Charlie Group Day 17, 18

It was to be the ultimate challenge of our skills, where we would apply the skills from our training; it was to be our 50 kilometre kayak crossing of Lake Ontario from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Cherry Beach in Toronto. We were to travel in two groups—a 7 kayak (11 person) convoy, and a speed team of two Quest 3 kayaks with two paddlers that would try and crack the previous years’ record of 7 hours and 55 minutes, and if they could, beat the official record of 6 and a half hours. Our configuration was as such: the convoy was led by Jennifer, the navigator in the K1 Feathercraft, and consisted of instructor Raymond in the K1 Feathercraft, Jordan in the remaining K1 Feathercraft, Lemuel and Justin in the G3 fibreglass double, Roman and instructor Kenny in the other G3, William and Ryan in a K2 Feathercraft, and last but not least, Matthew and Edwin in the other K2 Feathercraft; the speed team was made up of our best kayakers, Jacky and Jason Wang. We were to set out in these two separate groups, only meeting briefly in the middle to experience the brilliant sunrise together, then the speed team would continue their race against the clock towards Cherry Beach to break the record.

However, as you might already know, things did not go exactly as planned. We set out for Niagara-on-the-Lake at 10:00 am on August 25 after making sure we had all of our safety equipment. The weather forecast for overnight was extremely favourable, with clear skies and a gentle tailwind that enough to be a boost but not enough to create waves. When we arrived, we unloaded the kayaks at the beach while Billy drove the Sprinter back to HQ. There, at the beach, we did checks on our equipment and rested for the next 12 or so hours. During this time, many passerbies became curious as to what we were doing, and came to chat with us; many were also kind enough to leave us with some words of encouragement.

Billy arrived late at night on the Zodiac safety boat from across the lake along with Andrew, Jonathan, and Kannis, Jacky, Jason Wang, and a very special guest—dinner. We wolfed down the infamous BBQ pork rice, then did final checks and preparations on our kayaks. We also made sure to go over the plans, convoy configurations, and emergency procedures. The first kayak to be launched—the navigator—was launched at 12:45 am, August 26, and the rest (excluding the speed team that stayed on the beach because they would be launched at a later time) soon followed within the next half hour.

The convoy started off perfectly. True to the weather forecast, the skies were clear and full of stars, and there was a light breeze at our backs—for about the first 20 minutes of our journey. That’s when the winds really picked up. We continued on despite this fact, because we could still manage the waves that came along with the wind. We had to stop at around 1:30 am when Roman and Kenny capsized. Billy and the Zodiac were nearby, and William and Ryan along with Lemuel and Justin went to assist them, just as we’d practiced in the canal with our capsizing drills. It took a lot of manoeuvring as the size of the waves and the winds were beginning to hamper our steering. We managed to get them back in their kayak, though, and we all moved our kayaks side-by-side to form a raft. Billy said that, according to these unexpected weather conditions, it would be best for us to turn around and head back for our launch site at Niagara-on-the-Lake. He then went back to the shore to tell the speed team of the conditions out on open water. However, the speed team had already launched at 1:30 am, so Billy arrived to a vacant beach. Billy could not locate the convoy either, as we’d drifted off from the location that he’d last seen our raft at.

Around that time, the radios began to malfunction—we (the convoy or the speed team) couldn’t communicate with the safety boat. The convoy attempted to change from bearing 330 to 150 in order to head back to Niagara-on-the-Lake. However, with only the four paddlers on the outsides of the raft—Lemuel and Justin on the port side, and Matthew and Edwin on the starboard—it was slow and hard work as the winds and currents kept pulling us off course. The waves continued to get bigger but our raft held up as we continued to try communicating with Billy. But it was to no avail; we had lost contact with them. The speed team had kept pressing on, with Jacky becoming increasingly seasick because of the waves. Those in the convoy had begun to shiver, with our two youngest, ages 11 and 12, being the worst-off.

The convoy, unable to make it back to shore, and unable to contact the safety boat, decided to issue the Mayday call on the emergency channel. We received a reply very promptly, and a set of instructions, including giving out our GPS coordinates, and firing a flare. We had drifted into American waters, just past the border, and so both the Canadian and the US Coast Guards were coming to our aid. It took them quite some time to find us, even though we tried to maintain our position. We stayed in our raft position, holding on tightly to each other’s kayaks for almost 3 hours, while our kayaks were filled with lakewater from the waves, and the paddles cut at us, and the cold began to settle in. Meanwhile, the speed team was still paddling along, even though Jacky had started to vomit because of his seasickness, showing great determination to see this challenge through.

