Your computer is on its way – by kayak, says adventurer

Published on Saturday 4 July 2009 11:20

A FORMER elite special forces officer turned IT manager is set to deliver laptops to children in Greenland by kayak.

Adventurer Richard Smith, from Uphall, in West Lothian, is heading for the Northern Lights to visit Inuit people and give them computers to link children with pupils in Scotland.

The 37-year-old, who was in the Special Boat Service and has a PhD in astrophysics, and his travelling companion, explorer Craig Matheson from Bo'ness, will paddle 500km around the coast of the country trying to avoid gigantic icebergs and polar bears.

They hope to kayak between 25 and 40km a day through potentially treacherous waters during a three-week trip to highlight the impact of global warming.

The coast around Greenland is dotted with 200ft icebergs that can break up at any time, causing 60ft waves riddled with shards of ice that could prove deadly if the duo's 18ft kayak is in the way.

They will have a shotgun to fend off polar bears, but will only use it as a last resort if banging their pots and pans doesn't scare them off.

"We will be paddling most of the day and we have been preparing in rescue skills on the Forth," said Richard, who has 15-month-old twins. "It is daylight 24 hours a day, but the water is freezing and hypothermia would set in in minutes if one of us fell in. We have high-load kayaks that will carry the five laptops, our tents and equipment and three weeks' worth of food rationing."

The Uphall man is no stranger to adventure having climbed Mount Denali, the coldest mountain outside the Antarctic and one of the world's "seven summits".

The Northern Lights Greenland Expedition aims to link children from Inuit communities through the internet with Scots youngsters.

Three primary schools – Castleview Primary in Craigmillar, Deanburn in Bo'ness and another in Argyll – have been twinned with Inuit schools and pupils will go on future exchange expeditions if funding is raised.

The fact that icebergs are breaking apart because of climate change is one issue Richard and Craig hope to highlight.

Richard added: "This is just the recce stage. We will be going back next March with teachers before Scottish children can visit to live with the Inuits.

"The next stage will be Inuit children coming to Scotland where we will show them Deep Sea World at South Queensferry teaching them how we rescue animals like seals, as well as touring a power station, which are major contributors to global warming.

"Children from Scotland see and read about global warming but it affects Inuit children's daily lives, so pupils from both cultures will be able to see its effects from different perspectives."

• www.northernlights-expeditions.org