Canoeing Expedition ‘Northern Volta Serpent’, Ghana - December 2005
208 Field Hospital (V)
From 8 to 24 December 2005, a group of 14 canoeists paddled a 90km section of the White Volta River in Ghana, West Africa. Training for the expedition took place over two weekends at the Canolfan Conway Centre in Anglesey. The Centre also provided our canoe instructor for the duration of the trip. As a result of this trip everyone gained a BCU Class 1 or 2 qualifications.
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Logistical support was provided by a Land
Support Party (LSP) that comprised 4 unit members and our Ghanaian Liaison
Officer and Driver. The LSP used a 20-year old Land Rover that was given a
new lease of life with help from the local Land Rover dealership,
Hartwell, St Helens who generously donated and fitted various pieces of
vehicle equipment such as snorkels and power supplies.
The intrepid canoeists set off from the Aksombo Dam on the world’s largest man-made lake (Lake Volta) and headed down the river towards Ada, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean. The canoeists used 2 man open tandem canoes and carried 5 days worth of supplies. The daily routine started at 0430 hrs with breakfast and getting on to the water by 0500 hrs. Paddling then commenced. By 1000 hrs the sun was starting to warm up to a cool 90 degrees! The canoeists took shelter usually beside a local village. Lunch took place alongside an audience of locals. After a short period exchanging greetings and giving free pens provided by the UK National Lottery, it was planned that the villagers would retreat and give the paddlers some space - except that the villagers did not know their part of the plan, and consequently we had to carry out our daily ablutions with at least 30 sets of eyes trained on our every move. Throughout the expedition various sightings of crocodiles and monkeys took place. However, it always seemed to be when no one else could verify the sighting, usually early in the morning after a hot and sweaty kip in your tent! At one village the canoeists arrived during a carnival. Over 1000 people were dancing and singing, and all were very excited until the locals started to become trigger-happy! Several of them were firing into the sky. At this point, the expedition members decided that it was time to leave and not outstay their welcome. They packed up their kit in record-breaking time and found a new campsite further down the river. The group also visited a local hospital. Our Doctors and Nurses were very impressed by the standard of care provided and swapped notes with their Ghanaian counterparts. The Group met up with the Ghanaian Assistant Defence Minster and several other health projects. The unit aspiration is to develop our links with Ghana and create future joint training projects with the Ghana Armed Forces. The unit, combined with 5 GS Med Regt based in Preston, jointly presented the Ghana Armed Forces, British High Commission and several local charities with the canoes and the Land Rover trailer together with medical equipment so that a legacy was left thus allowing Ghana to benefit from our trip. The expedition culminated in a well-earned period of relaxation and rest. Everyone visited the spectacular 200ft Wli waterfall, the local markets for some bartering experience as well as the Kakum Rain Forest canopy walkway. Certainly not for the faint hearted at 200 metres above the rain forest canopy. Other visited attractions included the local slave forts and the fish market. Extracts from the expedition member’s journals recall the overwhelming welcome of the Ghanaian people. Teaching them to dance and sing a range of songs from the ‘Hokey, Kokey’ to Christmas carols. In addition to the challenge of surviving in such a hot climate and sticking to arduous daily routine of paddling without suffering from the heat made the expedition a truly amazing opportunity and one of the best opportunities that the TA had offered them.
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