Three top athletes and seasoned adventurers switch disciplines to take on their toughest challenge to date as they attempt to make kayaking history by following WW2 history and the story of The Shetland Bus. They will take on 400 kilometres of open ocean in their bid to make the first kayak crossing from Shetland to Norway.

On the 16^th July 2011 Patrick Winterton, Mick Berwick and Olly Hicks will launch from Lerwick and start their journey west. The expedition celebrates the seafaring achievements of all those involved in the Shetland Bus operation during World War Two and hopes to raise vital funding for the Make a Wish Foundation and the RNLI.

Taking on the North Sea is a serious undertaking in most boats. In single sea kayaks it is a daunting prospect. Travelling at an average of less than 2.5 knotts, it will take the three paddlers at least 84 hours - four days and three cold, sleepless nights. Squeezed into damp cockpits with no escape from the elements and no opportunity for good rest this is as much a test of mental strength as it is physical. The North Sea is notoriously rough with a constant barrage of steep breaking waves and water that gets little warmer than 10 degrees. "Staying upright will be hard enough but the major problems are the cold, injury, sea sickness and shipping," explains Winterton. "Perhaps our biggest concern is ensuring we stay together during the dreaded hours of darkness. The odds of success are small and will depend to a large extent on the team’s ability to remain motivated and positive."

Weather permitting the three paddlers will leave Lerwick on 16^th July 2011. They will go directly to Lunna Voe, the base for the Shetland Bus, and then start the unsupported crossing to Norway stopping only at the Out Skerries for a brief rest. The first section of the crossing will be done as a team. With 44 Nautical miles to go the team will split and make a race for the ‘Shetland Bus’ commemorative statue in the centre of the city of Bergen. This is to signify the number of men lost and recognize the heroic efforts of so many of the Norwegian fishermen who survived despite the fact that their boats were sunk by enemy aircraft. 

The goal for the expedition is to raise over £15,000 for the RNLI and The Make a Wish Foundation. The team is seeking the help from paddlers around the world to support its mission by donating £3.88, one penny per mile, at www.kayaksonshetlandbus.com.

About the Shetland Bus: After the German occupation of Norway in WW2 a small, essentially non military, operation was set up between Shetland and the West Coast of Norway to ferry agents, saboteurs and arms into Norway and to aid refugees in their escape. Norwegian fishing boats and fishermen were used to make repeated crossings of the notoriously inhospitable North Sea, with a mix of success and tragedy. Their actions were crucial in forcing Germany to base a quarter of a million troops in Norway but the cost of this success was high with many boats sunk and with the loss of the lives of 44 of the Shetland Bus Crews. Despite this there was never a lack of willingness to set out on a mission. Of all the dangers they faced they knew that the wild conditions of the North Sea was by far the greatest threat to their survival. We are celebrating and commemorating the courage, the seamanship and the remarkable ability of many like Leif Larson to survive again and again, against the odds.