When the Coast Guard found the convoy at 4:30 am, we were very relieved to get our hypothermic teammates to safety. All 11 of the convoy, along with our 7 kayaks, were pulled onto both of the Coast Guard ships. They took down our names, contact numbers, addresses, and most importantly, gave us blankets to dry off and keep warm. We told the Coast Guards of our plan to cross the lake, and of the speed team, as well. After dropping us off at a boating club in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the police asked Raymond questions, and we found out that we had lost communications with the speed team. The Coast Guards then decided to search for Jacky and Jason. There was a bit of a miscommunication—the two were not lost, nor did they get separated from the 11 other kayakers—they were dead on course (which they weren’t expected to have been able to do in those winds), and they were to have set out separately anyway. The convoy stayed to rest at the boating club. The vice-president was kind enough to allow us use of the rooms to sleep in, as well as provide us with a lunch of hotdogs, salad, and juice. Their kindness was not lost on us, and we are very grateful for all that they did for us.

The Canadian Coast Guard, US Coast Guard, and Billy all cooperated to coordinate the search for our speed team. They sweeped the lake for them, but they couldn’t seem to find them. It was a grueling few hours for some who waited with bated breath for factual news. Jacky’s seasickness had only gotten worse, so Jason had attached Jacky’s kayak to his own, and he had been dragging him for a couple of hours. Albeit so that the two paddlers’ survival skills are top notch, it was not exactly “survival skills,” per se, that were applied in this situation when they tied the kayaks together—it was merely a will to finish the challenge that they had accepted, using their own critical thinking and judgement. They tied the kayaks for maximum speed and efficiency, determined to finish, rather than because they were lost and alone and doing that to merely survive. They were found by the Canadian Coast Guard though, and forced to stop, not 14 km, not even an hour, from their destination. Jacky was treated at the scene for mild hypothermia—he did not need to go to the hospital.

Before this attempted crossing, we spent our time training and preparing for it. We had many qualification tests—a 2 hour swimming test to ensure that we would be able to stay afloat to be rescued in the worst-case scenario (Billy even purposely created wakes with the safety boat to get us used to the feeling because the waters were calm on the day of the swim); of course, a practical kayaking test, including capsizing drills, to see our level of experience; there were also many lectures on the use of the safety equipment, of risk management and hypothermia that gave us knowledge that was necessary in case of emergency.

We, true to the Monticle spirit, accepted the challenge of crossing the Lake, adapted to the situation when it began to deteriorate, and then dealt with the situation accordingly, and so, stayed safe while having a very unique experience. We stayed through with our teammates and supported them, and never, ever, gave up trying. We have no intention of conceding victory to the Lake; we will be back to complete this challenge.

And just a few miscellaneous notes from the writer of this general blog who tried to keep her bias out of this after reading all of the news reports to get a scope on things (read her blog to see all of the pent up bias): Roman and Kenny were the only kayak to capsize, Jacky and Jason Wang were the two speed team paddlers,  we numbered 13 kayakers in total, Jason Wang is 15 years old, we were never “confused,” or “disoriented” nor were we ever “lost” (our navigators take great offense at this), Jacky was never taken to hospital, we do not appreciate the media making us sound like total idiots awaiting rescue, and most importantly— we are all safe and well.

Andrew

Today was one hell of a day. Eventhough we didn’t cross Lake Ontario, we learned the importance of worrying. I was on the safety boat looking for the two “lost” kayaks. Fortunately, we found the two with the help of the Coast Guard and the Marine Unit. Also, I couldn’t enjoy the sunrise on the horizon because we had to “search and rescue”. Long story short, DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING the media says, it’s just a load of bull.

Jennifer

I always get a sense of déjà vu whenever there’s a big event in my life. It’s a sort of precognitive sense, a sudden awareness, an awakened feeling. Lying here, sprawled out across my K1 and my brother’s empty Q3, staring up at the rustling maple leaves, and feeling the sweet sea breeze, I feel very much alive—tranquil and powerful. The scintillating waters of the lake are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen—a perfect shade of “Boats and Birds” blue (otherwise known as 7:00 waters on an August evening). The sailboats slice cleanly through the water across my line of sight, and the seagulls rise from the sands of the beach and take wing. Vanilla twilight skies are accentuated with a light sheen of lavender, and I watch the boats coming in, presumably people going out for a fun day on the lake coming home, coming back home. And I think, these skies will darken, the winds will die down, and the waves will still themselves with the arrival of the pale light of the moon, then, in the silence of the night, I will come alive; and then, I too, will be going home. I will be leading us all home.

