paddling. We started seeing the first signs of Dawson, then hearing the cheers ringing out and it was a special feeling seeing Celia encouraging us to the finish line. Crossing the line was great but I didn't do the triumphant paddle raise I thought I might, we were too focused on where exactly the finishing area was, bearing in mind we were still at the mercy of an unforgiving river and paddling back to a missed docking area wouldn't be cool. We swung in successfully and how wonderful it felt to get out of the boat for the last time, both of us achieving this with surprising grace and dignity for two mid-forties blokes who had just paddled 715 kms in three days on about 3-4 hours’ sleep.
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Issue 72
Summer 2014
We finished at 1.17pm on Saturday and our official time was 63 hours, 17 minutes; slower than our target but we were proud of our achievement, especially being the first team from New Zealand to complete the YRQ. The famous Yukon beer that night was some of the best I’ve tasted and I couldn’t help but reflect on how it all began over a beer or two, many years before.
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