On the 29th of June at 15:00 a group of paddlers from all over Ireland will come together in Wexford harbour to raise money for cancer research. We got in touch with Declan Geoghegan to ask how this plan came about and how people can get involved.

How do Shave or Dye and kayaking go together?

Last year we Wexford Kayaking Club paddled from Enniscorthy to Wexford for Today FM’s charity fundraising event “Shave or Dye” and raised over €2000 for cancer research. Shave or Dye has been running for three years now and involves listeners from Ray D’Arcy’s radio show on Today FM coming together to raise money for Irish cancer research by either shaving or dying their hair.

Why cancer research?

Why did I choose the Irish Cancer Society? Well since losing my mother, along with dear family and friends, to cancer which is one of the biggest killers in Ireland I thought there is no better charity to help. I’d bet that many people reading this have lost someone close to them to cancer and feel the same way.

Kayak and canoe raft world record

While sitting at home one evening looking through the Guinness Book of World Records my daughter had gotten from Santa I came upon a raft of canoe/kayaks.  It looked pretty cool and a light bulb went off in my head,  why not try this in Ireland? It should be no bother to find a group of like minded people with a love of paddling and get them together on the water for a good cause. What could go wrong? It might not be possible to break the record on the first go, but maybe it could turn into an annual event and we could build and get the numbers in a year or two.

Getting a plan together

After a lot of phone calls, emails and sleepless nights it turned out not to be all that easy but with the help of a marine biologist, a water safety expert and of course the odd know it all we came to a decision that on June 29 at 3pm in Wexford harbour that Wexford Kayak Club will raft as many kayaks and canoes together as possible. The event will be a part of the Wexford Maritime Festival which is a big free family event on Wexford Quays.  The cost to participate will be just €5 per head and all money raised will go to Ireland cancer research.

How do I sign up?

The Talbot Hotel Wexford are offering a discount on overnight rates to anyone participating in this event. Just mention Wexford Kayak Club when enquiring about a booking.

Declan.