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March 2003: In
roughly 500 sleeps or merely half of the fabled 1000 Arabian Nights, the
Colours of the Nile Expedition will depart the highlands of Ethiopia bound
for the sea. Sanguinely clinging to the sides of their floating craft, the
crew will brave the perilous headwaters of the Blue Nile, paddling
furiously through some of the most exciting whitewater in the world.
Nearly 3 years of preparation and planning will ensure that every detail
is followed, every danger expected and every risk minimized. In
recent months the crew has worked tirelessly on a range of activities,
laying a strong foundation for the journey. The highlights of the
last few months are: 1. Rob
Coffey joins the Colours of the Nile Expedition as the expedition's
official river guide The
Colours of the Nile expedition is pleased to welcome another Irishman, Rob
Coffey, as the team's official river guide. With more than 10
years of whitewater experience gained on rivers in every corner of the
globe, Rob is a worthy addition to the team. His most commendable
attributes are his personable nature and familiarity with rivers and
cultures on the African continent - having been a guide and safety kayaker
on the White Nile in Uganda and the Zambezi River in Zambia. Rob has
also worked and played on a myriad of other rivers in Turkey, France,
Scotland, Italy, Ireland, Malawi, Canada and the USA. Given his
training and experience in wild water, Rob is arguably one of Ireland’s
best whitewater kayakers. Rob’s
passion for rivers is obvious to all who have met him, and is summed up
best in his own words: “Ever
since I read the legendary exploits of Dr. Mike Jones and Mick Hopkinson,
and their first descent of the Ethiopian part of the Blue Nile I have been
more or less obsessed by rivers … the expedition is a dream I have had
for many years, and to a certain extent I have been working towards all my
life”. A
Masters Degree in Multimedia Systems is a natural complement to Rob’s
extensive video-kayak experience. Throughout his career he has contributed
to numerous professional filming ventures including production work on the
whitewater kayaking documentary Hypoxia. In addition to this practical experience, Rob is also certified with Rescue and Emergency Care(REC) III Wilderness First Aid and is a ICU Level IV Kayak instructor. To assist Rob in his responsibilities, the addition of a 2nd river guide for safety and flexibility reasons is a possibility currently under consideration. The expedition is also still looking for a medical doctor to join the team. For more information please visit niletrip.com/team 2. Mark
Tanner, expedition leader, carries out much needed reconnaissance work in
Egypt and Sudan. The
month of January saw our expedition leader enjoying the desert sunshine
along the River Nile in Egypt and Sudan on a much needed reconnaissance
mission. Mark’s main objective for visiting the region was to
assess certain areas of the river and convene meetings with numerous
embassy and corporate contacts in the vicinity. In
addition to his scouting duties for the Colours of the Nile expedition,
Mr. Tanner also found time to assist a number of felucca captains in the
Aswan area in the development of their tourism plans by providing
marketing advice and building promotional web pages. Upon
returning home to his native New Zealand, the exuberant Kiwi was extremely
vocal in his praise of the visit. “The success of the trip
was due to the genuinely warm hospitality of the locals and helped along
by the basic Arabic I managed to string together, but what surprised me
was that the plentiful dodgy kebabs I consumed seemed to agree more with
me than a night on the Guinness.” Mark is now down under enjoying
the Kiwi summer while continuing to plan, source contacts and investigate
sponsorship and public relations opportunities.
A
comprehensive route plan of the expedition has finally been completed
following extensive research, planning, investigation and results from the
reconnaissance trip. The plan incorporates a detailed timeline,
possible accommodations, areas of interest and potential hazards along the
river. It also includes many other subtle details that will be
crucial for the success of the journey. The plan acts as the
foundation for logistical planning, ground support, accommodation and
transportation requirements. 4. NileTrip.com enabled for online payment for Red Bishop Sponsors. To ensure that those that wish to contribute the Colour of the Nile expedition can pledge their support in a simple and effective manner, the expedition web site, niletrip.com, has enabled online payment allowing Red Bishop Sponsors to become Friends of the Expedition. Using the eBay payment system, Red Bishop Sponsors can now pledge any amount using their credit card securely online at niletrip.com/redbishop. 5.
NileTrip.com receives its first Red Bishop Sponsor! A special thank you to Rosemary and Bayly Tanner who are our first contributors to the expedition online!
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