon 1000

Our world's dire economy is hurting pretty well everyone, top up and bottom down--even those of us who sometimes have the luxury to dream about paddling the world's inaugural longest kayak race, the 2009 Yukon 1000.

I work in the not-for-profit world and raising money in this climate is far more of a challenge than normal. And smaller non-profits than ours and the communities they serve are hurting--badly.

So sadly, but not surprisingly, Dawn and my sponsor for the Yukon 1000, BubbaGirl, has had to shelve its support for our Yukon 1000 quest for another year.

Not a problem. These things happen. And BubbaGirl remains the fantastic supporter it is for the 2009 Everglades Challenge.

We paddle on!

All signed up: Yukon 1000

All confirmed. Dawn (aka SandyBottom) and I are all signed up for the inaugural 2009 Yukon 1000 Canoe and Kayak Race. July 20, next year, as Team BubbaGirl, we should be sitting in our already-rented Seaward Passat G3, Greenland paddles in hand, rearing to go.

If you've a few minutes to spare, it's worth catching up with discussions on the Yukon 1000 online forum, with interesting discussions on bears and guns and bear spray, etc. As a Kiwi, one has a natural aversion to guns, unless there's a possum breathing down one's neck, so this is all new territory for this US transplant.

BTW, if anyone knows of a good 2nd-hand Passat G3 for sale or longish rent (or sponsorship gift!), please let me know. We need a training boat!

Thanks to Peter Coates, race organizer, for the photo.

BubbaGirls paddle!

Well, I did get back from Albuquerque and the launch party for BubbaGirl - just that the new job at the Nasher Museum has gobbled up my life - it's week three in the new position, and I'm loving it.

So, what happened in Albuquerque? What a party! Founded by Mary Holsenbeck, nearly 200 women, and a few honorary men, turned up to hear just what BubbaGirl is all about and what the organization plans to achieve. I was humbled to be in the speaking company of Mercury 13 astronaut, Wally Funk, and historic motorcyle rider and up-and-coming actress, DJ Jones. In front of the welcoming crowd we talked about what makes us BubbaGirls, and how we hope to help other women of all ages and backgrounds "get into real life."

I detailed Dawn and my plans to compete in 2009's inaugural Yukon 1000 Canoe & Kayak Race. And it was officially revealed that BubbaGirl will be our title sponsor for the race.

Woohoo! We are now Team BubbaGirl!

More news to come!

Off with BUBBAGIRL

I fly to Albuquerque, NM, pre-sparrow fart tomorrow morning, courtesy of BubbaGirl, to help launch the organization's new personna. So if you're in that neck of the woods tomorrow evening, come along and join us. I'll be the chica revving up interest in SandyBottom's and my entry in the 2009 Yukon 1000.

Remember the WASP of WWII

Laura Jane Cunningham, WASP

"This is not a time when women should be patient.
We are in a war and we need to fight it with all our ability
and every weapon possible. WOMEN PILOTS,
in this particular case,
are a weapon waiting to be used."
Eleanor Roosevelt, 1942

March is Women's History Month.

From my couple of years working for Sally Ride, the WASP have become living deities in my mind. Representing Sally's company, Sally Ride Science, at the annual Women in Aviation International conferences, I was lucky enough to meet a few of the surviving WASP. All the most amazing women of their generation.

During World War II, a select group of young women pilots became pioneers, heroes and role models. They were the Women Airforce Service Pilots, WASP, the first women in history trained to fly American military aircraft.

Their stories are amazing. And every now and then, by pure coincidence and via the wonderful world of the Internet, I have the chance of meeting another WASP, whether it be virtually or in the flesh.

One of my favorite stories is that of Bucky Richards and the case of the missing trunk. You can read that story courtesy of BubbaGirl.

But just the other day another WASP came to light. I happened to be e-mailing Sea Kayaker magazine’s editor Chris Cunningham on an article I was writing for the magazine, when he mentioned his mother had been a WWII pilot. I asked Chris whether she was a WASP, and he was surprised that I had heard of them.

Chris’ mum was Lora Jane Harris (nee Cunningham). Lora Jane trained in Sweetwater, Texas. She flew the Stearman trainer, got her multi-engine licence and flew a B-17. She was in one of the last groups training toward the end of the war. When the WASP were disbanded she joined the Red Cross and went to the Marshall Islands.

