Canoeist Recreates Historic Trip

Olly Hicks must be celebrating after having completed a gruelling canoe trip from Holland to England on Wednesday.

Receiving praise from Prince Harry, Olly arrived at Sizewell Beach after his fellow team mates (Alex Greenwell, Ed Cooper & Harry Franks) withdrew with exhaustion. The fact that Olly was the only member of the attempt must show how tough this trip must have been. It is a tremendous distance to travel and the stretch of water crossed is not the most predictable at the best of times.

The trip from Holland was to recreate an epic event that happened during World War II when a group of young Dutchmen endeavoured to escape Nazi occupation. During the original escape, 32 Dutchmen set out but only 7 arrived. Whilst the circumstances and equipment are no doubt different today, it highlights the achievement now and the sheer scale of the original crossing.