The above was written before we left, at 7:00 pm, August 25. As you can see, it was definitely a big event in my life. That above paragraph was the calm before the storm. Now here’s the storm.

However, now, after we’re safe in HQ, and I’ve seen the total B.S. that the media has been feeding out to the public, and causing unnecessary panic to some people, I can only think that I would loe to insert a nice array of expletives here, but as this is a public blog and we have prestigious reputation to uphold,  shall retain some semblance of civility. But, allow me to make it clear that I am very unhappy with the way that Jacky’s words were twisted in his interview and the total ignoring of the facts provided in his interview. “That’s not Jacky. That’s not what Jacky would’ve said,” I muttered to myself over and over again as I read the news about his seasickness. I know Jacky, and he’s stronger than that. He would’ve wanted to continue despite that. Perhaps you, the media, should’ve interviewed me, my sarcasm, and my frilly adjectives. I might’ve given you a run for your money, because you’ve angered the wrong person.

My fight lies not with the coast guard—in fact, I’m quite thankful that they could locate and ensure the safety of both Jacky and my little brother—no, my fight lies with the media that couldn’t get their facts straight and told me that my brother was dead. Overall, the media has not left a favourable impression on me—their ability to gather information and their need to have a story that sells by silencing the truth and manipulating what words they were graced with. Thank you media for ignoring the stories of the eleven other kayakers that were actually in need of rescue. However, be it known that you would not have been able to twist their words into the sob story that you needed—we’re tough, as you can see from our blogs—their very own words. I hope this sets them reeling. These are the truest facts.

We were well-prepared, and were able to apply all of the safety things that we learned, such as the capsize drill, proper rafting technique, hypothermia training, and we were able to stay calm and get things done. However, I am still disappointed. I had a fire in my belly, and I suspect that my brother did as well—we could’ve continued on. We would’ve continued on if not for our circumstances. We will definitely be back to finish this.

Oh and the Motorola radio I was using was a piece of crap.

Edwin Cheung

Woke up at 7:30 pm. We start loading up our kayaks, PFDs, and our personal belonging to the Sprinter. And We head to Nigera on the Lake ready for crossing Lake Ontario Challenge. After a around 2 hours drive to Nigeria on the Lakes. We start unlading our kayaka a personal equipment. Start from 9 to 7 on Clocks at night. fixing our Kayaka and get ready for the Challenge. On the afternoon We ate triangle breads with cold cuts, and soy milk and water. We went to walk around Nigeria on the Lake. through out make surce there is ever equipment was working acordingly. At about 1:30 pm. We set off to Lake ontario from Nigeria on the Lake. We start to make our formation and head to Nigeria fall by following Jenifer kayaka. She negiative our way for about 2.30 hours. The weather geting really Mad. Wind, Wave and Rain all mix. Then Somehow Keny ad Roman Chaptsize. Jeniffer, Me, Jordan hold on about 30 minutes. Rayman Call us back in the Mad Storm. We start paddleng as a groups for 3 hours. Rayman send the call to Billy but the Sign of Billy. Rayman Call M-day M-day M-day with keny for about 2 hours. The Coast guard respond and pick us up. It take them about 45 minutes. The US Coast guard and Cadiain guard Work together a help us. 7 people on board in the Candain Ship and 4 people in the U.S guard. We are all Candian. So the U.S guard put us to the Candian Size in a a Ship Club. We stand there for a Sone. Waiting for Sign for the Missing 2 student. Jacky and Jason at about 3:00 they find them around Lake ontario near the C.N tower. We start pack up our kaya and head to . HQ. Today, I learn when crap happen, people Will Cone together and Work as a team.