Chris wrote me, “Of course as a boy the coolest thing was the time she got in the tail gun of a B-17 and shot at rabbits in the desert. (At least that's what I remember.) She also told of going out on the runway when it was blowing hard enough to bring landing planes almost to a standstill while airborne. The WASP would grab the wings and pull the plane down out of the air. Her buddy Velta Benz was too short to qualify for the WASP, so she hung upside down from a tree and actually got an inch and a half taller, tall enough to get in.”

Chris also recommended watching the History Channel and its program on the history of beverages. “On the popularization of coffee during WWII, they have a shot of a babe serving coffee in a mess hall in the South Pacific. The babe turned out to be mom. My little sister happened to be watching the program and about fell off her chair. Her best known customer on that gig was Tyrone Power.”

Sadly, the WASP are slowly passing away, Chris’ mum being one of them. But we should never forget.

Reflecting from home

This year’s Everglades Challenge is indeed “over and in the history books,” as Chief so eloquently puts it. I’ll post a few blow-by-blow and gear-reflection entries over the next few weeks, but I have a few thanks and initial reflections to pass on here.

First, a huge thank you to my sponsor, BubbaGirl. Check out the new Web site! And not only did BubbaGirl sponsor me again this year, but they also sponsored SuperBoo, the 11-year-old sprite who completed the entire race paddling tandem with her dad – for 24 hours at one stretch. This is what BubbaGirl’s all about – not matter what your age or interests, be unique by being adventurous – get into real life. Send the BubbaGirl URL to all your friends – be unique, be adventurous, get out!

A big thanks to Floatsome, who more than ably updated my blog in my absence, and even more importantly tried to keep track of me to comply with the compulsory 24-hour race reporting rule. The last three days, while scurrying around the Everglades without cellphone coverage, Floatsome had only my BubbaGirl-supplied SPOT OK check-ins to decipher where I was and where I was heading, contrary to plans I’d issued earlier. Basically, I pushed the OK button at every “turn.”

And, of course, a big big thanks to FliesWithKiwiBird, who not only lets me do one silly thing a year (and this is it), but was there at the finish line a couple of hours after I arrived and unbeknownst to me (thanks to SPOT) had booked me a room – with shower – as I turned up 24 hours earlier than planned. With the Wee One, they braved tornado warnings and lightning storms to drive SandyBottom, SOS, and DancesWithSandyBottom’s trailer and van down from Tampa Bay.

So, a few reflections on this year’s EC:

• This was the hardest EC of the two for me. Last year’s was new, and so exciting. Consequently, Day 2 of this year hit me hard – constant headwinds, chop, boat wake, a deliberate ramming from a keeler, and no respite from that headwind. I surprised even myself how down I got Sunday night
• Wherever one pointed the bow of one's boat, that’s from where the wind was blowing
• I got a bit lonely this year. The last time I saw SandyBottom was at the race start. Kneading Water, of whom I am very fond, and I separated mid-morning on Day 1. I was very grateful for some time with NatureCalls, but overall, I missed the camaraderie of paddling with a mate or two
• I have no desire to paddle the Ultimate Florida Challenge
• Raccoons are the cunningest of critters out, and deserve every scrap they filch
• Everglades mosquitoes are savage
• Raccoons and mosquitoes work in tandem at 0200hrs
• Wherever one pointed the bow of one's boat, that’s from where the wind was blowing
• My boat's the best: Grahame Sisson's Arctic Raider. Thanks, Grahame! Thanks, Mukesh!
  
