Globetrotters ready for trip – by land and sea!
Jan 14 2008 by David Himelfield, Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Globetrotters ready for trip to Cape Horn – by land and sea!
A COUPLE and their two friends are to travel across the world over land and sea – in a Land Rover!
Mirfield farmer Steve Burgess, 52, and partner Nicky Spinks, 40, will be among the first to travel from Mirfield to Cape Horn, Chile, - the southernmost tip of South America - in a modified 4x4.
And the team, which includes company directors Simon Dedman, 44, from Mirfield, and Dan Evans, 38, from Skipton, hope to be the first to cross the 56-mile Bering Strait in a land vehicle.
Their year-long journey begins at the end of January in Yorkshire, taking in Europe en route to Moscow. From the Russian capital the team, minus Nicky, will cross the frozen wastes of Siberia before sailing the Bering Strait.
The four adventures will unite in Alaska before driving through North, Central and South America to Cape Horn.
The team’s Land Rover Defender 110 has been adapted to accommodate snow tracks for the -50°c Siberian tundra and floats for the Bering crossing. Also installed is a Webasto heating system to keep the engine - and the occupants - at working temperature.
Steve has invested six years planning in the £250,000 expedition, during which time he designed and perfected both the Land Rover’s all-wheel track system and the Hypalon floats and propeller power which enable water travel.
No stranger to international exploration, Steve has climbed mountains in Yugoslavia, sailed the coast of Panama by dugout canoe and travelled to the Ethiopian Highlands, Darien Rainforest, Bering Strait and Ultar Glacier, Hunza.
He is a regular competitor in mountain marathons.
Fell runner Nicky Spinks spent two years exploring Africa, Asia and the former Russian republics with Steve. She is a qualified Cat IX skydiver and open water diver.
Steve said: “It’s my quest for adventure that has fuelled this trip. I’m over 50 and I should be growing out of this but I don’t seem to be!
“I’ve done some challenges before but this is going to be the biggest.
“I’m still snowed under with things to do so the excitement hasn’t come to the fore but I’m ready to go.
“Russia in winter is going to be very cold. Thankfully a Russian company called Bask have given us some special jackets and sleeping bags.
“Panama and Colombia is going to be challenging for different reasons but nowhere is as challenging as Siberia. It’s huge and has an extreme climate.”
Full details of Steve’s preparations and route can be viewed on www.capetocape.org.uk
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