Jordan Ng

We had a life-changing experience over the past 2 days. These days were the challenge days for our lake Ontario crossing. We spent saterday morning packing for our kayak trip. We left headquarters at around 10 am and arrived at Niagara-on-the-lake at 2 pm, because of the heavy traffic. When we arrived at our launch site, a shorline park, where there were many local people and tourists enjoying the day. As we unloaded the can and the trailer, many people were interested in what we were doing. With their curiosity, they hoped for the best., however it wouldn’t matter. We spent the rest of the day adjusting our kayaks, resting and and walking around the neighborhood. Our designated launch time was 1 am on Sunday but launched at around 12:30 am as there was no point waiting. We set off at night with glow sticks strapped onto the back of our life jackets. For the first 2 hours, everything seemed to be fine as we were on course, paddling 11 km already. But we spoke too soon. Disaster struck as 1-23 foot waves approached, capsizing a double kayak. Billy’s rescue boat and other boat’s went to rescue them. With the trouble of waves hindering us. After the rescue, Billy’s boat went to check the other 2 competitive kayaks while we rafted up hoping the waves would go down. After waiting for and hour, we sent signals to Billy to return but he did not receive it. This resulted in sending distress signals to the lake patrol. A half hour later, American and Canadian coast guards came to rescue us. Some of us were suffering mild hypothermia. Many things had to be worked out as they brought us to shore at around 5 am. We were able to recover at the Niagara sailing club building until we were driven back to Toronto. After the experiences, I learned that you must prepare for the worst, even if it may seem unlikely.

Ryan Hoang

We weren’t able to accomplish the lake Ontario crossing but we experienced other things. When we reached Niagra on the lake we prepared our stuffand were ready to set out. Unfortunaley we prepared to early and ended up having to sleep through the day. Of course the team was unable to sleep and we went around the town. Soon however it got dark and the adraline steped in. We were all exited but nervous too. Later on the washrooms were closed so we had to go on a scouting mission. Fortunaly we found a hotel nearby. Soon Billy came with some BBQ pork rice for dinnerand after that we set out. It was fine and quite easy but my boat kept hitting other boats so I moved my kayak to the right side. Everything was fine until Roman’s kayak flipped and they were in the water. We saved the however but my partner, William was beginning to develop hypothermia. We ended up rafting to each other because Billy had to go and look for Jason and Jacky. During our rafting we drifted into the American border and we had to paddle back together. Soon however we all grew tired and was unable to continue. After a long time of calling Billy for backup Raymond decided to signal to the Coast Guard. During the long wait however my arms grew tired and my vision was flickering.  Eventually the Coast Guard came to pick us up but I still had to paddle a while longer. When we finally reached land the police asked us some questions. Later on we found out that the media over exaggerated the situation and got many facts wrong. They also made us look like idiots. Hopefully this sets them straight.

Brian Ma

I wake up in the morning

I brush my teeth

I eat breakfast

I eat bread

I eat lunch

 I watch movie

I go out for dinner

I go to the van

 I eat at restarat

Calvin Su

As the bearer of news today, I was tasked with watching over Brian Jason Wong and Andy. Since I was the only one at HQ I had to relay messages between several people. Also the news is ridculously exaggerated. My brother did not have hypothermia nor did he vomit more than 10 times. I would like everyone to k now that he is well. Once again not everything in the news is real.

Jacky Su

Today was a rough day. Jason and I were set to paddle at 1:30 am, when we launched we didn’t se anything bad that was coming. By half waypoint we experienced large waves and strong winds. I got seasick and started to vomit. I was later saved by the coast guard and returned to HQ. I slept for many hours and returned home.

Jason Wong

Yesterday we wake up earlier. And I had no breakfast. The paddlers packed up for the lake Ontario crossing. We had nothing for lunch. I watched the Hunger games while Billy was gone dropping off the paddlers. We also slept for a while. We went to first markham place food court for dinner. I was to stay at HQ and then Billy took the boat crew to the launch location for the boat. We watched “saving private ryan” and then went to sleep. Today we woke up at six this morning. and we had to change plans. we waited a while before and the boat crew came. We slept for 3-4 hours. The paddlees came and we headed out for dinner. PS andy was banned and stayed with us and Jacky and JJ will be on the news.

