Kayakers raise funds for RNLI in 24 hour charity paddle

TWELVE kayakers have made history by paddling through the River Lee in Cork for a full 24 hours to raise funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

On Saturday, 12 kayakers took on the challenge of kayaking for 24 hours, raising over €8,300 so far out of a target of €10,000.

The fundraising team was delighted to see over 20 kayakers, from children to adults, join them for a circumnavigation of Cork City at 8am on Saturday, finishing on Sunday morning.

Organiser Anais O’Donovan, who is ranked eighth in the world in freestyle kayaking, said the toughest hours were just before dawn.

“It was a unique challenge to raise awareness for the RNLI,” she said. 

"The hardest hours for the whole team were from 3am to 5am. We had people on the water with us up until about midnight. Between 3am and 5am, everyone’s energy had dropped, but then as the sun came up again, everyone’s spirits began to pick up again and it was great. It was very challenging.”

After the circumnavigation, instructors volunteered their time to run free development clinics from rescue techniques to rolling clinics and a freestyle session. “This brought out so many happy and excited kayakers who lit up the Lee Fields,” said Anais.

Anais started kayaking five years ago while the team of 12 has a combined experience of over 70 years in kayaking.

“We have a world champion in surf kayaking. The team is incredible. I thought it was one of the best experiences in my life. This has been a totally unique experience for every single team member.

“We would often have competitions and different events, but we’ve never been in our boats for more than a few hours at a time. So to actually sit in there for 24 hours, to eat food on the water, it was a big change,” added Anais.

Donations can be made at gofundme.com on the ‘24 hours on the Lee’ page.