Kayaker begins round-Ireland trip

A Northern Ireland woman has this morning begun an attempt to circumnavigate Ireland in a kayak.

Elaine "Shooter" Alexander, a canoeist for almost 20 years and a well-known competitor, is undertaking the Canoe Around Ireland expedition in a bid to raise £10,000 (€11,162) for an outdoor activity centre where she works as an instructor.

The kayaking voyage started at the County Antrim Yacht Club in Whitehead, on Belfast Lough, this morning. A large crowd of wellwishers cheered the kayaker away as she battled her way through a strong onshore wind, often disappearing from view between the crests of waves.

She is taking a clockwise route before returning to the same location some two months later.

The 1,000-mile voyage will see the kayaker having to deal with tides, cliffs, and the vagaries of the weather. Ms Alexander already has experience in long-distance kayaking, however, after kayaking around Northern Ireland in July last year.

Commenting on her preparations, she said: "Last year I paddled around Ulster which took 26 days and prepared me for some of what to expect for this expedition," adding she had also spent three nights a week studying maps, planning the route and rest areas, and calculating tides.

“I have a good team behind me which means that I can concentrate on the trip and ensuring I have all the right equipment and have taken the correct precautions to ensure as safe a journey as possible," she said.

Anyone wishing to support Ms Alexander can make on contribution on the www.canoearoundireland.com website, which will also provide updates on her trip. Ms Alexander also intends to keep touch by way of regular updates on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

The beneficiary of the fundraising effort is the Share Holiday Village, based at Lisnaskea, Upper Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh. It provides programmes fostering inclusion between disabled and non disabled people, and money raised by the kayaking trip will be used to help purchase a fully accessible bus for the organisation.