Lemuel

Final day

We actually didn’t do much on Friday. Friday we meant to be a rest day, so we just spent the day watching movies and going through the plans for when for when we kayak. On Saturday morning we started our trip to Niagara on the Lake. The trip took about 2 hours and we spent another hour unpacking all the neccesities. When everything was done it was only 2:00, Since the plan was that we start the trip back to Cherry beach at 1:00 am, we still had a whole day. You would think that since we’re in Niagara we would spend our time shopping, right? Nope. I spent the whole afternoon and evening doing nothing. So when it became 12:30 am, we started loading the kayaks into the water. We put all the neccesities we brought into the kayaks. I put all the items into the back of compartment s to increase speed. The first two hours were actually fairly simple. However it soon became difficult when one of the other kayakers capsized. Unfortuanally, we were unsuccessful in helping the boat, but thankfully, Billy was able to help the capsized boat and tow us back to the convoy, we were advised to form a raft, Since the wind was picking up and the waves got bigger, when we realised that we were unable to complete our trip, we decided to maintain our position our position and call for help. Our calls to Billy were unsuccessful, so eventually we attempted to send a fare to signal help. Eventually the Canadians as well as well as the American coast guard arrived to rescue us. One of the members suffered from mild hypothermia and we could arrange transportation. We were finally ale to reach HQ at around 7:00pm.

Jonathan W.

Today was the day, the day we were going to cross lake Ontario. Our starting point was Niagara-on-the-Lake to Cherry beach in Toronto. I was one of the three people who was helping Billy find Jacky & JJ after they were missing. It was tiring. After the rescue Billy, Jacky, and JJ were interviewed, Jacky was lucky , he was able to get a live interview with the folks from CP24 and City tv. It is the last day of the program.

Jason Wang

Today was a very interesting day. We were trying to cross Lake Ontario via Kayaks. I almost made the whole trip but the coast guard stopped by trek. The day started at 12:00 (or so) when the first group launched off at Niagara on the Lake, a hour and a half later Jacky and I launched our Q3 fiberglass kayaks. At about 2:00am the main group turned back due to the rough weather but we (Jacky and I) were out of radio range so we continued kayaking. Apparently the main group was rescued by the coast guard a while later as they capsized and drifted into United States’ water. Jacky looked really sick and continued puking out the food so I had to help tow Jacky for a while. When Jacky seemed even worse I got him to eat and attempt to signal for help. After signaling we both got picked up by the Coast guards even though I was physically fine and I could have beat the previous record set last year. When we got out of the Coast Guard’s ship we were encountered by a group of incompetent leaches of society (reporters and the lot) where they attempted to twist our words to create an interesting story but due to the way I speak that task was impossible so the useless parasites (reporters and the lot) ended up twisting only Jacky’s words instead.

Andy Lau

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: Originally I was supposed to join Billy, Kandis and Jonathan aboard the Zodiac, but a conflict between Billy and me put me at HQ for an uncomfortable night’s sleep. What I got from this experience is Respect, Respect others and they will respect you. That is it.

In the morning we were about to head to the beach to welcome the team home, only to learn that they had sent distress as they got caught in high waves while losing their speed paddlers. They went just over 10 kilometers when the weather started giving in. They were rescued by the coast guards and even went as far as to attract media attention.

After a day of just sleep , the HQ team was relieved to see everyone arrive back in one piece. Tomorrow will be a final clean-up and departure.

Next year, we will try again. I had ambitions of going beyond paddling, but I will only considerate and not confirm it here. This year may be exiting.

William

Today was the day we were “supposed” to cross the Lake Ontario . We would paddle from Niagara on the lake to Cherry beach for 10 hours. In the morning we only did the cleanup and the loading of the kayaks, We were supposed to rest for the remainder of the day, When we got to Niagara on the lake , we ate our lunch then slept for five hours. At 7:00, we ate our dinner, which was brought by Billy on the Zodiac. Later , we ate, we rested for a few hours. The reason for sleeping this much was because when we crossed Lake Ontario, we would need as much energy as we could for the trip. When we woke up, Unfortunately we were face to face with a skunk. Everybody fell silent, in fear of getting gassed by the skunk. When we watched the skunk disappear behind a nearby house, we all sighed in relief and strated packing our sleeping bags. At 12:36 it was finally the time of launch, The moment of truth our group had been waiting for, At that moment, I froze and looked back at the days of training we had throught these 17 days. Some exersises were really exiting and some were dull but I think that everyone of them would help us today. We launched the boats and I thought in my mind that I would succeed today, no matter what it would take. The first two hours was a breeze, We didn’t do anything but paddle. The next hour , the waves suddenly got higher. I’m not afraid to admit, it  was pretty scary. Our kayaks were tossed around so much, we didn’t even look like we were moving anymore. Then after a while, we decided to raft up because the waves were truly to strong. After another half an hour, we were all shivering and Raymond sent up a flare to let the coast guard know our location. We waited for 5 minutes before 2 boats came to help us. One boat was American and the other was Canadian which was bigger but slower, people who weren’t that cold went into that one. Once I got onto the American boat With Edwin, Roman and Kenny, we sped across back to Niagara on the lake. On the boat one of the coast uards gave me a warm blanket. I was getting warmer, but I was still cold that I passed out. When we got back to the shore, Roman and I were bought to an ambulance, Inside the ambulance the medic came and asked us many questions. Among the questions, there was one answer that will make me remember that lady forever. Next year , I will cross Lake Ontario and show her what I can do. Next morning we stayed at a life guard club house. There was a nice man and lady which made hotdogs and salad for us. I think that these people were really nice to us and I will always remember their kindness.

