Yukon Buddies

Nine Sydney women, all members of Dragons Abreast Sydney, will be heading off in June to participate in the Yukon River Quest. This marathon paddling event is the longest continuous race in the world - 740 kms of paddling, almost without stopping, apart from two compulsory rest stops.

 

The race to the midnight sun has been held each year for the last eleven years and these Sydney women, the Yukon Buddies, will be the first Australian crew to compete in a voyageur canoe, the traditional Indian-style canoe originally used by the early fur traders. These canoes don’t exist in Australia so the women have been training intensively in dragon boats, a 7 seat outrigger canoe, and kayaks.

 

The Yukon Buddies were inspired to enter the Yukon River Quest by a film about a group of Yukon women, the breast cancer survivor team Paddlers Abreast, who will this year be competing for the tenth time. The film, “River of Life” seeded the idea that if other breast cancer survivors could do this epic journey, then perhaps they could too.
 

And the Yukon Buddies’ journey will not just be about the paddling. It will be a celebration of life and achievement over breast cancer and hopefully will inspire other breast cancer survivors to take on other epic challenges. To further the cause of fitness and fun after breast cancer the Yukon Buddies are fundraising for their national dragon boat organisation, Dragons Abreast Australia. Dragons Abreast was the starting point for all the Yukon Buddies to get out on the water in a dragon boat and gradually build up fitness and confidence within their club and now venturing even further. They would love other breast cancer survivors to also gain the benefits they’ve had, by joining a Dragons Abreast team.

 

In less than 3 months the Yukon Buddies will be heading off to Canada and up to the Yukon to begin their extraordinary adventure.