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Endurance paddle planned Charitable feat could wind up in record books

Posted by kieubanks on 2012-04-02 21:58:06

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012303290018
For kayaker Steven Banks, it is going to be more about physical as well as mental endurance rather than simply covering a set distance around Marco, Goodland and Cape Romano.

Banks, owner of Dreamlander Tours, on April 20 will set out on a 24-mile round trip he estimates will take about 24 hours, including a night stop on the water in the vicinity of Cape Romano when he will be on his own without a back-up team.

He is attempting the feat to raise money for three of his pet charities, the Impact community outreach ministry overseen by local pastor Ben Sprankle; a Malawi, Africa, charitable medical clinic called Partners in Hope; and a Cuaravac, Mexico, mother who is blind and has an epileptic son.

A poignant Marco Island connection is that another of her sons, Benito, worked on the island, raised a family, but died in 2011 from meningitis following a mosquito bite.

Banks had befriended Benito.

âBefore he passed, he asked to make sure his mother and brother were taken care of,â Banks said.

A trip to Mexico to meet them prompted Banks to do everything he can for them, and his goal is to have them come to the United States for treatment.

Banks has called his fundraising paddle Kayak Marco 24.

It will consist of the 24-hour paddle that may incur inclement weather and unpredictable winds, put him at risk during the Cape Romano solo stop, and put strain on his body because of being out on the water for such an extended time.

But he is not too worried about that aspect.

As a hands-on guide, he paddles up to five or six hours at least three times a week, so has plenty of residual paddling fitness.

Still, he said, the length of time he will spend out on the water represents an unpredictable challenge, so he is avoiding any kind of complacency.

Banksâ route is not a fixed affair either, other than he starts and finishes at the Snook Inn.

While winds are unpredictable from this far out, tides are not, so Banks is studying charts and conferring with some of his charter fishing captain friends to map out the best places to try to be at certain times.

The combination of headwinds as well as fighting an in- or outgoing tide could be formidable, he said.

If the going is really good, he added, he will probably put in extra miles.

The kayak Banks plans to paddle is not the sleek, 17-foot kind that could zip around Marco, Goodland and Cape Romano in a matter of a few hours.

He will be using an ordinary, fairly short and stable craft that doesnât have much gliding ability, so every stroke will count.

While Banksâ sole motivation for the endurance paddle is for his three pet causes, a cherry on top may come in the form of recognition by the Guinness Book of Records.

The category would be âlongest nonstop time period for a single person kayaking.â

The recognition would be subject to correct and exhaustive documentation, Banks said.

Want to help?
What: Kayak Marco 24
Who: Steven Banks will spend 24 hours paddling around Marco, Goodland and Cape Romano
When: April 20-21
Where: Start and finish points are 1 p.m. at the Snook Inn.
Motive: Charitable
Donations: Visit dreamlandertours.com or call 240-2117. By mail, make checks out to Kayak Marco 24 and send to:
Kayak Marco 24
c/o Steven Banks
2701 55th Terrace SW
Naples, FL 34116

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