Roman Wang

Kayaking on lake Ontario can be fascinating in so many ways. We arrived at our camping site at around 1 p.m. We unloaded all our equipments and prepared for lunch. I forced myself to sleep for around 2 hours. We waited patiently for night fall and prepared to launch. After an hour or so the wind became more vilent and the waves came from all directions. Not after long, my G3 fliped over as the the conditions became worst. After an hour we had to call the coast guards because we were drifting into US bourder. The next day, we were on the news. They made up a lot of b.s. about use those ducking a holes. Even though we kayaked on Lake Ontario, not across lake Ontario, I learned that never trust the news with their info.

Matthew

Today was the amazing day for our amazing challenge! Crossing lake Ontario! I’m pretty sure you guys heard of our tragedy on the news. But before all this accured we were all peacefully sleeping at our launch site at Niagara on the lake. We were also playing cards and skipping rocks at the launch site. I couldn’t sleep! I was so excited and eager about the adventure! I was also so HUNGRY! So the entire kayak team went into time to get some snacks. Well basically we all bougt ice cream which was $2.95, cheapest store out of the whole street. Of course this time I got waffle cone, which is plus $0.75. Then several hours later Billy came in to the site to give us dinner. Then a couple hours later we were getting ready to launch. Launch was pretty smooth, no problems. But once we were 11 km into the lake we started having problems. One of the double kayaks capsized and then the waves started going crazy. The condition was so bad we needed support from coast guard. Basically the media lied about everyone capsizing. None of use capsized except for that time. We also shot a flare to signal our location. When they came and got us and bought us back to land we just waited there until we were picked up. I will tell you the rest when I get back. There is this interesting “story” where there are two missing kayakers!

Justin Li

I was really excited for the challenge and couldn’t sleep at all. At first, we spent a couple of hours preparing the kayaks and equipment as usual. After packing, we headed for Niagara on the lake. Once we arrived, we unloosed everything and set up our campsite. We were approached with questions from several people. Many tourists came up to our kayaks to take pictures as well! It was a bit awkward as people watched us as we sleeping the park. I remember a group asking us if the kayaks were for rent as well which was pretty funny. As others were sleeping, a couple of us went exploring went exploring through the neighborhood and found a whole street of stores. I wasn’t tired at all, all I needed was a fifteen minute power nap. I had so much energy for the challenge I didn’t really need to sleep. After dinner, we rested for a couple of hours and prepared to set off. The launch was around 12:45 and before heading off, we discussed our plan to get through the lake. Honestly, paddling across was not hard at all. We had a lot of fun on the way and ignored the pain in our upper bodies. Everything went well until Roman and Kenny capsized. At this point things got worse. The current became stronger and it was hard for us to raft up. We spent about three hours in the middle of nowhere, waiting to be rescued. The current was too strong for us to go any further. Three of us were very sick and it was hard for them to do anything. Rescue arrived and we take the really ill teammates on the American boat and the rest of us went on the Canadian one. We arrive back on shore around 6:00 am safely. However, two of our teammates are missing. They were supposed to break the record but was announced missing after our arrival. We ended up sleeping at a sail boat club! It was very nice of the owners to allow us to stay until we are able to get back to HQ. The two kayakers were found later on and came back safely as well. It was an amazing day all though I was very disappointed that wee were not able to finish the challenge. I hope I get another chance later on, hopefully on a day with nice weather. Too bad I ran out of room.