• When your chart work says 96degrees and your compass says 120, your chart work is not wrong. When your GPS’ purple line heads off one way and you’re heading off the other, your GPS is not wrong
• I missed my family – I blame the Wee One for the wrong course I took only a few miles from the finish
• Sand is a killer. Salt water never lets you get all the sand off, no matter how much baby powder you pat around. If I could, I would post a photo of my derriere – there was little skin left on it by the time I arrived at Key Largo
• Wherever one pointed the bow of one's boat, that’s from where the wind was blowing
• The wildlife is superb – this year I experienced two sharks, two stingrays, a loggerhead turtle, two late-night manatee bumpings (scary!), lots of birds and no crocs
• When there's no moon, it is very, very, very dark, and a wee bit scary
  
• The Internet brings the world down to the size of a marble. I was paddling up to Chokoloskee, miles from ANYWHERE, past a moored launch with two red inflatables tied up astern, when one of the chaps came aloft, saw me and my boat and exclaimed, “It’s the infamous KiwiBird! I read your blog!”
• My fellow WaterTribers are some, if not the best and most honorable people this side of the black stump
• The best mojitos to be found are at the mojito bar at Miami International

Where do I sign up for next year?

Above photo: Cleaning up at Key Largo, the day after finishing. I look a bit beat...

Winter paddling

Excellent couple of hours paddle out on the lake yesterday (“You’re only back a week and you think you’re going paddling?”), partly to test out my new SPOT satellite tracker, courtesy of my fabulous Everglades Challenge sponsor, BubbaGirl. But more of that when I'm done testing.

Cool air temps around C10, but flat calm to start off with. Trouble is, when you’re dressing for immersion, you tend to cook once you get a bit of steam up. And I have to giggle a bit with the expensive breathable gear we love to buy, and then we throw a non-breathable PDF and neoprene sprayskirt over most of our torsos.

But I’d rather be toasty than hypothermic, so headed off with a skin layer of Icebreaker merino, followed by a Mysterioso M-tech top, Fuzzy Rubber on that, topped off with a semi-dry Rapidstyle spray jacket. For leggings I wore Mysterioso M-tech with a pair of Fuzzy Rubber Sticky Buns pants over that. On my feet, a pair of SmartWool liner socks, waterproof socks over that, encased with a pair of NRS Boundary shoes. Hands wise, a pair of 2mm neoprene gloves from Kayak Tom and, wrapped around my Greenland paddle, a pair of 3mm Rapidstyle metalite mitts. Taking my beanie and Tilley hat off my head did help cool me down a bit. And I drank heaps.

The wind had got up a bit by the time I got back to the put in, and I felt decidedly chilled by the time I had the boat back atop the ol’ 4-Runner, which made me feel a wee bit better. I’m not built for long-term (read: any term) immersion in dang chilly waters, so while I’m winter paddling, dressing for immersion it is.

BubbaGirl rules

First, a big thank you for all the birthday wishes - much appreciated - great fun with calls afar from NZ to Shanghai. Great to finally turn 39. Once again. Again. Times a few more...

So it's a good day to announce that BubbaGirl has again agreed to sponsor me for WaterTribe's Everglades Challenge for 2008. Woohoo!

BubbaGirl's an acronym for "Be Unique By Being Adventurous: Get Into Real Life", and a BubbaGirl is someone who seizes opportunities to grow and experience life. She's always looking for chances to learn about herself while fulfilling her dreams and potential. I'm always hoping that when I grow up, I'll be a BubbaGirl, and hopefully encourage other women of all ages to be BubbaGirls too.

A bit more about the sponsorship in some later posts.

Wally Funk, DS

It’s a proud week for a good friend of mine, Wally Funk. Not a name that rings a bell?

Wally was one of the “Mercury 13” women. And on Saturday, these brave women received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh at its commencement.

Wally’s a pilot extraordinaire. She was the first woman to be employed by the FAA as a crash investigator. And she always wanted to get up into space. So nearly 50 years ago, and at 21 the youngest of the crew, Wally went through all the top secret rigorous tests that the 13 women were subjected to, to see if they could hold up to the psychological and physical stresses of space.

They proved they could. In fact the majority of the women beat their male counterparts – the Mercury 7 men and others - hands down. This is probably what scared the current administration of the time, who firmly cancelled the testing program. And, sadly, John Glenn was a staunch opponent. (It’s rumoured that Wally did better than Glenn on her tests ;)

If you’re interested in reading more on the subject, Martha Ackmann’s book, Mercury 13 tells the story and plight of those brave and daring women.

BTW, Wally’s a BubbaGirl…

* Photo above: Wally and myself at San Diego's Aerospace Museum, in front of the Mercury 7 exhibit.